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The adage 'The past is recorded by the winners' serves as a central motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the narrative. Popular tales often fail to capture the full truth, even for the most powerful figures in this world's intricate history. Kozuki Oden wasn't a silly performer dancing through the roads of Wano; he behaved out of honor and conviction. Kuma wasn't a merciless villain who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was helping them. Similarly, Davy Jones signified more than a buccaneer's contest in search of flags and crews.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we witness the culmination of this theme. The entire God Valley narrative acts as a warning story, advising readers not to judge the individuals too hastily.

Legends frequently do not capture the full reality, including the most powerful characters.

One Piece's most recent look back, chronicling the God Valley incident, represents one of the story's finest storylines to now. Beyond the thrill of seeing icons in their prime, it's gripping to observe them prior to when they became symbols — when their fame had yet to outgrow their human nature. History, as written by the Global Authority and recounted through secondhand tales, painted our perception of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But both the government's accounts and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them prove untrustworthy, showing only pieces of who these men really were.

The Individual Prior to the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been driven by purpose and the bold spirit that ignited a new age of buccaneering, but prior to he became the Pirate King, he was a young man ruled by emotion and the desire to explore. When individuals speak of his myth, they typically mean his later journey, the epic expedition in pursuit of the guide stones that point toward the final island. However not much is known about his initial travels, the one that molded him before fame found him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the world's secret history. His affection for Shakky led him to God Valley, where he discovered the World Government's darkest realities: the genocidal "contests," the monstrous forms of the Five Elders, and even the presence of the world's unseen sovereign, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's reflections about everything happening in the Divine Isle, but perhaps finding the son of a God's Knight on his ship will make him realize his role in the world and seek the truth he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this recollection, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec came almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral'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 dangerous that Roger and Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it transpires, Sengoku wasn't even there at God Valley; he was only repeating the World Government's sanctioned narrative of events, the exact narrative the sovereign approved to conceal the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to topple the ruler and dismantle the decadent World Government. We are unsure if he was motivated by lust for power, revenge for his family, or a desire for fairness, but when he discovered the regime's plan to eliminate the land where his kin resided, he gave up his dreams of conquest to rescue them.

This devotion for his relatives proved to be his undoing. Upon facing Imu, he lost his will and liberty, turning into a marionette enslaved to their power. Currently, with what little consciousness remains, he pleads with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — believing that dying would be a kindness in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The truth of Rocks is thus very different from the tale narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic shows him in a positive light during the God Valley incidents.

Could He Be Living Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec really die? An intriguing theory is that he is even now a slave to Imu in the present day, serving as the scarred individual, keeping the Global Authority's only remaining ancient stone in continuous movement to prevent the ultimate treasure from being found.

The Hero's Secret Defiance

A further protagonist of the Divine Isle event is Garp, who has endured backlash from fans for a long time for doing nothing as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That feeling became even stronger after the timeskip, when he endangered everything to save the young Marine at Hachinosu, leading many to wonder why he couldn't do the identical for his biological grandson. Similar doubts have now resurfaced with the God Valley recollection: how can Monkey D. Garp work for the Marines, aware the World Government treats genocide and slavery as sport for the upper class?

The reality reveals something different. The moment Garp witnessed the Elders' monstrous forms, he attacked immediately. His alliance with Roger wasn't to vanquish some villainous Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an effort to stop the sovereign, who was using Xebec as a tool to eliminate everyone in God Valley, even apparently, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is likely the reason Garp detests the World Nobles in the current era and why he never desired to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, reporting straight to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Although the readers are viewing the God Valley event through a recollection narrated by Loki, covering perspectives and events he obviously was absent for, I believe we can treat this account as entirely truthful. The manga may offer an reason in the future, maybe linked to Loki's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Still, the Divine Isle event perfectly embodies the notion that the past is written by the victors. This attitude is {