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The saying 'The past is recorded by the victors' is a central motif that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the narrative. Popular tales often fail to convey the full reality, including the most powerful characters in this world's complex history. Kozuki Oden was no foolish performer dancing through the roads of Wano Country; he behaved out of duty and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a merciless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was helping them. Likewise, Davy Jones meant more than a buccaneer's game in pursuit of emblems and followers.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we see the culmination of this idea. The whole Divine Isle narrative acts as a warning story, advising readers not to judge the individuals too hastily.

Legends often fail to convey the full reality, even for the most powerful figures.

One Piece's latest flashback, detailing the Divine Isle incident, stands as one of the story's best arcs to date. Beyond the excitement of witnessing legends in their prime, it's gripping to observe them before they turned into symbols — when their reputation had yet to outgrow their humanity. The past, as written by the World Government and recounted through secondhand tales, shaped our perception of figures like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and including Garp. But both the government's records and the stories of those who knew them turn out to be unreliable, revealing only fragments of who these individuals really were.

The Man Prior to the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by mission and the daring attitude that sparked a new age of buccaneering, but prior to he became the Pirate King, he was a youth ruled by emotion and wanderlust. When people discuss his myth, they usually mean his second voyage, the grand quest in search of the guide stones that point toward Laugh Tale. However little is understood about his initial travels, the one that shaped him before glory discovered him.

Back then, Roger knew little of the globe's hidden history. His love for the barkeep guided him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the World Government's darkest truths: the genocidal "games," the grotesque appearances of the Five Elders, and even the existence of the world's hidden ruler, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Roger's reflections about everything happening in God Valley, but maybe discovering the son of a Holy Knight on his ship will make him realize his place in the globe and pursue the reality he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Before this recollection, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec was derived almost entirely from Sengoku's account, both to the audience and to young Marines. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man determined to achieve world domination, someone so threatening that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it turns out, Sengoku was not present at God Valley; he was merely repeating the World Government's sanctioned version of events, the very narrative Imu approved to bury the reality about Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, Rocks D. Xebec, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to topple the ruler and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We are unsure if he was guided by lust for power, revenge for his family, or a desire for fairness, but when he discovered the regime's scheme to annihilate the island where his family resided, he abandoned his ambitions of domination to save them.

This love for his family became his undoing. After facing Imu, he forfeited his will and freedom, becoming a marionette controlled to their authority. Currently, with what little awareness remains, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Garp to end his life — believing that dying would be a kindness in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the tale told by Sengoku, and the manga presents him in a positive light during the God Valley events.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec actually die? An intriguing idea is that he is still a slave to Imu in the present day, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the World Government's last Poneglyph in constant movement to prevent the One Piece from being discovered.

Garp's Hidden Rebellion

A further protagonist of the God Valley event is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured backlash from fans for a long time for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment became even more intense after the timeskip, when he endangered all to save Koby at Pirate Island, leading many to question why he was unable to do the same for his biological grandson. Similar questions have recently reemerged with the God Valley recollection: how can Garp work for the Marines, aware the World Government considers mass murder and slavery as sport for the elite?

The truth reveals something different. The instant Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Elders' monstrous forms, he attacked without hesitation. His partnership with Gol D. Roger was not meant to defeat some evil Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an effort to halt Imu, who was using Xebec as a pawn to wipe out all in God Valley, including it seems, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is likely the cause Monkey D. Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he not once desired to be elevated to Admiral, answering directly to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Even though the audience are viewing the God Valley incident through a recollection narrated by Loki, including viewpoints and occurrences he obviously wasn't present for, I believe we can consider this account as completely truthful. The manga may provide an reason later, perhaps connected to the giant's still mysterious paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle incident perfectly embodies the idea that the past is written by the winners. This mindset is {