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The adage 'History is recorded by the victors' serves as a central theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the narrative. Legends frequently fail to capture the complete reality, even for the most influential figures in this story's complex past. Oden wasn't a silly showman prancing through the roads of Wano; he acted out of duty and conviction. Kuma was not a merciless villain who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was helping them. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend signified beyond just a buccaneer's contest in pursuit of emblems and followers.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we see the culmination of this theme. The entire God Valley story serves as a warning story, advising readers not to judge the characters too hastily.

Myths frequently do not convey the complete reality, including the most influential characters.

The series's most recent look back, detailing the Divine Isle incident, stands as one of the story's best arcs to now. Apart from the thrill of seeing legends in their peak, it's compelling to see them prior to when they turned into icons — when their fame had still not outgrow their humanity. The past, as recorded by the Global Authority and retold through secondhand stories, shaped our understanding of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But each of the government's accounts and the stories of those who knew them prove unreliable, showing only pieces of who these men truly were.

The Individual Before the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been driven by purpose and the daring spirit that sparked a fresh era of buccaneering, but prior to he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a young man ruled by emotion and wanderlust. When individuals speak of his legend, they typically mean his second voyage, the epic quest in pursuit of the guide stones that lead to Laugh Tale. However little is known about his initial travels, the one that shaped him before glory found him.

Back then, Roger was largely unaware of the world's hidden history. His affection for the barkeep guided him to God Valley, where he uncovered the Global Authority's most sinister truths: the genocidal "games," the monstrous forms of the Five Elders, and even the existence of the planet's hidden sovereign, Imu. We are yet to witness Roger's thoughts about everything happening in God Valley, but maybe discovering the child of a Holy Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his role in the globe and seek the reality he glimpsed from Xebec's situation.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this flashback, what we knew of Xebec was derived mostly from Sengoku's version, each to the audience and to young Marines. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man bent on world domination, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it turns out, Sengoku wasn't even there at God Valley; he was only echoing the World Government's approved version of events, the very narrative the sovereign authorized to bury the reality about Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, The captain, whose true 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 guided by lust for power, revenge for his family, or a wish for fairness, but when he found out the government's plan to eliminate the land where his family resided, he gave up his ambitions of conquest to save them.

This devotion for his relatives proved to be his undoing. Upon facing Imu, he forfeited his will and liberty, becoming a puppet controlled to their power. Now, with what little awareness remains, he begs with Roger and Garp to kill him — believing that death would be a kindness in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The reality of Rocks is thus far from the tale told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga presents him in a positive light during the God Valley incidents.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec actually meet his end? An interesting idea is that he is even now a servant to the ruler in the current timeline, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the Global Authority's only remaining ancient stone in constant movement to prevent the ultimate treasure from being found.

The Hero's Hidden Rebellion

A further key figure of the God Valley event is Garp, who has faced criticism from fans for a long time for doing nothing as Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That feeling only grew stronger after the timeskip, when he endangered all to save Koby at Pirate Island, causing many to question why he was unable to do the same for his own grandson. Similar doubts have recently reemerged with the God Valley recollection: how could Monkey D. Garp work for the Marines, aware the Global Authority treats mass murder and slavery as sport for the upper class?

The truth uncovers something distinct. The instant Garp saw the Gorosei's grotesque shapes, he struck immediately. His alliance with Gol D. Roger was not meant to vanquish some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an effort to stop Imu, who was manipulating Xebec as a tool to eliminate all in God Valley, even apparently, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is probably the cause Garp despises the World Nobles in the present day and why he not once desired to be elevated to Admiral, answering directly to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Even though the readers are seeing the Divine Isle incident through a flashback narrated by the giant, covering perspectives and occurrences he obviously was absent for, I think we can consider this version as entirely accurate. The series may offer an explanation later, perhaps connected to the giant's yet unknown paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle incident perfectly embodies the idea that the past is written by the winners. This mindset is {