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The adage 'The past is recorded by the winners' is a central theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the narrative. Popular tales frequently fail to capture the full reality, even for the most powerful characters in this world's intricate past. Oden was no silly performer prancing through the roads of Wano; he behaved out of duty and principle. Kuma was not a merciless villain who tore apart the Straw Hats, either; he was helping them. Similarly, Davy Jones meant beyond just a buccaneer's game in pursuit of flags and followers.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we witness the peak of this idea. The whole Divine Isle narrative serves as a cautionary tale, advising readers not to judge the characters too hastily.

Myths frequently do not convey the complete truth, even for the most influential figures.

One Piece's latest look back, chronicling the God Valley incident, represents one of the story's best storylines to now. Apart from the thrill of seeing legends in their peak, it's compelling to see them prior to when they turned into symbols — when their fame had yet to outgrow their humanity. The past, as written by the Global Authority and recounted through hearsay stories, shaped our understanding of figures like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But both the government's accounts and the narratives of those who knew them prove unreliable, showing only pieces of who these men truly were.

The Man Before the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been guided by purpose and the daring attitude that ignited a fresh era of piracy, but prior to he became the Pirate King, he was a young man governed by passion and wanderlust. When people discuss his myth, they usually mean his second voyage, the epic expedition in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward Laugh Tale. However little is known about his initial travels, the one that molded him before glory discovered him.

Back then, Roger knew little of the world's secret history. His affection for Shakky led him to God Valley, where he uncovered the World Government's darkest realities: the extermination "games," the monstrous forms of the Five Elders, and including the presence of the planet's unseen ruler, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's thoughts about everything happening in God Valley, but perhaps finding the son of a God's Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his role in the world and pursue the reality he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this recollection, what we were aware of of Xebec came almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's account, each to the viewers and to new Marines. He depicted Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man bent on global control, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to team up 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 occurrences, the exact narrative Imu approved to bury the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We are unsure if he was motivated by lust for power, revenge for his clan, or a desire for fairness, but when he discovered the regime's plan to annihilate the island where his kin lived, he abandoned his dreams of conquest to save them.

This devotion for his family proved to be his downfall. After facing the sovereign, he forfeited his will and liberty, becoming a puppet enslaved to their authority. Now, with what limited consciousness is left, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Garp to end his life — believing that dying would be a kindness compared to the torment he endures. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the tale told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga presents him in a favorable light during the God Valley incidents.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec actually die? An interesting theory is that he is still a servant to Imu in the present day, serving as the scarred individual, keeping the Global Authority's last Poneglyph in continuous movement to keep the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

Garp's Secret Rebellion

A further key figure of the God Valley incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured backlash from fans for years for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu murdered Ace. That feeling became even more intense after the timeskip, when he risked all to save Koby at Hachinosu, leading many to wonder why he was unable to do the same for his biological grandson. Comparable doubts have now reemerged with the Divine Isle flashback: how can Monkey D. Garp work for the Navy, knowing the World Government considers mass murder and enslavement as entertainment for the elite?

The reality reveals something distinct. The instant Garp saw the Gorosei's monstrous shapes, he struck immediately. His partnership with Gol D. Roger wasn't to vanquish some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an attempt to stop the sovereign, who was using Xebec as a tool to wipe out all in the Divine Isle, including it seems, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is probably the reason Monkey D. Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he not once desired to be promoted to Admiral, answering directly to them.

History's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Even though the audience are seeing the Divine Isle event through a recollection narrated by Loki, covering perspectives and occurrences he obviously was absent for, I think we can consider this version as entirely accurate. The series may offer an reason in the future, perhaps connected to Loki's still mysterious paramecia ability. Still, the God Valley event perfectly exemplifies the notion that history is written by the winners. This mindset is {