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The adage 'The past is recorded by the winners' serves as a key motif that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the narrative. Legends often fail to capture the full truth, including the most powerful characters in this world's complex history. Kozuki Oden was no silly performer dancing through the roads of Wano; he acted out of honor and principle. Bartholomew Kuma was not a ruthless villain who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend meant more than a pirate's contest in pursuit of emblems and crews.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we witness the peak of this idea. The entire God Valley story acts as a cautionary tale, advising audiences not to judge the individuals too quickly.

Myths often do not capture the full reality, even for the most influential figures.

The series's most recent flashback, detailing the God Valley event, represents one of the story's best storylines to now. Beyond the excitement of witnessing icons in their peak, it's gripping to see them prior to when they turned into symbols — when their fame had yet to surpass their human nature. History, as written by the Global Authority and retold through hearsay stories, painted our understanding of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But each of the regime's accounts and the stories of those who knew them turn out to be untrustworthy, showing only pieces of who these men truly were.

The Individual Before the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by mission and the bold spirit that sparked a fresh era of buccaneering, but prior to he was known as the Pirate King, he was a youth governed by emotion and wanderlust. When individuals speak of his legend, they usually refer to his later journey, the grand quest in search of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to the final island. Yet little is understood about his initial travels, the one that shaped him prior to fame found him.

Back then, Roger knew little of the globe's hidden history. His affection for Shakky led him to God Valley, where he uncovered the Global Authority's most sinister realities: the genocidal "contests," the grotesque appearances of the Gorosei, and including the presence of the world's unseen sovereign, Imu. We are yet to witness Roger's thoughts about all that's occurring in God Valley, but perhaps finding the son of a Holy Knight on his ship will make him realize his role in the globe and seek the truth he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this recollection, what we knew of Xebec came almost entirely from Sengoku's version, both to the viewers and to young Marines. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man determined to achieve global control, someone so threatening that Roger and Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it turns out, the strategist was not present at the Divine Isle; he was only echoing the Global Authority's approved version of occurrences, the exact story Imu approved to conceal the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to topple Imu and dismantle the decadent World Government. We are unsure if he was guided by ambition, retribution for his clan, or a wish for justice, but when he discovered the government's plan to eliminate the land where his kin resided, he abandoned his ambitions of conquest to rescue them.

This love for his relatives proved to be his downfall. After facing Imu, he forfeited his determination and freedom, becoming a puppet enslaved to their power. Now, with what limited awareness is left, he begs with Roger and Garp to kill him — 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 presents him in a positive manner during the God Valley events.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec really meet his end? An interesting theory is that he is even now a slave to the ruler in the present day, serving as the scarred individual, maintaining the Global Authority's last ancient stone in continuous transit to prevent the ultimate treasure from being found.

The Hero's Secret Defiance

A further protagonist of the Divine Isle incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced criticism from followers for years for standing by as Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment only grew stronger after the timeskip, when he endangered everything to save the young Marine at Hachinosu, causing many to wonder why he couldn't do the identical for his own grandchild. Similar questions have now reemerged with the God Valley recollection: how could Garp serve the Navy, knowing the Global Authority treats genocide and enslavement as sport for the elite?

The reality reveals something different. The instant Garp witnessed the Gorosei's grotesque forms, he struck immediately. His partnership with Gol D. Roger wasn't to vanquish some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an attempt to stop the sovereign, who was manipulating Xebec as a tool to eliminate all in the Divine Isle, even apparently, even the World Nobles themselves. This event is likely the reason Monkey D. Garp detests the World Nobles in the present day and why he never wanted to be promoted to Admiral, reporting directly to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Even though the readers are seeing the God Valley incident through a flashback recounted by the giant, including perspectives and occurrences he clearly wasn't present for, I think we can treat this version as entirely truthful. The series may offer an reason in the future, perhaps linked to the giant's yet unknown paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the God Valley event perfectly exemplifies the notion that the past is written by the victors. This attitude is {