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The saying 'The past is recorded by the victors' serves as a central theme that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Popular tales frequently fail to capture the complete reality, including the most powerful characters in this story's complex past. Kozuki Oden wasn't a silly performer prancing through the roads of Wano; he behaved out of honor and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a ruthless villain who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was helping them. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend signified more than a buccaneer's game in pursuit of flags and followers.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we witness the culmination of this idea. The entire God Valley story serves as a cautionary tale, advising readers not to evaluate the individuals too quickly.

Myths often do not convey the full reality, even for the most powerful figures.

The series's latest flashback, chronicling the God Valley incident, stands as one of the series' best arcs to now. Apart from the excitement of seeing legends in their peak, it's compelling to observe them prior to when they turned into icons — when their reputation had yet to surpass their human nature. The past, as written by the Global Authority and recounted through hearsay stories, shaped our perception of individuals like Roger, Xebec, and including Garp. But each of the government's records and the stories of those who were acquainted with them prove untrustworthy, revealing only fragments of who these individuals truly were.

The Man Before the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been driven by mission and the bold attitude that ignited a new age of buccaneering, but prior to he became the King of the Pirates, he was a youth governed by emotion and wanderlust. When individuals speak of his myth, they typically mean his later journey, the grand quest in pursuit of the guide stones that point toward Laugh Tale. However little is understood about his initial travels, the one that molded him before fame discovered him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the globe's hidden history. His affection for the barkeep led him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the World Government's darkest truths: the extermination "contests," the grotesque forms of the Gorosei, and even the presence of the world's hidden ruler, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's reflections about all that's happening in God Valley, but maybe finding the child of a God's Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his place in the world 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 was derived mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's account, both to the audience and to young Navy recruits. He painted Xebec as a vile, ambitious man determined to achieve world domination, someone so threatening that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it turns out, Sengoku wasn't even there at the Divine Isle; he was merely echoing the World Government's sanctioned version of occurrences, the very narrative Imu approved to bury the truth about Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We are unsure if he was motivated by ambition, retribution for his family, or a wish for fairness, but when he discovered the regime's plan to annihilate the island where his kin lived, he abandoned his dreams of domination to rescue them.

This devotion for his family proved to be his undoing. After confronting Imu, he lost his determination and liberty, becoming a puppet enslaved to their power. Now, with what little consciousness remains, he pleads with Roger and Garp to kill him — thinking that death would be a mercy compared to the living hell he endures. The reality of Rocks is thus very different from the tale narrated by Sengoku, and the manga presents him in a positive light during the Divine Isle events.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks actually die? An interesting theory is that he is even now a servant to the ruler in the present day, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the Global Authority's last ancient stone in continuous transit to keep the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

The Hero's Hidden Rebellion

A further key figure of the God Valley incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured criticism from fans for years for standing by as Akainu murdered Ace. That feeling only grew stronger after the timeskip, when he risked everything to save the young Marine at Pirate Island, causing many to wonder why he was unable to do the identical for his biological grandson. Comparable doubts have now reemerged with the Divine Isle flashback: how can Monkey D. Garp work for the Marines, knowing the World Government treats genocide and enslavement as sport for the upper class?

The truth uncovers something different. The moment Garp saw the Elders' grotesque forms, he attacked immediately. His alliance with Gol D. Roger was not meant to vanquish some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an effort to stop Imu, who was manipulating Xebec as a tool to eliminate everyone in God Valley, even apparently, including the World Nobles themselves. This event is likely the cause Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he not once wanted to be elevated to Admiral, answering directly to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Even though the audience are seeing the Divine Isle event through a flashback narrated by the giant, including perspectives and events he clearly was absent for, I believe we can consider this version as entirely accurate. The series may offer an reason later, perhaps connected to Loki's yet unknown paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the God Valley event perfectly exemplifies the idea that history is recorded by the winners. This attitude is {