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The adage 'History is recorded by the winners' serves as a key theme that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Legends often fail to capture the full reality, including the most influential figures in this world's intricate past. Kozuki Oden wasn't a silly showman prancing through the roads of Wano Country; he acted out of duty and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a merciless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hats, either; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, Davy Jones meant beyond just a pirate's game in pursuit of flags and crews.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we see the peak of this idea. The entire God Valley narrative serves as a cautionary tale, advising readers not to evaluate the individuals too quickly.

Legends frequently fail to convey the full truth, even for the most influential characters.

One Piece's latest look back, chronicling the God Valley incident, stands as one of the series' best storylines to date. Apart from the thrill of witnessing legends in their peak, it's gripping to observe them before they became icons — when their reputation had yet to outgrow their human nature. History, as recorded by the Global Authority and recounted through hearsay tales, painted our perception of figures like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But both the government's records and the stories of those who were acquainted with them prove untrustworthy, showing only pieces of who these men truly were.

The Individual Before the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by mission and the bold spirit that ignited a fresh era of buccaneering, but before he became the King of the Pirates, he was a youth governed by passion and wanderlust. When individuals speak of his myth, they usually mean his later journey, the epic expedition in pursuit of the guide stones that lead to Laugh Tale. However not much is known about his initial travels, the one that molded him prior to fame found him.

At that time, Roger was largely unaware of the globe's hidden history. His affection for the barkeep led him to God Valley, where he uncovered the Global Authority's darkest realities: the genocidal "contests," the monstrous forms of the Five Elders, and including the existence of the world's hidden sovereign, Imu. We haven't seen Roger's thoughts about all that's occurring in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the child of a Holy Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his role in the world and pursue the truth he glimpsed from Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this flashback, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec was derived almost entirely from Sengoku's version, each to the audience and to new Navy recruits. He painted Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man determined to achieve global control, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it transpires, the strategist wasn't even present at God Valley; he was merely repeating the World Government's approved version of events, the very story Imu authorized to bury the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to topple Imu 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 justice, but when he discovered the regime's plan to annihilate the island where his family resided, he abandoned his ambitions of domination to save them.

This love for his family proved to be his downfall. After confronting Imu, he lost his will and freedom, becoming a marionette enslaved to their power. Now, with what little awareness is left, he begs with Roger and Garp to kill him — believing that death would be a kindness in contrast to the living hell he endures. The truth of Rocks is thus far from the tale narrated by Sengoku, and the manga shows him in a positive light during the Divine Isle events.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec really meet his end? An intriguing idea is that he is still a servant to Imu in the present day, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the World Government's last ancient stone in constant transit to prevent the One Piece from being discovered.

The Hero's Secret Defiance

A further protagonist of the Divine Isle event is Garp, who has faced backlash from fans for years for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That feeling became even more intense after the time jump, when he endangered everything to save Koby at Hachinosu, leading many to wonder why he couldn't do the identical for his biological grandson. Similar questions have now reemerged with the Divine Isle flashback: how could Garp work for the Navy, knowing the Global Authority considers genocide and enslavement as sport for the elite?

The truth reveals something different. The instant Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Elders' grotesque forms, he struck without hesitation. His partnership with Roger was not meant to defeat some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an attempt to stop the sovereign, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to eliminate everyone in the Divine Isle, including apparently, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is likely the reason Garp detests the World Nobles in the present day and why he never wanted to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, reporting directly to them.

History's Unreliable Storytellers

Although the audience are seeing the Divine Isle incident through a recollection recounted by Loki, covering viewpoints and events he obviously wasn't present for, I believe we can consider this version as completely truthful. The manga may offer an explanation in the future, maybe connected to Loki's still mysterious paramecia ability. Still, the Divine Isle incident perfectly exemplifies the notion that history is written by the winners. This mindset is {