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The adage 'History is recorded by the winners' serves as a central theme that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the narrative. Legends frequently fail to capture the full reality, including the most influential figures in this world's intricate past. Oden wasn't a foolish showman dancing through the streets of Wano; he behaved out of honor and principle. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a merciless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hats, either; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend meant beyond just a buccaneer's game in search of flags and crews.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we see the culmination of this theme. The whole God Valley narrative serves as a cautionary tale, instructing audiences not to judge the characters too quickly.

Legends often do not capture the full truth, including the most influential characters.

One Piece's most recent look back, detailing the God Valley incident, represents one of the series' finest arcs to date. Apart from the excitement of seeing icons in their prime, it's compelling to observe them before they turned into symbols — when their reputation had yet to outgrow their human nature. History, as recorded by the World Government and retold through hearsay stories, painted our perception of figures like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But each of the regime's records and the narratives of those who knew them turn out to be unreliable, showing only fragments of who these individuals truly were.

The Individual Prior to the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been driven by purpose and the daring attitude that sparked a fresh era of buccaneering, but prior to he was known as the Pirate King, he was a young man governed by passion and wanderlust. When individuals discuss his myth, they usually mean his later journey, the epic quest in search of the guide stones that point toward Laugh Tale. However not much is understood about his first journey, the one that molded him before fame found him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the globe's hidden history. His affection for Shakky guided him to God Valley, where he uncovered the Global Authority's most sinister realities: the genocidal "games," the grotesque forms of the Five Elders, and even the presence of the planet's hidden sovereign, Imu. We haven't seen Roger's thoughts about everything happening in God Valley, but maybe finding the son of a God's Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his role in the globe and pursue the truth he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this recollection, what we were aware of of Xebec was derived almost entirely from Sengoku's version, each to the audience and to new Marines. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man bent on world domination, someone so threatening that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it turns out, Sengoku was not there at God Valley; he was merely echoing the Global Authority's sanctioned version of events, the very story the sovereign approved to conceal the reality about Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We don't know if he was motivated by lust for power, revenge for his family, or a desire for fairness, but when he found out the regime's scheme to annihilate the island where his family lived, he abandoned his dreams of conquest to rescue them.

This devotion for his family became his downfall. After confronting Imu, he forfeited his will and liberty, turning into a puppet controlled to their power. Currently, with what limited awareness remains, he begs with Roger and Garp to end his life — thinking that death would be a mercy in contrast to the torment he endures. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the tale narrated by Sengoku, and the comic shows him in a favorable manner during the God Valley incidents.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks really die? An intriguing theory is that he is even now a servant to Imu in the present day, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the Global Authority's only remaining ancient stone in continuous transit to prevent the One Piece from being discovered.

Garp's Secret Rebellion

Another key figure of the Divine Isle incident is Garp, who has endured backlash from followers for years for standing by as Akainu killed Ace. That feeling became even stronger after the timeskip, when he risked all to rescue the young Marine at Hachinosu, causing many to wonder why he was unable to do the identical for his biological grandchild. Similar questions have recently reemerged with the Divine Isle flashback: how can Garp work for the Navy, knowing the World Government treats mass murder and slavery as sport for the elite?

The truth reveals something distinct. The moment Garp witnessed the Elders' grotesque forms, he struck immediately. His alliance with Roger wasn't to vanquish some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an effort to stop Imu, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to wipe out everyone in the Divine Isle, including it seems, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is probably the cause Monkey D. Garp detests the World Nobles in the present day and why he not once wanted to be promoted to Admiral, answering directly to them.

History's Unreliable Narrators

Although the audience are seeing the Divine Isle event through a recollection narrated by Loki, covering viewpoints and events he obviously wasn't present for, I believe we can treat this version as completely truthful. The series may offer an explanation later, maybe linked to the giant's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Still, the God Valley event perfectly exemplifies the notion that the past is recorded by the winners. This attitude is {