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The saying 'History is recorded by the victors' serves as a central motif that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Popular tales frequently fail to capture the full truth, including the most powerful figures in this world's intricate history. Oden was no foolish performer dancing through the streets of Wano; he behaved out of duty and conviction. Kuma was not a ruthless antagonist who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, Davy Jones meant beyond just a buccaneer's contest in pursuit of emblems and crews.

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

Myths often do not convey the full truth, even for the most influential characters.

The series's latest flashback, chronicling the God Valley event, represents one of the series' best storylines to date. Beyond the excitement of seeing icons in their peak, it's compelling to see them before they turned into icons — when their reputation had still not surpass their human nature. History, as written by the Global Authority and recounted through hearsay tales, shaped our perception of individuals like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Garp. But each of the regime's accounts and the stories of those who knew them prove unreliable, showing only fragments of who these men truly were.

The Man Before the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been driven by purpose and the bold spirit that ignited a new age of buccaneering, but before he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a youth ruled by emotion and wanderlust. When individuals discuss his myth, they typically refer to his second voyage, the grand expedition in search of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to Laugh Tale. However not much is known about his initial travels, the one that shaped him before fame discovered him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the world's secret history. His affection for the barkeep guided him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the Global Authority's darkest realities: the extermination "contests," the monstrous forms of the Five Elders, and even the existence of the planet's hidden ruler, Imu. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's reflections about everything happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the son of a God's Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his place in the world and pursue the reality he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this flashback, what we were aware of of Xebec came mostly from Sengoku's account, both to the audience and to young Navy recruits. 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 merely echoing the World Government's approved narrative of occurrences, the exact narrative Imu approved to bury the truth about Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to topple Imu and dismantle the decadent World Government. We are unsure if he was motivated by ambition, revenge for his clan, or a desire for fairness, but when he discovered the government's scheme to eliminate the land where his family lived, he abandoned his ambitions of conquest to rescue them.

This love for his family became his undoing. After confronting Imu, he lost his determination and liberty, becoming a marionette enslaved to their authority. Currently, with what limited awareness is left, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Garp to end his life — believing that death would be a mercy in contrast to the torment he suffers. The reality of Rocks is thus far from the story narrated by Sengoku, and the manga presents him in a positive manner during the Divine Isle events.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks actually meet his end? An interesting theory is that he is even now a servant to Imu in the current timeline, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the Global Authority's only remaining ancient stone in continuous movement to prevent the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

Garp's Hidden Defiance

Another key figure of the Divine Isle event is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced backlash from followers for years for standing by as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment became even stronger after the time jump, when he endangered everything to save Koby at Pirate Island, leading many to wonder why he was unable to do the identical for his own grandson. Comparable questions have recently reemerged with the Divine Isle flashback: how could Garp work for the Navy, knowing the Global Authority considers genocide and slavery as sport for the elite?

The reality uncovers something different. The instant Monkey D. Garp saw the Elders' monstrous shapes, he struck immediately. His alliance with Roger wasn't to vanquish some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an attempt to stop Imu, who was manipulating Xebec as a tool to wipe out everyone in God Valley, even it seems, including the World Nobles themselves. This incident is likely the reason Monkey D. Garp despises the World Nobles in the current era and why he not once desired to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, reporting straight to them.

History's Unreliable Narrators

Even though the readers are seeing the God Valley event through a recollection narrated by Loki, including viewpoints and occurrences he clearly was absent for, I believe we can treat this version as completely truthful. The manga may provide an reason later, maybe connected to the giant's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Still, the Divine Isle event perfectly exemplifies the notion that the past is recorded by the winners. This mindset is {