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The saying 'History is recorded by the winners' serves as a central theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Popular tales often fail to capture the full truth, even for the most powerful figures in this story's complex history. Oden was no silly showman dancing through the streets of Wano; he behaved out of honor and conviction. Kuma was not a ruthless villain who tore apart the Straw Hats, either; he was helping them. Likewise, Davy Jones meant beyond just a pirate's game in pursuit of flags and crews.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we see the peak of this idea. The whole Divine Isle narrative serves as a cautionary tale, advising readers not to judge the individuals too hastily.

Legends often do not convey the full reality, even for the most powerful figures.

One Piece's most recent flashback, chronicling the God Valley event, stands as one of the story's best arcs to date. Beyond the excitement of seeing icons in their peak, it's gripping to observe them before they became symbols — when their fame had yet to outgrow their humanity. The past, as written by the World Government and recounted through secondhand stories, shaped our perception of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Garp. But each of the government's accounts and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be untrustworthy, showing only fragments of who these men truly were.

The Individual Prior to the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by purpose and the bold attitude that ignited a fresh era of buccaneering, but before he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a youth governed by passion and wanderlust. When people discuss his legend, they usually mean his second voyage, the grand quest in search of the guide stones that lead to the final island. However not much is understood about his first journey, the one that shaped him before glory discovered him.

Back then, Roger knew little of the globe's secret past. His affection for the barkeep led him to God Valley, where he uncovered the World Government's most sinister realities: the genocidal "contests," the monstrous forms of the Five Elders, and even the existence of the world's hidden sovereign, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Roger's thoughts about everything occurring in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the child of a Holy Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his place in the globe and pursue the reality he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this flashback, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec came mostly from Sengoku's account, both to the audience and to young Marines. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man determined to achieve global control, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it transpires, the strategist wasn't even there at God Valley; he was only repeating the World Government's approved version of occurrences, the exact narrative Imu authorized to conceal 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 topple Imu and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We are unsure if he was motivated by ambition, retribution for his family, or a desire for justice, but when he found out the government's plan to annihilate the land where his family lived, he gave up his ambitions of conquest to rescue them.

This love for his family became his downfall. Upon confronting Imu, he forfeited his determination and freedom, becoming a puppet enslaved to their authority. Now, with what little consciousness is left, he begs with Roger and Garp to kill him — believing that dying would be a kindness compared to the living hell he suffers. The reality of Rocks is thus very different from the story told by Sengoku, and the manga shows him in a positive light during the God Valley incidents.

Could He Be Living Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec really die? An interesting theory is that he is even now a servant to Imu in the current timeline, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the Global Authority's last ancient stone in constant movement to prevent the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

The Hero's Hidden Defiance

Another protagonist of the God Valley event is Garp, who has faced criticism from followers for years for standing by as Akainu murdered Ace. That feeling only grew more intense after the time jump, when he endangered all to rescue the young Marine at Hachinosu, leading many to question why he was unable to do the same for his biological grandson. Comparable doubts have now reemerged with the Divine Isle flashback: how can Monkey D. Garp serve the Navy, knowing the Global Authority treats genocide and enslavement as sport for the elite?

The reality uncovers something distinct. The moment Garp saw the Elders' monstrous shapes, he attacked without hesitation. His alliance with Gol D. Roger wasn't to defeat some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an effort to halt Imu, who was using Xebec as a pawn to wipe out all in the Divine Isle, even apparently, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is probably the cause Monkey D. Garp detests the World Nobles in the present day and why he not once wanted to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, reporting directly to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Even though the audience are seeing the God Valley event through a flashback recounted by Loki, covering viewpoints and occurrences he obviously was absent for, I believe we can consider this version as entirely truthful. The series may provide an explanation in the future, perhaps linked to Loki's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Still, the God Valley event excellently embodies the notion that the past is recorded by the victors. This attitude is {