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The saying 'History is written by the winners' serves as a key theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the narrative. Legends often do not capture the full reality, including the most powerful characters in this world's intricate past. Oden wasn't a foolish performer dancing through the streets of Wano; he acted out of honor and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma was not a merciless antagonist who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, Davy Jones signified more than a buccaneer's game in pursuit of flags and followers.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we witness the culmination of this theme. The entire Divine Isle story serves as a cautionary tale, advising readers not to evaluate the characters too hastily.

Legends often fail to capture the full truth, even for the most influential characters.

One Piece's most recent flashback, detailing the God Valley event, represents one of the story's finest arcs to now. Beyond the excitement of seeing icons in their prime, it's compelling to observe them before they became icons — when their fame had still not outgrow their humanity. History, as written by the Global Authority and recounted through secondhand tales, painted our understanding of figures like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But both the regime's records and the stories of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be unreliable, revealing only fragments of who these individuals really were.

The Individual Prior to the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by mission and the daring attitude that ignited a fresh era of buccaneering, but prior to he became the Pirate King, he was a young man governed by passion and the desire to explore. When people speak of his legend, they usually refer to his second voyage, the epic expedition in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward the final island. However little is understood about his first journey, the one that molded him before glory discovered him.

At that time, Roger knew little of the world's secret past. His affection for Shakky led him to God Valley, where he discovered the World Government's most sinister realities: the extermination "contests," the grotesque appearances of the Gorosei, and even the existence of the world's hidden ruler, Imu. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's thoughts about everything happening in God Valley, but maybe discovering the son of a God's Knight on his vessel will make him realize his place in the world and seek the truth he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this flashback, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec was derived mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's version, each to the viewers and to new Navy recruits. He painted Xebec as a vile, ambitious man bent on world domination, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it turns out, Sengoku was not there at God Valley; he was merely echoing the World Government's approved narrative of events, the very story the sovereign authorized to conceal the truth about Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, Rocks D. Xebec, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed 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 desire for fairness, but when he found out the government's plan to annihilate the land where his family resided, he gave up his dreams of domination to save them.

This love for his family became his undoing. Upon confronting Imu, he forfeited his determination and freedom, turning into a marionette enslaved to their authority. Currently, with what little consciousness is left, he begs with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — thinking that death would be a mercy compared to the living hell he endures. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the story narrated by Sengoku, and the manga shows him in a positive manner during the God Valley events.

Could He Be Living Today?

But did Rocks actually meet his end? An interesting theory is that he is still a slave to Imu in the present day, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the World Government's only remaining Poneglyph in continuous movement to prevent the ultimate treasure from being found.

Garp's Hidden Defiance

A further key figure of the God Valley event is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced backlash from fans for years for standing by as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment became even stronger after the time jump, when he risked everything to save Koby at Pirate Island, causing many to question why he was unable to do the same for his biological grandchild. Similar doubts have now resurfaced with the Divine Isle flashback: how can Monkey D. Garp work for the Marines, knowing the Global Authority considers mass murder and enslavement as sport for the upper class?

The truth reveals something different. The moment Garp saw the Gorosei's grotesque forms, he attacked without hesitation. His alliance with Gol D. Roger wasn't to vanquish some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an attempt to halt Imu, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to eliminate all in God Valley, even it seems, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is probably the reason Monkey D. Garp detests the World Nobles in the present day and why he not once desired to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, answering directly to them.

History's Untrustworthy Narrators

Even though the readers are seeing the God Valley event through a recollection narrated by Loki, covering viewpoints and events he obviously wasn't present for, I think we can consider this account as entirely accurate. The series may offer an reason in the future, perhaps connected to the giant's still mysterious paramecia ability. Still, the God Valley incident excellently exemplifies the idea that the past is recorded by the victors. This attitude is {