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The saying 'History is written by the victors' is a central motif that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the narrative. Popular tales often fail to capture the full reality, including the most influential characters in this world's intricate past. Kozuki Oden wasn't a foolish performer prancing through the streets of Wano; he acted out of duty and principle. Kuma wasn't a merciless antagonist who separated the Straw Hats, either; he was helping them. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend signified beyond just a buccaneer's contest in pursuit of emblems and crews.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we witness the culmination of this idea. The entire God Valley story acts as a cautionary tale, instructing readers not to judge the individuals too hastily.

Legends frequently do not convey the full truth, even for the most powerful characters.

One Piece's most recent look back, detailing the Divine Isle event, represents one of the series' best arcs to now. Apart from the thrill of seeing icons in their peak, it's gripping to see them prior to when they turned into icons — when their fame had still not outgrow their humanity. The past, as written by the World Government and recounted through hearsay stories, shaped our perception of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Garp. But each of the government's accounts and the narratives of those who knew them prove unreliable, revealing only pieces of who these men truly were.

The Individual Before the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by purpose and the daring spirit that sparked a new age of buccaneering, but before he became the King of the Pirates, he was a youth governed by passion and the desire to explore. When people discuss his myth, they usually refer to his second voyage, the grand quest in pursuit of the guide stones that point toward the final island. Yet not much is known about his initial travels, the one that shaped him before glory found him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger knew little of the globe's hidden history. His affection for the barkeep led him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the Global Authority's most sinister truths: the extermination "games," the monstrous appearances of the Gorosei, and including the presence of the world's hidden sovereign, Imu. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's thoughts about all that's occurring in God Valley, but perhaps discovering the child of a God's Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his place in the globe and seek the truth he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Before this flashback, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec was derived almost entirely from Sengoku's account, both to the viewers and to new Navy recruits. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, ambitious man determined to achieve global control, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it turns out, Sengoku was not there at the Divine Isle; he was only repeating the World Government's sanctioned narrative of events, the very story the sovereign authorized to bury the reality about Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to overthrow Imu 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 island where his kin resided, he abandoned his dreams of conquest to rescue them.

This devotion for his family became his undoing. After facing the sovereign, he lost his determination and liberty, becoming a marionette enslaved to their power. Currently, with what limited consciousness remains, he pleads with Roger and Garp to end his life — believing that dying would be a mercy in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The reality of Rocks is thus very different from the story narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga shows him in a positive light during the God Valley incidents.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec really meet his end? An interesting idea is that he is even now a servant to the ruler in the present day, serving as the scarred individual, keeping the World Government's last ancient stone in constant transit to keep the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

Garp's Hidden Defiance

Another key figure of the God Valley incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured criticism from followers for a long time for doing nothing as Akainu murdered Ace. That sentiment only grew more intense after the time jump, when he risked everything to rescue the young Marine at Hachinosu, leading many to question why he was unable to do the identical for his own grandson. Comparable doubts have now reemerged with the God Valley recollection: how could Garp work for the Marines, knowing the World Government treats mass murder and enslavement as entertainment for the elite?

The truth uncovers something distinct. The moment Garp saw the Gorosei's monstrous shapes, he attacked without hesitation. His alliance with Roger wasn't to vanquish some villainous Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an effort to halt the sovereign, who was manipulating Xebec as a pawn to eliminate everyone in God Valley, including it seems, even the World Nobles themselves. This event is probably the cause Monkey D. Garp detests the World Nobles in the current era and why he never wanted to be promoted to Admiral, reporting directly to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Even though the audience are viewing the Divine Isle event through a recollection narrated by the giant, covering viewpoints and occurrences he clearly was absent for, I believe we can treat this account as completely truthful. The manga may provide an reason later, perhaps connected to the giant's still mysterious paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the God Valley event perfectly exemplifies the notion that history is written by the victors. This attitude is {