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The saying 'The past is written by the winners' serves as a key theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the narrative. Popular tales often fail to convey the full truth, even for the most powerful characters in this world's intricate past. Kozuki Oden wasn't a silly showman dancing through the roads of Wano Country; he acted out of duty and principle. Bartholomew Kuma was not a merciless antagonist who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, Davy Jones signified beyond just a pirate's contest in pursuit of flags and crews.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we witness the culmination of this idea. The whole God Valley story acts as a cautionary tale, instructing readers not to evaluate the characters too hastily.

Legends often fail to capture the complete reality, even for the most influential characters.

One Piece's most recent flashback, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, represents one of the series' finest storylines to now. Beyond the thrill of witnessing legends in their peak, it's compelling to observe them prior to when they became icons — when their fame had yet to surpass their human nature. History, as recorded by the World Government and recounted through secondhand tales, shaped our understanding of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But each of the regime's accounts and the stories of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be unreliable, revealing only fragments of who these men really were.

The Individual Before the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by purpose and the daring attitude that ignited a new age of piracy, but before he became the Pirate King, he was a youth governed by emotion and the desire to explore. When individuals discuss his myth, they usually mean his later journey, the grand quest in search of the guide stones that lead to Laugh Tale. Yet not much is known about his first journey, the one that molded him before glory found him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger knew little of the world's hidden history. His affection for Shakky led him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the World Government's most sinister realities: the genocidal "games," the monstrous appearances of the Gorosei, and even the presence of the world's hidden sovereign, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Roger's reflections about all that's occurring in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the child of a Holy Knight on his vessel will make him realize his place in the world and seek the reality he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this flashback, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec came mostly from Sengoku's version, both to the audience and to young Navy recruits. He painted Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man determined to achieve world domination, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it transpires, Sengoku was not there at the Divine Isle; he was merely echoing the World Government's sanctioned narrative of events, the very story the sovereign approved to bury the truth about Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to topple the ruler and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We are unsure if he was motivated by ambition, revenge for his clan, or a wish for justice, but when he discovered the government's plan to eliminate the island where his family resided, he abandoned his ambitions of conquest to save them.

This love for his family proved to be his undoing. After facing Imu, he forfeited his determination and liberty, turning into a marionette controlled to their power. Currently, with what little awareness remains, he begs with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — thinking that dying would be a mercy in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the tale told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic shows him in a positive manner during the Divine Isle incidents.

Is He Living Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec actually die? An interesting idea is that he is still a slave to Imu in the current timeline, acting as the scarred individual, maintaining the Global Authority's last Poneglyph in constant transit to keep the One Piece from being found.

Garp's Secret Defiance

A further key figure of the Divine Isle event is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured criticism from fans for years for doing nothing as Akainu killed Ace. That feeling only grew stronger after the time jump, when he endangered everything to rescue the young Marine at Pirate Island, leading many to wonder why he was unable to do the same for his biological grandson. Similar questions have now reemerged with the God Valley recollection: how could Garp work for the Marines, knowing the World Government treats genocide and enslavement as entertainment for the elite?

The truth uncovers something different. The moment Monkey D. Garp saw the Elders' monstrous shapes, he attacked immediately. His partnership with Gol D. Roger wasn't to defeat some villainous Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an effort to stop the sovereign, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to wipe out everyone in God Valley, including apparently, even the World Nobles themselves. This event is probably the cause Monkey D. Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he never wanted to be elevated to Admiral, answering directly to them.

History's Unreliable Narrators

Although the readers are viewing the Divine Isle incident through a flashback narrated by the giant, including perspectives and occurrences he clearly wasn't present for, I think we can treat this version as completely truthful. The manga may provide an reason later, perhaps connected to Loki's yet unknown paramecia ability. Still, the God Valley event excellently exemplifies the idea that the past is written by the victors. This mindset is {