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The adage 'The past is recorded by the victors' serves as a key motif that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Legends often do not capture the complete truth, including the most powerful characters in this story's intricate history. Kozuki Oden wasn't a silly showman dancing through the roads of Wano Country; he behaved out of honor and principle. Bartholomew Kuma was not a merciless villain who separated the Straw Hats, either; he was helping them. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend meant more than a buccaneer's contest in search of flags and crews.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we see the culmination of this theme. The whole God Valley narrative serves as a warning story, advising readers not to judge the individuals too hastily.

Legends frequently do not capture the complete reality, even for the most powerful characters.

One Piece's most recent flashback, chronicling the Divine Isle event, stands as one of the story's finest arcs to now. Apart from the excitement of seeing legends in their peak, it's compelling to see them before they turned into icons — when their reputation had still not surpass their human nature. History, as recorded by the World Government and recounted through hearsay tales, painted our understanding of individuals like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Garp. But both the regime's records and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be untrustworthy, revealing only fragments of who these men really were.

The Individual Before the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been driven by mission and the daring spirit that sparked a new age of piracy, but before he was known as the Pirate King, he was a youth ruled by passion and the desire to explore. When individuals speak of his legend, they typically refer to his second voyage, the epic quest in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward Laugh Tale. Yet not much is known about his initial travels, the one that shaped him prior to glory discovered him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger knew little of the globe's secret past. His affection for the barkeep guided him to God Valley, where he discovered the World Government's most sinister realities: the genocidal "games," the monstrous appearances of the Five Elders, and including the presence of the world's unseen ruler, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Roger's thoughts about everything occurring in God Valley, but perhaps finding the son of a God's Knight on his ship will make him realize his role in the world and pursue the reality he glimpsed from Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Before this recollection, what we knew of Xebec came mostly from Sengoku's version, both to the viewers and to young Navy recruits. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man determined to achieve global control, someone so threatening that Roger and Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it transpires, the strategist was not present at the Divine Isle; he was only repeating the World Government's sanctioned narrative of occurrences, the very story the sovereign authorized to conceal the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to overthrow Imu and dismantle the decadent World Government. We are unsure if he was guided by ambition, revenge for his family, or a desire for justice, but when he discovered the government's scheme to annihilate the land where his kin resided, he abandoned his ambitions of domination to save them.

This devotion for his relatives became his downfall. After confronting the sovereign, he forfeited his will and liberty, becoming a marionette controlled to their power. Currently, with what limited consciousness is left, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Garp to kill him — thinking that dying would be a kindness in contrast to the living hell he endures. The truth of Rocks is thus far from the tale narrated by Sengoku, and the comic presents him in a favorable manner during the God Valley incidents.

Is He Living Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec actually meet his end? An interesting idea is that he is still a slave 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 prevent the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

The Hero's Hidden Defiance

Another protagonist of the God Valley incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured criticism from fans for years for standing by as Admiral Akainu murdered Ace. That sentiment only grew more intense after the timeskip, when he endangered all to save the young Marine at Hachinosu, causing many to question why he couldn't do the identical for his own grandchild. Similar questions have recently resurfaced with the Divine Isle flashback: how can Monkey D. Garp serve the Navy, aware the Global Authority treats genocide and slavery as sport for the elite?

The reality reveals something distinct. The moment Monkey D. Garp saw the Elders' monstrous forms, he struck without hesitation. His alliance with Roger wasn't to vanquish some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an effort to stop Imu, who was manipulating Xebec as a pawn to eliminate all in God Valley, including apparently, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is likely the cause Garp detests the World Nobles in the present day and why he never wanted to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, answering directly to them.

History's Unreliable Narrators

Although the readers are seeing the Divine Isle incident through a flashback narrated by Loki, including viewpoints and events he obviously wasn't present for, I think we can treat this version as entirely truthful. The manga may provide an explanation later, perhaps connected to the giant's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the God Valley event perfectly embodies the notion that the past is recorded by the winners. This mindset is {