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The adage 'The past is written by the victors' serves as a central theme that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the narrative. Legends often fail to capture the full truth, even for the most powerful characters in this story's intricate history. Oden was no foolish performer prancing through the roads of Wano Country; he acted out of duty and principle. Kuma wasn't a merciless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, Davy Jones signified more than a pirate's contest in search of flags and crews.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we see the peak of this idea. The whole God Valley story acts as a warning story, advising readers not to evaluate the individuals too hastily.

Legends often fail to convey the full reality, even for the most influential figures.

The series's latest flashback, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, represents one of the story's best storylines to date. Beyond the thrill of seeing icons in their prime, it's gripping to observe them prior to when they turned into symbols — when their fame had yet to outgrow their human nature. The past, as written by the World Government and retold through secondhand stories, painted our understanding of figures like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Garp. But each of the government's records and the stories of those who were acquainted with them prove unreliable, showing only pieces of who these individuals really were.

The Man Before the Legend

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

Back then, Roger knew little of the globe's secret history. His affection for the barkeep guided him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the World Government's most sinister truths: the genocidal "contests," the monstrous appearances of the Gorosei, and including the presence of the world's hidden ruler, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's thoughts about everything occurring in the Divine Isle, but perhaps discovering the child of a God's Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his role in the globe and seek the reality he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this flashback, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec came mostly from Sengoku's version, each to the audience and to new Marines. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man bent on world domination, someone so dangerous that Roger and Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it turns out, Sengoku wasn't even present at the Divine Isle; he was merely repeating the World Government's sanctioned version of occurrences, the exact narrative Imu approved to bury the reality about Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to overthrow Imu and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We are unsure if he was motivated by lust for power, revenge for his family, or a wish for justice, but when he found out the regime's scheme to annihilate the island where his family lived, he abandoned his dreams of conquest to save them.

This love for his family proved to be his downfall. After confronting Imu, he forfeited his determination and liberty, turning into a puppet enslaved to their authority. Currently, with what limited consciousness is left, he begs with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — believing that dying would be a mercy compared to the living hell he endures. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the story narrated by Sengoku, and the comic presents him in a favorable light during the Divine Isle incidents.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec actually meet his end? An intriguing theory is that he is still a servant to the ruler in the present day, serving as the scarred individual, keeping the Global Authority's last ancient stone in constant transit to prevent the One Piece from being discovered.

Garp's Secret Defiance

Another protagonist of the God Valley incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured criticism from fans for years for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment became even more intense after the time jump, when he risked everything to rescue Koby at Hachinosu, causing many to wonder why he was unable to do the same for his own grandson. Similar questions have now resurfaced with the Divine Isle flashback: how could Garp work for the Navy, knowing the World Government considers mass murder and slavery as entertainment for the upper class?

The truth uncovers something distinct. The instant Monkey D. Garp saw the Elders' monstrous forms, he attacked without hesitation. His alliance with Roger wasn't to defeat some evil Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an attempt to halt the sovereign, who was manipulating Xebec as a pawn to eliminate all in God Valley, even apparently, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is probably the cause Monkey D. Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he never wanted to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, answering straight to them.

History's Unreliable Narrators

Even though the readers are seeing the Divine Isle incident through a flashback narrated by the giant, covering viewpoints and occurrences he obviously was absent for, I think we can consider this account as entirely accurate. The series may provide an explanation in the future, maybe connected to Loki's still mysterious paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the God Valley event excellently embodies the idea that history is written by the winners. This attitude is {