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The adage 'The past is written by the winners' is a key motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the narrative. Popular tales often do not convey the complete reality, including the most influential figures in this world's intricate history. Kozuki Oden was no silly showman dancing through the roads of Wano Country; he acted out of duty and conviction. Kuma was not a merciless villain who tore apart the Straw Hats, as well; he was helping them. Likewise, Davy Jones meant more than a pirate's game in search of flags and crews.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we witness the culmination of this theme. The whole God Valley story acts as a cautionary tale, advising audiences not to evaluate the characters too hastily.

Myths frequently fail to convey the full reality, even for the most powerful figures.

The series's most recent flashback, chronicling the Divine Isle event, represents one of the story's best arcs to date. Apart from the excitement of seeing legends in their peak, it's compelling to observe them before they became symbols — when their reputation had yet to outgrow their humanity. History, as written by the World Government and recounted through secondhand tales, shaped our perception of individuals like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Garp. But each of the government's records and the narratives of those who knew them prove untrustworthy, revealing only fragments of who these individuals truly were.

The Man Before the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been driven by purpose and the daring spirit that sparked a fresh era of buccaneering, but prior to he was known as the Pirate King, he was a youth ruled by emotion and wanderlust. When people speak of his legend, they usually refer to his second voyage, the grand quest in search of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to Laugh Tale. Yet little is understood about his first journey, the one that shaped him before fame found him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger knew little of the globe's secret history. His affection for the barkeep guided him to God Valley, where he uncovered the World Government's most sinister truths: the genocidal "contests," the grotesque appearances of the Five Elders, and even the existence of the world's hidden sovereign, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Roger's reflections about everything occurring in God Valley, but perhaps discovering the son of a God's Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his role in the world and pursue the truth he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this flashback, what we were aware of of Xebec came almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's account, each to the audience and to new Marines. He depicted Xebec as a vile, ambitious man bent on world domination, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it turns out, Sengoku wasn't even there at the Divine Isle; he was merely echoing the Global Authority's approved version of occurrences, the very story Imu authorized to bury the truth about Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to topple the ruler and dismantle the decadent World Government. We are unsure if he was motivated by lust for power, retribution for his family, or a wish for fairness, but when he found out the government's scheme to annihilate the land where his kin resided, he abandoned his dreams of domination to rescue them.

This love for his relatives became his downfall. Upon facing the sovereign, he forfeited his determination and liberty, becoming a marionette enslaved to their power. Currently, with what limited consciousness remains, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — believing that death would be a kindness in contrast to the torment he endures. The truth of Rocks is thus far from the story narrated by Sengoku, and the comic shows him in a favorable manner during the God Valley events.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec really die? An interesting idea is that he is still a slave to Imu in the current timeline, acting as the scarred individual, keeping the Global Authority's only remaining Poneglyph in continuous transit to prevent the One Piece from being discovered.

The Hero's Hidden Rebellion

A further protagonist of the Divine Isle event is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured backlash from fans for years for standing by as Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That feeling only grew stronger after the timeskip, when he endangered everything to save Koby at Hachinosu, leading many to question why he was unable to do the identical for his own grandchild. Similar questions have now reemerged with the God Valley flashback: how can Monkey D. Garp serve the Marines, aware the Global Authority considers genocide and slavery as entertainment for the elite?

The reality uncovers something different. The moment Garp saw the Elders' monstrous shapes, he attacked without hesitation. His partnership with Roger was not meant to defeat some villainous Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an attempt to halt Imu, who was using Xebec as a tool to eliminate all in the Divine Isle, even it seems, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is probably the reason Monkey D. Garp despises the World Nobles in the present day and why he never desired to be elevated to Admiral, answering directly to them.

History's Untrustworthy Narrators

Although the readers are viewing the Divine Isle incident through a flashback recounted by the giant, including viewpoints and occurrences he clearly was absent for, I believe we can treat this version as completely truthful. The series may provide an reason in the future, maybe linked to Loki's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Still, the Divine Isle event perfectly embodies the idea that the past is written by the victors. This attitude is {