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The adage 'The past is written by the winners' is a key motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Popular tales frequently do not capture the complete reality, including the most powerful characters in this world's complex history. Kozuki Oden wasn't a foolish performer prancing through the streets of Wano; he acted out of honor and principle. Kuma was not a merciless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hats, as well; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend signified beyond just a pirate's contest in pursuit of flags and crews.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we witness the peak of this theme. The entire Divine Isle narrative serves as a warning story, instructing readers not to evaluate the characters too quickly.

Myths frequently fail to capture the full truth, including the most powerful characters.

One Piece's latest look back, detailing the God Valley event, stands as one of the series' best arcs to now. Apart from the excitement of witnessing legends in their peak, it's compelling to observe them before they became icons — when their reputation had yet to outgrow their human nature. The past, as recorded by the Global Authority and recounted through hearsay stories, painted our understanding of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Garp. But each of the government's records and the narratives of those who knew them prove untrustworthy, showing only pieces of who these individuals truly were.

The Man Prior to the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by purpose and the daring spirit that sparked a new age of piracy, but prior to he became the King of the Pirates, he was a youth ruled by emotion and wanderlust. When people speak of his legend, they usually refer to his second voyage, the epic expedition in search of the guide stones that point toward the final island. However not much is understood about his first journey, the one that shaped him prior to glory discovered him.

Back then, Roger was largely unaware of the world's secret past. His love for the barkeep led him to God Valley, where he uncovered the Global Authority's most sinister truths: the extermination "games," the grotesque forms of the Gorosei, and even the existence of the world's unseen ruler, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Roger's reflections about everything happening in God Valley, but perhaps discovering the child of a God's Knight on his ship will make him realize his role in the globe and seek the reality he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this recollection, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec came mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's version, both to the viewers and to young Marines. He depicted Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man bent on world domination, someone so dangerous that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it turns out, Sengoku wasn't even there at God Valley; he was only echoing the Global Authority's approved narrative of occurrences, the exact story the sovereign authorized to bury the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to overthrow Imu and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We don't know if he was guided by ambition, revenge for his family, or a wish for justice, but when he found out the government's scheme to annihilate the island where his kin resided, he abandoned his dreams of conquest to save them.

This devotion for his family proved to be his undoing. Upon confronting the sovereign, he forfeited his will and freedom, turning into a marionette controlled to their authority. Now, with what limited consciousness remains, he begs with Roger and Garp to end his life — believing that dying would be a kindness compared to the torment he endures. The reality of Rocks is thus very different from the story told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic shows him in a positive manner during the Divine Isle events.

Could He Be Living Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec actually meet his end? An intriguing theory is that he is even now a slave to Imu in the current timeline, serving as the scarred individual, keeping the World Government's only remaining ancient stone in continuous transit to prevent the One Piece from being found.

The Hero's Hidden Rebellion

A further protagonist of the God Valley event is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured criticism from fans for a long time for standing by as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment became even more intense after the timeskip, when he risked all to save the young Marine at Hachinosu, leading many to wonder why he was unable to do the identical for his own grandson. Comparable questions have recently resurfaced with the God Valley flashback: how could Garp work for the Navy, knowing the Global Authority considers genocide and enslavement as entertainment for the elite?

The reality reveals something different. The instant Garp saw the Elders' monstrous shapes, he attacked without hesitation. His alliance with Roger was not meant to defeat some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an attempt to halt Imu, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to wipe out all in the Divine Isle, including apparently, even the World Nobles themselves. This event is probably the cause Monkey D. Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he never desired to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, reporting straight to them.

History's Unreliable Narrators

Although the readers are seeing the Divine Isle incident through a flashback recounted by the giant, covering perspectives and occurrences he clearly wasn't present for, I think we can consider this version as entirely accurate. The series may provide an reason in the future, perhaps connected to Loki's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Still, the Divine Isle incident excellently embodies the notion that the past is recorded by the winners. This mindset is {