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The adage 'History is recorded by the winners' serves as a central motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the story. Legends frequently do not capture the full reality, including the most powerful characters in this world's complex past. Kozuki Oden wasn't a foolish showman prancing through the streets of Wano Country; he acted out of honor and conviction. Kuma was not a ruthless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend meant beyond just a buccaneer's game in pursuit of emblems and crews.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we see the culmination of this idea. The whole Divine Isle story acts as a warning story, advising readers not to evaluate the characters too quickly.

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

The series's most recent look back, chronicling the God Valley incident, stands as one of the series' finest arcs to date. Apart from the excitement of witnessing icons in their peak, it's gripping to see them before they turned into symbols — when their reputation had yet to surpass their humanity. History, as written by the Global Authority and retold through hearsay tales, shaped our perception of figures like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and even Garp. But both the government's accounts and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them prove unreliable, showing only pieces of who these individuals really were.

The Individual Prior to the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been guided by purpose and the daring spirit that ignited a new age of piracy, but before he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a youth governed by emotion and wanderlust. When individuals discuss his myth, they typically refer to his later journey, the grand quest in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward the final island. Yet not much is understood about his initial travels, the one that molded him before glory found him.

Back then, Roger knew little of the globe's secret past. His love for Shakky guided him to God Valley, where he discovered the Global Authority's darkest realities: the genocidal "games," the monstrous forms of the Gorosei, and even the existence of the world's hidden ruler, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's reflections about everything happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe finding the child of a Holy Knight on his vessel will make him realize his place in the world and pursue the truth he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this flashback, what we were aware of of Xebec came mostly from Sengoku's version, each to the viewers and to new Navy recruits. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man determined to achieve world domination, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it transpires, Sengoku was not present at God Valley; he was only repeating the World Government's sanctioned narrative of occurrences, the exact narrative the sovereign approved to conceal the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to topple Imu and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We don't know if he was guided by lust for power, revenge for his family, or a wish for justice, but when he discovered the regime's scheme to eliminate the island where his family resided, he gave up his ambitions of domination to rescue them.

This devotion for his family proved to be his undoing. After facing the sovereign, he lost his will and liberty, becoming a puppet controlled to their authority. Now, with what limited consciousness is left, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — thinking that death would be a mercy in contrast to the torment he endures. The reality of Rocks is thus far from the tale told by Sengoku, and the manga shows him in a positive manner during the Divine Isle incidents.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks actually meet his end? An interesting theory is that he is even now a servant to the ruler in the present day, serving as the scarred individual, keeping the World Government's last ancient stone in continuous transit to prevent the One Piece from being found.

The Hero's Secret Defiance

A further protagonist of the God Valley incident is Garp, who has endured criticism from fans for a long time for standing by as Admiral Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That feeling became even stronger after the timeskip, when he endangered all to rescue Koby at Hachinosu, leading many to question why he was unable to do the same for his own grandchild. Similar questions have now resurfaced with the Divine Isle recollection: how can Garp serve the Marines, knowing the World Government considers genocide and enslavement as entertainment for the elite?

The truth reveals something different. The moment Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Gorosei's grotesque shapes, he struck immediately. His partnership with Roger was not meant to vanquish some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an effort to halt the sovereign, who was manipulating Xebec as a tool to wipe out all in God Valley, even it seems, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is likely the reason Monkey D. Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he never wanted to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, answering straight to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Even though the readers are seeing the Divine Isle event through a flashback narrated by the giant, including viewpoints and events he obviously was absent for, I believe we can treat this account as entirely accurate. The series may offer an explanation later, perhaps linked to the giant's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the God Valley incident perfectly embodies the notion that history is recorded by the victors. This mindset is {