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The saying 'The past is written by the winners' is a key motif that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the story. Popular tales often fail to convey the complete truth, even for the most influential characters in this story's complex past. Oden wasn't a foolish performer prancing through the streets of Wano Country; he acted out of duty and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a merciless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, Davy Jones meant beyond just a pirate's game in pursuit of flags and followers.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we see the peak of this idea. The entire God Valley narrative serves as a warning story, advising readers not to evaluate the characters too quickly.

Myths often do not convey the complete reality, even for the most influential characters.

One Piece's latest flashback, detailing the God Valley event, stands as one of the series' best arcs to date. Beyond the thrill of witnessing legends in their prime, it's gripping to observe them before they became symbols — when their fame had yet to outgrow their humanity. History, as written by the Global Authority and retold through secondhand tales, painted our perception of figures like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Garp. But both the government's accounts and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be unreliable, showing only fragments of who these men truly were.

The Man Before the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been guided by mission and the bold attitude that sparked a new age of piracy, but prior to he was known as the Pirate King, he was a youth governed by emotion and wanderlust. When people speak of his myth, they typically refer to his second voyage, the grand quest in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to Laugh Tale. However little is understood about his first journey, the one that molded him prior to fame found him.

At that time, Roger was largely unaware of the world's secret history. His affection 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 presence of the planet's hidden ruler, Imu. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's reflections about everything happening in God Valley, but maybe finding the son of a God's Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his place in the globe and seek the reality he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this flashback, what we knew of Xebec came almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's version, both to the viewers and to new Marines. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man bent on global control, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it transpires, the strategist was not present at God Valley; he was merely repeating the World Government's sanctioned version of events, the exact narrative Imu authorized to conceal the truth about Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to overthrow Imu and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We don't know if he was motivated by ambition, revenge for his family, or a desire for justice, but when he found out the government's scheme to eliminate the land where his kin resided, he gave up his ambitions of domination to save them.

This love for his relatives became his downfall. Upon facing the sovereign, he forfeited his will and liberty, becoming a puppet controlled to their power. Currently, with what limited consciousness remains, he begs with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — thinking that death would be a kindness compared to the living hell he suffers. The reality of Rocks is thus far from the story told by Sengoku, and the manga presents him in a favorable light during the God Valley events.

Could He Be Living Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec really die? An intriguing theory is that he is still a slave to the ruler in the present day, acting as the scarred individual, keeping the Global Authority's only remaining Poneglyph in constant transit to prevent the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

The Hero's Secret Rebellion

A further protagonist of the God Valley incident is Garp, who has endured backlash from followers for years for doing nothing as Akainu murdered Ace. That sentiment became even more intense after the time jump, when he endangered everything to rescue Koby at Hachinosu, leading many to question why he couldn't do the same for his biological grandson. Comparable doubts have now resurfaced with the Divine Isle flashback: how could Garp serve the Navy, aware the Global Authority treats mass murder and slavery as entertainment for the elite?

The reality reveals something distinct. The moment Garp witnessed the Elders' grotesque forms, he struck immediately. His partnership with Roger was not meant to defeat some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an attempt to stop the sovereign, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to wipe out everyone in God Valley, including apparently, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is probably the reason 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 Untrustworthy Narrators

Even though the audience are viewing the God Valley incident through a flashback recounted by Loki, including perspectives and occurrences he clearly wasn't present for, I believe we can treat this account as completely truthful. The series may offer an reason in the future, perhaps connected to Loki's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle event perfectly embodies the notion that history is written by the winners. This attitude is {