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The adage 'History is recorded by the victors' is a key motif that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Legends often fail to capture the complete reality, even for the most powerful figures in this world's complex past. Oden was no silly performer prancing through the streets of Wano; he acted out of duty and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma was not a merciless villain who separated the Straw Hats, either; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, Davy Jones signified beyond just a buccaneer's contest in search of emblems and followers.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we see the culmination of this theme. The entire God Valley story serves as a warning story, advising readers not to evaluate the individuals too hastily.

Legends often do not capture the full reality, including the most powerful characters.

The series's latest look back, chronicling the Divine Isle event, stands as one of the story's best arcs to date. Beyond the excitement of witnessing icons in their peak, it's gripping to observe them prior to when they turned into icons — when their reputation had still not surpass their humanity. History, as recorded by the World Government and recounted through secondhand tales, shaped our perception of individuals like Roger, Xebec, and even Garp. But both the regime's accounts and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them prove untrustworthy, showing only pieces of who these men truly were.

The Individual Before the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been driven by purpose and the daring attitude that ignited a fresh era of piracy, but before he was known as the Pirate King, he was a young man ruled by passion and wanderlust. When individuals discuss his myth, they typically refer to his later journey, the grand expedition in search of the guide stones that lead to Laugh Tale. Yet little is understood about his first journey, the one that shaped him before fame discovered him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger knew little of the globe's secret history. His affection for the barkeep led him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the World Government's most sinister realities: the extermination "games," the grotesque forms of the Gorosei, and including the existence of the planet's hidden sovereign, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's thoughts about all that's occurring in God Valley, but maybe finding the son of a Holy Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his role in the globe and pursue the truth he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's situation.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this flashback, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec was derived almost entirely from Sengoku's account, both to the audience and to new Marines. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man bent on global control, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it transpires, the strategist wasn't even there at God Valley; he was merely repeating the Global Authority's sanctioned narrative of events, the very story Imu authorized to bury the truth about Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to topple the ruler and dismantle the decadent World Government. We are unsure if he was guided by lust for power, revenge for his family, or a desire for justice, but when he discovered the government's scheme to annihilate the island where his family lived, he gave up his ambitions of conquest to rescue them.

This devotion for his relatives became his undoing. Upon confronting Imu, he lost his determination and liberty, becoming a puppet controlled to their authority. Now, with what little awareness remains, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Garp to kill him — believing that dying would be a kindness in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the tale narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga shows him in a positive manner during the Divine Isle events.

Could He Be Living Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec actually die? An intriguing theory is that he is even now a slave to Imu in the current timeline, acting as the scarred individual, keeping the Global Authority's only remaining Poneglyph in constant movement to keep the One Piece from being discovered.

Garp's Hidden Rebellion

Another key figure of the God Valley event is Garp, who has endured backlash from fans for a long time for standing by as Akainu murdered Ace. That feeling only grew more intense after the timeskip, when he risked all to rescue Koby at Hachinosu, causing many to question why he was unable to do the identical for his biological grandchild. Comparable questions have recently reemerged with the God Valley flashback: how could Monkey D. Garp serve the Navy, aware the World Government considers mass murder and enslavement as sport for the upper class?

The truth reveals something distinct. The moment Monkey D. Garp saw the Gorosei's monstrous forms, he struck without hesitation. His alliance with Gol D. Roger was not meant to defeat some evil Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an attempt to stop the sovereign, who was using Xebec as a pawn to wipe out everyone in the Divine Isle, even apparently, including the World Nobles themselves. This event is probably the reason Garp detests the World Nobles in the present day and why he never desired to be elevated to Admiral, reporting straight to them.

The Past's Unreliable Storytellers

Although the readers are seeing the Divine Isle incident through a recollection recounted by the giant, covering viewpoints and occurrences he clearly wasn't present for, I think we can treat this version as completely truthful. The manga may provide an reason in the future, maybe linked to the giant's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Still, the Divine Isle incident perfectly embodies the notion that history is written by the winners. This attitude is {