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The saying 'History is written by the victors' serves as a central theme that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the story. Popular tales frequently fail to convey the full reality, even for the most powerful characters in this story's complex history. Kozuki Oden wasn't a foolish performer dancing through the roads of Wano Country; he behaved out of honor and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a ruthless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hats, either; he was helping them. Likewise, Davy Jones signified more than a pirate's game in pursuit of emblems and followers.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we witness the culmination of this theme. The whole God Valley narrative acts as a warning story, advising readers not to evaluate the individuals too quickly.

Legends often do not capture the complete reality, including the most influential characters.

One Piece's most recent flashback, chronicling the Divine Isle event, stands as one of the series' best storylines to date. Apart from the excitement of witnessing legends in their prime, it's gripping to observe them before they turned into symbols — when their fame had still not outgrow their human nature. History, as recorded by the World Government and retold through hearsay stories, painted our understanding of individuals like Roger, Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But both the government's accounts and the narratives of those who knew them prove untrustworthy, showing only pieces of who these men truly were.

The Individual Prior to the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by purpose and the daring attitude that sparked a new age of buccaneering, but prior to he became the Pirate King, he was a young man ruled by emotion and wanderlust. When people speak of his legend, they usually refer to his later journey, the epic quest in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward the final island. Yet little is known about his first journey, the one that shaped him prior to fame discovered him.

At that time, Roger was largely unaware of the globe's hidden past. His affection for Shakky led him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the World Government's darkest truths: the extermination "contests," the monstrous forms of the Gorosei, and even the existence of the world's hidden ruler, Imu. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's reflections about everything occurring in God Valley, but maybe finding the son of a God's Knight on his vessel will make him realize his place in the globe and seek the reality he glimpsed from Xebec's situation.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this flashback, what we were aware of of Xebec came mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's account, both to the viewers and to new Marines. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man bent on world domination, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it transpires, Sengoku was not present at the Divine Isle; he was merely echoing the Global Authority's approved version of occurrences, the very narrative Imu authorized to bury the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the decadent World Government. We are unsure if he was guided by lust for power, retribution for his clan, or a desire for fairness, but when he discovered the regime's plan to eliminate the island where his family resided, he abandoned his ambitions of conquest to rescue them.

This devotion for his relatives became his undoing. Upon confronting Imu, he lost his determination and liberty, becoming a marionette enslaved to their authority. Currently, with what little awareness remains, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Garp to end his life — thinking that dying would be a mercy compared to the torment he suffers. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the tale narrated by Sengoku, and the manga presents him in a favorable light during the Divine Isle incidents.

Is He Living Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec really meet his end? An intriguing theory is that he is still a slave to Imu in the present day, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the World Government's only remaining Poneglyph in continuous transit to prevent the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

Garp's Secret Rebellion

A further protagonist of the God Valley incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced backlash from followers for a long time for standing by as Akainu murdered Ace. That sentiment became even stronger after the timeskip, when he endangered all to save the young Marine at Pirate Island, leading many to wonder why he couldn't do the identical for his biological grandson. Comparable questions have now resurfaced with the God Valley flashback: how can Garp serve the Marines, knowing the World Government treats genocide and slavery as entertainment for the elite?

The reality uncovers something distinct. The moment Garp saw the Gorosei's grotesque shapes, he struck immediately. His alliance with Gol D. Roger wasn't to defeat some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an effort to halt the sovereign, who was manipulating Xebec as a pawn to wipe out all in God Valley, even it seems, even the World Nobles themselves. This incident is probably the reason Garp despises the World Nobles in the current era and why he never desired to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, answering directly to them.

History's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Even though the readers are viewing the Divine Isle incident through a flashback recounted by the giant, including viewpoints and occurrences he obviously was absent for, I believe we can treat this version as entirely accurate. The manga may offer an explanation later, maybe connected to Loki's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the God Valley incident perfectly exemplifies the idea that history is written by the victors. This mindset is {