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The adage 'The past is recorded by the winners' is a key theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Popular tales frequently do not convey the complete truth, even for the most powerful figures in this story's complex past. Kozuki Oden wasn't a foolish showman dancing through the roads of Wano; he behaved out of duty and conviction. Kuma was not a ruthless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hats, as well; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, Davy Jones meant more than a pirate's game in search of flags and followers.

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

Legends frequently fail to convey the full reality, including the most powerful characters.

The series's most recent flashback, chronicling the God Valley event, represents one of the story's finest storylines to now. Apart from the thrill of witnessing icons in their peak, it's gripping to observe them before they turned into symbols — when their reputation had still not surpass their human nature. History, as written by the World Government and retold through hearsay stories, shaped our understanding of figures like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Garp. But each of the government's records and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them prove untrustworthy, revealing only fragments of who these men really were.

The Man Prior to the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been guided by purpose and the daring spirit that sparked a fresh era of buccaneering, but prior to he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a young man governed by emotion and wanderlust. When people speak of his myth, they usually refer to his second voyage, the epic expedition in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward the final island. Yet little is known about his initial travels, the one that molded him prior to glory found him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger knew little of the world's hidden past. His love for Shakky led him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the World Government's most sinister truths: the genocidal "games," the monstrous forms of the Gorosei, and even the existence of the planet's unseen sovereign, Imu. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's reflections about everything happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the child of a God's Knight on his vessel will make him realize his place in the globe and seek the reality he glimpsed from Xebec's situation.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this recollection, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec came mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's account, each to the viewers and to young Marines. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, ambitious man determined to achieve global control, someone so threatening that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it transpires, the strategist wasn't even there at God Valley; he was merely repeating the World Government's sanctioned version of events, the very story the sovereign approved to bury the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, Rocks D. Xebec, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the decadent World Government. We are unsure if he was guided by ambition, retribution for his family, or a wish for justice, but when he found out the government's plan to eliminate the land where his kin resided, he gave up his dreams of conquest to save them.

This love for his family became his downfall. Upon confronting Imu, he lost his will and liberty, becoming a marionette controlled to their power. Now, with what limited consciousness remains, he begs with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — thinking that dying would be a mercy compared to the living hell he endures. The truth of Rocks is thus very different 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 actually meet his end? An intriguing idea is that he is still a servant to the ruler in the current timeline, acting as the scarred individual, keeping the Global Authority's last Poneglyph in constant transit to prevent the One Piece from being found.

Garp's Secret Defiance

A further protagonist of the Divine Isle incident is Garp, who has faced backlash from fans for years for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment became even more intense after the timeskip, when he endangered all to rescue the young Marine at Pirate Island, leading many to question why he couldn't do the same for his biological grandchild. Comparable questions have now resurfaced with the God Valley recollection: how can Garp work for the Navy, knowing the Global Authority treats mass murder and enslavement as entertainment for the elite?

The reality uncovers something different. The instant Garp saw the Elders' monstrous forms, he attacked without hesitation. His partnership with Roger was not meant to defeat some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, 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 Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is likely the cause Garp despises the World Nobles in the present day and why he never wanted to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, reporting directly to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Narrators

Although the audience are seeing the Divine Isle incident through a flashback narrated by Loki, including viewpoints and occurrences he obviously was absent for, I believe we can consider this version as entirely accurate. The manga may provide an explanation later, perhaps connected to Loki's yet unknown paramecia ability. Still, the God Valley event excellently exemplifies the notion that history is written by the winners. This attitude is {