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The saying 'History is recorded by the victors' is a key motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Popular tales frequently fail to convey the full truth, even for the most powerful characters in this story's complex past. Kozuki Oden wasn't a foolish showman dancing through the roads of Wano Country; he acted out of duty and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a merciless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hats, either; he was helping them. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend meant beyond just a buccaneer's game in pursuit of emblems and crews.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we see the culmination of this idea. The whole God Valley story acts as a warning story, instructing readers not to judge the characters too quickly.

Legends frequently do not capture the full reality, including the most powerful figures.

One Piece's latest look back, detailing the God Valley event, represents one of the series' finest arcs to date. Beyond the excitement of seeing legends in their prime, it's compelling to observe them prior to when they turned into symbols — when their reputation had yet to surpass their human nature. The past, as recorded by the World Government and recounted through secondhand tales, painted our understanding of figures like Roger, Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But both the government's accounts and the stories of those who knew them prove unreliable, showing only pieces of who these men really were.

The Individual Prior to the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by purpose and the bold spirit that ignited a fresh era of piracy, but before he became the King of the Pirates, he was a young man governed by emotion and wanderlust. When people speak of his legend, they usually refer to his second voyage, the epic quest in pursuit of the guide stones that point toward Laugh Tale. Yet not much is understood about his initial travels, the one that shaped him prior to glory found him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger knew little of the globe's hidden past. His love for the barkeep guided him to God Valley, where he discovered the Global Authority's darkest realities: the extermination "games," the monstrous appearances of the Gorosei, and including the presence of the world's unseen ruler, Imu. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's reflections about everything occurring in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the child of a Holy Knight on his vessel will make him realize his place in the world and pursue the truth he glimpsed from Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this flashback, what we knew of Xebec was derived almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's version, each to the audience and to young Marines. He painted Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man determined to achieve global control, someone so dangerous that Roger and Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it transpires, the strategist was not present at the Divine Isle; he was merely repeating the World Government's approved version of events, the exact story Imu authorized to bury the reality about Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to overthrow Imu and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We are unsure if he was guided by ambition, retribution for his family, or a wish for fairness, but when he discovered the government's scheme to annihilate the island where his family lived, he abandoned his ambitions of conquest to rescue them.

This love for his family proved to be his undoing. Upon facing the sovereign, he lost his will and freedom, becoming a puppet enslaved to their power. Currently, with what limited awareness is left, he pleads with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — thinking that death would be a mercy compared to the living hell he suffers. The truth of Rocks is thus very different from the story told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga shows him in a favorable manner during the Divine Isle incidents.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec really meet his end? An intriguing theory is that he is still a slave to Imu in the present day, acting as the scarred individual, keeping the World Government's last Poneglyph in continuous transit to prevent the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

The Hero's Hidden Rebellion

A further key figure of the God Valley incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced backlash from fans for a long time for doing nothing as Akainu killed Ace. That feeling only grew stronger after the timeskip, when he endangered everything to save the young Marine at Hachinosu, leading many to question why he was unable to do the identical for his biological grandson. Similar doubts have now reemerged with the God Valley flashback: how can Garp serve the Navy, knowing the World Government treats genocide and enslavement as sport for the elite?

The truth uncovers something distinct. The instant Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Gorosei's grotesque forms, he struck without hesitation. His alliance with Roger was not meant to defeat some evil Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an attempt to stop the sovereign, who was manipulating Xebec as a tool to eliminate everyone in God Valley, even apparently, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is likely the cause Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he never wanted to be elevated to Admiral, answering straight to them.

History's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Although the readers are viewing the God Valley incident through a recollection recounted by the giant, including viewpoints and events he obviously wasn't present for, I believe we can consider this account as completely truthful. The series may offer an explanation in the future, perhaps linked to the giant's yet unknown paramecia ability. Still, the Divine Isle incident perfectly embodies the idea that the past is written by the winners. This attitude is {