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The saying 'The past is recorded by the winners' is a central motif that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the narrative. Popular tales frequently do not capture the complete truth, even for the most powerful figures in this story's complex past. Kozuki Oden wasn't a foolish performer dancing through the roads of Wano; he behaved out of honor and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a ruthless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend signified beyond just a buccaneer's game in pursuit of flags and followers.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we see the peak of this theme. The whole God Valley story acts as a cautionary tale, instructing audiences not to evaluate the characters too quickly.

Myths frequently do not convey the complete reality, even for the most influential characters.

The series's latest look back, detailing the God Valley event, represents one of the series' finest arcs to date. Beyond the thrill of witnessing icons in their peak, it's gripping to observe them prior to when they turned into icons — when their reputation had still not outgrow their human nature. The past, as written by the World Government and retold through secondhand stories, shaped our understanding of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and including Garp. But both the government's accounts and the stories of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be untrustworthy, showing only fragments of who these individuals really were.

The Man Prior to the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by purpose and the daring attitude that sparked a fresh era of buccaneering, but before he was known as the Pirate King, he was a youth governed by passion and the desire to explore. When individuals speak of his legend, they usually refer to his later journey, the epic quest in search of the guide stones that point toward the final island. Yet little is known about his initial travels, the one that shaped him before glory found him.

Back then, Roger knew little of the world's secret past. His love for the barkeep guided him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the World Government's darkest realities: the extermination "games," the grotesque forms of the Gorosei, and even the presence of the planet's unseen ruler, Imu. We are yet to witness Roger's thoughts about everything happening in the Divine Isle, but perhaps finding the child of a God's Knight on his vessel will make him realize his place in the globe and pursue the truth he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this flashback, what we knew of Xebec was derived almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's account, both to the audience and to new Marines. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man determined to achieve world domination, someone so dangerous that Roger and Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it transpires, the strategist wasn't even present at the Divine Isle; he was only echoing the World Government's approved narrative of occurrences, the very narrative the sovereign authorized to bury the truth about Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to overthrow Imu and dismantle the decadent World Government. We are unsure if he was guided by ambition, retribution for his family, or a wish for fairness, but when he discovered the regime's scheme to annihilate the land where his family lived, he gave up his ambitions of domination to save them.

This love for his family proved to be his undoing. After facing the sovereign, he lost his will and liberty, becoming a puppet controlled to their authority. Now, with what limited consciousness is left, he pleads with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — thinking that dying would be a mercy in contrast to the torment he suffers. The truth of Rocks is thus far from the story narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga presents him in a favorable manner during the Divine Isle events.

Could He Be Living Today?

But was Rocks actually meet his end? An interesting idea is that he is still a slave to Imu in the current timeline, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the World Government's last Poneglyph in continuous transit to prevent the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

Garp's Hidden Rebellion

A further protagonist of the Divine Isle event is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured backlash from fans for a long time for standing by as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That feeling became even stronger after the timeskip, when he risked all to save Koby at Pirate Island, leading many to wonder why he was unable to do the same for his own grandson. Comparable doubts have now resurfaced with the God Valley recollection: how can Monkey D. Garp serve the Navy, knowing the World Government considers genocide and slavery as sport for the upper class?

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 Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an attempt to halt the sovereign, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to eliminate all in God Valley, including apparently, even the World Nobles themselves. This event is probably the reason Monkey D. 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 Unreliable Storytellers

Although the readers are seeing the Divine Isle incident through a recollection narrated by Loki, covering perspectives and occurrences he obviously was absent for, I think we can treat this account as entirely accurate. The series may offer an reason later, maybe connected to Loki's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Still, the Divine Isle event perfectly exemplifies the idea that the past is recorded by the winners. This mindset is {