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The adage 'The past is written by the winners' is a central motif that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the story. Legends frequently fail to capture the full reality, including the most influential figures in this story's complex history. Oden wasn't a foolish performer prancing through the streets of Wano Country; he acted out of honor and principle. Bartholomew Kuma was not a ruthless villain who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was helping them. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend signified beyond just a buccaneer's game in pursuit of flags and crews.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we witness the culmination of this theme. The whole God Valley narrative serves as a cautionary tale, instructing audiences not to judge the characters too hastily.

Legends frequently do not capture the full truth, even for the most powerful figures.

The series's most recent flashback, detailing the Divine Isle event, represents one of the series' finest storylines to now. Beyond the excitement of seeing icons in their prime, it's gripping to see them before they became icons — when their fame had still not outgrow their humanity. The past, as written by the Global Authority and retold through secondhand tales, painted our perception of figures like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But both the regime's records and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them prove unreliable, showing only fragments of who these individuals truly were.

The Man Before the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by purpose and the daring spirit that ignited a fresh era of buccaneering, but before he was known as the Pirate King, he was a youth governed by emotion and the desire to explore. When individuals speak of his myth, they typically refer to his second voyage, the epic quest in pursuit of the guide stones that point toward the final island. However not much is known about his first journey, the one that molded him prior to glory discovered him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger knew little of the globe's hidden past. His affection for Shakky led him to God Valley, where he discovered the Global Authority's most sinister realities: the extermination "contests," the monstrous appearances of the Gorosei, and even the existence of the world's unseen ruler, Imu. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's reflections about all that's happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the child of a Holy Knight on his ship will make him realize his place in the world and pursue the truth he glimpsed from Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this recollection, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec was derived almost entirely from Sengoku's version, each to the viewers and to new Navy recruits. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, ambitious man bent on global control, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it turns out, the strategist wasn't even present at God Valley; he was only echoing the World Government's approved narrative of events, the exact story Imu authorized to bury the truth about Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to overthrow Imu and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We are unsure if he was motivated by lust for power, revenge for his family, or a wish for justice, but when he found out the regime's plan to annihilate the land where his family lived, he gave up his dreams of conquest to save them.

This love for his family proved to be his undoing. After confronting the sovereign, he forfeited his determination and freedom, becoming a puppet enslaved to their authority. Now, with what little consciousness remains, he pleads with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — believing that death would be a mercy in contrast to the torment he suffers. The truth of Rocks is thus very different from the story told by Sengoku, and the comic shows him in a favorable manner during the Divine Isle incidents.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks really meet his end? An interesting idea is that he is even now a servant to Imu in the current timeline, serving as the scarred individual, keeping the World Government's only remaining ancient stone in continuous movement to keep the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

Garp's Secret Rebellion

Another key figure of the Divine Isle event is Garp, who has faced criticism from followers for a long time for standing by as Admiral Akainu killed Ace. That sentiment only grew stronger after the timeskip, when he risked all to rescue Koby at Pirate Island, causing many to wonder why he was unable to do the same for his biological grandson. Similar doubts have recently resurfaced with the Divine Isle recollection: how could Monkey D. Garp work for the Navy, aware the Global Authority considers mass murder and slavery as entertainment for the upper class?

The truth uncovers something distinct. The instant Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Gorosei's grotesque shapes, he struck immediately. His partnership with Roger was not meant to defeat some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an effort to stop the sovereign, who was manipulating Xebec as a pawn to wipe out all in God Valley, including it seems, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is probably the reason Monkey D. Garp despises the World Nobles in the current era and why he never wanted to be promoted to Admiral, reporting directly to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Although the audience are viewing the God Valley event through a recollection recounted by the giant, including viewpoints and events he clearly was absent for, I think we can consider this version as completely accurate. The manga may provide an reason later, maybe connected to the giant's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Still, the Divine Isle incident perfectly embodies the idea that history is written by the winners. This attitude is {