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The saying 'The past is written by the winners' serves as a key theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the story. Popular tales often do not capture the complete truth, even for the most powerful figures in this world's intricate past. Oden was no foolish showman dancing through the streets of Wano; he behaved out of honor and conviction. Kuma wasn't a merciless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend signified more than a buccaneer's game in search of flags and crews.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we see the peak of this idea. The entire God Valley story acts as a warning story, instructing audiences not to judge the individuals too quickly.

Legends often fail to convey the complete truth, including the most powerful characters.

One Piece's latest look back, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, represents one of the series' finest arcs to now. Beyond the thrill of seeing legends in their peak, it's compelling to observe them before they turned into symbols — when their reputation had yet to outgrow their humanity. The past, as written by the World Government and retold through hearsay tales, painted our understanding of figures like Roger, Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But both the government's records and the narratives of those who knew them turn out to be unreliable, revealing only fragments of who these individuals really were.

The Man Before the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been guided by purpose and the bold attitude that ignited a new age of piracy, but prior to he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a young man ruled by emotion and wanderlust. When people discuss his legend, they typically mean his second voyage, the epic expedition in search of the guide stones that point toward Laugh Tale. However not much is understood about his first journey, the one that molded him before fame found him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger knew little of the globe's hidden past. His affection for the barkeep led him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the Global Authority's darkest realities: the extermination "games," the grotesque forms of the Five Elders, and even the existence of the world's unseen ruler, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's reflections about everything occurring in God Valley, but maybe discovering the child of a Holy Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his role in the world and seek the truth he glimpsed from Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this recollection, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec was derived mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's version, both to the viewers and to young Navy recruits. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man determined to achieve world domination, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it transpires, the strategist wasn't even present at the Divine Isle; he was only repeating the Global Authority's approved narrative of occurrences, the exact story the sovereign authorized to conceal the truth about Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to topple Imu and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We are unsure if he was motivated by ambition, revenge for his clan, or a wish for justice, but when he discovered the government's plan to annihilate the land where his kin resided, he gave up his ambitions of conquest to save them.

This love for his relatives proved to be his downfall. Upon confronting Imu, he forfeited his determination and liberty, becoming a marionette enslaved to their authority. Currently, with what limited consciousness remains, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Garp to end his life — believing that death would be a kindness in contrast to the living hell he endures. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the story narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic presents him in a positive light during the God Valley incidents.

Could He Be Living Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec actually die? An intriguing theory is that he is even now a servant to the ruler in the present day, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the World Government's last Poneglyph in constant movement to keep the One Piece from being found.

Garp's Hidden Rebellion

Another key figure of the Divine Isle event is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced backlash from followers for years for standing by as Admiral Akainu murdered Ace. That sentiment became even stronger after the time jump, when he endangered everything to save Koby at Hachinosu, leading many to wonder why he couldn't do the same for his own grandchild. Comparable questions have now resurfaced with the God Valley flashback: how can Monkey D. Garp work for the Navy, aware the Global Authority considers mass murder and enslavement as sport for the upper class?

The reality reveals something different. The instant Garp saw the Elders' grotesque forms, he attacked without hesitation. His partnership with Gol D. Roger was not meant to vanquish some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an attempt to stop the sovereign, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to eliminate all in God Valley, including it seems, even the World Nobles themselves. This event is probably the reason Monkey D. Garp despises the World Nobles in the present day and why he not once wanted to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, answering straight to them.

The Past's Unreliable Storytellers

Even though the readers are viewing the God Valley incident through a flashback narrated by the giant, covering viewpoints and occurrences he clearly wasn't present for, I think we can treat this account as completely truthful. The manga may offer an explanation later, maybe linked to Loki's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Still, the God Valley event perfectly exemplifies the idea that the past is recorded by the victors. This attitude is {