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The adage 'History is written by the victors' is a central motif that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the narrative. Legends frequently fail to convey the complete reality, including the most powerful characters in this world's intricate history. Oden was no foolish performer dancing through the streets of Wano; he behaved out of duty and conviction. Kuma wasn't a ruthless antagonist who separated the Straw Hats, either; he was helping them. Similarly, Davy Jones meant more than a buccaneer's game in pursuit of flags and crews.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we see the peak of this theme. The entire Divine Isle narrative serves as a warning story, instructing readers not to evaluate the characters too hastily.

Legends often fail to capture the full reality, including the most powerful characters.

The series's most recent flashback, detailing the God Valley incident, represents one of the series' finest storylines to now. Beyond the thrill of seeing icons in their peak, it's compelling to observe them prior to when they turned into symbols — when their fame had yet to outgrow their human nature. The past, as recorded by the World Government and retold through hearsay stories, shaped our understanding of individuals like Roger, Xebec, and even Garp. But both the government's records and the stories of those who knew them turn out to be unreliable, showing only fragments of who these individuals really were.

The Man Prior to the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by mission and the daring spirit that ignited a fresh era of piracy, but prior to he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a young man ruled by emotion and the desire to explore. When individuals discuss his legend, they typically mean his later journey, the grand quest in search of the guide stones that lead to Laugh Tale. Yet little is understood about his first journey, the one that molded him before fame discovered him.

Back then, Roger was largely unaware of the world's secret past. His affection for the barkeep guided him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the Global Authority's darkest realities: the genocidal "contests," the grotesque appearances of the Gorosei, and even the presence of the world's unseen sovereign, Imu. We haven't seen Roger's reflections about all that's happening in God Valley, but maybe finding the son of a Holy Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his role in the globe and pursue the reality he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this recollection, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec was derived almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's account, each to the audience and to new Navy recruits. He painted Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man bent on global control, someone so threatening that Roger and Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it turns out, Sengoku wasn't even present at God Valley; he was only repeating the Global Authority's sanctioned version of occurrences, the exact story the sovereign authorized to conceal the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to topple the ruler and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We are unsure if he was motivated by ambition, revenge for his clan, or a wish for justice, but when he discovered the regime's plan to eliminate the land where his kin resided, he abandoned his ambitions of conquest to save them.

This love for his family became his undoing. After confronting the sovereign, he forfeited his will and liberty, becoming a puppet controlled to their power. Currently, with what limited consciousness remains, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — believing that death would be a mercy in contrast to the living hell he endures. The reality of Rocks is thus far from the tale told by Sengoku, and the manga presents him in a positive light during the God Valley events.

Is He Living Today?

But was Rocks actually die? An interesting theory is that he is still a servant to the ruler in the present day, acting as the scarred individual, keeping the World Government's last Poneglyph in continuous transit to prevent the ultimate treasure from being found.

The Hero's Secret Rebellion

Another key figure of the God Valley incident is Garp, who has endured criticism from fans for years for doing nothing as Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment became even stronger after the timeskip, when he endangered everything to rescue the young Marine at Pirate Island, causing many to wonder why he was unable to do the identical for his own grandson. Similar doubts have now resurfaced with the Divine Isle recollection: how can Monkey D. Garp work for the Navy, aware the Global Authority treats genocide and enslavement as sport for the elite?

The reality uncovers something distinct. The instant Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Elders' monstrous forms, he attacked immediately. His partnership with Roger was not meant to vanquish some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an attempt to halt Imu, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to eliminate everyone in the Divine Isle, including it seems, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is probably the cause Garp detests the World Nobles in the present day and why he not once wanted to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, answering straight to them.

History's Untrustworthy Narrators

Although the readers are viewing the God Valley event through a flashback narrated by Loki, including viewpoints and occurrences he clearly wasn't present for, I think we can treat this account as entirely truthful. The series may offer an reason in the future, maybe linked to Loki's yet unknown paramecia ability. Still, the Divine Isle incident perfectly embodies the notion that the past is recorded by the victors. This attitude is {