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The adage 'History is written by the winners' serves as a central theme that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the story. Legends often fail to capture the full truth, even for the most powerful figures in this story's complex past. Oden was no foolish performer dancing through the streets of Wano Country; he behaved out of honor and principle. Kuma was not a ruthless villain who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, Davy Jones signified beyond just a pirate's game in pursuit of emblems and crews.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we witness the culmination of this idea. The entire Divine Isle narrative acts as a warning story, advising audiences not to judge the individuals too quickly.

Myths frequently fail to convey the complete truth, including the most powerful characters.

The series's latest flashback, chronicling the God Valley incident, represents one of the series' finest arcs to date. Beyond the excitement of seeing icons in their peak, it's gripping to observe them prior to when they turned into symbols — when their reputation had still not outgrow their humanity. The past, as recorded by the Global Authority and recounted through secondhand tales, shaped our perception of figures like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But both the regime's records and the stories of those who were acquainted with them prove unreliable, revealing only fragments of who these men truly were.

The Individual Prior to the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been guided by purpose and the daring attitude that ignited a new age of buccaneering, but before he became the King of the Pirates, he was a young man governed by emotion and the desire to explore. When people speak of his legend, they typically mean his second voyage, the grand expedition in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward Laugh Tale. Yet little is known about his first journey, the one that molded him before fame discovered him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the globe's hidden history. His affection for Shakky guided him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the World Government's darkest truths: the extermination "contests," the monstrous forms of the Gorosei, and including the existence of the world's unseen sovereign, Imu. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's thoughts about all that's occurring in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the son of a Holy Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his place in the world and pursue the truth he glimpsed from Xebec's situation.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this recollection, what we knew of Xebec came almost entirely from Sengoku's version, each to the viewers and to young Navy recruits. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, ambitious man determined to achieve world domination, someone so threatening that 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 repeating the World Government's approved version of occurrences, the exact story Imu approved to bury the truth about Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We are unsure if he was guided by lust for power, retribution for his clan, or a wish for fairness, but when he found out the regime's plan to eliminate the island where his kin resided, he gave up his dreams of domination to rescue them.

This devotion for his relatives proved to be his undoing. After confronting Imu, he lost his will and liberty, becoming a marionette enslaved to their authority. Currently, with what limited consciousness is left, he begs with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — thinking that dying would be a mercy in contrast to the living hell he endures. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the story told by Sengoku, and the comic presents him in a positive light during the Divine Isle events.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec actually meet his end? An interesting idea is that he is still a slave to Imu in the current timeline, acting as the scarred individual, keeping the World Government's last ancient stone in continuous transit to prevent the One Piece from being discovered.

Garp's Hidden Rebellion

Another key figure of the God Valley incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced criticism from followers for years for standing by as Admiral Akainu murdered Ace. That feeling only grew stronger after the timeskip, when he endangered all to rescue Koby at Hachinosu, leading many to question why he was unable to do the identical for his own grandchild. Similar questions have recently resurfaced with the God Valley flashback: how could Garp work for the Navy, aware the World Government considers genocide and slavery as entertainment for the upper class?

The reality uncovers something different. The moment Garp saw the Elders' grotesque shapes, he attacked immediately. His alliance with Gol D. Roger was not meant to vanquish some evil Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an attempt to stop the sovereign, who was manipulating Xebec as a tool to wipe out all in God Valley, including it seems, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is probably the cause Garp despises the World Nobles in the present day and why he never desired to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, answering straight to them.

History's Unreliable Storytellers

Even though the readers are viewing the God Valley event through a recollection recounted by the giant, including viewpoints and events he obviously was absent for, I think we can consider this version as completely accurate. The manga may provide an reason later, maybe connected to the giant's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Still, the Divine Isle incident excellently embodies the idea that history is written by the winners. This attitude is {