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The adage 'History is recorded by the winners' is a central motif that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the story. Legends often do not convey the complete reality, including the most influential figures in this world's intricate past. Oden wasn't a foolish showman dancing through the streets of Wano; he behaved out of honor and principle. Bartholomew Kuma was not a merciless antagonist who separated the Straw Hats, either; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend signified more than a pirate's contest in search of flags and crews.

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

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

The series's latest flashback, chronicling the God Valley incident, stands as one of the story's best arcs to date. Apart from the thrill of seeing legends in their prime, it's compelling to observe them prior to when they turned into symbols — when their reputation had still not outgrow their human nature. The past, as written by the World Government and retold through secondhand stories, shaped our understanding of individuals like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But both the government's accounts and the narratives of those who knew them turn out to be unreliable, showing only pieces of who these men really were.

The Individual Before the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been driven by mission and the daring attitude that sparked a fresh era of buccaneering, but before he became the Pirate King, he was a young man ruled by emotion and wanderlust. When individuals speak of his myth, they typically mean his later journey, the epic expedition in search of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to the final island. However little is known about his initial travels, the one that molded him prior to glory found him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the globe's secret past. His love for the barkeep guided him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the World Government's most sinister truths: the genocidal "contests," the monstrous appearances of the Gorosei, and even the presence of the planet's unseen sovereign, Imu. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's reflections about everything occurring in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the son of a God's Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his role in the world and seek the reality he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this flashback, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec came mostly from Sengoku's account, both to the audience and to young Navy recruits. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man bent on world domination, someone so threatening that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it turns out, the strategist wasn't even present at the Divine Isle; he was only repeating the World Government's approved version of occurrences, the exact story Imu authorized 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 aimed to topple Imu and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We are unsure if he was guided by lust for power, revenge for his clan, or a desire for fairness, but when he discovered the government's plan to eliminate the land where his kin resided, he abandoned his ambitions of domination to save them.

This devotion for his relatives proved to be his downfall. After facing the sovereign, he lost his will and freedom, becoming a puppet enslaved to their power. Currently, with what little consciousness is left, he begs with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — believing that death would be a mercy in contrast to the torment he endures. The truth of Rocks is thus far from the tale narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic presents him in a favorable manner during the God Valley events.

Is He Living Today?

But was Rocks actually meet his end? An interesting theory is that he is still a slave to the ruler in the present day, acting as the scarred individual, keeping the World Government's last Poneglyph in continuous transit to keep the ultimate treasure from being found.

Garp's Secret Defiance

Another key figure of the Divine Isle event is Garp, who has faced criticism from followers for years for doing nothing as Akainu killed Ace. That sentiment became even more intense after the time jump, when he risked everything to rescue Koby at Hachinosu, leading many to wonder why he couldn't do the same for his own grandson. Similar doubts have recently resurfaced with the God Valley flashback: how could Monkey D. Garp serve the Marines, knowing the Global Authority considers genocide and slavery as entertainment for the upper class?

The truth uncovers something distinct. The moment Garp witnessed the Elders' grotesque shapes, he struck immediately. His partnership with Roger wasn't to vanquish some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an attempt to halt the sovereign, who was using Xebec as a tool to eliminate all in the Divine Isle, including apparently, even the World Nobles themselves. This incident is likely the cause Monkey D. Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he not once wanted to be promoted to Admiral, answering directly to them.

History's Unreliable Narrators

Although the readers are viewing the Divine Isle event through a flashback narrated by the giant, including viewpoints and occurrences he obviously wasn't present for, I think we can consider this version as completely accurate. The manga may offer an reason later, maybe connected to Loki's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Still, the Divine Isle event excellently exemplifies the notion that the past is recorded by the winners. This attitude is {