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The adage 'History is recorded by the winners' is a key motif that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the narrative. Popular tales often fail to capture the complete reality, including the most powerful figures in this world's complex past. Kozuki Oden wasn't a foolish performer dancing through the roads of Wano Country; he behaved out of honor and principle. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a ruthless villain who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was helping them. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend signified beyond just a buccaneer's game in search of emblems and crews.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we witness the culmination of this idea. The entire God Valley story acts as a cautionary tale, advising readers not to evaluate the individuals too hastily.

Legends frequently fail to convey the full truth, even for the most powerful figures.

The series's latest look back, chronicling the God Valley event, stands as one of the story's best arcs to now. Beyond the excitement of seeing icons in their prime, it's compelling to observe them prior to when they turned into icons — when their reputation had yet to outgrow their human nature. History, as written by the World Government and retold through hearsay stories, shaped our perception of figures like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But both the government's records and the stories of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be untrustworthy, revealing only pieces of who these men really were.

The Individual Before the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been driven by mission and the bold spirit that sparked a fresh era of piracy, but prior to he became the Pirate King, he was a young man ruled by emotion and the desire to explore. When people speak of his myth, they usually mean his second voyage, the epic quest in search of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to Laugh Tale. Yet little is known about his first journey, the one that molded him before fame found him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger knew little of the globe's secret history. His love for the barkeep led him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the Global Authority's most sinister realities: the extermination "contests," the grotesque forms of the Five Elders, and including the existence of the world's unseen ruler, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Roger's thoughts about everything happening in God Valley, but maybe discovering the son of a God's Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his role in the globe and seek the reality he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this flashback, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec was derived almost entirely from Sengoku's account, each to the viewers and to young Navy recruits. He painted Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man bent on global control, someone so dangerous that Roger and Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it transpires, Sengoku wasn't even present at God Valley; he was only echoing the Global Authority's sanctioned version of occurrences, the very narrative Imu authorized to bury the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We are unsure if he was motivated by ambition, revenge for his family, or a wish for fairness, but when he discovered the government's scheme to annihilate the land where his family resided, he gave up his ambitions of domination to save them.

This love for his relatives became his downfall. Upon confronting the sovereign, he lost his determination and freedom, turning into a marionette enslaved to their authority. 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 in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The reality of Rocks is thus far from the story narrated by Sengoku, and the manga shows him in a positive manner during the Divine Isle events.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks actually die? An intriguing idea is that he is even now a servant to the ruler in the present day, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the World Government's last Poneglyph in continuous movement to keep the ultimate treasure from being found.

The Hero's Secret Rebellion

A further protagonist of the Divine Isle incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced criticism from fans for years for doing nothing as Akainu murdered Ace. That sentiment became even more intense after the time jump, when he risked all to save the young Marine at Hachinosu, leading many to question why he was unable to do the same for his own grandchild. Comparable questions have recently reemerged with the God Valley recollection: how could Garp work for the Navy, aware the Global Authority treats mass murder and slavery as entertainment for the elite?

The reality reveals something distinct. The moment Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Gorosei's grotesque forms, he struck without hesitation. His alliance with Gol D. Roger wasn't to vanquish some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an attempt to stop the sovereign, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to eliminate all in the Divine Isle, even apparently, including the World Nobles themselves. This event is likely the cause Monkey D. Garp despises the World Nobles in the current era and why he never desired to be promoted to Admiral, reporting directly to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Although the readers are seeing the Divine Isle event through a flashback recounted by Loki, covering perspectives and events he clearly wasn't present for, I think we can consider this account as entirely accurate. The manga may provide an reason in the future, maybe connected to Loki's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the God Valley event perfectly exemplifies the idea that the past is written by the victors. This attitude is {