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The saying 'The past is written by the winners' serves as a central theme that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the story. Legends frequently fail to convey the complete reality, even for the most powerful figures in this world's complex history. Oden wasn't a foolish showman dancing through the roads of Wano Country; he acted out of duty and conviction. Kuma was not a ruthless villain who separated the Straw Hats, as well; he was helping them. Likewise, Davy Jones signified more than a buccaneer's game in pursuit of emblems and crews.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we witness the culmination of this idea. The whole God Valley story serves as a warning story, advising readers not to judge the characters too hastily.

Myths frequently fail to convey the complete reality, even for the most influential figures.

One Piece's most recent look back, detailing the Divine Isle event, represents one of the story's best arcs to date. Apart from the excitement of seeing icons in their prime, it's compelling to see them before they turned into icons — when their reputation had yet to surpass their humanity. The past, as written by the World Government and recounted through hearsay stories, shaped our perception of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But both the government's records and the narratives of those who knew them turn out to be unreliable, showing only pieces of who these men really were.

The Individual Before the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been driven by mission and the bold attitude that ignited a fresh era of buccaneering, but prior to he was known as the Pirate King, he was a youth ruled by emotion and the desire to explore. When individuals speak of his legend, they typically mean his later journey, the epic expedition in pursuit of the guide stones that lead to Laugh Tale. However not much is known about his initial travels, the one that shaped him before fame discovered him.

Back then, Roger knew little of the world's secret history. His affection for the barkeep guided him to God Valley, where he discovered the Global Authority's most sinister truths: the genocidal "contests," the monstrous forms of the Gorosei, and including the presence of the world's unseen ruler, Imu. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's thoughts about all that's occurring in God Valley, but perhaps finding the child of a Holy Knight on his ship will make him realize his role in the globe and pursue the truth he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this flashback, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec came mostly from Sengoku's account, both to the viewers and to new Navy recruits. He depicted Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man bent on world domination, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it turns out, Sengoku wasn't even there at God Valley; he was only repeating the Global Authority's approved narrative of events, the very story Imu authorized to conceal the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to topple Imu and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We are unsure if he was motivated by lust for power, retribution for his family, or a desire for justice, but when he discovered the regime's scheme to annihilate the island where his kin lived, he gave up his ambitions of domination to rescue them.

This devotion for his relatives became his downfall. Upon facing the sovereign, he lost his determination and liberty, becoming a marionette controlled to their power. Currently, with what limited awareness remains, he begs with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — thinking that death would be a kindness compared to the torment he endures. The reality of Rocks is thus far from the story told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic presents him in a positive light during the God Valley incidents.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec really die? An intriguing idea is that he is even now a servant to Imu in the current timeline, acting as the scarred individual, maintaining the World Government's last Poneglyph in constant transit to keep the One Piece from being found.

The Hero's Secret Rebellion

A further key figure of the God Valley event is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured backlash from fans for a long time for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That feeling became even stronger after the time jump, when he risked everything to save Koby at Hachinosu, leading many to wonder why he couldn't do the same for his own grandson. Similar questions have now reemerged with the Divine Isle recollection: how can Garp serve the Marines, knowing the World Government considers mass murder and enslavement as sport for the elite?

The truth uncovers something different. The instant Monkey D. Garp saw the Gorosei's grotesque forms, he attacked immediately. His partnership with Roger wasn't to vanquish some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an effort to halt the sovereign, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to wipe out all in the Divine Isle, even it seems, including the World Nobles themselves. This incident is probably the cause Garp despises the World Nobles in the present day and why he not once desired to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, answering straight to them.

History's Unreliable Narrators

Even though the audience are seeing the Divine Isle incident through a flashback recounted by Loki, covering perspectives and events he clearly was absent for, I think we can consider this account as completely accurate. The series may provide an explanation later, perhaps connected to Loki's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the God Valley event excellently exemplifies the idea that history is written by the winners. This attitude is {