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The adage 'The past is recorded by the victors' is a key theme that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the story. Popular tales often fail to convey the complete reality, even for the most powerful figures in this story's complex history. Kozuki Oden was no foolish performer prancing through the streets of Wano; he behaved out of duty and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma was not a merciless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hats, as well; he was helping them. Similarly, Davy Jones meant more than a buccaneer's contest in search of flags and crews.

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

Legends frequently fail to capture the complete truth, including the most influential characters.

The series's latest flashback, detailing the Divine Isle incident, represents one of the series' finest storylines to now. Apart from the thrill of witnessing icons in their prime, it's compelling to observe them prior to when they turned into icons — when their fame had still not surpass their humanity. The past, as written by the Global Authority and recounted through secondhand stories, shaped our understanding of figures like Roger, Xebec, and including Garp. But each of the regime's accounts and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be untrustworthy, showing only pieces of who these individuals really were.

The Man Before the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been driven by mission and the bold attitude that sparked a fresh era of buccaneering, but before he became the Pirate King, he was a youth ruled by emotion and wanderlust. When individuals discuss his legend, they usually mean his later journey, the grand expedition in pursuit of the guide stones that point toward the final island. However little 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 hidden past. His affection for Shakky guided him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the Global Authority's most sinister realities: the genocidal "contests," the monstrous forms of the Gorosei, and including the existence of the world's unseen sovereign, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's thoughts about everything occurring in God Valley, but maybe discovering the child 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 predicament.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this recollection, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec was derived mostly from Sengoku's account, both to the viewers and to new Marines. He painted Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man bent on world domination, someone so threatening that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it turns out, Sengoku wasn't even present at God Valley; he was only repeating the Global Authority's sanctioned version of events, the very story Imu approved to bury the truth about Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to topple the ruler and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We don't know if he was motivated by ambition, retribution for his clan, or a desire for justice, but when he found out the government's scheme to annihilate the island where his family lived, he gave up his dreams of conquest to save them.

This love for his relatives proved to be his undoing. After confronting the sovereign, he forfeited his determination and freedom, becoming a puppet controlled to their power. Now, with what little consciousness remains, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Garp to kill him — believing that dying would be a mercy compared to the living hell he endures. The truth of Rocks is thus far from the story narrated by Sengoku, and the manga presents him in a favorable manner during the Divine Isle incidents.

Could He Be Living Today?

But did Rocks actually die? An interesting idea is that he is still a slave to Imu in the present day, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the World Government's only remaining ancient stone in constant transit to prevent the ultimate treasure from being found.

The Hero's Secret Rebellion

Another protagonist of the God Valley incident is Garp, who has faced backlash from followers for a long time for standing by as Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That feeling became even more intense after the timeskip, when he risked all to save Koby at Hachinosu, causing many to question why he was unable to do the same for his biological grandchild. Comparable questions have recently reemerged with the Divine Isle flashback: how can Garp serve the Marines, aware the World Government considers mass murder and slavery as sport for the upper class?

The truth reveals something different. The moment Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Gorosei's grotesque forms, he attacked immediately. His alliance with Gol D. Roger was not meant to vanquish some villainous Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an effort to stop Imu, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to eliminate all in the Divine Isle, including it seems, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is probably the reason Monkey D. Garp detests the World Nobles in the current era and why he not once desired to be promoted to Admiral, answering directly to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Even though the readers are seeing the Divine Isle event through a recollection recounted by Loki, covering perspectives and occurrences he clearly wasn't present for, I think we can consider this account as entirely accurate. The series may offer an reason in the future, perhaps connected to Loki's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Still, the Divine Isle event excellently embodies the idea that the past is written by the victors. This mindset is {