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The saying 'The past is written by the victors' is a key motif that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the story. Popular tales often do not capture the full truth, including the most influential figures in this world's complex past. Oden was no foolish showman prancing through the streets of Wano; he acted out of duty and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma was not a ruthless villain who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was helping them. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend meant beyond just a pirate's game in pursuit of flags and crews.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we see the peak of this theme. The entire God Valley narrative acts as a warning story, instructing audiences not to judge the individuals too hastily.

Legends frequently do not capture the complete reality, including the most influential figures.

The series's most recent look back, detailing the God Valley event, represents one of the series' finest arcs to now. Apart from the thrill of seeing legends in their prime, it's compelling to observe them before they became icons — when their fame had still not surpass their humanity. The past, as written by the World Government and retold through secondhand stories, shaped our perception of individuals like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Garp. But both the regime's accounts and the stories of those who were acquainted with them prove untrustworthy, showing only pieces of who these individuals really were.

The Individual Before the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been guided by mission and the daring attitude that ignited a new age of buccaneering, but before he became the Pirate King, he was a young man governed by passion and wanderlust. When people speak of his myth, they usually refer to his second voyage, the epic quest in pursuit of the guide stones that lead to the final island. Yet not much is understood about his first journey, the one that molded him before glory found him.

Back then, Roger knew little of the world's hidden past. His affection for Shakky led him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the World Government's most sinister truths: the genocidal "contests," the monstrous appearances of the Five Elders, and including the presence of the world's hidden sovereign, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's reflections about everything happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe finding the child of a God's Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his place in the globe and pursue the reality he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this flashback, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec was derived almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's version, each to the viewers 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 team up to defeat him. But as it turns out, Sengoku wasn't even there at the Divine Isle; he was merely repeating the World Government's sanctioned version of occurrences, the very story the sovereign approved to conceal the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to topple the ruler and dismantle the decadent 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 regime's plan to eliminate the island where his family resided, he gave up his dreams of domination to save them.

This love for his relatives proved to be his undoing. After confronting Imu, he forfeited his will and liberty, becoming a marionette enslaved to their authority. Now, with what little consciousness remains, he pleads with Roger and Garp to kill him — believing that death would be a kindness compared to the living hell he suffers. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the tale narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga shows him in a positive light 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 servant to the ruler in the present day, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the World Government's only remaining ancient stone in continuous movement to prevent the ultimate treasure from being found.

Garp's Secret Defiance

Another protagonist of the Divine Isle event is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured backlash from fans for a long time for doing nothing as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment only grew more intense after the time jump, when he endangered all to rescue Koby at Pirate Island, leading many to question why he was unable to do the identical for his biological grandchild. Similar questions have recently resurfaced with the Divine Isle recollection: how could Garp work for the Navy, aware the World Government treats mass murder and enslavement as entertainment for the upper class?

The reality reveals something distinct. The moment Garp saw the Gorosei's monstrous shapes, he attacked without hesitation. His alliance with Roger was not meant to vanquish some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an attempt to stop Imu, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to eliminate all in the Divine Isle, including it seems, even the World Nobles themselves. This incident is likely the cause Monkey D. Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he not once wanted to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, answering straight to them.

History's Untrustworthy Narrators

Even though the audience are viewing the God Valley incident through a recollection recounted by the giant, including perspectives and events he clearly wasn't present for, I believe we can consider this account as entirely accurate. The series may provide an reason in the future, maybe connected to the giant's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the God Valley incident perfectly exemplifies the notion that the past is written by the victors. This attitude is {