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The adage 'History is recorded by the victors' is a key theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the narrative. Popular tales often do not convey the complete truth, including the most powerful characters in this world's intricate history. Kozuki Oden was no silly showman dancing through the roads of Wano Country; he acted out of duty and principle. Kuma wasn't a merciless villain who tore apart the Straw Hats, as well; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, Davy Jones meant beyond just a buccaneer's contest in search of flags and followers.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we witness the culmination of this idea. The entire God Valley story serves as a warning story, advising readers not to judge the characters too hastily.

Myths often fail to convey the full reality, including the most influential characters.

The series's most recent look back, detailing the Divine Isle event, stands as one of the series' best storylines to date. Apart from the thrill of witnessing legends in their prime, it's gripping to observe them prior to when they turned into icons — when their fame had yet to surpass their humanity. The past, as recorded by the Global Authority and recounted through secondhand stories, painted our understanding of figures like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But both the regime's accounts and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them prove untrustworthy, revealing only pieces of who these men really were.

The Individual Prior to the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been driven by mission and the daring attitude that sparked a new age of piracy, but prior to he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a young man governed by passion and the desire to explore. When individuals speak of his legend, they typically mean his later journey, the epic quest in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to the final island. Yet little is known about his first journey, the one that shaped him prior to glory discovered him.

At that time, Roger was largely unaware of the world's secret past. His love for Shakky led him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the Global Authority's darkest realities: the extermination "games," the grotesque appearances of the Gorosei, and including the presence of the world's hidden sovereign, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Roger's thoughts about all that's happening in God Valley, but perhaps discovering the child of a Holy Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his role in the world and seek the reality he glimpsed from Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this recollection, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec was derived almost entirely from Sengoku's version, each to the viewers and to young Navy recruits. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man bent on world domination, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it transpires, the strategist wasn't even there at God Valley; he was merely echoing the Global Authority's sanctioned version of events, the exact narrative Imu approved to conceal the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to overthrow Imu and dismantle the decadent World Government. We don't know if he was guided by lust for power, revenge for his family, or a desire for justice, but when he discovered the government's scheme to eliminate the land where his family lived, he gave up his dreams of conquest to rescue them.

This devotion for his relatives proved to be his undoing. Upon confronting the sovereign, he forfeited his will and freedom, turning into a marionette controlled to their power. Now, with what little awareness remains, he pleads with Roger and Garp to end his life — thinking that dying would be a kindness in contrast to the torment he suffers. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the tale told by Sengoku, and the comic presents him in a favorable light during the God Valley incidents.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks really die? An interesting theory is that he is even now a slave to the ruler in the current timeline, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the Global Authority's last ancient stone in continuous transit to prevent the One Piece from being discovered.

Garp's Hidden Rebellion

Another key figure of the Divine Isle incident is Garp, who has faced criticism from followers for a long time for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That feeling became even more intense after the timeskip, when he endangered all to save the young Marine at Pirate Island, leading many to question why he couldn't do the same for his biological grandson. Similar doubts have now reemerged with the God Valley flashback: how could Monkey D. Garp serve the Navy, knowing the Global Authority considers mass murder and enslavement as entertainment for the elite?

The reality reveals something distinct. The instant Garp witnessed the Elders' monstrous shapes, he attacked without hesitation. His partnership with Roger was not meant to defeat some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an effort to halt the sovereign, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to eliminate all in God Valley, even apparently, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is likely the reason Monkey D. Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he never desired to be elevated to Admiral, answering directly to them.

History's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Although the readers are seeing the Divine Isle event through a recollection narrated by the giant, covering viewpoints and occurrences he obviously was absent for, I believe we can consider this account as completely truthful. The series may offer an reason in the future, perhaps connected to the giant's yet unknown paramecia ability. Still, the God Valley incident perfectly embodies the notion that the past is recorded by the winners. This attitude is {