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The saying 'History is written by the victors' is a key motif that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the story. Legends often do not capture the full truth, including the most powerful figures in this story's complex past. Kozuki Oden was no silly performer prancing through the roads of Wano; he behaved out of duty and principle. Bartholomew Kuma was not a ruthless antagonist who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, Davy Jones signified more than a buccaneer's contest in pursuit of emblems and crews.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we witness the culmination of this theme. The whole Divine Isle story serves as a warning story, instructing audiences not to evaluate the individuals too hastily.

Myths often fail to capture the complete reality, even for the most powerful figures.

One Piece's latest flashback, chronicling the God Valley incident, represents one of the series' finest storylines to date. Apart from the thrill of seeing legends in their prime, it's compelling to see them before they turned into symbols — when their fame had yet to surpass their humanity. The past, as written by the Global Authority and retold through secondhand stories, shaped our understanding of figures like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Garp. But both the government's records and the narratives of those who knew them turn out to be untrustworthy, revealing only pieces of who these individuals truly 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 King of the Pirates, he was a youth ruled by passion and wanderlust. When people discuss his myth, they typically refer to his second voyage, the grand expedition in pursuit of the guide stones that lead to the final island. Yet little is known about his first journey, the one that molded him prior to glory discovered him.

Back then, Roger knew little of the globe's hidden past. His affection for Shakky led him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the World Government's darkest realities: the genocidal "games," the monstrous forms of the Gorosei, and including the presence of the world's unseen ruler, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's reflections about everything occurring in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the son of a Holy Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his role in the world and pursue the truth he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this flashback, what we were aware of of Xebec was derived almost entirely from Sengoku's account, both to the audience and to new Marines. He painted Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man bent on global control, someone so dangerous that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it transpires, the strategist was not there at God Valley; he was merely repeating the World Government's approved version of occurrences, the very story the sovereign authorized to bury the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to topple Imu and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We don't know if he was motivated by lust for power, retribution for his clan, or a wish for justice, but when he found out the regime's plan to eliminate the island where his kin resided, he gave up his ambitions of domination to save them.

This devotion for his relatives became his undoing. After facing Imu, he lost his will and liberty, becoming a puppet enslaved to their power. Currently, with what little consciousness remains, he pleads with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — believing that death would be a mercy in contrast to the torment he endures. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the tale narrated by Sengoku, and the comic shows him in a positive light during the Divine Isle incidents.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks actually die? An interesting theory is that he is still a slave to the ruler in the current timeline, serving as the scarred individual, keeping the World Government's last ancient stone in continuous transit to prevent the One Piece from being found.

The Hero's Hidden Rebellion

A further key figure of the God Valley event is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced criticism from fans for years for standing by as Admiral Akainu murdered Ace. That feeling became even stronger after the timeskip, when he endangered all to rescue the young Marine at Pirate Island, leading many to question why he was unable to do the identical for his own grandson. Comparable doubts have recently resurfaced with the God Valley recollection: how can Garp serve the Marines, knowing the World Government considers mass murder and enslavement as entertainment for the elite?

The reality reveals something different. The instant Monkey D. Garp saw the Elders' monstrous forms, he attacked immediately. His alliance with Roger was not meant to defeat some evil Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an effort to stop Imu, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to eliminate all in the Divine Isle, including it seems, even the World Nobles themselves. This event is probably the cause Monkey D. Garp despises the World Nobles in the present day and why he never wanted to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, reporting straight to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Although the readers are seeing the God Valley incident through a recollection narrated by the giant, including perspectives and events he obviously was absent for, I think we can consider this account as entirely accurate. The manga may provide an explanation later, maybe linked to Loki's yet unknown paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle incident excellently embodies the notion that the past is written by the victors. This mindset is {