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The adage 'The past is recorded by the winners' serves as a central theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the narrative. Legends frequently do not convey the complete truth, including the most powerful characters in this story's complex history. Oden was no foolish showman prancing through the roads of Wano Country; he behaved out of honor and principle. Kuma was not a merciless antagonist who separated the Straw Hats, either; he was helping them. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend signified beyond just a pirate's contest in pursuit of emblems and crews.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we witness the culmination of this idea. The entire God Valley narrative serves as a warning story, advising audiences not to judge the individuals too quickly.

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

One Piece's most recent flashback, chronicling the Divine Isle event, stands as one of the series' best arcs to date. Beyond the excitement of witnessing legends in their peak, it's compelling to observe them before they turned into icons — when their fame had still not outgrow their human nature. History, as written by the Global Authority and retold through hearsay tales, painted our understanding of figures like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But each of the government's records and the stories of those who were acquainted with them prove 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 sparked a fresh era of buccaneering, but before he was known as the Pirate King, he was a youth ruled by passion and the desire to explore. When individuals discuss his legend, they typically refer to his later journey, the grand quest in search of the guide stones that point toward the final island. However little is understood about his initial travels, the one that shaped him before fame found him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger knew little of the globe's hidden history. His love for Shakky guided him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the Global Authority's darkest realities: the extermination "contests," the grotesque appearances of the Five Elders, and including the presence of the planet's hidden ruler, Imu. We are yet to witness Roger's reflections about everything occurring in God Valley, but perhaps discovering the son of a God's Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his place in the globe and seek the reality he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Before this flashback, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec was derived mostly from Sengoku's version, both to the viewers and to new Marines. He depicted Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man determined to achieve global control, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it transpires, Sengoku was not there at God Valley; he was merely repeating the World Government's approved version of events, the exact story the sovereign approved to bury the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to overthrow Imu and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We don't know if he was guided by lust for power, retribution for his clan, or a wish for fairness, but when he discovered the regime's scheme to annihilate the island where his family resided, he abandoned his dreams of domination to rescue them.

This devotion for his relatives became his undoing. After facing Imu, he forfeited his will and liberty, turning into a marionette controlled to their authority. Now, with what little consciousness remains, he begs with Roger and Garp to kill him — thinking that dying would be a kindness in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the story told by Sengoku, and the manga presents him in a positive manner during the God Valley incidents.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec really die? An intriguing theory is that he is still a servant to Imu in the current timeline, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the World Government's last ancient stone in continuous movement to prevent 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 backlash from fans for a long time for doing nothing as Akainu killed Ace. That sentiment became even more intense after the timeskip, when he risked all to rescue Koby at Pirate Island, causing many to question why he couldn't do the identical for his own grandson. Comparable doubts have now reemerged with the Divine Isle recollection: how can Garp work for the Navy, knowing the World Government considers genocide and enslavement as sport for the elite?

The truth uncovers something different. The moment Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Gorosei's grotesque forms, he attacked immediately. His partnership with Roger was not meant to vanquish some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an attempt to stop Imu, who was using Xebec as a tool to eliminate all in God Valley, including apparently, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is probably the cause Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he not once wanted to be promoted to Admiral, answering straight to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Even though the readers are seeing the God Valley event through a flashback recounted by Loki, covering viewpoints and occurrences he clearly was absent for, I believe we can treat this version as entirely truthful. The series may offer an explanation later, maybe connected to Loki's still mysterious paramecia ability. Still, the God Valley incident excellently exemplifies the idea that history is recorded by the winners. This attitude is {