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The saying 'The past is recorded by the winners' is a key motif that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the story. Popular tales frequently do not convey the full truth, including the most powerful figures in this story's intricate past. Kozuki Oden was no foolish performer prancing through the roads of Wano Country; he acted out of duty and principle. Bartholomew Kuma was not a merciless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was helping them. Similarly, Davy Jones signified beyond just a buccaneer's game in pursuit of emblems and followers.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, 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 quickly.

Legends frequently do not capture the complete reality, including the most powerful figures.

The series's latest flashback, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, stands as one of the series' best arcs to now. Beyond the excitement of seeing legends in their prime, it's gripping to observe them before they turned into symbols — when their fame had yet to surpass their human nature. History, as written by the Global Authority and retold through secondhand tales, shaped our perception of figures like Roger, Xebec, and even Garp. But each of the regime's accounts and the stories of those who were acquainted with them prove untrustworthy, showing only pieces of who these individuals really were.

The Individual Prior to the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been driven by mission and the bold attitude that ignited a fresh era of piracy, but prior to he was known as the Pirate King, he was a young man ruled by emotion and the desire to explore. When individuals speak of his legend, they usually mean his second voyage, the grand expedition in pursuit of the guide stones that point toward Laugh Tale. Yet not much is known about his initial travels, the one that shaped him prior to glory found him.

At that time, Roger knew little of the globe's secret history. His affection for the barkeep led him to God Valley, where he discovered the Global Authority's most sinister realities: the extermination "contests," the grotesque forms of the Gorosei, and including the presence of the planet's hidden sovereign, Imu. We are yet to witness Roger's reflections about all that's happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the child of a God's Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his role in the world and seek the truth he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's situation.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this recollection, what we were aware of of Xebec came almost entirely from Sengoku's version, each to the viewers and to new Navy recruits. He depicted Xebec as a vile, ambitious man bent on world domination, someone so dangerous that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it transpires, Sengoku wasn't even present at God Valley; he was merely echoing the World Government's approved narrative of events, the exact narrative Imu 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 aimed to topple the ruler and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We don't know if he was guided by ambition, revenge for his clan, or a wish for fairness, but when he found out the government's scheme to annihilate the island where his kin lived, he abandoned his dreams of domination to rescue them.

This devotion for his family became his downfall. Upon facing the sovereign, he forfeited his will and freedom, becoming a marionette controlled to their power. Currently, with what limited awareness remains, he pleads with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — believing that dying would be a mercy in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The truth of Rocks is thus far from the story told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic presents him in a favorable manner during the God Valley events.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks actually die? An interesting theory is that he is even now a servant to the ruler in the current timeline, serving as the scarred individual, keeping the Global Authority's last Poneglyph in constant transit to prevent the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

Garp's Hidden Defiance

A further protagonist of the God Valley incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced criticism from fans for a long time for standing by as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That feeling became even stronger after the time jump, when he risked everything to rescue Koby at Pirate Island, leading many to wonder why he couldn't do the identical for his own grandson. Similar doubts have recently reemerged with the God Valley flashback: how can Garp serve the Marines, aware the World Government considers genocide and enslavement as entertainment for the upper class?

The reality uncovers something different. The moment Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Gorosei's monstrous forms, he struck immediately. His alliance with Gol D. Roger was not meant to vanquish some evil Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an effort to stop Imu, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to wipe out all in God Valley, even apparently, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is likely the cause Garp despises the World Nobles in the current era and why he never desired to be promoted to Admiral, answering straight to them.

History's Unreliable Storytellers

Although the audience are seeing the God Valley incident through a flashback narrated by Loki, covering perspectives and occurrences he clearly wasn't present for, I believe we can consider this version as entirely truthful. The series may offer an explanation in the future, perhaps linked to Loki's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle incident perfectly exemplifies the idea that history is written by the winners. This mindset is {