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The adage 'History is recorded by the winners' serves as a key motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the story. Popular tales frequently do not convey the complete truth, including the most powerful characters in this story's intricate history. Kozuki Oden was no silly showman dancing through the streets of Wano; he behaved out of honor and principle. Bartholomew Kuma was not a merciless villain who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, Davy Jones signified beyond just a pirate's game in pursuit of emblems and followers.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we witness the culmination of this theme. The entire God Valley narrative serves as a warning story, instructing readers not to judge the individuals too quickly.

Legends often do not capture the complete reality, even for the most influential figures.

One Piece's most recent flashback, chronicling the Divine Isle event, represents one of the story's finest storylines to now. Beyond the thrill of seeing icons in their peak, it's gripping to observe them prior to when they became icons — when their reputation had yet to outgrow their humanity. History, as recorded by the World Government and retold through secondhand tales, painted our understanding of figures like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Garp. But both the government's accounts and the stories of those who were acquainted with them prove unreliable, revealing only pieces of who these men really were.

The Individual Before the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by purpose and the daring spirit that sparked a new age of buccaneering, but before he became the Pirate King, he was a youth ruled by passion and wanderlust. When individuals discuss his legend, they typically refer to his later journey, the grand quest in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to the final island. Yet little is understood about his first journey, the one that shaped him prior to fame found him.

At that time, Roger knew little of the world's hidden past. His love for Shakky led him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the Global Authority's most sinister truths: the extermination "games," the monstrous forms of the Gorosei, and including the existence of the planet's unseen ruler, Imu. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's reflections about all that's occurring in the Divine Isle, but perhaps discovering the son of a God's Knight on his ship will make him realize his role in the world and seek the truth he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this flashback, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec was derived almost entirely from Sengoku's account, each to the viewers and to young Marines. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, ambitious man bent on global control, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it turns out, Sengoku was not there at the Divine Isle; he was only echoing the Global Authority's approved version of occurrences, the very story Imu approved to conceal 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 overthrow Imu and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We are unsure if he was motivated by ambition, retribution for his family, or a desire for justice, but when he discovered the regime's plan to annihilate the island where his kin resided, he gave up his ambitions of conquest to save them.

This love for his family proved to be his undoing. After confronting Imu, he forfeited his will and liberty, turning into a marionette controlled to their power. Now, with what limited awareness remains, he pleads with Roger and Garp to kill him — believing that dying would be a kindness compared to the torment he endures. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the story told by Sengoku, and the comic presents him in a positive light during the God Valley events.

Could He Be Living Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec really die? An interesting idea is that he is even now a slave to the ruler in the current timeline, acting as the scarred individual, maintaining the World Government's last Poneglyph in continuous movement to keep the ultimate treasure from being found.

The Hero's Hidden Defiance

A further protagonist of the God Valley incident is Garp, who has faced backlash from fans for years for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment only grew stronger after the timeskip, when he endangered all to save Koby at Hachinosu, causing many to wonder why he couldn't do the identical for his biological grandchild. Similar doubts have recently resurfaced with the God Valley flashback: how could Monkey D. Garp work for the Marines, knowing the World Government considers mass murder and slavery as entertainment for the upper class?

The reality reveals something distinct. The instant Garp witnessed the Gorosei's grotesque shapes, he struck without hesitation. His partnership with Roger was not meant to vanquish some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an effort to stop Imu, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to eliminate everyone in the Divine Isle, even it seems, including the World Nobles themselves. This event is probably the cause Monkey D. Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he never wanted to be elevated to Admiral, answering straight to them.

History's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Even though the audience are viewing the God Valley event through a flashback recounted by the giant, covering perspectives and occurrences he obviously was absent for, I believe we can consider this account as completely accurate. The series may offer an reason later, perhaps connected to Loki's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Still, the God Valley event excellently exemplifies the notion that the past is written by the winners. This mindset is {