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The adage 'History is recorded by the victors' serves as a key theme that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the narrative. Popular tales frequently fail to convey the complete truth, including 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 honor and principle. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a ruthless antagonist 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 see the culmination of this theme. The whole God Valley story acts as a cautionary tale, instructing audiences not to judge the characters too hastily.

Myths often do not capture the full truth, even for the most influential figures.

One Piece's most recent look back, detailing the Divine Isle event, stands as one of the story's finest storylines to now. Beyond the thrill of witnessing legends in their prime, it's compelling to see them before they became icons — when their fame had yet to outgrow their humanity. History, as written by the Global Authority and retold through hearsay tales, shaped our understanding of individuals like Roger, Xebec, and even Garp. But both the regime's records and the narratives of those who knew them prove untrustworthy, revealing only pieces of who these individuals truly were.

The Man Prior to the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by purpose and the daring spirit that ignited a new age of buccaneering, but prior to he became the Pirate King, he was a youth ruled by passion and wanderlust. When people speak of his myth, they usually refer to his later journey, the grand quest in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to Laugh Tale. However not much is known about his initial travels, the one that shaped him prior to fame discovered him.

Back then, Roger knew little of the world's hidden history. His affection for the barkeep led him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the Global Authority's darkest realities: the extermination "games," the grotesque forms of the Gorosei, and even the existence of the planet's hidden ruler, Imu. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's thoughts about everything occurring in the Divine Isle, but perhaps finding the son of a God's Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his place in the globe and pursue the reality he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Before this flashback, what we knew of Xebec came mostly from Sengoku's version, each to the viewers and to new Navy recruits. He depicted Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man determined to achieve global control, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it transpires, the strategist wasn't even there at the Divine Isle; he was merely echoing the World Government's sanctioned version of occurrences, the exact narrative Imu authorized to bury 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 the ruler and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We are unsure if he was guided by ambition, retribution for his family, or a desire for fairness, but when he found out the government's plan to annihilate the land where his kin lived, he abandoned his ambitions of domination to save them.

This devotion for his family became his undoing. Upon confronting Imu, he forfeited his determination and liberty, turning into a puppet enslaved to their authority. Currently, with what little consciousness is left, he begs with Roger and Garp to kill him — believing that dying would be a mercy in contrast to the torment he endures. The truth of Rocks is thus very different from the story narrated by Sengoku, and the manga shows him in a positive manner during the Divine Isle events.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec actually meet his end? An intriguing theory is that he is even now a servant to the ruler in the current timeline, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the World Government's only remaining ancient stone in continuous transit to keep the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

Garp's Hidden Defiance

Another protagonist of the Divine Isle incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced criticism from followers for a long time for doing nothing as Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That feeling only grew stronger after the time jump, when he endangered all to save Koby at Pirate Island, leading many to wonder why he was unable to do the same for his biological grandchild. Similar questions have recently reemerged with the God Valley flashback: how could Monkey D. Garp serve the Navy, knowing the World Government considers mass murder and slavery as entertainment for the elite?

The reality uncovers something different. The moment Garp witnessed the Elders' grotesque shapes, he struck without hesitation. His partnership with Gol D. Roger was not meant to defeat some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an effort to stop the sovereign, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to wipe out all in God Valley, including apparently, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is likely the cause Monkey D. Garp detests the World Nobles in the current era and why he not once wanted to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, reporting directly to them.

History's Unreliable Storytellers

Even though the readers are seeing the Divine Isle incident through a flashback recounted by Loki, covering viewpoints and events he clearly was absent for, I think we can consider this version as entirely accurate. The series may provide an reason in the future, perhaps linked to Loki's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the God Valley incident perfectly exemplifies the notion that the past is written by the victors. This attitude is {