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The saying 'The past is written by the winners' serves as a central theme that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the story. Legends frequently do not capture the complete reality, including the most influential figures in this world's intricate past. Oden wasn't a silly performer dancing through the roads of Wano; he acted out of honor and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma was not a ruthless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hats, either; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, Davy Jones meant more than a buccaneer's contest in search of emblems and followers.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we see the culmination of this idea. The whole God Valley narrative acts as a cautionary tale, advising audiences not to judge the individuals too hastily.

Myths often do not convey the complete reality, even for the most powerful figures.

The series's most recent look back, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, represents one of the series' finest storylines to date. Apart from the excitement of witnessing legends in their prime, it's compelling to observe them prior to when they turned into icons — when their reputation had still not surpass their human nature. History, as written by the Global Authority and retold through secondhand stories, shaped our perception of figures like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But each of the regime's accounts and the stories of those who knew them prove unreliable, revealing only pieces of who these individuals truly were.

The Man Before the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been driven by purpose and the bold spirit that ignited a new age of piracy, but prior to he became the Pirate King, he was a youth governed by emotion and the desire to explore. When people speak of his myth, they typically refer to his later journey, the grand expedition in search of the guide stones that point toward Laugh Tale. Yet not much is understood about his first journey, the one that shaped him before fame discovered him.

Back then, Roger knew little of the world's secret history. His love for the barkeep guided him to God Valley, where he discovered the World Government's darkest realities: the extermination "games," the grotesque appearances of the Gorosei, and including the presence of the world's unseen ruler, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's thoughts about all that's happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe finding the son of a God's Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his place in the world and pursue the truth he glimpsed from Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this flashback, what we knew of Xebec was derived almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's account, each to the viewers and to new Navy recruits. He painted Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man bent on world domination, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it turns out, Sengoku was not present at God Valley; he was merely echoing the World Government's sanctioned narrative of occurrences, the very narrative Imu approved to conceal the truth about Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to overthrow Imu and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We are unsure if he was motivated by lust for power, revenge for his family, or a desire for justice, but when he discovered the government's plan to eliminate the island where his family resided, he abandoned his dreams of domination to rescue them.

This love for his family became his undoing. Upon facing the sovereign, he lost his will and liberty, turning into a marionette controlled to their power. Currently, with what limited consciousness is left, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Garp to kill him — thinking that death would be a kindness compared to the torment he endures. The reality of Rocks is thus very different from the tale told by Sengoku, and the manga presents him in a positive manner during the Divine Isle incidents.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec actually die? 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 Poneglyph in constant movement to keep the ultimate treasure from being found.

The Hero's Secret Rebellion

A further key figure of the God Valley event is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced backlash from fans for a long time for standing by as Admiral Akainu killed Ace. That sentiment only grew stronger after the timeskip, when he endangered everything to rescue Koby at Pirate Island, leading many to wonder why he couldn't do the same for his biological grandchild. Similar doubts have recently reemerged with the God Valley recollection: how could Garp serve the Navy, knowing the Global Authority considers mass murder and enslavement as entertainment for the elite?

The truth reveals something different. The moment Garp saw the Gorosei's grotesque forms, he attacked without hesitation. His partnership with Roger wasn't to defeat some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an effort to halt Imu, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to wipe out everyone in God Valley, including apparently, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is likely the cause Monkey D. Garp detests the World Nobles in the present day and why he not once wanted to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, answering directly to them.

History's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Although the readers are seeing the God Valley event through a recollection narrated by Loki, including perspectives and occurrences he clearly wasn't present for, I believe we can consider this account as entirely accurate. The series may offer an explanation in the future, maybe linked to the giant's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle event perfectly exemplifies the idea that the past is written by the winners. This mindset is {