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The saying 'The past is recorded by the victors' serves as a key motif that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the narrative. Popular tales often fail to capture the full reality, even for the most powerful figures in this world's complex past. Kozuki Oden wasn't a foolish performer prancing through the streets of Wano; he acted out of honor and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma was not a ruthless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend meant more than a pirate's contest in search of flags and followers.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we witness the peak of this idea. The entire God Valley narrative acts as a warning story, advising audiences not to judge the individuals too hastily.

Myths often fail to convey the full reality, including the most powerful figures.

The series's most recent look back, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, represents one of the series' finest arcs to now. Beyond the excitement of witnessing icons in their prime, it's gripping to see them before they became symbols — when their fame had yet to outgrow their human nature. History, as recorded by the World Government and retold through secondhand stories, shaped our understanding of figures like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and even Garp. But each of the regime's accounts and the stories of those who knew them turn out to be untrustworthy, revealing only fragments of who these individuals truly were.

The Individual Prior to the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been guided by purpose and the daring spirit that ignited a fresh era of buccaneering, but before he became the Pirate King, he was a young man ruled by passion and wanderlust. When individuals speak of his legend, they usually mean his second voyage, the epic expedition in search of the guide stones that lead to the final island. However little is known about his initial travels, the one that shaped him before fame found him.

Back then, Roger was largely unaware of the globe's hidden history. His love for the barkeep guided him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the World Government's most sinister realities: the extermination "contests," the grotesque appearances of the Five Elders, and even the existence of the planet's hidden ruler, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Roger's reflections about all that's happening in God Valley, but perhaps finding the son of a God's Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his place in the globe and pursue the reality he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's situation.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this recollection, what we were aware of of Xebec was derived almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's version, each to the audience and to young Navy recruits. 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 join forces to defeat him. But as it turns out, the strategist wasn't even there at God Valley; he was only echoing the World Government's sanctioned version of events, the very story the sovereign authorized 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 sought to overthrow Imu and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We are unsure if he was guided by lust for power, revenge for his clan, or a wish for fairness, but when he found out the regime's scheme to annihilate the land where his kin resided, he gave up his ambitions of domination to rescue them.

This love for his family proved to be his undoing. Upon confronting Imu, he forfeited his determination and freedom, becoming a puppet controlled to their power. Currently, with what little awareness remains, he begs with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — believing that death would be a kindness in contrast to the living hell he endures. The reality of Rocks is thus far from the story told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic shows him in a positive manner during the Divine Isle events.

Could He Be Living Today?

But did Rocks actually die? An intriguing theory is that he is still a slave to Imu in the present day, acting as the scarred individual, keeping the World Government's only remaining ancient stone in continuous transit to prevent the ultimate treasure from being found.

The Hero's Secret Defiance

A further key figure of the God Valley incident is Garp, who has endured backlash from fans for years for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment only grew stronger after the timeskip, when he endangered everything to rescue the young Marine at Pirate Island, leading many to wonder why he couldn't do the identical for his biological grandchild. Similar questions have recently resurfaced with the God Valley recollection: how can Garp serve the Marines, aware the Global Authority considers mass murder and slavery as entertainment for the elite?

The truth reveals something different. The instant Garp witnessed the Gorosei's grotesque forms, he struck immediately. His alliance with Roger was not meant to defeat some evil Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an attempt to halt the sovereign, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to eliminate everyone in God Valley, including apparently, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is likely the cause Monkey D. Garp detests the World Nobles in the current era and why he never wanted to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, answering directly to them.

History's Unreliable Storytellers

Even though the audience are viewing the Divine Isle event through a recollection narrated by the giant, covering viewpoints and occurrences he clearly wasn't present for, I think we can consider this account as entirely accurate. The series may provide an reason in the future, maybe linked to the giant's yet unknown paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the God Valley event excellently embodies the idea that the past is recorded by the winners. This attitude is {