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The adage 'The past is recorded by the winners' serves as a central motif that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Popular tales frequently do not convey the complete reality, even for the most influential figures in this story's complex history. Kozuki Oden wasn't a silly showman dancing through the roads of Wano; he acted out of honor and conviction. Kuma wasn't a ruthless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, Davy Jones meant beyond just a buccaneer's game 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 cautionary tale, advising audiences not to evaluate the characters too hastily.

Myths often do not capture the full truth, even for the most influential figures.

One Piece's latest look back, detailing the Divine Isle incident, stands as one of the story's best arcs to date. Apart from the thrill of witnessing icons in their prime, it's gripping to observe them prior to when they turned into icons — when their fame had still not surpass their human nature. History, as recorded by the Global Authority and recounted through hearsay tales, painted our understanding of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But both the government's accounts and the stories of those who knew them turn out to be untrustworthy, showing only pieces of who these individuals really were.

The Individual Before the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been driven by mission and the daring spirit that sparked a new age of buccaneering, but prior to he was known as the Pirate King, he was a youth governed by emotion and the desire to explore. When people discuss his myth, they usually mean his later journey, the epic quest in pursuit of the guide stones that point toward the final island. Yet little is understood about his first journey, the one that shaped him before fame discovered him.

At that time, Roger was largely unaware of the world's secret past. His affection for Shakky led him to God Valley, where he uncovered the Global Authority's most sinister truths: the extermination "games," the monstrous appearances of the Five Elders, and including the presence of the planet's hidden sovereign, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Roger's reflections about everything happening in God Valley, but maybe finding the child of a Holy Knight on his ship will make him realize his place in the world and pursue the reality he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this flashback, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec was derived mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's version, each to the viewers and to young Navy recruits. He painted Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man bent on global control, someone so dangerous that Roger and Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it turns out, the strategist was not there at God Valley; he was merely repeating the World Government's approved version of events, the exact narrative Imu authorized to conceal the reality about Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to overthrow Imu and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We don't know if he was motivated by ambition, retribution for his family, or a wish for justice, but when he found out the regime's plan to eliminate the island where his family lived, he gave up his ambitions of conquest to rescue them.

This love for his relatives proved to be his undoing. After facing the sovereign, he lost his determination and freedom, becoming a marionette enslaved to their power. Currently, with what limited consciousness remains, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — believing that dying would be a kindness in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the story told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic shows him in a favorable manner during the Divine Isle events.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks really meet his end? An intriguing theory is that he is still a servant to Imu in the present day, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the Global Authority's last ancient stone in continuous movement to prevent the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

The Hero's Secret Defiance

A further key figure of the Divine Isle incident is Garp, who has faced criticism from followers for years for standing by as Admiral Akainu killed Ace. That sentiment became even stronger after the time jump, when he endangered everything to save the young Marine at Hachinosu, leading many to wonder why he was unable to do the same for his own grandchild. Similar questions have now reemerged with the God Valley flashback: how could Garp work for the Navy, knowing the World Government treats mass murder and enslavement as entertainment for the elite?

The truth reveals something distinct. The moment Garp saw the Gorosei's monstrous forms, he struck without hesitation. His partnership with Roger wasn't to defeat some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an attempt to stop the sovereign, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to eliminate everyone in God Valley, including it seems, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is probably the cause Monkey D. Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he not once desired to be elevated to Admiral, reporting straight to them.

History's Unreliable Narrators

Even though the readers are viewing the Divine Isle incident through a recollection recounted by Loki, including viewpoints and events he clearly wasn't present for, I think we can treat this account as entirely truthful. The series may provide an explanation in the future, perhaps linked to Loki's still mysterious paramecia ability. Still, the Divine Isle event excellently embodies the notion that history is written by the victors. This mindset is {