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The adage 'History is written by the winners' is a key motif that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the story. Legends often do not capture the full truth, including the most influential characters in this story's complex history. Kozuki Oden was no silly performer dancing through the streets of Wano Country; he acted out of duty and principle. Kuma was not a merciless antagonist who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, Davy Jones meant more than a buccaneer's game in pursuit of emblems and followers.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we see the culmination of this theme. The entire God Valley story acts as a warning story, instructing audiences not to judge the individuals too quickly.

Myths often do not capture the full reality, even for the most powerful characters.

One Piece's most recent flashback, chronicling the God Valley event, stands as one of the story's finest storylines to date. Apart from the thrill of witnessing icons in their prime, it's gripping to see them before they turned into icons — when their reputation had yet to outgrow their human nature. History, as written by the Global Authority and retold through secondhand tales, shaped our perception of individuals like Roger, Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But both the government's records and the stories of those who knew them turn out to be untrustworthy, showing only pieces of who these individuals truly were.

The Man Before the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by purpose and the daring spirit that ignited a new age of buccaneering, but prior to he was known as the Pirate King, he was a young man governed by passion and the desire to explore. When people discuss his legend, they usually refer to his second voyage, the grand expedition in search of the guide stones that point toward Laugh Tale. However little is understood about his initial travels, the one that molded him before glory found him.

Back then, Roger was largely unaware of the world's hidden past. His affection for the barkeep led him to God Valley, where he uncovered the Global Authority's darkest truths: the genocidal "contests," the grotesque forms of the Five Elders, and including the existence of the planet's unseen ruler, Imu. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's reflections about everything occurring in God Valley, but maybe discovering the child of a God's Knight on his ship will make him realize his role in the globe and seek the reality he glimpsed from Xebec's situation.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this recollection, what we knew of Xebec came almost entirely from Sengoku's account, both to the audience and to young Navy recruits. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man bent on global control, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it transpires, Sengoku wasn't even there at the Divine Isle; he was merely repeating the World Government's approved version of occurrences, the exact story Imu approved to conceal the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident 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 corrupt Global Authority. We are unsure if he was motivated by lust for power, retribution for his clan, or a desire for fairness, but when he discovered the regime's scheme to eliminate the land where his family resided, he abandoned his ambitions of conquest to rescue them.

This devotion for his relatives became his undoing. After facing Imu, he forfeited his determination and liberty, becoming a puppet controlled to their power. Currently, with what limited awareness is left, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Garp to kill him — believing that death would be a kindness in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The truth of Rocks is thus far from the tale narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga presents him in a favorable light during the Divine Isle incidents.

Is He Living Today?

But was Rocks actually die? An intriguing idea is that he is even now a slave to Imu in the present day, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the Global Authority's last Poneglyph in continuous transit to prevent the One Piece from being found.

Garp's Hidden Defiance

A further key figure of the God Valley event is Garp, who has endured criticism from fans for years for doing nothing as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment became even more intense after the time jump, when he risked everything to rescue Koby at Hachinosu, leading many to question why he was unable to do the identical for his biological grandson. Comparable doubts have recently resurfaced with the Divine Isle recollection: how could Garp work for the Navy, knowing the World Government treats genocide and slavery as entertainment for the elite?

The truth uncovers something different. The moment Garp witnessed the Elders' grotesque shapes, he attacked without hesitation. His alliance with Roger was not meant to vanquish some evil Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an effort to stop the sovereign, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to eliminate all in God Valley, including apparently, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is probably the reason Garp detests the World Nobles in the present day and why he never wanted to be promoted to Admiral, answering directly to them.

History's Unreliable Storytellers

Even though the audience are seeing the Divine Isle incident through a flashback narrated by Loki, covering perspectives and occurrences he clearly wasn't present for, I believe we can consider this account as entirely accurate. The manga may provide an reason later, maybe linked to Loki's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the God Valley event perfectly embodies the notion that the past is recorded by the winners. This mindset is {