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The adage 'History is recorded by the winners' is a central motif that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the narrative. Legends often do not convey the full truth, even for the most influential characters in this story's complex past. Kozuki Oden wasn't a silly showman dancing through the streets of Wano; he acted out of honor and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma was not a ruthless villain who tore apart the Straw Hats, either; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend signified beyond just a pirate's contest in search of flags and followers.

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

Legends often fail to capture the full reality, including the most influential characters.

One Piece's most recent look back, detailing the God Valley incident, represents one of the series' best arcs to now. Apart from the excitement of witnessing legends in their peak, it's gripping to observe them before they turned into symbols — when their reputation had yet to surpass their humanity. History, as recorded by the Global Authority and recounted through secondhand stories, shaped our perception of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and even Garp. But each of the regime's accounts and the narratives of those who knew them prove unreliable, revealing only pieces of who these individuals truly were.

The Individual Before the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been driven by mission and the bold attitude that sparked a fresh era of buccaneering, but before he became the King of the Pirates, he was a youth ruled by emotion and wanderlust. When individuals discuss his legend, they typically refer to his later journey, the epic quest in pursuit of the guide stones that point toward Laugh Tale. Yet not much is understood about his initial travels, the one that molded him prior to fame discovered him.

Back then, Roger knew little of the globe's secret history. His love for the barkeep led him to God Valley, where he discovered the World Government's darkest realities: the extermination "games," the monstrous appearances of the Five Elders, and including the presence of the planet's unseen ruler, Imu. We haven't seen Roger's reflections about everything occurring in the Divine Isle, but perhaps finding the son of a God's Knight on his vessel will make him realize his place in the globe and pursue the truth he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this flashback, what we knew of Xebec was derived mostly from Sengoku's account, each to the viewers and to new Marines. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, 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, Sengoku was not there at the Divine Isle; he was merely repeating the World Government's sanctioned version of events, the very story the sovereign approved to conceal the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to topple the ruler and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We don't know if he was guided by ambition, retribution for his family, or a wish for justice, but when he discovered the government's plan to annihilate the land where his family lived, he abandoned his ambitions of domination to rescue them.

This love for his relatives became his downfall. After confronting Imu, he lost his determination and freedom, turning into a puppet enslaved to their authority. Now, with what limited consciousness remains, he begs with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — thinking that death would be a mercy compared to the torment he suffers. The truth of Rocks is thus very different from the tale narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga shows him in a positive manner during the Divine Isle events.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks really die? An interesting theory is that he is still a servant to Imu in the current timeline, serving as the scarred individual, keeping the Global Authority's only remaining ancient stone in constant transit to keep the One Piece from being discovered.

Garp's Hidden Rebellion

A further protagonist of the Divine Isle event is Garp, who has endured criticism from followers for years for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu killed Ace. That sentiment became even more intense after the timeskip, when he endangered everything to save the young Marine at Pirate Island, causing many to wonder why he was unable to do the same for his biological grandchild. Comparable doubts have now reemerged with the God Valley recollection: how can Monkey D. Garp serve the Marines, aware the Global Authority considers genocide and slavery as sport for the elite?

The reality uncovers something different. The instant Garp saw the Gorosei's grotesque forms, he attacked immediately. His partnership with Gol D. Roger was not meant to vanquish some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an effort to halt the sovereign, who was using Xebec as a pawn to eliminate all in God Valley, including apparently, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is likely the cause Garp detests the World Nobles in the current era and why he never wanted to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, reporting directly to them.

The Past's Unreliable Storytellers

Even though the audience are seeing the God Valley event through a flashback narrated by the giant, covering perspectives and occurrences he obviously was absent for, I think we can treat this version as entirely truthful. The series may provide an reason in the future, perhaps connected to the giant's still mysterious paramecia ability. Still, the Divine Isle event perfectly embodies the notion that the past is written by the winners. This attitude is {