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The adage 'History is recorded by the victors' is a key motif that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the narrative. Legends often fail to convey the complete truth, even for the most influential figures in this world's intricate history. Kozuki Oden was no silly performer dancing through the streets of Wano Country; he behaved out of duty and principle. Kuma wasn't a ruthless villain who tore apart the Straw Hats, as well; he was helping them. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend meant beyond just a buccaneer's contest in search of flags and crews.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we see the culmination of this theme. The entire Divine Isle narrative acts as a warning story, instructing audiences not to judge the individuals too quickly.

Myths frequently do not convey the full reality, including the most influential characters.

The series's most recent flashback, chronicling the God Valley event, represents one of the series' best arcs to date. Beyond the thrill of witnessing legends in their prime, it's gripping to see them before they turned into symbols — when their fame had yet to outgrow their human nature. The past, as written by the World Government and recounted through secondhand tales, painted our perception of figures like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Garp. But both the regime's records and the narratives of those who knew them prove untrustworthy, revealing only pieces of who these men truly were.

The Individual Prior to the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by mission and the bold attitude that sparked a fresh era of piracy, but prior to he was known as the Pirate King, he was a young man governed by passion and the desire to explore. When people discuss his myth, they usually mean his later journey, the grand expedition in search of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to Laugh Tale. Yet not much is known about his first journey, the one that shaped him prior to fame found him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger knew little of the world's secret past. His love for Shakky guided him to God Valley, where he uncovered the World Government's darkest truths: the extermination "games," the monstrous forms of the Gorosei, and even the existence of the world's unseen sovereign, Imu. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's reflections about everything occurring in God Valley, but perhaps finding the child of a God's Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his place in the globe and seek the reality he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's situation.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this recollection, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec came almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's account, each to the audience and to young Navy recruits. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, ambitious man bent on global control, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it turns out, Sengoku was not present at God Valley; he was merely echoing the Global Authority's sanctioned version of events, the exact narrative Imu approved to bury the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We don't know if he was guided by lust for power, retribution for his clan, or a desire for fairness, but when he discovered the regime's plan to eliminate the island where his family lived, he gave up his ambitions of conquest to save them.

This devotion for his family became his undoing. Upon confronting the sovereign, he lost his determination and liberty, turning into a marionette enslaved to their power. Now, with what limited consciousness is left, he pleads with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — thinking that dying would be a kindness in contrast to the torment he endures. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the story narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga shows him in a positive manner during the Divine Isle events.

Is He Living Today?

But did Rocks really meet his end? An intriguing theory is that he is even now a slave to Imu in the current timeline, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the Global Authority's last Poneglyph in continuous transit to keep the ultimate treasure from being found.

Garp's Hidden Defiance

Another key figure of the Divine Isle incident is Garp, who has faced criticism from fans for a long time for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu killed Ace. That feeling only grew more intense after the timeskip, when he risked all to save the young Marine at Pirate Island, leading many to wonder why he was unable to do the same for his biological grandson. Similar doubts have recently reemerged with the God Valley flashback: how can Monkey D. Garp serve the Marines, aware the World Government treats mass murder and slavery as entertainment for the upper class?

The reality uncovers something distinct. The moment Monkey D. Garp saw the Elders' grotesque forms, he attacked without hesitation. His alliance with Gol D. Roger was not meant to vanquish some evil Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an attempt to stop the sovereign, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to wipe out all in the Divine Isle, including it seems, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is probably the reason Monkey D. Garp detests the World Nobles in the present day and why he never desired to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, answering directly to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Even though the audience are seeing the God Valley event through a recollection recounted by the giant, including perspectives and events he obviously was absent for, I think we can consider this version as completely accurate. The manga may provide an explanation later, perhaps connected to Loki's still mysterious paramecia ability. Still, the God Valley incident excellently exemplifies the notion that history is recorded by the winners. This attitude is {