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The adage 'The past is recorded by the victors' serves as a central motif that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the story. Popular tales frequently fail to convey the full truth, even for the most influential characters in this story's intricate past. Kozuki Oden was no foolish showman dancing through the roads of Wano; he acted out of duty and conviction. Kuma wasn't a merciless villain who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was helping them. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend meant beyond just a buccaneer's contest in pursuit of flags and followers.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we witness the culmination of this idea. The whole God Valley narrative acts as a warning story, advising readers not to evaluate the individuals too quickly.

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

One Piece's most recent flashback, detailing the Divine Isle incident, represents one of the series' finest storylines to now. Apart from the excitement of witnessing icons in their prime, it's compelling to see them prior to when they turned into symbols — when their fame had yet to surpass their human nature. The past, as written by the Global Authority and retold through secondhand stories, shaped our understanding of figures like Roger, Xebec, and including Garp. But each of the government's accounts and the stories of those who knew them prove untrustworthy, showing only pieces of who these individuals truly were.

The Individual Before the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by mission and the daring spirit that ignited a new age of buccaneering, but before he became the King of the Pirates, he was a youth governed by passion and wanderlust. When people discuss his legend, they usually mean his later journey, the grand expedition in pursuit of the guide stones that point toward Laugh Tale. Yet not much is known about his initial travels, the one that shaped him before fame discovered him.

At that time, Roger was largely unaware of the world's hidden past. His affection for the barkeep guided him to God Valley, where he discovered the World Government's most sinister realities: the extermination "contests," the grotesque forms of the Five Elders, and including the existence of the world's hidden ruler, Imu. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's reflections about all that's occurring in God Valley, but perhaps discovering the son of a God's Knight on his vessel will make him realize his role in the globe and pursue the truth he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's situation.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this flashback, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec was derived mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's account, both to the audience and to young Navy recruits. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man bent on world domination, someone so threatening that Roger and Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it transpires, the strategist was not there at the Divine Isle; he was merely repeating the World Government's approved narrative of events, the exact narrative the sovereign authorized to conceal the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to topple the ruler and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We don't know if he was guided by ambition, retribution for his clan, or a desire for justice, but when he found out the government's scheme to eliminate the land where his kin resided, he gave up his dreams of conquest to save them.

This love for his family proved to be his downfall. After facing Imu, he lost his determination and freedom, becoming a puppet enslaved to their authority. Now, with what little awareness remains, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — believing that death would be a kindness in contrast to the torment he suffers. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the story narrated by Sengoku, and the comic presents him in a positive manner during the God Valley events.

Is He Living Today?

But did Rocks really meet his end? An interesting idea is that he is still a slave to the ruler in the present day, acting as the scarred individual, maintaining the Global Authority's only remaining Poneglyph in constant transit to keep the ultimate treasure from being found.

The Hero's Hidden Rebellion

A further key figure of the God Valley incident is Garp, who has endured backlash from fans for years for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu killed Ace. That feeling only grew stronger after the timeskip, when he endangered everything to save the young Marine at Hachinosu, causing many to wonder why he couldn't do the identical for his biological grandchild. Similar questions have recently reemerged with the God Valley recollection: how could Garp serve the Marines, aware the World Government treats genocide and enslavement as entertainment for the upper class?

The reality uncovers something different. The instant Garp witnessed the Elders' grotesque forms, he attacked without hesitation. His alliance with Roger wasn't to vanquish some evil Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an effort to stop Imu, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to eliminate all in God Valley, including it seems, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is likely the cause Garp despises the World Nobles in the present day and why he never wanted to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, answering straight to them.

History's Untrustworthy Narrators

Even though the audience are viewing the Divine Isle incident through a recollection recounted by Loki, including viewpoints and occurrences he clearly was absent for, I believe we can consider this version as entirely accurate. The manga may provide an explanation in the future, perhaps linked to the giant's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Still, the Divine Isle event excellently exemplifies the notion that history is written by the winners. This attitude is {