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The saying 'The past is recorded by the victors' serves as a central motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the story. Popular tales frequently do not capture the full truth, including the most influential figures in this world's complex history. Kozuki Oden was no silly performer prancing through the roads of Wano; he acted out of duty and conviction. Kuma was not a ruthless villain who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was helping them. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend meant beyond just a buccaneer's contest in search of flags and crews.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we witness the peak of this theme. The entire God Valley narrative serves as a warning story, instructing audiences not to evaluate the characters too hastily.

Legends frequently do not capture the full reality, including the most influential figures.

One Piece's most recent look back, chronicling the Divine Isle event, stands as one of the series' best storylines to date. Beyond the excitement of witnessing icons in their peak, it's compelling to see them prior to when they turned into symbols — when their fame had still not outgrow their human nature. The past, as written by the Global Authority and retold through secondhand stories, painted our perception of figures like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Garp. But each of the regime's records and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be unreliable, showing only fragments of who these men really were.

The Man Prior to the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been guided by purpose and the daring attitude that ignited a fresh era of buccaneering, but prior to he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a young man ruled by passion and wanderlust. When individuals speak of his legend, they typically refer to his later journey, the grand quest in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward Laugh Tale. However little is understood about his initial travels, the one that molded him before fame found him.

At that time, Roger was largely unaware of the globe's secret history. His love for the barkeep guided him to God Valley, where he discovered the World Government's darkest realities: the extermination "contests," the monstrous appearances of the Gorosei, and even the presence of the planet's hidden ruler, Imu. We are yet to witness Roger's thoughts about everything happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the child of a God's Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his place in the world and seek the reality he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Before this recollection, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec was derived almost entirely from Sengoku's account, both to the audience and to young Marines. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man bent on world domination, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it transpires, the strategist was not present at God Valley; he was only echoing the World Government's sanctioned narrative of events, the exact narrative Imu approved to bury the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, Rocks D. Xebec, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to topple Imu and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We don't know if he was motivated by ambition, retribution for his family, or a desire for justice, but when he discovered the regime's scheme to eliminate the land where his family lived, he gave up his dreams of domination to save them.

This love for his family proved to be his downfall. Upon confronting Imu, he forfeited his will and freedom, turning into a marionette enslaved to their power. Currently, with what little awareness remains, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — thinking that dying would be a kindness in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The truth of Rocks is thus very different from the tale told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga shows him in a positive light during the Divine Isle events.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks really die? An interesting idea is that he is even now a servant to Imu in the current timeline, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the Global Authority's last Poneglyph in constant transit to prevent the One Piece from being found.

Garp's Secret Defiance

Another key figure of the God Valley incident is Garp, who has faced backlash from followers for a long time for doing nothing as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment became even stronger after the timeskip, when he risked all to save the young Marine at Hachinosu, leading many to question why he was unable to do the same for his own grandchild. Comparable doubts have recently reemerged with the Divine Isle flashback: how could Monkey D. Garp serve the Navy, aware the World Government treats genocide and enslavement as sport for the upper class?

The reality reveals something different. The moment Garp saw the Gorosei's grotesque shapes, he struck immediately. His partnership with Gol D. Roger was not meant to defeat some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an attempt to stop the sovereign, who was manipulating Xebec as a pawn to eliminate all in the Divine Isle, including apparently, including the World Nobles themselves. This incident is probably the cause Monkey D. Garp despises the World Nobles in the present day and why he never desired to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, reporting directly to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Narrators

Even though the audience are seeing the God Valley incident through a flashback narrated by the giant, covering viewpoints and events he obviously wasn't present for, I think we can treat this version as completely truthful. The manga may provide an explanation later, maybe linked to Loki's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the God Valley incident perfectly exemplifies the notion that the past is recorded by the winners. This attitude is {