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The saying 'History is written by the winners' is a central motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the narrative. Legends frequently do not convey the complete truth, even for the most powerful characters in this story's intricate history. Kozuki Oden wasn't a silly showman dancing through the roads of Wano Country; he behaved out of honor and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a ruthless antagonist who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was helping them. Similarly, Davy Jones signified beyond just a pirate's contest in pursuit of flags and followers.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we see the culmination of this idea. The entire Divine Isle story serves as a cautionary tale, instructing audiences not to evaluate the individuals too quickly.

Legends often do not convey the full reality, including the most influential characters.

One Piece's most recent flashback, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, represents one of the story's finest storylines to date. Apart from the excitement of witnessing legends in their peak, it's compelling to observe them before they became symbols — when their reputation had still not surpass their humanity. The past, as written by the World Government and recounted through hearsay stories, painted our understanding of figures like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But both the regime's accounts and the stories of those who were acquainted with them prove unreliable, showing only pieces of who these individuals really were.

The Individual Before the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by mission and the daring spirit that sparked a fresh era of piracy, but before he became the King of the Pirates, he was a young man governed by passion and the desire to explore. When people speak of his myth, they usually refer to his second voyage, the epic quest in search of the guide stones that lead to the final island. However little is understood about his initial travels, the one that molded him prior to fame found him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the globe's secret past. His affection for Shakky guided him to God Valley, where he discovered the World Government's most sinister realities: the genocidal "games," the monstrous forms of the Five Elders, and even the existence of the planet's unseen ruler, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Roger's reflections about all that's occurring in God Valley, but perhaps finding the child of a God's Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his place in the world and seek the reality he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this recollection, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec was derived mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's version, each to the viewers and to young Navy recruits. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man determined to achieve world domination, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it transpires, Sengoku wasn't even there at God Valley; he was merely echoing the World Government's approved version of events, the exact narrative the sovereign authorized to bury the truth about Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to topple Imu and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We are unsure if he was guided by lust for power, revenge for his clan, or a wish for fairness, but when he found out the government's plan to annihilate the land where his kin lived, he abandoned his dreams of conquest to rescue them.

This devotion for his relatives proved to be his undoing. After facing Imu, he forfeited his determination and liberty, turning into a marionette controlled to their authority. Currently, with what little awareness remains, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — believing that dying would be a kindness compared to the living hell he endures. The truth of Rocks is thus far from the tale narrated by Sengoku, and the manga presents him in a favorable manner during the God Valley incidents.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks actually die? An interesting idea is that he is even now a slave to the ruler in the current timeline, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the World Government's last Poneglyph in constant transit to prevent the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

Garp's Hidden Defiance

A further protagonist of the God Valley event is Garp, who has endured criticism from fans for a long time for standing by as Admiral Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That feeling became even stronger after the time jump, when he endangered everything to save Koby at Pirate Island, leading many to wonder why he couldn't do the identical for his own grandson. Similar questions have now reemerged with the God Valley recollection: how can Garp serve the Navy, aware the World Government treats genocide and slavery as sport for the upper class?

The truth uncovers something different. The moment Garp saw the Elders' grotesque shapes, he attacked without hesitation. His alliance with Roger wasn't to vanquish some evil Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an effort to halt the sovereign, who was manipulating Xebec as a pawn to eliminate all in the Divine Isle, even it seems, even the World Nobles themselves. This event is probably the cause Garp despises the World Nobles in the current era and why he never wanted to be elevated to Admiral, answering straight to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Narrators

Even though the readers are seeing the God Valley event through a recollection narrated by Loki, covering perspectives and occurrences he clearly wasn't present for, I think we can consider this account as entirely accurate. The manga may offer an reason later, perhaps linked to the giant's yet unknown paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the God Valley incident excellently exemplifies the idea that the past is written by the victors. This attitude is {