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The saying 'The past is recorded by the winners' serves as a key theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the story. Popular tales frequently fail to convey the full truth, even for the most influential characters in this story's complex history. Kozuki Oden wasn't a foolish showman dancing through the streets of Wano Country; he behaved out of honor and principle. Bartholomew Kuma was not a merciless villain who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend signified more than a pirate's contest in pursuit of flags and crews.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we see the peak of this idea. The whole Divine Isle narrative acts as a warning story, instructing readers not to judge the individuals too hastily.

Myths frequently do not convey the full truth, even for the most powerful figures.

The series's latest flashback, detailing the God Valley incident, represents one of the story's finest arcs to now. Beyond the thrill of seeing icons in their prime, it's compelling to observe them before they turned into icons — when their fame had yet to outgrow their humanity. History, as recorded by the World Government and retold through hearsay tales, painted our understanding of figures like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But both the regime's records and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them prove untrustworthy, revealing only fragments of who these individuals truly were.

The Man Before the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been guided by mission and the daring spirit that ignited a new age of piracy, but before he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a youth governed by passion and wanderlust. When individuals speak of his legend, they usually mean his second voyage, the grand quest in search of the guide stones that point toward Laugh Tale. However little is understood about his initial travels, the one that shaped him prior to fame discovered him.

Back then, Roger was largely unaware of the world's hidden past. His affection for Shakky guided him to God Valley, where he discovered the Global Authority's darkest truths: the genocidal "games," the grotesque appearances of the Gorosei, and even the existence of the world's unseen ruler, Imu. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's thoughts about all that's occurring in God Valley, but perhaps finding the son of a God's Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his place in the globe and seek the reality he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this recollection, what we were aware of of Xebec came mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's account, both to the viewers and to new Navy recruits. He painted Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man determined to achieve world domination, someone so threatening that Roger and Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it turns out, Sengoku wasn't even present at the Divine Isle; he was only repeating the World Government's sanctioned narrative of events, the exact story the sovereign authorized to bury the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We don't know if he was guided by ambition, retribution for his clan, or a wish for fairness, but when he found out the regime's plan to eliminate the land where his family lived, he gave up his ambitions of conquest to rescue them.

This love for his family proved to be his undoing. Upon facing the sovereign, he forfeited his determination and liberty, becoming a puppet controlled to their power. Currently, with what limited consciousness remains, he pleads with Roger and Garp to kill him — thinking that dying would be a mercy compared to the living hell he suffers. The truth of Rocks is thus very different from the story told by Sengoku, and the manga shows him in a positive manner during the God Valley events.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec actually die? An interesting theory is that he is even now a slave to the ruler in the present day, acting as the scarred individual, keeping the Global Authority's only remaining Poneglyph in constant movement to prevent the One Piece from being discovered.

The Hero's Hidden Rebellion

A further key figure of the God Valley event is Garp, who has faced criticism from followers for years for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That feeling became even more intense after the timeskip, when he endangered everything to rescue Koby at Pirate Island, leading many to question why he was unable to do the identical for his biological grandchild. Comparable doubts have now reemerged with the God Valley flashback: how could Monkey D. Garp serve the Navy, knowing the World Government considers mass murder and enslavement as sport for the upper class?

The truth reveals something distinct. The moment Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Gorosei's grotesque forms, he attacked immediately. His partnership with Roger was not meant to vanquish some evil Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an attempt to stop the sovereign, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to eliminate everyone in God Valley, including apparently, including the World Nobles themselves. This event is likely the reason Garp despises the World Nobles in the current era and why he never desired to be elevated to Admiral, reporting directly to them.

The Past's Unreliable Storytellers

Even though the readers are viewing the Divine Isle incident through a flashback recounted by Loki, covering perspectives and events he obviously was absent for, I think we can treat this account as completely accurate. The series may provide an explanation later, perhaps linked to Loki's still mysterious paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the God Valley event perfectly exemplifies the idea that the past is recorded by the victors. This attitude is {