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The adage 'History is written by the winners' serves as a central motif that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Legends frequently fail to convey the complete reality, including the most influential characters in this world's intricate past. Kozuki Oden wasn't a foolish showman prancing through the streets of Wano Country; he acted out of duty and principle. Kuma was not a merciless villain who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was helping them. Likewise, Davy Jones meant beyond just a buccaneer's contest in search of emblems and crews.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we see the culmination of this idea. The whole God Valley narrative acts as a cautionary tale, instructing audiences not to judge the individuals too quickly.

Legends often do not convey the complete reality, including the most influential figures.

The series's latest flashback, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, represents one of the story's best storylines to now. Apart from the thrill of witnessing legends in their prime, it's compelling to see them prior to when they became symbols — when their reputation had still not surpass their human nature. History, as recorded by the Global Authority and retold through secondhand stories, painted our understanding of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But both the government's records and the stories of those who knew them prove unreliable, revealing only fragments of who these individuals really were.

The Man Prior to the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been guided by mission and the daring attitude that ignited a fresh era of buccaneering, but before he became the Pirate King, he was a youth governed by passion and wanderlust. When individuals discuss his legend, they usually refer to his second voyage, the grand quest in search of the guide stones that lead to Laugh Tale. However little is understood about his first journey, the one that shaped him before glory found him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger knew little of the world's hidden history. His love for Shakky guided him to God Valley, where he discovered the Global Authority's most sinister realities: the extermination "games," the grotesque appearances of the Five Elders, and even the presence of the planet's unseen ruler, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Roger's reflections about everything occurring in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the son of a God's Knight on his vessel will make him realize his role in the world and pursue the reality he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this flashback, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec was derived mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's version, each to the viewers and to new Marines. He painted Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man determined to achieve world domination, someone so dangerous that Gol D. 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 only echoing the World Government's approved version of occurrences, the very narrative Imu 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 topple Imu and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We are unsure if he was guided by lust for power, retribution for his clan, or a desire for justice, but when he found out the government's plan to eliminate the island where his kin resided, he gave up his dreams of domination to save them.

This devotion for his relatives proved to be his downfall. After facing the sovereign, he forfeited his will and freedom, becoming a marionette controlled to their authority. Currently, with what limited awareness is left, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — believing that death would be a mercy compared to the living hell he suffers. The truth of Rocks is thus far from the story told by Sengoku, and the manga presents him in a favorable manner during the God Valley events.

Is He Living Today?

But was Rocks actually meet his end? An intriguing theory is that he is still a servant to Imu in the current timeline, serving as the scarred individual, keeping the World Government's only remaining Poneglyph in constant movement to prevent the ultimate treasure from being found.

Garp's Hidden Rebellion

A further key figure of the God Valley event is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced backlash from followers for a long time for standing by as Admiral Akainu murdered Ace. That sentiment became even stronger after the time jump, when he risked everything to rescue Koby at Hachinosu, causing many to wonder why he couldn't do the same for his own grandchild. Similar doubts have now reemerged with the God Valley flashback: how can Garp serve the Navy, aware the World Government considers genocide and slavery as entertainment for the elite?

The reality uncovers something different. The moment Garp witnessed the Gorosei's monstrous shapes, he attacked without hesitation. His alliance with Gol D. Roger wasn't to vanquish some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an attempt to halt Imu, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to wipe out everyone in God Valley, including it seems, including the World Nobles themselves. This incident is likely the reason Monkey D. Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he not once desired to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, reporting directly to them.

History's Unreliable Narrators

Although the readers are seeing the God Valley event through a recollection narrated by the giant, covering viewpoints and occurrences he clearly was absent for, I believe we can treat this account as completely truthful. The manga may provide an reason in the future, perhaps connected to the giant's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle incident perfectly embodies the notion that history is written by the victors. This attitude is {