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The adage 'The past is written by the victors' is a central theme that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the narrative. Popular tales often fail to capture the complete reality, even for the most powerful characters in this world's complex past. Kozuki Oden was no foolish showman prancing through the roads of Wano; he acted out of honor and principle. Kuma wasn't a ruthless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend meant beyond just a pirate's contest in search of flags and crews.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we witness the peak of this idea. The entire God Valley story acts as a warning story, advising audiences not to evaluate the characters too hastily.

Myths often fail to convey the complete reality, even for the most influential figures.

One Piece's most recent flashback, detailing the Divine Isle incident, stands as one of the series' best arcs to date. Beyond the thrill of witnessing legends in their peak, it's compelling to see them before they became icons — when their fame had yet to surpass their human nature. History, as written by the World Government and retold through secondhand stories, shaped our perception of figures like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But each of the regime's accounts and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them prove untrustworthy, showing only pieces of who these individuals truly were.

The Man Prior to the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been driven by mission and the daring spirit that sparked a new age of piracy, but before he became the Pirate King, he was a youth ruled by emotion and the desire to explore. When individuals discuss his myth, they usually mean his second voyage, the grand quest in search of the guide stones that point toward Laugh Tale. However little is understood about his initial travels, the one that shaped him prior to glory found him.

Back then, Roger was largely unaware of the globe's hidden history. His affection for Shakky guided him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the World Government's most sinister truths: the genocidal "games," the monstrous forms of the Five Elders, and even the presence of the planet's hidden sovereign, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Roger's thoughts about all that's occurring in the Divine Isle, but perhaps finding the child of a Holy Knight on his ship will make him realize his place in the globe and seek the reality he glimpsed from Xebec's situation.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this flashback, what we knew of Xebec was derived almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's version, both to the audience and to young Navy recruits. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man bent on global control, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it turns out, the strategist wasn't even present at God Valley; he was only echoing the World Government's approved version of occurrences, the very story the sovereign authorized to conceal the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to topple the ruler and dismantle the decadent World Government. We are unsure if he was guided by lust for power, revenge for his clan, or a wish for justice, but when he discovered the regime's plan to eliminate the island where his family resided, he abandoned his dreams of domination to rescue them.

This love for his family proved to be his undoing. After facing Imu, he lost his determination and freedom, becoming a marionette enslaved to their authority. Now, with what little awareness is left, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Garp to end his life — thinking that death would be a mercy compared to the torment he suffers. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the story told by Sengoku, and the comic shows him in a favorable light during the God Valley incidents.

Is He Living Today?

But was Rocks actually die? An intriguing idea is that he is even now a servant to Imu in the current timeline, serving as the scarred individual, maintaining the World Government's last ancient stone in continuous movement to keep the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

Garp's Secret Defiance

Another key figure of the God Valley incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured criticism from followers for a long time for standing by as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That feeling only grew stronger after the time jump, when he risked everything to save the young Marine at Hachinosu, leading many to question why he couldn't do the identical for his own grandchild. Comparable questions have recently reemerged with the God Valley flashback: how can Garp serve the Marines, aware the World Government treats mass murder and slavery as sport for the elite?

The reality reveals something different. The moment Monkey D. Garp saw the Gorosei's grotesque 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 rebellion, an effort to stop the sovereign, who was using Xebec as a tool to eliminate everyone in God Valley, even apparently, even the World Nobles themselves. This event is likely the reason Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he never wanted to be elevated to Admiral, reporting straight to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Narrators

Even though the audience are viewing the Divine Isle incident through a recollection narrated by Loki, covering viewpoints and occurrences he obviously wasn't present for, I believe 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 event perfectly embodies the idea that the past is recorded by the victors. This attitude is {