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The saying 'History is recorded by the winners' is a key theme that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the story. Legends frequently fail to convey the complete reality, even for the most powerful figures in this story's complex history. Oden was no foolish performer prancing through the roads of Wano Country; he behaved out of duty and principle. Kuma was not a merciless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was helping them. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend meant more than a pirate's contest in search of emblems and followers.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we witness the peak of this idea. The entire Divine Isle narrative acts as a warning story, advising readers not to evaluate the characters too hastily.

Myths often fail to convey the full reality, even for the most powerful characters.

One Piece's latest look back, detailing the God Valley event, stands as one of the story's finest storylines to date. Beyond the excitement of witnessing legends in their prime, it's gripping to see them prior to when they became icons — when their reputation had still not surpass their humanity. The past, as written by the World Government and retold through secondhand tales, painted our perception of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and even Garp. But each of the regime's accounts and the stories of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be unreliable, showing only pieces of who these individuals truly were.

The Individual Prior to the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been guided by mission and the daring spirit that sparked a new age of buccaneering, but before he was known as the Pirate King, he was a young man ruled by passion and the desire to explore. When individuals speak of his myth, they usually refer to his later journey, the grand expedition in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward Laugh Tale. However not much is known about his first journey, the one that molded him prior to fame discovered him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger knew little of the world's secret history. His affection for the barkeep guided him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the Global Authority's darkest truths: the extermination "games," the monstrous appearances of the Gorosei, and even the existence of the world's unseen sovereign, Imu. We are yet to witness Roger's reflections about everything occurring in the Divine Isle, but maybe finding the child of a Holy Knight on his vessel will make him realize his role in the world and pursue the truth he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this recollection, what we knew of Xebec was derived almost entirely from Sengoku's account, both to the viewers and to new Navy recruits. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man determined to achieve world domination, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it turns out, Sengoku wasn't even present at God Valley; he was only echoing the World Government's approved narrative of events, the very story Imu approved to conceal the reality about 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 Imu and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We are unsure if he was motivated by lust for power, retribution for his family, or a wish for justice, but when he discovered the government's plan to eliminate the island where his kin lived, he gave up his ambitions of domination to save them.

This love for his family proved to be his undoing. After confronting the sovereign, he forfeited his determination and liberty, turning into a marionette enslaved to their power. Now, with what limited awareness remains, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Garp to end his life — thinking that death would be a kindness in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the story narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga shows him in a favorable manner during the God Valley incidents.

Is He Living Today?

But was Rocks actually meet his end? An intriguing theory is that he is still a slave to the ruler in the current timeline, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the World Government's last Poneglyph in constant movement to prevent the One Piece from being discovered.

Garp's Secret Defiance

A further key figure of the Divine Isle event is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced criticism from followers for a long time for standing by as Admiral Akainu murdered Ace. That feeling became even more intense after the time jump, when he endangered all to save the young Marine at Hachinosu, leading many to wonder why he was unable to do the same for his own grandchild. Comparable doubts have recently reemerged with the God Valley flashback: how could Garp serve the Marines, aware the World Government considers mass murder and enslavement as sport for the elite?

The reality reveals something distinct. The moment Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Elders' monstrous forms, he attacked without hesitation. His alliance with Gol D. Roger wasn't to defeat some villainous Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an attempt to halt the sovereign, who was manipulating Xebec as a tool to eliminate all in the Divine Isle, including apparently, even the World Nobles themselves. This event is probably the reason Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he never desired to be elevated to Admiral, reporting directly to them.

History's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Although the readers are viewing the God Valley event through a recollection narrated by the giant, covering perspectives and events he obviously wasn't present for, I think we can consider this version as completely truthful. The series may provide an explanation in the future, maybe connected to Loki's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the God Valley incident perfectly exemplifies the notion that the past is recorded by the winners. This mindset is {