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The adage 'History is written by the winners' serves as a key theme that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the narrative. Popular tales frequently do not capture the complete truth, including the most influential characters in this story's complex past. Oden wasn't a foolish performer dancing through the roads of Wano Country; he acted out of honor and principle. Kuma was not a merciless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was helping them. Similarly, Davy Jones meant more than a pirate's contest in search of emblems and crews.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we see the peak of this theme. The whole God Valley narrative serves as a cautionary tale, advising audiences not to judge the individuals too quickly.

Myths frequently do not convey the full truth, even for the most powerful characters.

The series's most recent flashback, detailing the Divine Isle event, represents one of the series' best storylines to now. Beyond the thrill of seeing legends in their peak, it's gripping to see them prior to when they turned into symbols — when their reputation had still not surpass their human nature. The past, as written by the World Government and retold through hearsay stories, painted our perception of individuals like Roger, Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But both the regime's accounts and the stories of those who were acquainted with them prove untrustworthy, 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 bold attitude that sparked a new age of piracy, but before he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a youth governed by emotion and wanderlust. When individuals speak of his legend, they typically refer to his later journey, the epic expedition in search of the guide stones that point toward Laugh Tale. However little is understood about his first journey, the one that shaped him prior to glory found him.

Back then, Roger was largely unaware of the world's secret history. His affection for the barkeep guided him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the Global Authority's most sinister realities: the genocidal "contests," the grotesque forms of the Gorosei, and even the presence of the world's hidden ruler, Imu. We haven't seen Roger's reflections about all that's happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the child of a Holy Knight on his ship will make him realize his place in the world and seek the truth he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this flashback, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec came almost entirely from Sengoku's version, each to the audience and to new Marines. He painted 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 defeat him. But as it turns out, the strategist was not present at God Valley; he was only repeating the World Government's approved version of occurrences, the exact story the sovereign approved to bury the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the decadent World Government. We are unsure if he was guided by lust for power, retribution for his family, or a desire for justice, but when he discovered the government's scheme to eliminate the island where his family lived, he abandoned his dreams of domination to rescue them.

This devotion for his relatives proved to be his undoing. Upon facing Imu, he lost his will and freedom, turning into a marionette enslaved to their authority. Currently, with what limited consciousness is left, he pleads with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — thinking that dying would be a mercy in contrast to the torment he suffers. The truth of Rocks is thus very different from the tale narrated by Sengoku, and the comic presents him in a positive light during the God Valley events.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks actually meet his end? An interesting idea is that he is even now a slave to Imu in the current timeline, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the Global Authority's only remaining Poneglyph in constant transit to keep the One Piece from being found.

The Hero's Secret Rebellion

A further key figure of the God Valley event is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured criticism from fans for years for standing by as Admiral Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That feeling became even stronger after the timeskip, when he endangered all to save the young Marine at Hachinosu, causing many to wonder why he couldn't do the same for his own grandson. Similar doubts have recently reemerged with the God Valley recollection: how could Garp serve the Navy, aware the Global Authority treats mass murder and enslavement as entertainment for the upper class?

The reality uncovers something different. The moment Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Elders' grotesque shapes, he struck without hesitation. His alliance with Roger was not meant to vanquish some evil Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an effort to halt the sovereign, who was using Xebec as a tool to eliminate everyone in the Divine Isle, including it seems, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is likely the reason Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he never desired to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, answering directly to them.

History's Unreliable Narrators

Although the audience are seeing the Divine Isle incident through a flashback narrated by the giant, including perspectives and occurrences he obviously was absent for, I believe we can consider this account as completely truthful. The series may provide an explanation later, perhaps linked to Loki's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the God Valley event perfectly embodies the idea that history is recorded by the victors. This attitude is {