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The saying 'History is recorded by the victors' serves as a central motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the narrative. Legends frequently fail to capture the full truth, including the most powerful figures in this world's intricate past. Kozuki Oden wasn't a foolish showman prancing through the roads of Wano; he acted out of honor and principle. Kuma was not a ruthless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hats, as well; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend meant more than a buccaneer's contest in search of flags and followers.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we see the peak of this idea. The entire God Valley story serves as a warning story, instructing audiences not to judge the characters too quickly.

Legends often do not capture the complete truth, even for the most influential characters.

The series's most recent flashback, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, represents one of the story's finest arcs to now. Apart from the excitement of witnessing legends in their prime, it's gripping to see them before they became icons — when their fame had still not surpass their humanity. The past, as written by the World Government and recounted through secondhand tales, painted our perception of individuals like Roger, Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But both the regime's accounts and the stories of those who were acquainted with them prove untrustworthy, showing only fragments of who these men truly were.

The Man Before the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been driven by purpose and the bold spirit that sparked a fresh era of piracy, but prior to he became the Pirate King, he was a youth governed by emotion and wanderlust. When people speak of his myth, they usually mean his second voyage, the grand quest in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to the final island. Yet little is known about his first journey, the one that molded him before fame discovered him.

At that time, Roger was largely unaware of the world's secret past. His affection for the barkeep led him to God Valley, where he discovered the Global Authority's darkest realities: the genocidal "contests," the grotesque appearances of the Gorosei, and including the existence of the planet's hidden ruler, Imu. We are yet to witness Roger's reflections about everything occurring in God Valley, but maybe finding the son of a God's Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his place in the globe and pursue the truth he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Before this flashback, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec came mostly from Sengoku's version, both to the audience and to new Navy recruits. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, ambitious man determined to achieve world domination, someone so dangerous that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it turns out, Sengoku was not present at God Valley; he was merely repeating the World Government's approved version of occurrences, the exact narrative the sovereign approved to conceal the reality about Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, Rocks D. Xebec, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We are unsure if he was guided by lust for power, revenge for his family, or a wish for fairness, but when he discovered the regime's plan to eliminate the island where his family resided, he abandoned his ambitions of domination to save them.

This devotion for his family proved to be his undoing. After confronting Imu, he forfeited his determination and liberty, becoming a puppet controlled to their power. Currently, with what limited consciousness is left, he pleads with Roger and Garp to end his life — believing that dying would be a mercy compared to the torment he endures. The reality of Rocks is thus very different from the story narrated by Sengoku, and the comic presents him in a positive light during the God Valley incidents.

Is He Living Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec actually die? An intriguing theory is that he is even now a slave to the ruler in the present day, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the Global Authority's last ancient stone in continuous transit to prevent the One Piece from being found.

Garp's Hidden Defiance

A further key figure of the Divine Isle incident is Garp, who has endured criticism from followers for a long time for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment became even stronger after the timeskip, when he risked everything to rescue the young Marine at Pirate Island, leading many to question why he couldn't do the identical for his biological grandchild. Similar doubts have now reemerged with the God Valley flashback: how could Garp serve the Navy, knowing the World Government considers genocide and slavery as entertainment for the elite?

The reality reveals something different. The moment Garp witnessed the Elders' grotesque shapes, he attacked immediately. His partnership with Roger was not meant to defeat some evil Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an attempt to stop Imu, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to wipe out everyone in the Divine Isle, even it seems, even the World Nobles themselves. This event is likely the reason Monkey D. Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he not once desired to be elevated to Admiral, answering straight to them.

History's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Although the readers are seeing the Divine Isle incident through a recollection recounted by Loki, including perspectives and occurrences he clearly was absent for, I believe we can consider this account as entirely truthful. The series may provide an explanation in the future, perhaps connected to the giant's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Still, the God Valley event excellently embodies the idea that the past is recorded by the winners. This attitude is {