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The saying 'The past is written by the victors' serves as a key theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the story. Popular tales frequently do not capture the complete truth, even for the most powerful characters in this story's complex past. Kozuki Oden was no foolish showman dancing through the streets of Wano Country; he acted out of duty and principle. Kuma was not a ruthless antagonist who separated the Straw Hats, either; he was helping them. Likewise, Davy Jones signified beyond just a buccaneer's game in search of emblems and crews.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we see the culmination of this idea. The entire God Valley story acts as a cautionary tale, advising readers not to judge the individuals too quickly.

Myths frequently fail to convey the complete reality, including the most powerful figures.

One Piece's latest look back, chronicling the God Valley incident, represents one of the story's best storylines to now. Apart from the thrill of seeing legends in their peak, it's compelling to see them before they became icons — when their reputation had still not surpass their human nature. History, as written by the World Government and recounted through secondhand tales, shaped our perception of figures like Roger, Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But both the regime's accounts and the stories of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be unreliable, revealing only fragments of who these individuals really were.

The Man Prior to the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by purpose and the bold spirit that ignited a new age of buccaneering, but before he became the Pirate King, he was a young man ruled by emotion and the desire to explore. When individuals discuss his legend, they typically mean his second voyage, the epic quest in search of the guide stones that point toward Laugh Tale. However not much is understood about his first journey, the one that shaped him before glory found him.

At that time, Roger was largely unaware of the world's secret history. His love for the barkeep guided him to God Valley, where he discovered the World Government's darkest realities: the genocidal "games," the grotesque forms of the Gorosei, and even the existence of the planet's unseen sovereign, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's reflections about everything occurring in God Valley, but maybe discovering the child of a Holy Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his role in the world and seek the truth he glimpsed from Xebec's situation.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this flashback, what we were aware of of Xebec came almost entirely from Sengoku's version, both to the audience and to young Marines. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, ambitious man determined to achieve global control, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it turns out, Sengoku wasn't even there at the Divine Isle; he was only echoing the Global Authority's approved version of occurrences, the very story Imu approved to bury the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to topple the ruler and dismantle the decadent World Government. We are unsure if he was motivated by ambition, retribution for his family, or a wish for fairness, but when he found out the regime's plan to eliminate the land where his kin lived, he abandoned his ambitions of conquest to rescue them.

This love for his family proved to be his undoing. Upon confronting the sovereign, he forfeited his will and freedom, turning into a puppet enslaved to their authority. Now, with what little consciousness remains, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Garp to kill him — thinking that death would be a kindness in contrast to the living hell he endures. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the story told by Sengoku, and the comic shows him in a positive manner during the Divine Isle incidents.

Is He Living Today?

But was Rocks actually meet his end? An interesting idea is that he is still a slave to Imu in the present day, acting as the scarred individual, keeping the Global Authority's only remaining Poneglyph in constant transit to prevent the One Piece from being found.

The Hero's Hidden Rebellion

A further key figure of the Divine Isle incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured backlash from followers for years for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu killed Ace. That sentiment became even more intense after the timeskip, when he risked everything to save Koby at Hachinosu, causing many to question why he was unable to do the same for his biological grandchild. Similar doubts have recently resurfaced with the Divine Isle flashback: how could Garp serve the Navy, knowing the Global Authority treats genocide and enslavement as entertainment for the elite?

The truth reveals something distinct. The instant Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Gorosei's grotesque forms, he attacked immediately. His alliance with Roger wasn't to vanquish some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an effort to halt the sovereign, who was manipulating Xebec as a tool to wipe out everyone in God Valley, including apparently, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is probably the cause Monkey D. Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he never wanted to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, reporting directly to them.

History's Untrustworthy Narrators

Although the audience are viewing the God Valley event through a recollection narrated by the giant, including viewpoints and events he clearly was absent for, I think we can consider this version as completely truthful. The manga may offer an explanation in the future, perhaps linked to the giant's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the God Valley incident perfectly embodies the idea that history is recorded by the victors. This mindset is {