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The adage 'History is written by the winners' serves as a key motif that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the story. Legends often do not capture the complete reality, including the most powerful figures in this world's intricate past. Oden was no foolish showman dancing through the streets of Wano; he acted out of duty and conviction. Kuma was not a ruthless villain who separated the Straw Hats, as well; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend signified beyond just a pirate's contest in pursuit of flags and followers.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we see the culmination of this idea. The entire God Valley story serves as a cautionary tale, advising audiences not to evaluate the characters too hastily.

Myths frequently fail to capture the full reality, even for the most powerful characters.

One Piece's most recent look back, detailing the God Valley incident, stands as one of the story's finest storylines to date. Beyond the thrill of witnessing icons in their prime, it's compelling to observe them prior to when they turned into symbols — when their fame had yet to outgrow their human nature. The past, as recorded by the World Government and recounted through hearsay stories, painted our perception of figures like Roger, Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But both the regime's records and the narratives of those who knew them prove untrustworthy, revealing only fragments of who these men truly were.

The Individual Prior to the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by mission and the bold attitude that ignited a new age of buccaneering, but before he was known as the Pirate King, he was a young man ruled by passion and wanderlust. When people discuss his myth, they usually refer to his later journey, the grand quest in search of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to the final island. However little is known about his first journey, the one that shaped him prior to fame discovered him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger knew little of the globe's secret past. His affection for Shakky guided him to God Valley, where he discovered the World Government's darkest truths: 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 Roger's thoughts about all that's happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the son of a Holy Knight on his ship will make him realize his place in the globe and pursue the reality he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this flashback, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec came almost entirely from Sengoku's version, each to the viewers and to new Navy recruits. He depicted Xebec as a vile, ambitious man bent on global control, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it turns out, the strategist wasn't even present at God Valley; he was only repeating the Global Authority's sanctioned narrative of events, the very narrative the sovereign authorized to bury the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We don't know if he was guided by lust for power, retribution for his family, or a desire for fairness, but when he discovered the regime's plan to annihilate the island where his family resided, he abandoned his dreams of domination to rescue them.

This love for his relatives became his undoing. Upon confronting the sovereign, he lost his determination and freedom, turning into a puppet controlled to their power. Now, with what little consciousness remains, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — believing that death would be a mercy in contrast to the living hell he endures. The truth of Rocks is thus very different from the tale narrated by Sengoku, and the comic presents him in a favorable light during the God Valley incidents.

Is He Living Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec really 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 Global Authority's last ancient stone in constant movement to keep the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

Garp's Hidden Rebellion

A further key figure of the Divine Isle incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured criticism from fans for years for standing by as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That feeling only grew stronger after the timeskip, when he risked everything to save the young Marine at Pirate Island, causing many to question why he was unable to do the identical for his biological grandson. Similar questions have now reemerged with the Divine Isle recollection: how could Garp work for the Navy, aware the World Government treats mass murder and enslavement as sport for the elite?

The reality reveals something different. The instant Garp witnessed the Elders' grotesque forms, he attacked without hesitation. His partnership with Gol D. Roger wasn't to defeat some villainous Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an effort to halt the sovereign, who was manipulating Xebec as a pawn to eliminate all in God Valley, including apparently, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is likely the cause Garp detests the World Nobles in the current era and why he not once desired to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, reporting straight to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Although the audience are viewing the God Valley event through a recollection recounted by the giant, including viewpoints and events he clearly wasn't present for, I believe we can treat this version as completely truthful. The manga may provide an explanation later, maybe linked to Loki's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Still, the God Valley incident excellently embodies the idea that history is written by the winners. This mindset is {