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The adage 'The past is recorded by the winners' is a central theme that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Popular tales often do not convey the complete reality, even for the most powerful characters in this world's complex history. Oden wasn't a silly showman prancing through the streets of Wano Country; he acted out of honor and principle. Bartholomew Kuma was not a ruthless villain who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend meant beyond just a buccaneer's contest in search of flags and followers.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we see the culmination of this idea. The entire God Valley narrative acts as a warning story, instructing readers not to judge the individuals too quickly.

Legends often fail to convey the full truth, including the most influential figures.

The series's latest flashback, chronicling the Divine Isle event, represents one of the story's best arcs to now. Apart from the thrill of witnessing icons in their peak, it's compelling to see them prior to when they turned into symbols — when their fame had still not outgrow their humanity. History, as written by the World Government and retold through hearsay stories, shaped our perception of figures like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Garp. But both the regime's accounts and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be untrustworthy, showing only pieces of who these men really were.

The Individual Before the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by purpose and the bold spirit that ignited a new age of buccaneering, but prior to he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a young man governed by passion and wanderlust. When individuals speak of his legend, they typically mean his second voyage, the grand quest in search of the guide stones that point toward the final island. However not much is understood about his initial travels, the one that shaped him before fame found him.

At that time, Roger was largely unaware of the globe's hidden past. His affection for the barkeep guided him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the Global Authority's most sinister truths: the genocidal "contests," the monstrous forms of the Five Elders, and even the existence of the world's unseen sovereign, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's reflections about all that's happening in God Valley, but maybe discovering the son of a Holy Knight on his ship will make him realize his role in the world and pursue the reality he glimpsed from Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this flashback, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec came almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's version, each to the audience and to young Marines. He painted Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man bent on global control, someone so threatening that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it transpires, Sengoku was not there at the Divine Isle; he was only repeating the World Government's sanctioned version of events, the very narrative Imu authorized to bury the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to overthrow Imu and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We don't know if he was guided by ambition, revenge for his family, or a wish for justice, but when he found out the government's plan to eliminate the island where his family lived, he gave up his dreams of conquest to save them.

This devotion for his relatives proved to be his downfall. Upon facing the sovereign, he lost his will and freedom, becoming a marionette controlled to their power. Now, with what little consciousness remains, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Garp to end his life — believing that death would be a kindness compared to the living hell he suffers. The truth of Rocks is thus very different from the tale told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga presents him in a positive light during the God Valley events.

Could He Be Living Today?

But did Rocks really die? An interesting theory is that he is still a servant to the ruler in the present day, acting as the scarred individual, keeping the World Government's last ancient stone in constant transit to prevent the One Piece from being found.

Garp's Hidden Defiance

Another key figure of the God Valley incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured backlash from followers for a long time for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu murdered Ace. That feeling became even more intense after the timeskip, when he risked all to save the young Marine at Pirate Island, causing many to wonder why he was unable to do the identical for his biological grandchild. Similar doubts have recently reemerged with the Divine Isle recollection: how can Garp work for the Navy, knowing the World Government treats genocide and enslavement as entertainment for the upper class?

The truth uncovers something different. The instant Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Elders' monstrous forms, he attacked immediately. His alliance with Roger wasn't to vanquish some evil Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an attempt to halt the sovereign, who was manipulating Xebec as a pawn to wipe out everyone in the Divine Isle, including it seems, even the World Nobles themselves. This event is likely the cause Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he never desired to be elevated to Admiral, answering directly to them.

History's Untrustworthy Narrators

Although the audience are seeing the Divine Isle incident through a flashback narrated by Loki, including viewpoints and occurrences he obviously wasn't present for, I believe we can treat this account as entirely accurate. The series may provide an explanation later, perhaps connected to the giant's still mysterious paramecia ability. Still, the God Valley event excellently embodies the idea that history is written by the winners. This mindset is {