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The adage 'History is recorded by the winners' serves as a key motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the narrative. Legends frequently fail to capture the full reality, even for the most powerful characters in this world's intricate past. Oden wasn't a silly performer dancing through the streets of Wano; he acted out of duty and principle. Kuma wasn't a merciless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was helping them. Likewise, Davy Jones signified more than a pirate's contest in pursuit of emblems and crews.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we witness the culmination of this theme. The whole God Valley narrative acts as a warning story, instructing readers not to evaluate the individuals too quickly.

Legends frequently fail to convey the full reality, including the most powerful characters.

One Piece's latest flashback, detailing the Divine Isle event, stands as one of the story's best storylines to now. Beyond the thrill of seeing legends in their peak, it's compelling to see them before they turned into icons — when their reputation had yet to surpass their human nature. The past, as recorded by the Global Authority and retold through secondhand stories, shaped our understanding of individuals like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Garp. But both the government's accounts and the stories of those who were acquainted with them prove unreliable, showing only pieces of who these individuals really were.

The Individual Prior to the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been driven by purpose and the daring spirit that sparked a fresh era of buccaneering, but prior to he was known as the Pirate King, he was a youth ruled by passion and the desire to explore. When people discuss his myth, they usually refer to his second voyage, the epic expedition in pursuit of the guide stones that point toward Laugh Tale. However not much is understood about his initial travels, the one that shaped him prior to fame found him.

At that time, Roger was largely unaware of the globe's secret past. His affection for Shakky guided him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the Global Authority's darkest realities: the genocidal "contests," the monstrous forms of the Five Elders, and even the existence of the world's unseen sovereign, Imu. We haven't seen Roger's reflections about all that's happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe finding the son of a God's Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his role in the globe and pursue the truth he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this recollection, what we were aware of of Xebec was derived mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's account, each to the audience and to new Marines. He depicted Xebec as a vile, ambitious man bent on global control, someone so dangerous that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it transpires, Sengoku wasn't even present at the Divine Isle; he was only echoing the Global Authority's sanctioned version of events, the exact narrative the sovereign authorized to conceal the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to topple Imu and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We don't know if he was guided by ambition, retribution for his clan, or a desire for justice, but when he discovered the government's scheme to eliminate the island where his kin lived, he abandoned his dreams of domination to save them.

This devotion for his family became his undoing. Upon facing Imu, he forfeited his will and liberty, becoming a marionette controlled to their authority. Currently, with what little consciousness remains, he begs with Roger and Garp to kill him — believing that death would be a mercy compared to the living hell he endures. The reality of Rocks is thus very different from the tale narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga shows him in a favorable light during the God Valley events.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec really meet his end? An interesting theory is that he is even now a servant to the ruler in the present day, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the Global Authority's only remaining ancient stone in constant transit to keep the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

The Hero's Hidden Defiance

Another protagonist of the God Valley incident is Garp, who has faced backlash from fans for years for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu killed Ace. That feeling only grew more intense after the timeskip, when he endangered everything to save Koby at Hachinosu, causing many to wonder why he couldn't do the same for his biological grandchild. Comparable questions have now resurfaced with the God Valley recollection: how could Garp serve the Navy, aware the World Government considers genocide and slavery as sport for the elite?

The truth uncovers something different. The instant Garp witnessed the Gorosei's monstrous forms, he struck without hesitation. His partnership with Gol D. Roger wasn't to defeat some evil Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an effort to stop the sovereign, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to wipe out everyone in God Valley, including it seems, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is likely the cause Monkey D. Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he never wanted to be promoted to Admiral, answering straight to them.

History's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Although the readers are viewing the God Valley incident through a flashback narrated by Loki, including perspectives and occurrences he clearly was absent for, I believe we can consider this version as completely truthful. The series may offer an reason in the future, perhaps linked to Loki's still mysterious paramecia ability. Still, the God Valley event excellently exemplifies the notion that history is recorded by the victors. This attitude is {