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The saying 'History is recorded by the victors' is a key motif that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the narrative. Popular tales frequently do not convey the full truth, even for the most powerful characters in this story's intricate history. Oden wasn't a silly showman dancing through the streets of Wano Country; he acted out of honor and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a ruthless villain who tore apart the Straw Hats, either; he was helping them. Likewise, Davy Jones meant beyond just a buccaneer's contest in pursuit of emblems and followers.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we see the culmination of this idea. The entire God Valley story acts as a cautionary tale, advising audiences not to judge the characters too quickly.

Legends often do not capture the complete reality, including the most influential characters.

The series's latest flashback, chronicling the God Valley incident, stands as one of the series' best arcs to now. Beyond the thrill of seeing legends in their prime, it's gripping to observe them before they turned into symbols — when their fame had still not surpass their humanity. History, as written by the Global Authority and retold through secondhand tales, painted our understanding of figures like Roger, Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But both the regime's accounts and the stories of those who knew them turn out to be unreliable, showing only pieces of who these individuals really were.

The Man Before the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been driven by purpose and the bold spirit that ignited a fresh era of buccaneering, but prior to he was known as the Pirate King, he was a youth ruled by emotion and the desire to explore. When people discuss his legend, they usually refer to his later journey, the grand expedition in search of the guide stones that point toward Laugh Tale. However little is known about his initial travels, the one that shaped him prior to glory found him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger knew little of the globe's secret past. His love for the barkeep guided him to God Valley, where he uncovered the World Government's most sinister truths: the genocidal "contests," the monstrous appearances of the Five Elders, and even the existence of the planet's unseen ruler, Imu. We haven't seen Roger's reflections about all that's occurring in God Valley, but maybe discovering the son of a God's Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his place in the globe and seek the truth he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Before this flashback, what we knew of Xebec was derived almost entirely from Sengoku's account, each to the audience and to young Navy recruits. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man determined to achieve global control, someone so dangerous that Roger and Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it turns out, Sengoku was not present at God Valley; he was merely repeating the World Government's approved version of events, the exact story the sovereign authorized to conceal the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to overthrow Imu and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We don't know if he was motivated by ambition, revenge for his family, or a wish for fairness, but when he discovered the regime's scheme to annihilate the island where his family lived, he gave up his ambitions of domination to rescue them.

This love for his relatives proved to be his undoing. Upon confronting the sovereign, he lost his will and liberty, becoming a marionette enslaved to their power. Currently, with what limited consciousness is left, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Garp to kill him — believing that death would be a kindness compared to the living hell he endures. The truth of Rocks is thus very different from the tale narrated by Sengoku, and the comic shows him in a positive manner during the God Valley events.

Is He Living Today?

But did Rocks actually die? An interesting idea is that he is even now a slave to Imu in the current timeline, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the Global Authority's only remaining ancient stone in constant transit to keep the One Piece from being discovered.

Garp's Hidden Rebellion

Another key figure of the Divine Isle event is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced criticism from followers for years for standing by as Admiral Akainu murdered Ace. That sentiment only grew more intense after the timeskip, when he risked all to save Koby at Pirate Island, causing many to question why he was unable to do the same for his biological grandchild. Similar questions have now reemerged with the Divine Isle flashback: how can Monkey D. Garp work for the Marines, aware the World Government treats genocide and slavery as sport for the elite?

The truth uncovers something distinct. The moment Garp saw the Gorosei's monstrous forms, he attacked without hesitation. His alliance with Roger was not meant to vanquish some villainous Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an effort to halt the sovereign, who was manipulating Xebec as a pawn to eliminate everyone in the Divine Isle, even it seems, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is probably the cause Monkey D. Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he never desired to be promoted to Admiral, reporting straight to them.

History's Untrustworthy Narrators

Even though the audience are seeing the God Valley incident through a flashback narrated by the giant, covering viewpoints and events he clearly was absent for, I think we can consider this account as completely accurate. The manga may offer an reason in the future, maybe linked to the giant's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Still, the Divine Isle event perfectly exemplifies the notion that history is written by the winners. This attitude is {