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The saying 'History is written by the winners' serves as a central theme that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the narrative. Legends often do not capture the complete reality, even for the most influential characters in this story's intricate past. Oden was no foolish showman prancing through the streets of Wano Country; he behaved out of duty and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma was not a merciless antagonist who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend meant more than a pirate's contest in pursuit of flags and crews.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we witness the culmination of this idea. The entire Divine Isle story serves as a warning story, instructing readers not to evaluate the characters too quickly.

Legends often fail to convey the full reality, even for the most powerful characters.

One Piece's most recent flashback, chronicling the God Valley event, represents one of the story's best storylines to now. Apart from the thrill of witnessing legends in their peak, it's gripping to observe them before they became icons — when their fame had still not outgrow their humanity. The past, 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 each of the regime's records and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them prove unreliable, showing only pieces of who these men truly were.

The Individual Before the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been guided by mission and the bold attitude that sparked a fresh era of buccaneering, but prior to he became the King of the Pirates, he was a youth ruled by passion and the desire to explore. When individuals speak of his legend, they typically refer to his later journey, the grand quest in search of the guide stones that lead to Laugh Tale. Yet not much is known about his initial travels, the one that shaped him prior to glory discovered him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger knew little of the world's hidden history. His love for Shakky guided him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the Global Authority's darkest truths: the extermination "contests," the grotesque appearances of the Five Elders, and including the presence of the planet's hidden sovereign, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Roger's reflections about everything occurring in the Divine Isle, but perhaps finding the child of a God's Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his place in the world and seek the truth he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Before this flashback, what we knew of Xebec came almost entirely from Sengoku's account, each to the audience and to new Marines. He painted Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man bent on world domination, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it turns out, Sengoku wasn't even present at the Divine Isle; he was only repeating the Global Authority's sanctioned version of occurrences, the very narrative Imu approved to conceal the reality about Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, The captain, whose true 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 guided by ambition, retribution for his family, or a desire for justice, but when he found out the regime's scheme to annihilate the land where his kin resided, he abandoned his dreams of conquest to rescue them.

This devotion for his family proved to be his undoing. After confronting Imu, he forfeited his will and freedom, turning into a marionette enslaved to their authority. Currently, with what little awareness remains, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — believing that dying would be a kindness compared to the torment he endures. 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 Divine Isle incidents.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec really die? An interesting theory is that he is still a slave to Imu in the present day, acting as the scarred individual, keeping the World Government's last ancient stone in continuous transit to keep the One Piece from being discovered.

Garp's Secret Rebellion

A further protagonist of the God Valley incident is Garp, who has endured criticism from fans for years for standing by as Akainu killed Ace. That feeling became even more intense after the time jump, when he endangered all to save Koby at Pirate Island, leading many to question why he couldn't do the same for his own grandchild. Similar doubts have now resurfaced with the God Valley recollection: how can Monkey D. Garp work for the Marines, aware the World Government treats mass murder and slavery as sport for the upper class?

The truth reveals something distinct. The moment Garp witnessed the Elders' grotesque forms, he attacked without hesitation. His partnership with Roger was not meant to vanquish some villainous Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an attempt to stop Imu, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to eliminate all in God Valley, even apparently, including the World Nobles themselves. This event is likely the cause Monkey D. Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he not once desired to be promoted to Admiral, reporting straight to them.

The Past's Unreliable Storytellers

Although the audience are viewing the Divine Isle incident through a recollection recounted by Loki, including viewpoints and occurrences he clearly wasn't present for, I think we can treat this version as entirely truthful. The series may offer an reason in the future, maybe connected to the giant's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Still, the God Valley incident excellently embodies the notion that the past is recorded by the victors. This attitude is {