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The saying 'History is written by the victors' is a central motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the narrative. Popular tales often fail to capture the complete truth, even for the most influential figures in this story's complex history. Kozuki Oden was no silly showman dancing through the roads of Wano; he acted out of duty and conviction. Kuma was not a merciless antagonist 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 game in search of flags and crews.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we see the peak of this theme. The whole God Valley story serves as a cautionary tale, instructing readers not to evaluate the characters too hastily.

Legends frequently fail to convey the complete truth, even for the most influential figures.

One Piece's most recent flashback, detailing the Divine Isle event, stands as one of the series' best arcs to now. Apart from the thrill of witnessing legends in their prime, it's gripping to observe them before they turned into symbols — when their fame had still not outgrow their humanity. History, as written by the World Government and retold through secondhand stories, painted our understanding of individuals like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Garp. But each of the government's accounts and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them prove unreliable, revealing only pieces of who these individuals truly were.

The Man Prior to the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been guided by mission and the bold spirit that sparked a fresh era of piracy, but prior to he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a youth ruled by passion and wanderlust. When individuals discuss his myth, they typically mean his second voyage, the grand quest in pursuit of the guide stones that point toward the final island. However not much is understood about his initial travels, the one that molded him prior to glory discovered him.

Back then, Roger knew little of the world's hidden history. His love for Shakky led him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the World Government's darkest realities: the extermination "games," the monstrous appearances of the Gorosei, and even the existence of the world's unseen sovereign, Imu. We haven't seen Roger's reflections about all that's occurring in God Valley, but maybe discovering the child of a God's Knight on his vessel will make him realize his role in the world and pursue the truth he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this flashback, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec was derived mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's account, both to the audience and to young Navy recruits. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man determined to achieve world domination, someone so threatening that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it turns out, the strategist wasn't even there at God Valley; he was merely echoing the World Government's approved narrative of events, the very story Imu approved to conceal the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to topple 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 wish for fairness, but when he discovered the regime's plan to eliminate the island where his family lived, he abandoned his dreams of conquest to rescue them.

This love for his family proved to be his undoing. Upon confronting the sovereign, he forfeited his will and freedom, becoming a marionette controlled to their authority. Currently, with what limited consciousness remains, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Garp to kill him — believing that death would be a mercy in contrast to the torment he suffers. The truth of Rocks is thus far from the tale narrated by Sengoku, and the manga shows him in a positive light during the Divine Isle incidents.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks actually meet his end? An interesting theory is that he is still a servant to Imu in the present day, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the Global Authority's last Poneglyph in continuous movement to keep the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

The Hero's Hidden Rebellion

A further protagonist of the God Valley incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced backlash from followers for years for standing by as Admiral Akainu killed Ace. That sentiment became even more intense after the timeskip, when he risked everything to save the young Marine at Pirate Island, leading many to wonder why he was unable to do the same for his own grandchild. Similar doubts have recently resurfaced with the Divine Isle flashback: how could Garp serve the Navy, aware the Global Authority considers mass murder and slavery as sport for the upper class?

The truth reveals something distinct. The moment Monkey D. Garp saw the Gorosei's monstrous shapes, he attacked without hesitation. His alliance with Roger was not meant to defeat some villainous Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an attempt to halt Imu, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to wipe out all in God Valley, including it seems, even the World Nobles themselves. This event is likely the cause Garp despises the World Nobles in the present day and why he not once wanted to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, reporting straight to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Even though the audience are seeing the God Valley incident through a recollection recounted by Loki, including perspectives and events he clearly was absent for, I believe we can consider this account as entirely truthful. The series may offer an reason in the future, maybe connected to the giant's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Still, the God Valley incident perfectly exemplifies the notion that history is recorded by the victors. This attitude is {