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The adage 'History is recorded by the winners' serves as a key theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Legends frequently do not capture the complete truth, including the most powerful figures in this story's intricate past. Kozuki Oden was no silly performer prancing through the streets of Wano Country; he behaved out of duty and principle. Kuma was not a ruthless villain who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was helping them. Similarly, Davy Jones meant more than a pirate's contest in pursuit of flags and crews.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we witness the culmination of this theme. The whole God Valley narrative acts as a warning story, instructing readers not to evaluate the individuals too quickly.

Myths frequently fail to capture the complete truth, including the most influential figures.

The series's most recent look back, detailing the God Valley incident, stands as one of the series' finest arcs to now. Beyond the excitement of witnessing icons in their prime, it's compelling to see them prior to when they turned into symbols — when their fame had still not surpass their humanity. The past, as written by the Global Authority and retold through secondhand stories, painted our understanding of figures like Roger, Rocks D. 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, showing only pieces of who these individuals truly were.

The Man Before the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by purpose and the daring attitude that ignited a new age of buccaneering, but before he was known as the Pirate King, he was a youth ruled by passion and the desire to explore. When people speak of his myth, they usually refer to his second voyage, the grand expedition in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to Laugh Tale. Yet not much is known about his first journey, the one that molded him before fame discovered him.

At that time, Roger knew little of the world's hidden history. His affection for the barkeep guided him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the Global Authority's darkest realities: the genocidal "games," the monstrous appearances of the Gorosei, and including the presence of the planet's hidden ruler, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's thoughts about all that's happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe finding the child of a God's Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his place in the globe and seek the truth he glimpsed from Xebec's situation.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this flashback, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec was derived almost entirely from Sengoku's account, both to the audience and to new Marines. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man determined to achieve global control, someone so dangerous that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it transpires, the strategist wasn't even there at the Divine Isle; he was only echoing the World Government's sanctioned version of occurrences, the exact narrative the sovereign approved to bury the reality about Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to topple Imu and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We are unsure if he was guided by ambition, retribution for his clan, or a desire for fairness, but when he discovered the government's scheme to eliminate the land where his kin resided, he gave up his dreams of domination to save them.

This love for his family became his undoing. After confronting the sovereign, he lost his will and freedom, turning into a marionette enslaved to their power. Currently, with what little consciousness remains, he begs with Roger and Garp to kill him — thinking that death would be a kindness compared to the torment he suffers. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the tale told by Sengoku, and the manga shows him in a favorable manner during the God Valley incidents.

Is He Living Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec actually die? An interesting idea is that he is still a slave 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 One Piece from being discovered.

The Hero's Hidden Defiance

Another protagonist of the Divine Isle incident is Garp, who has endured criticism from followers for years for standing by as Akainu murdered Ace. That sentiment became even stronger after the timeskip, when he risked everything to rescue the young Marine at Pirate Island, leading many to wonder why he couldn't do the identical for his biological grandchild. Comparable doubts have now resurfaced with the God Valley flashback: how could Garp work for the Navy, knowing the Global Authority treats genocide and enslavement as entertainment for the elite?

The truth uncovers something distinct. The instant Garp saw the Elders' grotesque shapes, he attacked without hesitation. His alliance with Gol D. Roger was not meant to defeat some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an attempt to halt the sovereign, who was manipulating Xebec as a pawn to wipe out everyone in God Valley, even it seems, including the World Nobles themselves. This incident is likely the cause Monkey D. Garp despises the World Nobles in the present day and why he never wanted to be elevated to Admiral, answering straight to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Narrators

Although the readers are seeing the Divine Isle incident through a flashback narrated by Loki, including viewpoints and events he obviously wasn't present for, I think we can treat this version as entirely accurate. The series may offer an explanation later, perhaps linked to the giant's still mysterious paramecia ability. Still, the Divine Isle incident excellently embodies the idea that history is recorded by the winners. This attitude is {