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The adage 'History is written by the winners' is a key theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Popular tales frequently do not convey the full reality, including the most powerful characters in this story's complex past. Oden wasn't a foolish showman dancing through the roads of Wano Country; he behaved out of honor and principle. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a merciless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend signified beyond just a pirate's game in pursuit of emblems and crews.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we witness the culmination of this idea. The whole God Valley narrative acts as a cautionary tale, instructing readers not to evaluate the characters too quickly.

Myths often do not convey the full reality, including the most powerful characters.

The series's latest flashback, chronicling the Divine Isle event, represents one of the series' best arcs to now. Apart from the excitement of witnessing legends in their peak, it's compelling to observe them prior to when they became symbols — when their reputation had yet to outgrow their human nature. The past, as written by the World Government and recounted through secondhand stories, painted our perception of individuals like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Garp. But each of the regime's records and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them prove unreliable, revealing only pieces of who these men truly were.

The Individual Before the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by mission and the bold spirit that sparked a fresh era of piracy, but before he was known as the Pirate King, he was a youth ruled by passion and the desire to explore. When individuals discuss his legend, they typically refer to his later journey, the epic quest in search of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward the final island. However little is known about his initial travels, the one that shaped him before glory found him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the globe's secret history. His love for Shakky guided him to God Valley, where he uncovered the World Government's darkest realities: the genocidal "contests," the grotesque appearances of the Gorosei, and even the existence of the planet's hidden sovereign, Imu. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's thoughts about all that's occurring in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the son of a God's Knight on his vessel will make him realize his place in the globe and seek the reality he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Before this flashback, what we were aware of of Xebec came mostly from Sengoku's version, both to the viewers and to young Navy recruits. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man determined to achieve global control, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it transpires, the strategist wasn't even there at the Divine Isle; he was only echoing the World Government's approved narrative of occurrences, the exact narrative the sovereign approved to conceal the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to topple Imu and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We are unsure if he was motivated by ambition, retribution for his family, or a wish for fairness, but when he found out the regime's scheme to annihilate the land where his kin lived, he abandoned his ambitions of domination to rescue them.

This devotion for his family proved to be his undoing. Upon facing the sovereign, he lost his will and freedom, turning into a puppet enslaved to their authority. Now, with what limited consciousness is left, he pleads with Roger and Garp to kill him — thinking that dying would be a kindness compared to the torment he suffers. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the tale told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga shows him in a favorable manner during the Divine Isle events.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks actually meet his end? An interesting idea is that he is still a servant to the ruler in the current timeline, serving as the scarred individual, maintaining the World Government's last Poneglyph in constant movement to keep the ultimate treasure from being found.

The Hero's Secret Defiance

Another protagonist of the Divine Isle incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced criticism from followers for years for doing nothing as Akainu killed Ace. That sentiment only grew more intense after the time jump, when he endangered everything to save Koby at Hachinosu, causing many to wonder why he was unable to do the identical for his own grandson. Comparable questions have now resurfaced with the God Valley recollection: how could Monkey D. Garp work for the Marines, aware the World Government treats mass murder and enslavement as entertainment for the upper class?

The truth uncovers something distinct. The moment Garp witnessed the Elders' monstrous forms, he struck without hesitation. His alliance with Gol D. Roger was not meant to vanquish some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an effort to halt Imu, who was manipulating Xebec as a tool to wipe out everyone in God Valley, even apparently, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is likely the cause Monkey D. Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he never wanted to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, answering straight to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Although the audience are seeing the Divine Isle incident through a flashback recounted by Loki, covering viewpoints and occurrences he obviously was absent for, I think we can consider this version as entirely accurate. The series may offer an reason in the future, maybe linked to the giant's yet unknown paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle event perfectly embodies the idea that history is written by the winners. This mindset is {