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The adage 'History is written by the victors' is a central theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the story. Legends often do not capture the complete reality, including the most influential figures in this world's intricate past. Kozuki Oden wasn't a foolish performer prancing through the streets of Wano Country; he behaved out of honor and conviction. Kuma was not a merciless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hats, either; he was helping them. Likewise, Davy Jones meant more than a pirate's contest in search of emblems and followers.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we see the culmination of this idea. The entire God Valley narrative serves as a warning story, instructing readers not to judge the characters too quickly.

Myths often do not convey the complete truth, even for the most powerful figures.

The series's most recent look back, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, represents one of the series' finest arcs to now. Apart from the excitement of seeing legends in their peak, it's compelling to observe them before they turned into symbols — when their fame had yet to outgrow their human nature. History, as recorded by the Global Authority and retold through secondhand stories, painted our perception of individuals like Roger, Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But both the government's accounts and the stories of those who knew them turn out to be unreliable, showing only fragments of who these men really were.

The Man Prior to the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by mission and the daring attitude that ignited a fresh era of buccaneering, but before he became the King of the Pirates, he was a youth ruled by passion and wanderlust. When people speak of his myth, they usually refer to his later journey, the epic quest in pursuit of the guide stones that point toward the final island. Yet little is understood about his initial travels, the one that shaped him prior to glory found him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the world's hidden history. His love for Shakky led him to God Valley, where he uncovered the World Government's darkest truths: the extermination "games," the grotesque appearances of the Gorosei, and including the existence of the world's unseen ruler, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's thoughts about all that's occurring in God Valley, but maybe finding the son of a Holy Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his role in the world and seek the truth 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 Xebec was derived mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's version, both to the viewers and to new Marines. He painted Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man bent on world domination, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it transpires, the strategist was not present at the Divine Isle; he was merely echoing the Global Authority's sanctioned narrative of occurrences, the exact story the sovereign 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 ethical man who sought to topple Imu and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We are unsure if he was motivated by lust for power, retribution for his family, or a wish for justice, but when he found out the government's scheme to annihilate the land where his kin lived, he gave up his ambitions of conquest to rescue them.

This love for his family proved to be his undoing. After facing the sovereign, he forfeited his determination and freedom, turning into a marionette enslaved to their authority. Currently, with what little awareness remains, he pleads with Roger and Garp to kill him — thinking that dying would be a mercy in contrast to the living hell he endures. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the story told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic shows him in a positive manner during the Divine Isle events.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec actually die? An interesting idea is that he is even now a servant to the ruler in the current timeline, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the World Government's last Poneglyph in continuous movement to prevent the One Piece from being discovered.

The Hero's Hidden Rebellion

Another protagonist of the God Valley incident is Garp, who has faced criticism from followers for a long time for standing by as Akainu killed Ace. That feeling became even more intense after the timeskip, when he endangered all to save the young Marine at Pirate Island, causing many to question why he couldn't do the same for his biological grandson. Similar doubts have now resurfaced with the Divine Isle recollection: how could Garp serve the Navy, aware the World Government treats genocide and enslavement as entertainment for the upper class?

The reality uncovers something different. The instant Garp saw the Gorosei's grotesque shapes, he struck without hesitation. His alliance with Roger wasn't to vanquish some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an effort to stop the sovereign, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to eliminate all in God Valley, even apparently, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is likely the cause Garp detests the World Nobles in the present day and why he never desired to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, answering straight to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Narrators

Although the audience are seeing the God Valley event through a flashback narrated by Loki, covering perspectives and occurrences he clearly wasn't present for, I believe we can treat this account as entirely accurate. The manga may offer an explanation later, perhaps connected to Loki's still mysterious paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle incident perfectly exemplifies the notion that history is written by the victors. This attitude is {