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The saying 'History is written by the winners' is a central motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the narrative. Legends often do not convey the full reality, even for the most powerful figures in this world's intricate past. Kozuki Oden wasn't a silly showman dancing through the roads of Wano Country; he behaved out of duty and conviction. Kuma wasn't a ruthless antagonist who separated the Straw Hats, either; he was helping them. Likewise, Davy Jones meant beyond just a buccaneer's game in search of flags and followers.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we witness the peak of this idea. The entire Divine Isle narrative acts as a cautionary tale, advising audiences not to judge the characters too hastily.

Myths frequently do not capture the complete truth, even for the most powerful characters.

One Piece's latest flashback, detailing the God Valley event, represents one of the series' finest storylines to now. Beyond the excitement of witnessing legends in their peak, it's compelling to see them before they became icons — when their reputation had yet to surpass their human nature. The past, as recorded by the World Government and recounted through hearsay stories, painted our understanding of individuals like Roger, Xebec, and including Garp. But each of the government's accounts and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them prove untrustworthy, showing only pieces of who these men really were.

The Individual Before the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been driven by purpose and the daring attitude that sparked a new age of piracy, but before he was known as the Pirate King, he was a youth ruled by passion and wanderlust. When individuals discuss his myth, they usually refer to his second voyage, the epic quest in search of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward Laugh Tale. However little is known about his first journey, the one that molded him prior to glory discovered him.

Back then, Roger was largely unaware of the world's secret past. His love for Shakky led him to God Valley, where he discovered the Global Authority's darkest realities: the extermination "games," the grotesque appearances of the Gorosei, and even the existence of the world's unseen ruler, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's reflections about everything happening 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 globe and seek the truth he glimpsed from Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this recollection, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec came almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's version, both to the audience and to young Navy recruits. He depicted Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man bent on world domination, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it transpires, the strategist wasn't even present at the Divine Isle; he was merely repeating the Global Authority's approved version of events, the exact narrative Imu authorized to bury the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to topple Imu and dismantle the decadent World Government. We are unsure if he was motivated by lust for power, retribution for his family, or a desire for justice, but when he discovered the regime's plan to annihilate the island where his family resided, he abandoned his dreams of domination to rescue them.

This devotion for his family became his undoing. After confronting the sovereign, he forfeited his will and freedom, turning into a marionette enslaved to their authority. Currently, with what limited awareness is left, he pleads with Roger and Garp to kill him — thinking that death would be a mercy in contrast to the torment he suffers. The reality of Rocks is thus far from the story told by Sengoku, and the comic shows him in a favorable manner during the God Valley events.

Is He Living Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec actually meet his end? An intriguing theory is that he is still a servant to the ruler in the current timeline, acting as the scarred individual, maintaining the Global Authority's last Poneglyph in continuous transit to keep the One Piece from being found.

Garp's Hidden Defiance

Another key figure of the Divine Isle incident is Garp, who has endured criticism from followers for years for doing nothing as Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment only grew more intense after the time jump, when he risked everything to save Koby at Hachinosu, causing many to question why he was unable to do the identical for his own grandchild. Comparable questions have now reemerged with the God Valley recollection: how could Monkey D. Garp work for the Navy, knowing the Global Authority treats genocide and slavery as entertainment for the elite?

The truth reveals something distinct. The instant Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Elders' grotesque shapes, he struck immediately. His alliance with Roger was not meant to defeat some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an attempt to halt the sovereign, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to wipe out all in God Valley, even it seems, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is likely the reason Garp despises the World Nobles in the current era and why he not once desired to be elevated to Admiral, answering straight to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Even though the readers are seeing the God Valley event through a recollection recounted by the giant, including viewpoints and events he obviously was absent for, I think we can treat this account as completely truthful. The series may provide an reason later, maybe linked to Loki's still mysterious paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the God Valley incident excellently embodies the idea that history is recorded by the victors. This mindset is {