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The adage 'History is recorded by the winners' is a key theme that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the narrative. Popular tales often do not capture the complete reality, even for the most powerful characters in this story's intricate past. Oden wasn't a silly showman dancing through the roads of Wano Country; he behaved out of duty and conviction. Kuma was not a ruthless villain who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was helping them. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend signified more than a buccaneer's contest in search of flags and followers.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we see the culmination of this idea. The entire Divine Isle narrative serves as a cautionary tale, advising readers not to judge the individuals too hastily.

Legends frequently do not capture the complete reality, even for the most influential figures.

The series's most recent look back, detailing the God Valley incident, stands as one of the series' finest storylines to date. Apart from the excitement of seeing legends in their prime, it's gripping to see them before they became icons — when their reputation had yet to surpass their humanity. The past, as written by the Global Authority and recounted through secondhand stories, shaped our perception of figures like Roger, Xebec, and even Garp. But each of the regime's accounts and the narratives of those who knew them prove untrustworthy, revealing only pieces of who these men truly were.

The Man Prior to the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been guided by purpose and the bold attitude that sparked a new age of buccaneering, but prior to he became the Pirate King, he was a youth governed by emotion and wanderlust. When individuals speak of his myth, they usually mean his later journey, the epic quest in pursuit of the guide stones that lead to Laugh Tale. However little is understood about his initial travels, the one that shaped him before fame found him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the world's secret history. His affection for the barkeep led him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the World Government's darkest realities: the genocidal "contests," the monstrous forms of the Five Elders, and including the existence of the planet's hidden sovereign, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Roger's reflections about everything happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe finding the child of a God's Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his place in the world and seek the reality he glimpsed from Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this recollection, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec was derived mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's version, both to the audience and to new Marines. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, ambitious man determined to achieve global control, someone so dangerous that Roger and Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it turns out, the strategist was not there at God Valley; he was merely repeating the World Government's sanctioned narrative of occurrences, the very narrative Imu approved to bury the reality about Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to overthrow Imu and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We are unsure if he was guided by lust for power, revenge for his family, or a wish for fairness, but when he found out the government's plan to eliminate the island where his family resided, he abandoned his dreams of conquest to rescue them.

This love for his relatives proved to be his downfall. Upon confronting Imu, he lost his will and freedom, becoming a marionette controlled to their authority. Now, with what little awareness is left, he begs with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — thinking that death would be a kindness in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the story told by Sengoku, and the manga presents him in a positive manner during the God Valley incidents.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks really meet his end? An intriguing theory is that he is still a servant to Imu in the present day, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the Global Authority's last Poneglyph in constant movement to prevent the One Piece from being found.

Garp's Secret Defiance

A further key figure of the Divine Isle event is Garp, who has faced criticism from fans for a long time for standing by as Akainu killed Ace. That sentiment only grew stronger after the time jump, when he risked all to rescue Koby at Pirate Island, leading many to question why he couldn't do the same for his own grandchild. Comparable doubts have now resurfaced with the God Valley recollection: how can Garp work for the Marines, aware the World Government considers genocide and enslavement as entertainment for the upper class?

The reality reveals something distinct. The moment Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Elders' grotesque shapes, he attacked without hesitation. His alliance with Roger wasn't to vanquish some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an effort to halt the sovereign, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to eliminate everyone in God Valley, even apparently, including the World Nobles themselves. This incident is probably the reason Garp detests the World Nobles in the present day and why he never wanted to be elevated to Admiral, answering straight to them.

History's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Although the readers are viewing the Divine Isle event through a flashback recounted by Loki, including viewpoints and occurrences he obviously was absent for, I think we can treat this version as completely truthful. The series may provide an explanation later, maybe connected to Loki's yet unknown paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the God Valley incident perfectly embodies the idea that history is written by the winners. This attitude is {