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The adage 'The past is recorded by the victors' serves as a central theme that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the narrative. Legends often fail to convey the complete reality, even for the most powerful characters in this world's complex history. Oden wasn't a silly performer prancing through the roads of Wano; he behaved out of honor and principle. Bartholomew Kuma was not a ruthless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hats, either; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, Davy Jones meant more than a buccaneer's game in pursuit of flags and crews.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we see the peak of this idea. The entire God Valley story serves as a warning story, advising audiences not to judge the characters too hastily.

Myths often fail to capture the full reality, even for the most influential characters.

One Piece's most recent flashback, detailing the God Valley incident, stands as one of the series' finest storylines to now. Apart from the thrill of seeing icons in their prime, it's compelling to see them before they turned into symbols — when their fame had still not surpass their humanity. The past, as recorded by the Global Authority and recounted through secondhand tales, painted our perception of figures like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Garp. But each of the government's accounts and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be untrustworthy, revealing only fragments of who these men really were.

The Individual Before the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by purpose and the bold spirit that ignited a fresh era of buccaneering, but prior to he was known as the Pirate King, he was a youth governed by passion and the desire to explore. When people discuss his legend, they usually mean his later journey, the epic expedition in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward the final island. Yet little is known about his initial travels, the one that shaped him prior to fame found him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger knew little of the world's hidden history. His love for Shakky led him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the Global Authority's most sinister realities: the extermination "contests," the monstrous forms of the Five Elders, and including the existence of the planet's unseen ruler, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Roger's thoughts about all that's occurring in the Divine Isle, but perhaps finding the son 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 situation.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this flashback, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec came almost entirely from Sengoku's version, both to the audience and to young Navy recruits. He depicted Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man determined to achieve world domination, someone so dangerous that Roger and Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it turns out, Sengoku was not there at the Divine Isle; he was only repeating the Global Authority's approved version of occurrences, the very story Imu approved to bury the reality about Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We are unsure if he was guided by ambition, retribution for his family, or a desire for fairness, but when he discovered the regime's scheme 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. After confronting Imu, he lost his will and liberty, becoming a puppet enslaved to their authority. Now, with what little awareness remains, he begs with Roger and Garp to kill him — thinking that death would be a mercy compared to the torment he suffers. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the story told by Sengoku, and the manga presents him in a favorable manner during the Divine Isle events.

Could He Be Living Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec actually die? An intriguing theory is that he is even now a servant to the ruler in the present day, serving as the scarred individual, keeping the Global Authority's last ancient stone in continuous transit to prevent the One Piece from being discovered.

Garp's Hidden Defiance

Another protagonist of the Divine Isle event is Garp, who has endured criticism from fans for a long time for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu murdered Ace. That feeling only grew more intense after the time jump, when he risked everything to rescue Koby at Pirate Island, causing many to wonder why he couldn't do the identical for his biological grandchild. Similar questions have now resurfaced with the Divine Isle recollection: how could Garp work for the Navy, knowing the World Government treats genocide and enslavement as sport for the upper class?

The reality reveals something distinct. The moment Monkey D. Garp saw the Elders' grotesque forms, he struck without hesitation. His partnership with Roger was not meant to vanquish some evil Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an attempt to halt Imu, who was using Xebec as a pawn to wipe out everyone in the Divine Isle, including apparently, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is likely the reason Monkey D. Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he not once wanted to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, answering straight to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Narrators

Although the readers are seeing the Divine Isle event through a flashback narrated by Loki, including viewpoints and occurrences he obviously wasn't present for, I believe we can consider this account as completely accurate. The series may offer an explanation in the future, maybe linked to Loki's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Still, the God Valley event perfectly exemplifies the notion that the past is recorded by the victors. This mindset is {