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The saying 'History is recorded by the victors' serves as a key theme that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the narrative. Popular tales frequently fail to capture the full truth, even for the most powerful figures in this story's intricate past. Kozuki Oden was no foolish performer dancing through the roads of Wano Country; he behaved out of duty and principle. Bartholomew Kuma was not a merciless villain who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, Davy Jones meant beyond just a buccaneer's contest in pursuit of flags and crews.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we see the culmination of this theme. The entire God Valley narrative serves as a cautionary tale, advising audiences not to evaluate the individuals too hastily.

Myths often fail to convey the complete truth, even for the most powerful characters.

The series's most recent look back, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, stands as one of the story's best storylines to now. Beyond the thrill of witnessing legends in their peak, it's compelling to observe them prior to when they turned into icons — when their reputation had yet to outgrow their humanity. History, as recorded by the Global Authority and recounted through secondhand tales, painted our perception of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and even Garp. But each of the government's accounts and the stories of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be untrustworthy, revealing only fragments of who these individuals really were.

The Man Prior to the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by purpose and the daring spirit that sparked a new age of buccaneering, but before he became the Pirate King, he was a young man ruled by passion and the desire to explore. When individuals speak of his legend, they typically mean his second voyage, the epic quest in search of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to the final island. Yet not much is known about his initial travels, the one that shaped him prior to glory discovered him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger knew little of the world's hidden past. His love for the barkeep led him to God Valley, where he uncovered the Global Authority's most sinister realities: the extermination "games," the grotesque forms of the Gorosei, and including the presence of the planet's unseen ruler, Imu. We haven't seen Roger's thoughts about everything happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the child of a God's Knight on his ship will make him realize his place in the world and pursue the truth he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's situation.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to 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 new Navy recruits. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man bent on global control, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it turns out, the strategist wasn't even present at God Valley; he was only repeating the World Government's sanctioned narrative of occurrences, the very narrative the sovereign approved to bury the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We are unsure if he was guided by ambition, retribution for his family, or a wish for fairness, but when he found out the regime's scheme to annihilate the land where his family lived, he gave up his ambitions of conquest to rescue them.

This devotion for his relatives proved to be his downfall. Upon facing the sovereign, he lost his will and liberty, becoming a marionette controlled to their authority. Now, with what little consciousness is left, he begs with Roger and Garp to kill him — thinking that dying would be a kindness in contrast to the torment he endures. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the story told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga shows him in a favorable manner during the God Valley events.

Is He Living Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec actually die? An intriguing idea is that he is still a servant to Imu in the present day, serving as the scarred individual, maintaining the Global Authority's last Poneglyph in constant transit to keep the One Piece from being found.

Garp's Secret Defiance

Another protagonist of the God Valley incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced criticism from followers for a long time for doing nothing as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment only grew stronger after the timeskip, when he endangered all to rescue the young Marine at Pirate Island, causing many to question why he was unable to do the identical for his own grandson. Comparable questions have now resurfaced with the God Valley recollection: how could Garp work for the Marines, knowing the Global Authority considers mass murder and enslavement as entertainment for the elite?

The truth reveals something distinct. The instant Garp saw the Gorosei's grotesque forms, he struck immediately. His alliance with Roger wasn't to vanquish some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an effort to halt the sovereign, who was manipulating Xebec as a pawn to eliminate all in the Divine Isle, including it seems, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is likely the reason Garp detests the World Nobles in the current era and why he not once wanted to be elevated to Admiral, reporting directly to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Even though the audience are seeing the Divine Isle event through a recollection narrated by Loki, including perspectives and events he obviously wasn't present for, I think we can consider this account as completely accurate. The series may offer an reason in the future, maybe connected to the giant's yet unknown paramecia ability. Still, the Divine Isle event perfectly embodies the idea that history is recorded by the victors. This mindset is {