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The saying 'The past is written by the victors' is a central motif that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the narrative. Legends often fail to capture the complete truth, even for the most powerful figures in this world's complex past. Kozuki Oden wasn't a foolish performer prancing through the roads of Wano Country; he behaved out of duty and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma was not a ruthless villain who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, Davy Jones signified beyond just a buccaneer's game in pursuit of flags and crews.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we witness the peak of this theme. The entire God Valley story serves as a warning story, instructing audiences not to evaluate the individuals too hastily.

Myths often fail to convey the complete reality, even for the most powerful characters.

One Piece's most recent look back, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, stands as one of the series' finest arcs to now. Apart from the excitement of seeing icons in their peak, it's gripping to observe them before they became symbols — when their reputation had yet to surpass their humanity. History, as written by the World Government and retold through hearsay tales, painted our perception of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and including Garp. But both the regime's accounts and the narratives of those who knew them turn out to be unreliable, revealing only fragments of who these individuals really were.

The Man Before the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been driven by mission and the bold spirit that sparked a new age of buccaneering, but prior to he became the King of the Pirates, he was a youth ruled by passion and the desire to explore. When people speak of his myth, they usually mean his second voyage, the grand expedition in pursuit of the guide stones that lead to Laugh Tale. Yet not much is understood about his initial travels, the one that shaped him before glory discovered him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the world's hidden history. His love for Shakky guided him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the World Government's darkest realities: the genocidal "contests," the grotesque forms of the Five Elders, and including the existence of the planet's hidden sovereign, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Roger's reflections about all that's happening in God Valley, but maybe finding the child of a God's Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his role in the globe and seek the truth he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this flashback, what we were aware of of Xebec was derived almost entirely from Sengoku's account, both to the audience and to new Marines. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man bent on global control, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it turns out, Sengoku was not there at the Divine Isle; he was merely echoing the Global Authority's sanctioned narrative of events, the exact story Imu authorized to conceal the truth about Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to topple the ruler and dismantle the decadent World Government. We are unsure if he was guided by lust for power, retribution for his clan, or a wish for justice, but when he found out the regime's plan to eliminate the land where his family lived, he abandoned his dreams of domination to save them.

This love for his family became his downfall. After facing Imu, he forfeited his determination and freedom, turning into a marionette enslaved to their authority. Currently, with what little awareness is left, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Garp to kill him — believing that death would be a kindness in contrast to the torment he endures. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the story told by Sengoku, and the comic shows him in a favorable manner during the God Valley events.

Is He Living Today?

But did Rocks actually die? An interesting idea is that he is still a slave to Imu in the present day, serving as the scarred individual, maintaining the Global Authority's only remaining Poneglyph in constant movement to prevent the ultimate treasure from being found.

The Hero's Secret Rebellion

A further protagonist of the God Valley event is Garp, who has endured backlash from followers for years for standing by as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That feeling became even stronger after the time jump, when he endangered all to rescue the young Marine at Pirate Island, leading many to question why he was unable to do the same for his biological grandson. Similar doubts have now resurfaced with the God Valley recollection: how could Monkey D. Garp work for the Marines, knowing the Global Authority considers mass murder and enslavement as entertainment for the elite?

The reality reveals something different. The moment Monkey D. Garp saw the Gorosei's grotesque forms, he struck immediately. His partnership with Roger was not meant to vanquish some villainous Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an attempt to halt the sovereign, who was using Xebec as a pawn to wipe out all in the Divine Isle, even apparently, including the World Nobles themselves. This event is likely the cause Monkey D. Garp despises the World Nobles in the current era and why he never wanted to be promoted to Admiral, reporting directly to them.

History's Unreliable Storytellers

Even though the readers are seeing the God Valley incident through a recollection recounted by Loki, covering viewpoints and occurrences he clearly was absent for, I think we can treat this version as completely accurate. The series may offer an explanation in the future, maybe connected to Loki's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Still, the God Valley event perfectly embodies the notion that the past is written by the winners. This attitude is {