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The adage 'The past is recorded by the winners' serves as a key theme that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the story. Legends frequently fail to capture the full reality, including the most powerful figures in this world's intricate past. Kozuki Oden wasn't a foolish performer dancing through the roads of Wano; he acted out of honor and conviction. Kuma wasn't a merciless villain who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend meant more than a pirate's contest in pursuit of emblems and followers.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we see the culmination of this idea. The entire Divine Isle narrative acts as a warning story, advising audiences not to judge the individuals too quickly.

Legends often fail to convey the complete truth, even for the most powerful characters.

The series's latest look back, detailing the God Valley event, represents one of the story's finest storylines to now. Apart from the excitement of seeing legends in their prime, it's gripping to observe them prior to when they became icons — when their reputation had still not outgrow their humanity. The past, as written by the World Government and recounted through secondhand tales, painted our understanding of figures like Roger, Xebec, and including Garp. But both the regime's accounts and the stories of those who knew them turn out to be untrustworthy, revealing only fragments of who these individuals truly were.

The Man Before the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by mission and the daring attitude that sparked a fresh era of piracy, but before he was known as the Pirate King, he was a youth ruled by emotion and wanderlust. When individuals discuss his legend, they usually refer to his second voyage, the epic quest in search of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to Laugh Tale. However little is known about his initial travels, the one that shaped him prior to glory discovered him.

At that time, Roger was largely unaware of the globe's secret past. His affection for Shakky led him to God Valley, where he discovered the Global Authority's most sinister truths: the extermination "contests," the grotesque appearances of the Gorosei, and even the existence of the world's hidden ruler, Imu. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's thoughts about everything happening in God Valley, but perhaps discovering the son of a God's Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his role in the globe and seek the reality he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Before 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 Marines. He depicted Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man determined to achieve world domination, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it transpires, the strategist wasn't even present at God Valley; he was only echoing the Global Authority's sanctioned narrative of events, the exact narrative Imu approved to conceal the truth about Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the decadent World Government. We don't know if he was motivated by ambition, revenge for his clan, or a wish for fairness, but when he found out the government's scheme to eliminate the land where his family resided, he abandoned his ambitions of conquest to rescue them.

This devotion for his relatives became his undoing. Upon facing the sovereign, he lost his will and freedom, becoming a puppet controlled to their authority. Currently, with what limited awareness is left, he begs with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — believing that dying would be a kindness in contrast to the living hell he endures. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the story narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic shows him in a favorable light during the Divine Isle events.

Could He Be Living Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec actually meet his end? An intriguing theory is that he is still a servant to Imu in the present day, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the World Government's only remaining ancient stone in continuous transit to keep the One Piece from being found.

Garp's Secret Defiance

A further key figure of the God Valley event is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced criticism from fans for a long time for standing by as Admiral Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That feeling only grew stronger after the timeskip, when he risked everything to save the young Marine at Hachinosu, leading many to question why he was unable to do the identical for his biological grandson. Similar questions have recently reemerged with the Divine Isle flashback: how can Monkey D. Garp serve the Marines, knowing the Global Authority treats mass murder and slavery as sport for the elite?

The reality uncovers something distinct. The moment Garp saw the Gorosei's monstrous shapes, he struck immediately. His alliance with Roger wasn't to defeat some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an attempt to stop Imu, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to eliminate everyone in the Divine Isle, including it seems, including the World Nobles themselves. This event is probably the cause Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he never desired to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, reporting straight to them.

History's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Although the readers are seeing the Divine Isle incident through a flashback narrated by Loki, covering viewpoints and events he clearly wasn't present for, I believe we can treat this version as entirely accurate. The series may provide an reason in the future, perhaps connected to the giant's yet unknown paramecia ability. Still, the God Valley incident excellently embodies the idea that history is recorded by the winners. This attitude is {