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The saying 'History is recorded by the winners' serves as a central theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the story. Legends frequently do not convey the full truth, even for the most powerful figures in this world's complex history. Oden was no silly showman dancing through the streets of Wano; he behaved out of duty and conviction. Kuma wasn't a ruthless antagonist who separated the Straw Hats, as well; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, Davy Jones meant more than a buccaneer's contest in search of emblems and crews.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we see the peak of this idea. The entire God Valley story serves as a cautionary tale, advising audiences not to evaluate the characters too hastily.

Legends often fail to capture the complete truth, including the most powerful characters.

The series's most recent look back, chronicling the God Valley event, represents one of the series' finest arcs to now. Apart from the excitement of witnessing legends in their prime, it's compelling to see them prior to when they turned into symbols — when their fame had yet to surpass their human nature. The past, as recorded by the World Government and recounted through hearsay tales, painted our perception of figures like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Garp. But each of the regime's records and the stories of those who were acquainted with them prove unreliable, showing only fragments of who these individuals really were.

The Man Before the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been guided by mission and the daring attitude that sparked a new age of buccaneering, but prior to he became the Pirate King, he was a youth ruled by passion and the desire to explore. When individuals speak of his legend, they usually mean his second voyage, the grand quest in search of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward the final island. However little is known about his first journey, the one that shaped him prior to fame discovered him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger knew little of the world's secret history. His love for Shakky led him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the Global Authority's darkest realities: the genocidal "contests," the monstrous forms of the Five Elders, and even the existence of the planet's unseen ruler, Imu. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's reflections about all that's happening in the Divine Isle, but perhaps discovering the son of a God's Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his place in the world and pursue the truth he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Before this recollection, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec was derived mostly from Sengoku's version, each to the audience and to young Marines. He painted Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man determined to achieve world domination, someone so threatening that Roger and Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it turns out, Sengoku was not present at the Divine Isle; he was only echoing the Global Authority's sanctioned narrative of events, the very narrative the sovereign authorized to bury the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to topple Imu and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We don't know if he was motivated by lust for power, revenge for his family, or a desire for justice, but when he found out the government's scheme to annihilate the island where his kin lived, he abandoned his ambitions of domination to save them.

This love for his family became his downfall. After facing the sovereign, he lost his will and liberty, turning into a puppet controlled to their power. Now, with what limited awareness remains, he pleads with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — believing that dying would be a mercy in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The truth of Rocks is thus very different from the tale narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga shows him in a favorable light during the God Valley incidents.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks really die? An interesting theory is that he is even now a slave to Imu in the current timeline, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the World Government's only remaining ancient stone in constant movement to keep the One Piece from being found.

Garp's Secret Defiance

Another key figure of the God Valley incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured backlash from followers for years for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu killed Ace. That feeling became even more intense after the time jump, when he risked everything to rescue the young Marine at Pirate Island, leading many to wonder why he couldn't do the same for his biological grandson. Similar questions have now resurfaced with the Divine Isle flashback: how can Garp work for the Navy, aware the Global Authority considers mass murder and enslavement as sport for the upper class?

The truth uncovers something different. The moment Monkey D. Garp saw the Gorosei's grotesque shapes, he attacked without hesitation. His partnership with Gol D. Roger wasn't to vanquish some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an attempt to stop the sovereign, who was using Xebec as a pawn to wipe out all in God Valley, even it seems, even the World Nobles themselves. This incident is likely the reason Monkey D. Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he never wanted to be promoted to Admiral, answering straight to them.

The Past's Unreliable Storytellers

Although the readers are seeing the God Valley event through a recollection narrated by Loki, including perspectives and occurrences he obviously was absent for, I believe we can treat this account as entirely accurate. The manga may provide an explanation in the future, maybe connected to Loki's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Still, the God Valley incident perfectly embodies the notion that history is written by the victors. This mindset is {