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The saying 'The past is recorded by the victors' is a key motif that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the narrative. Popular tales often do not convey the complete reality, including the most powerful characters in this story's intricate past. Oden wasn't a silly performer prancing through the roads of Wano; he behaved out of duty and conviction. Kuma wasn't a merciless villain who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend meant more than a buccaneer's game in pursuit of emblems and crews.

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

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

The series's most recent look back, chronicling the God Valley incident, represents one of the story's best arcs to now. Apart from the thrill of witnessing legends in their prime, it's gripping to observe them prior to when they became icons — when their reputation had yet to surpass their human nature. History, as written by the World Government and recounted through secondhand tales, shaped our understanding of figures like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and including Garp. But both the government's records and the narratives of those who knew them prove untrustworthy, showing only pieces of who these individuals truly were.

The Man Before the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by purpose and the bold attitude that sparked a fresh era of piracy, but before he became the King of the Pirates, he was a youth ruled by passion and the desire to explore. When individuals discuss his myth, they typically refer to his second voyage, the epic quest in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward Laugh Tale. However little is understood about his first journey, the one that shaped him before glory found him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger knew little of the globe's hidden past. His love for the barkeep led him to God Valley, where he discovered the Global Authority's darkest truths: the genocidal "games," the monstrous appearances of the Five Elders, and including the existence of the planet's unseen sovereign, Imu. We haven't seen Roger's reflections about everything happening in God Valley, but perhaps finding the son of a Holy Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his role in the world and seek the truth he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's situation.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this flashback, what we were aware of of Xebec was derived mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's version, each to the audience and to young Marines. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man bent on world domination, someone so dangerous that Roger and Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it turns out, the strategist was not present at the Divine Isle; he was merely echoing the World Government's sanctioned version of events, the exact story the sovereign approved to bury the reality about Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to topple the ruler and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We don't know if he was motivated by lust for power, retribution for his clan, or a desire for justice, but when he discovered the government's plan to annihilate the island where his family lived, he gave up his ambitions of conquest to save them.

This devotion for his family proved to be his undoing. After confronting the sovereign, he lost his determination and freedom, turning into a marionette enslaved to their authority. Currently, with what limited awareness is left, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — believing that death would be a kindness compared to the torment he suffers. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the tale narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga presents him in a favorable manner during the God Valley events.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks really die? An intriguing theory is that he is still a slave to Imu in the present day, acting as the scarred individual, maintaining the Global Authority's only remaining Poneglyph in continuous movement to keep the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

The Hero's Secret Defiance

A further protagonist of the Divine Isle event is Garp, who has faced backlash from followers for a long time for standing by as Admiral Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That feeling became even more intense after the timeskip, when he risked all to save Koby at Hachinosu, leading many to question why he was unable to do the same for his biological grandchild. Comparable doubts have recently reemerged with the Divine Isle recollection: how could Monkey D. Garp work for the Marines, knowing the Global Authority treats genocide and slavery as sport for the upper class?

The truth uncovers something different. The instant Garp witnessed the Elders' grotesque forms, he struck immediately. His alliance with Roger was not meant to defeat some villainous Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an effort to stop Imu, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to eliminate all in the Divine Isle, even apparently, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is likely the cause Monkey D. Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he not once wanted to be promoted to Admiral, answering directly to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Narrators

Although the readers are viewing the God Valley incident through a flashback recounted by the giant, including perspectives and occurrences he clearly was absent for, I believe we can consider this account as completely accurate. The manga may offer an explanation later, maybe connected to Loki's yet unknown paramecia ability. Still, the God Valley incident excellently exemplifies the idea that the past is recorded by the winners. This mindset is {