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The adage 'History is written by the winners' serves as a key theme that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the narrative. Popular tales often do not capture the full reality, even for the most influential characters in this world's intricate past. Kozuki Oden wasn't a silly showman dancing through the streets of Wano Country; he behaved out of honor and principle. Kuma was not a merciless villain who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, Davy Jones meant beyond just a buccaneer's contest in pursuit of emblems and crews.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we see the peak of this idea. The whole God Valley story acts as a warning story, advising audiences not to judge the characters too quickly.

Myths often fail to convey the complete reality, even for the most powerful characters.

The series's latest look back, chronicling the God Valley event, represents one of the story's finest storylines to now. Beyond the thrill of witnessing icons in their prime, it's compelling to see them before they turned into icons — when their fame had still not surpass their human nature. The past, as recorded by the World Government and recounted through hearsay stories, shaped our understanding of figures like Roger, Xebec, and even Garp. But each of the regime's records and the stories of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be unreliable, revealing only pieces of who these men truly were.

The Individual Prior to the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by purpose and the bold spirit that sparked a fresh era of piracy, but prior to he became the King of the Pirates, he was a young man governed by emotion and the desire to explore. When people speak of his myth, they typically refer to his later journey, the grand quest in pursuit of the guide stones that lead to Laugh Tale. Yet little is known about his first journey, the one that shaped him prior to fame discovered him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger knew little of the globe's hidden history. His affection for Shakky guided him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the Global Authority's darkest realities: the extermination "contests," the grotesque forms of the Gorosei, and including the presence of the planet's unseen ruler, Imu. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's thoughts about all that's happening in the Divine Isle, but perhaps discovering the son of a God's Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his role in the globe and pursue the reality he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this flashback, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec came mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's account, both to the viewers and to new Marines. He depicted Xebec as a vile, ambitious man determined to achieve world domination, someone so dangerous that Roger and Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it turns out, the strategist was not present at the Divine Isle; he was merely echoing the Global Authority's approved narrative of occurrences, the very story Imu authorized to bury the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We don't know if he was motivated by lust for power, revenge for his family, or a desire for fairness, but when he discovered the government's plan to annihilate the land where his family resided, he gave up his dreams of conquest to save them.

This devotion for his family became his undoing. Upon confronting Imu, he forfeited his will and liberty, turning into a marionette controlled to their power. Now, with what little consciousness is left, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — thinking that dying would be a mercy compared to the torment he endures. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the tale told by Sengoku, and the comic presents him in a positive light during the Divine Isle events.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks really die? An intriguing theory is that he is even now a servant to the ruler in the current timeline, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the Global Authority's last Poneglyph in continuous transit to prevent the One Piece from being found.

Garp's Secret Defiance

A further protagonist of the Divine Isle event is Garp, who has faced backlash from followers for a long time for standing by as Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That feeling only grew more intense after the timeskip, when he risked everything to save the young Marine at Hachinosu, leading many to wonder why he couldn't do the identical for his own grandchild. Comparable doubts have recently reemerged with the Divine Isle recollection: how could Garp work for the Marines, knowing the World Government treats genocide and enslavement as entertainment for the upper class?

The truth reveals something different. The moment Garp saw the Gorosei's monstrous 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 Imu, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to eliminate everyone in the Divine Isle, even it seems, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is probably the cause Monkey D. Garp despises the World Nobles in the current era and why he not once wanted to be elevated to Admiral, reporting straight to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Narrators

Even though the readers are seeing the God Valley event through a flashback narrated by the giant, including viewpoints and occurrences he obviously was absent for, I think we can consider this account as entirely truthful. The series may offer an reason in the future, maybe connected to Loki's still mysterious paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the God Valley incident excellently embodies the notion that history is recorded by the winners. This mindset is {