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The saying 'The past is recorded by the winners' serves as a key motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the narrative. Legends often fail to capture the full truth, including the most influential figures in this world's intricate past. Kozuki Oden was no silly showman prancing through the streets of Wano; he acted out of duty and principle. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a ruthless villain who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was helping them. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend meant beyond just a buccaneer's game in pursuit of emblems and crews.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we see the peak of this idea. The entire God Valley narrative acts as a warning story, instructing audiences not to judge the characters too quickly.

Legends frequently fail to capture the complete truth, even for the most powerful characters.

One Piece's most recent flashback, chronicling the God Valley event, stands as one of the story's best arcs to now. Apart from the excitement of witnessing legends in their peak, it's gripping to observe them before they became icons — when their reputation had still not surpass their humanity. The past, as written by the Global Authority and retold through secondhand tales, shaped our perception of individuals like Roger, Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But both the government's accounts and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be untrustworthy, revealing only fragments of who these individuals really were.

The Man Before the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been driven by mission and the daring spirit that sparked a fresh era of buccaneering, but before he became the King of the Pirates, he was a young man governed by emotion and the desire to explore. When individuals discuss his legend, they usually mean his second voyage, the grand quest in search of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward the final island. Yet little is understood about his first journey, the one that molded him before glory discovered him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger knew little of the globe's hidden past. His love for Shakky guided him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the World Government's darkest truths: the extermination "games," the monstrous appearances of the Gorosei, and including the presence of the planet's unseen ruler, Imu. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's thoughts about all that's occurring in the Divine Isle, but perhaps finding the child of a God's Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his place in the globe and seek the truth he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Before this flashback, what we were aware of of Xebec came almost entirely from Sengoku's account, both to the viewers and to new Navy recruits. He depicted Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man determined to achieve world domination, someone so dangerous that Roger and Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it turns out, the strategist wasn't even present at the Divine Isle; he was merely repeating the Global Authority's approved narrative of events, the exact narrative the sovereign approved to bury the reality about Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the corrupt World Government. 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 government's plan to annihilate the island where his family resided, he abandoned his ambitions of domination to save them.

This love for his family proved to be his downfall. Upon confronting Imu, he forfeited his will and liberty, turning into a puppet controlled to their power. Now, with what little awareness remains, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — believing that death would be a kindness compared to the living hell he suffers. The truth of Rocks is thus far from the story told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga presents him in a favorable light during the Divine Isle incidents.

Is He Living Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec really die? An interesting idea is that he is even now a slave to Imu in the current timeline, acting as the scarred individual, maintaining the World Government's last Poneglyph in constant transit to prevent the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

The Hero's Secret Defiance

Another protagonist of the Divine Isle incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured backlash from fans for a long time for standing by as Akainu killed Ace. That feeling only grew more intense after the time jump, when he risked everything to rescue Koby at Hachinosu, causing many to wonder why he couldn't do the identical for his own grandson. Comparable questions have recently reemerged with the Divine Isle flashback: how can Garp work for the Navy, knowing the World Government treats genocide and enslavement as sport for the elite?

The reality reveals something distinct. The instant Garp witnessed the Elders' grotesque shapes, he attacked immediately. His partnership with Roger wasn't to defeat some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an effort to halt Imu, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to eliminate all in God Valley, including it seems, even the World Nobles themselves. This event is probably the reason Monkey D. Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he not once desired to be promoted to Admiral, reporting straight to them.

History's Unreliable Storytellers

Although the readers are viewing the God Valley event through a flashback recounted by Loki, including viewpoints and occurrences he obviously was absent for, I think we can consider this version as entirely truthful. The series may offer an reason in the future, maybe linked to the giant's still mysterious paramecia ability. Still, the Divine Isle event excellently embodies the idea that the past is written by the victors. This attitude is {