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The adage 'History is recorded by the victors' serves as a key motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the narrative. Popular tales often fail to convey the full reality, even for the most powerful figures in this story's intricate past. Kozuki Oden wasn't a foolish showman prancing through the streets of Wano; he acted out of duty and principle. Bartholomew Kuma was not a ruthless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hats, either; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, Davy Jones meant beyond just a buccaneer's game in pursuit of flags and followers.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we see the culmination of this idea. The entire God Valley narrative acts as a cautionary tale, instructing readers not to evaluate the characters too quickly.

Myths frequently do not capture the full truth, including the most influential figures.

The series's most recent flashback, detailing the Divine Isle incident, represents one of the series' finest 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 surpass their humanity. History, as recorded by the World Government and recounted through hearsay stories, painted our understanding of individuals like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Garp. But both the government's accounts and the narratives of those who knew them prove untrustworthy, showing only fragments of who these men really were.

The Man Before the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by mission and the bold spirit that sparked a fresh era of piracy, but before he became the Pirate King, he was a youth ruled by passion and the desire to explore. When individuals speak of his myth, they usually refer to his later journey, the epic quest in search of the guide stones that point toward Laugh Tale. Yet little is known about his initial travels, the one that shaped him prior to glory discovered him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the world's hidden past. His affection for Shakky guided him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the World Government's darkest truths: the genocidal "games," the grotesque appearances of the Gorosei, and including the presence of the world's hidden ruler, Imu. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's thoughts about everything happening in God Valley, but perhaps finding the child of a Holy Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his role in the world and pursue the truth he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this recollection, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec came almost entirely from Sengoku's version, both to the viewers and to new Marines. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, ambitious 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 turns out, the strategist was not there at God Valley; he was merely repeating the Global Authority's sanctioned version of occurrences, the exact narrative the sovereign approved to conceal the reality about Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to topple the ruler and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We are unsure if he was guided by lust for power, retribution for his family, or a desire for justice, but when he found out the government's scheme to eliminate the island where his kin resided, he gave up his dreams of conquest to rescue them.

This love for his family proved to be his downfall. After facing the sovereign, he forfeited his determination and liberty, turning into a marionette enslaved to their authority. Currently, with what little consciousness is left, he begs with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — thinking that dying would be a kindness compared to the living hell he suffers. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the story narrated by Sengoku, and the manga presents him in a favorable light during the Divine Isle events.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec really meet his end? An interesting theory is that he is still a servant to the ruler in the current timeline, acting as the scarred individual, keeping the World Government's last ancient stone in constant movement to prevent the One Piece from being discovered.

The Hero's Secret Defiance

Another key figure of the God Valley incident is Garp, who has endured backlash from fans for years for doing nothing as Akainu murdered Ace. That feeling only grew stronger after the time jump, when he endangered all to save the young Marine at Pirate Island, leading many to wonder why he was unable to do the identical for his biological grandchild. Similar questions have recently reemerged with the God Valley flashback: how could Monkey D. Garp serve the Marines, aware the World Government treats mass murder and enslavement as sport for the elite?

The reality reveals something distinct. The instant Monkey D. Garp saw the Gorosei's monstrous shapes, he struck immediately. His partnership with Roger wasn't to defeat some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an effort to halt Imu, who was using Xebec as a pawn to eliminate all in God Valley, including apparently, including the World Nobles themselves. This event is probably the reason Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he not once desired to be elevated to Admiral, reporting straight to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Even though the readers are seeing the Divine Isle incident through a flashback recounted by the giant, covering viewpoints and events he clearly was absent for, I think we can treat this version as entirely truthful. The manga may offer an reason later, perhaps linked to the giant's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the God Valley event perfectly embodies the idea that history is written by the winners. This mindset is {