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The adage 'The past is recorded by the winners' is a key motif that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the narrative. Popular tales often do not convey the complete truth, including the most influential characters in this story's intricate past. Kozuki Oden was no foolish showman dancing through the streets of Wano; he acted out of duty and conviction. Kuma wasn't a merciless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hats, either; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, Davy Jones meant beyond just a pirate's contest in search of flags and crews.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we see the peak of this idea. The whole God Valley narrative serves as a warning story, advising audiences not to judge the characters too hastily.

Legends frequently fail to convey the full reality, including the most influential figures.

The series's most recent look back, chronicling the Divine Isle event, stands as one of the series' best storylines to date. Apart from the thrill of witnessing legends in their prime, it's gripping to see them before they became icons — when their fame had yet to surpass their humanity. History, as written by the World Government and retold through secondhand tales, shaped our perception of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and including Garp. But each of the regime's accounts and the narratives of those who knew them prove unreliable, showing 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 attitude that sparked a new age of piracy, but prior to he became the King of the Pirates, he was a youth governed by passion and the desire to explore. When individuals discuss his legend, they usually refer to his second voyage, the epic expedition in search of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to Laugh Tale. However little is understood about his initial travels, the one that shaped him before fame found him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the globe's hidden history. His affection for Shakky guided him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the Global Authority's darkest truths: the extermination "contests," the monstrous appearances of the Five Elders, and even the existence of the world's unseen sovereign, Imu. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's reflections about everything happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the son of a God's Knight on his ship will make him realize his role in the globe and seek the truth he glimpsed from Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this recollection, what we were aware of of Xebec was derived almost entirely from Sengoku's version, each to the viewers and to young Marines. He painted Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man bent on world domination, someone so threatening that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it turns out, the strategist was not present at the Divine Isle; he was merely echoing the Global Authority's approved narrative of events, the exact narrative the sovereign authorized to conceal the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to overthrow Imu and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We don't know if he was guided by ambition, retribution for his clan, or a wish for fairness, but when he discovered the government's scheme to eliminate the land where his family lived, he abandoned his ambitions of domination to save them.

This love for his relatives became his undoing. After facing the sovereign, he forfeited his determination and liberty, turning into a marionette enslaved to their authority. Now, with what little consciousness remains, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Garp to kill him — believing that death would be a kindness compared to the torment he suffers. The truth of Rocks is thus far from the tale narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga shows him in a favorable light during the God Valley events.

Is He Living Today?

But was Rocks really die? An interesting theory is that he is even now a slave to the ruler in the present day, acting as the scarred individual, keeping the Global Authority's only remaining ancient stone in constant movement to prevent the ultimate treasure from being found.

Garp's Secret Rebellion

A further protagonist of the Divine Isle incident is Garp, who has faced criticism from fans for a long time for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment became even stronger after the timeskip, when he risked everything to save Koby at Hachinosu, leading many to wonder why he was unable to do the same for his own grandchild. Similar questions have now resurfaced with the God Valley recollection: how could Monkey D. Garp work for the Marines, knowing the World Government considers genocide and slavery as sport for the elite?

The reality reveals something distinct. The instant Garp saw the Elders' monstrous shapes, he struck without hesitation. His partnership with Roger was not meant to vanquish some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an attempt to stop the sovereign, who was manipulating Xebec as a pawn to wipe out all in God Valley, including apparently, including the World Nobles themselves. This incident is probably the reason Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he never desired to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, reporting straight to them.

History's Unreliable Storytellers

Even though the readers are viewing the God Valley incident through a recollection narrated by the giant, including viewpoints and events he clearly wasn't present for, I think we can consider this version as completely truthful. The series may provide an explanation in the future, perhaps linked to the giant's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Still, the Divine Isle event excellently exemplifies the notion that the past is recorded by the winners. This mindset is {