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The adage 'The past is recorded by the victors' is a central theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Popular tales often fail to convey the complete truth, even for the most influential figures in this world's complex history. Kozuki Oden was no foolish showman prancing through the streets of Wano; he behaved out of honor and principle. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a merciless villain who tore apart the Straw Hats, either; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, Davy Jones signified beyond just a buccaneer's game in search of emblems and crews.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we witness the culmination of this idea. The entire God Valley narrative serves as a cautionary tale, instructing readers not to evaluate the individuals too hastily.

Myths frequently do not convey the complete reality, including the most influential figures.

One Piece's most recent look back, detailing the God Valley event, represents one of the series' finest storylines to now. Beyond the excitement of seeing legends in their peak, it's compelling to observe them prior to when they became icons — when their fame had yet to surpass their human nature. The past, as written by the World Government and retold through hearsay tales, shaped our understanding of individuals like 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 fragments of who these individuals truly were.

The Individual Before the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been guided by purpose and the bold spirit that sparked a new age of buccaneering, but prior to he became the Pirate King, he was a youth governed by emotion and wanderlust. When people speak of his legend, they typically refer to his second voyage, the epic expedition in search of the guide stones that point toward the final island. Yet not much is understood about his first journey, the one that molded him prior to glory discovered him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the world's hidden past. His affection for the barkeep led him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the World Government's most sinister realities: the genocidal "contests," the grotesque appearances of the Gorosei, and including the presence of the planet's hidden ruler, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Roger's reflections about all that's happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the child of a God's Knight on his vessel will make him realize his place in the world and seek the reality he glimpsed from Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this flashback, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec came mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's account, each to the audience and to young Navy recruits. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, ambitious man determined to achieve global control, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up 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 sanctioned narrative of occurrences, the exact story the sovereign approved to conceal the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, 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 motivated by ambition, revenge for his clan, or a desire for fairness, but when he found out the regime's scheme to annihilate the land where his kin resided, he abandoned his dreams of conquest to rescue them.

This devotion for his family became his downfall. After facing Imu, he forfeited his will and liberty, becoming a marionette enslaved to their authority. Currently, with what little consciousness is left, he pleads with Roger and Garp to end his life — thinking that death would be a mercy compared to the living hell he suffers. The truth of Rocks is thus very different from the tale narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga presents him in a favorable manner during the God Valley incidents.

Is He Living Today?

But was Rocks really meet his end? An interesting theory is that he is even now a slave to Imu in the present day, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the World Government's only remaining ancient stone in continuous transit to keep the One Piece from being found.

The Hero's Secret Defiance

Another protagonist of the Divine Isle incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced backlash from followers for a long time for standing by as Admiral Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment became even stronger after the timeskip, when he risked everything to save Koby at Pirate Island, causing many to wonder why he was unable to do the identical for his biological grandchild. Similar doubts have now reemerged with the Divine Isle recollection: how could Monkey D. Garp serve the Navy, aware the World Government treats mass murder and enslavement as entertainment for the upper class?

The reality reveals something different. The instant Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Gorosei's monstrous shapes, he struck without hesitation. His partnership with Gol D. Roger was not meant to vanquish some villainous Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an attempt to stop Imu, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to wipe out all in the Divine Isle, including it seems, including the World Nobles themselves. This event is probably the reason Monkey D. Garp despises the World Nobles in the current era and why he never desired to be promoted to Admiral, reporting straight to them.

History's Unreliable Storytellers

Although the audience are viewing the God Valley incident through a recollection recounted by the giant, covering viewpoints and events he clearly wasn't present for, I believe we can treat this version as completely accurate. The manga may provide an reason in the future, maybe connected to Loki's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the God Valley event excellently exemplifies the idea that the past is recorded by the winners. This attitude is {