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The adage 'The past is written by the winners' serves as a central theme that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the narrative. Legends frequently fail to capture the complete truth, including the most powerful figures in this story's intricate past. Kozuki Oden wasn't a silly showman prancing through the roads of Wano; he behaved out of duty and principle. Bartholomew Kuma was not a ruthless antagonist who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was helping them. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend meant more than a pirate's game in search of emblems and crews.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we see the culmination of this theme. The entire God Valley story serves as a cautionary tale, advising readers not to judge the individuals too hastily.

Myths frequently fail to capture the complete reality, even for the most powerful figures.

One Piece's most recent look back, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, stands as one of the series' finest arcs to date. Apart from the excitement of witnessing legends in their prime, it's gripping to see them before they turned into icons — when their fame had still not surpass their humanity. The past, as written by the World Government and recounted through hearsay tales, shaped our understanding of individuals like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But each of the government's accounts and the stories of those who were acquainted with them prove unreliable, showing only pieces of who these men truly were.

The Man Before the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been guided by purpose and the daring attitude that ignited a new age of buccaneering, but prior to he was known as the Pirate King, he was a young man governed by emotion and the desire to explore. When individuals speak of his legend, they usually refer to his second voyage, the epic quest in search of the guide stones that lead to the final island. Yet not much is understood about his initial travels, the one that shaped him before fame found him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger knew little of the globe's secret history. His love for Shakky guided him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the World Government's darkest truths: the genocidal "contests," the monstrous appearances of the Five Elders, and including the existence of the world's hidden sovereign, Imu. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's reflections about all that's occurring in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the son of a Holy Knight on his ship will make him realize his role in the globe and seek the reality he glimpsed from Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this recollection, what we knew of Xebec was derived almost entirely from Sengoku's version, both to the viewers and to new Navy recruits. He depicted Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man determined to achieve global control, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it turns out, the strategist was not there at God Valley; he was merely echoing the World Government's sanctioned narrative of occurrences, the very story Imu authorized to bury the truth about Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We are unsure if he was guided by lust for power, revenge for his clan, or a wish for justice, but when he discovered the regime's scheme to annihilate the island where his kin lived, he abandoned his ambitions of conquest to save them.

This love for his family proved to be his downfall. Upon facing the sovereign, he forfeited his will and liberty, turning into a puppet enslaved to their power. Currently, with what limited awareness is left, he begs with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — thinking that death would be a kindness compared to the living hell he suffers. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the story narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga presents him in a favorable light during the God Valley events.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks actually meet his end? An intriguing idea is that he is still a servant to the ruler in the present day, serving as the scarred individual, keeping the Global Authority's last Poneglyph in constant transit to keep the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

Garp's Secret Defiance

A further protagonist of the God Valley incident is Garp, who has endured criticism from followers for years for standing by as Akainu killed Ace. That feeling became even more intense after the time jump, when he risked all to save Koby at Hachinosu, causing many to wonder why he was unable to do the identical for his own grandson. Comparable doubts have recently resurfaced with the Divine Isle recollection: how could Monkey D. Garp serve the Navy, aware the World Government treats genocide and slavery as entertainment for the elite?

The truth reveals something distinct. The instant Monkey D. Garp saw the Gorosei's monstrous shapes, he attacked immediately. His alliance with Roger wasn't to vanquish some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an effort to halt the sovereign, who was using Xebec as a tool to eliminate all in God Valley, including it seems, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is likely the reason Monkey D. Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he never desired to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, answering directly to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Narrators

Even though the audience are seeing the God Valley incident through a recollection narrated by the giant, including viewpoints and events he obviously wasn't present for, I think we can treat this version as completely accurate. The manga may offer an reason in the future, perhaps connected to the giant's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Still, the Divine Isle incident excellently embodies the idea that history is written by the victors. This mindset is {