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The saying 'The past is recorded by the winners' is a central motif that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the story. Popular tales often fail to convey the complete truth, even for the most powerful characters in this story's complex history. Kozuki Oden wasn't a silly showman prancing through the roads of Wano Country; he acted out of honor and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma was not a ruthless antagonist who separated the Straw Hats, either; he was helping them. Likewise, Davy Jones meant more than a pirate's contest in pursuit of emblems and crews.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we see the culmination of this idea. The whole God Valley story acts as a warning story, instructing audiences not to evaluate the characters too hastily.

Legends frequently fail to convey the complete truth, even for the most influential characters.

The series's latest flashback, chronicling the Divine Isle event, represents one of the story's finest arcs to now. Apart from the thrill of seeing legends in their prime, it's gripping to see them prior to when they turned into symbols — when their reputation had still not surpass their human nature. History, as written by the World Government and recounted through hearsay stories, painted our perception of individuals like Roger, Xebec, and even Garp. But both the government's accounts and the narratives of those who knew them prove untrustworthy, revealing only pieces of who these men truly were.

The Man Before the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been driven by purpose and the daring spirit that sparked a fresh era of piracy, but before he became the Pirate King, he was a young man governed by emotion and the desire to explore. When people discuss his myth, they usually mean his later journey, the epic quest in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to Laugh Tale. Yet not much is understood about his first journey, the one that shaped him before fame discovered him.

Back then, Roger was largely unaware of the globe's hidden history. His affection for the barkeep led him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the Global Authority's most sinister realities: the extermination "contests," the grotesque appearances of the Five Elders, and even the presence of the planet's unseen sovereign, Imu. We haven't seen Roger's reflections about all that's happening in the Divine Isle, 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 reality he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this flashback, what we knew of Xebec came mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's version, both to the audience and to young Marines. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man bent on world domination, someone so dangerous that Roger and Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it turns out, Sengoku wasn't even present at God Valley; he was only echoing the Global Authority's approved version of occurrences, the very story Imu authorized to bury the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to overthrow Imu and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We don't know if he was guided by ambition, revenge for his clan, or a desire for fairness, but when he found out the government's scheme to annihilate the land where his kin lived, he gave up his ambitions of domination to rescue them.

This devotion for his relatives became his undoing. After facing the sovereign, he forfeited his will and liberty, becoming a puppet enslaved to their power. Now, with what little awareness remains, he pleads with Roger and Garp to end his life — thinking that dying would be a mercy compared to the living hell he suffers. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the tale told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic presents him in a favorable manner during the Divine Isle events.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks actually meet his end? An intriguing theory is that he is even now a servant to Imu in the present day, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the World Government's last ancient stone in continuous movement to prevent the One Piece from being discovered.

Garp's Hidden Rebellion

Another protagonist of the God Valley incident is Garp, who has endured backlash from fans for years for standing by as Akainu killed Ace. That feeling only grew more intense after the time jump, when he endangered everything to rescue Koby at Hachinosu, causing many to question why he couldn't do the same for his biological grandchild. Similar doubts have now resurfaced with the God Valley flashback: how can Garp serve the Navy, aware the Global Authority treats mass murder and slavery as sport for the upper class?

The reality uncovers something distinct. The instant Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Gorosei's grotesque shapes, he attacked without hesitation. His partnership with Roger wasn't to defeat some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an effort to halt the sovereign, who was using Xebec as a tool to eliminate everyone in God Valley, including apparently, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is probably the cause Monkey D. Garp despises the World Nobles in the present day and why he not once wanted to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, answering straight to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Narrators

Even though the readers are viewing the Divine Isle event through a recollection recounted by Loki, including viewpoints and occurrences he obviously was absent for, I believe we can treat this account as entirely truthful. The series may provide an explanation later, perhaps linked to Loki's still mysterious paramecia ability. Still, the Divine Isle incident perfectly exemplifies the idea that history is written by the winners. This mindset is {