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The adage 'History is written by the winners' is a central motif that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the story. Legends often fail to convey the full truth, including the most powerful characters in this world's complex past. Kozuki Oden wasn't a foolish showman dancing through the streets of Wano Country; he behaved out of honor and principle. Kuma wasn't a merciless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, Davy Jones meant more than a buccaneer's game in pursuit of flags and crews.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we see the peak of this theme. The whole God Valley narrative acts as a warning story, instructing audiences not to evaluate the characters too quickly.

Myths often fail to convey the complete truth, including the most influential characters.

One Piece's latest flashback, chronicling the Divine Isle event, represents one of the series' finest storylines to date. Apart from the excitement of seeing legends in their peak, it's compelling to observe them before they turned into icons — when their reputation had still not surpass their humanity. History, as recorded by the World Government and recounted through secondhand tales, shaped our perception of figures like Roger, Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But each of the government's accounts and the stories of those who knew them turn out to be untrustworthy, revealing only pieces of who these men truly were.

The Individual Before the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by purpose and the daring spirit that sparked a fresh era of buccaneering, but before he became the King of the Pirates, he was a young man governed by passion and wanderlust. When people speak of his legend, they typically refer to his second voyage, the grand quest in search of the guide stones that lead to Laugh Tale. However not much is known about his first journey, the one that molded him before fame discovered him.

At that time, Roger was largely unaware of the globe's hidden past. His love for the barkeep led him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the Global Authority's most sinister realities: the extermination "contests," the grotesque appearances of the Gorosei, and including the presence of the world's unseen ruler, Imu. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's reflections about all that's happening in God Valley, but perhaps discovering the child of a Holy Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his role in the globe and seek the reality he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this flashback, what we were aware of of Xebec was derived almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's account, both to the viewers and to new Navy recruits. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man bent on world domination, someone so dangerous that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it transpires, the strategist was not present at the Divine Isle; he was only repeating the World Government's approved version of events, the exact narrative the sovereign authorized to conceal the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to topple the ruler and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We don't know if he was guided by ambition, retribution for his clan, or a wish for fairness, but when he discovered the regime's scheme to eliminate the land where his family lived, he abandoned his ambitions of domination to rescue them.

This love for his family proved to be his undoing. Upon confronting the sovereign, he lost his will and liberty, becoming a marionette enslaved to their power. Currently, with what limited consciousness remains, he begs with Roger and Garp to end his life — believing that death would be a kindness compared to the torment he suffers. The truth of Rocks is thus far from the story told by Sengoku, and the comic presents him in a positive manner during the Divine Isle incidents.

Is He Living Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec really die? An interesting idea is that he is even now a slave to the ruler in the current timeline, acting as the scarred individual, maintaining the Global Authority's last Poneglyph in constant transit to prevent the One Piece from being discovered.

The Hero's Hidden Rebellion

Another protagonist of the God Valley event is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced backlash from fans for years for standing by as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That feeling only grew stronger 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. Similar questions have recently resurfaced with the God Valley recollection: how can Garp work for the Navy, aware the Global Authority treats mass murder and enslavement as entertainment for the elite?

The reality reveals something distinct. The moment Monkey D. Garp saw the Elders' grotesque shapes, he struck immediately. His partnership with Gol D. Roger was not meant to vanquish some evil Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an effort to stop the sovereign, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to wipe out everyone in the Divine Isle, including it seems, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is likely the reason Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he not once desired to be elevated to Admiral, reporting directly to them.

History's Unreliable Narrators

Although the audience are seeing the Divine Isle incident through a recollection recounted by Loki, including perspectives and events he obviously wasn't present for, I think we can treat this account as entirely accurate. The manga may provide an explanation in the future, perhaps connected to the giant's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Still, the Divine Isle incident excellently embodies the idea that history is written by the victors. This mindset is {