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The saying 'The past is written by the winners' serves as a central motif that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the story. Legends frequently do not capture the full truth, even for the most powerful figures in this world's complex past. Oden wasn't a foolish showman dancing through the roads of Wano; he acted out of honor and conviction. Kuma was not a merciless villain who separated the Straw Hats, either; he was helping them. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend meant beyond just a buccaneer's game in search of emblems and followers.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we witness the peak of this idea. The entire God Valley narrative acts as a warning story, instructing audiences not to evaluate the individuals too quickly.

Myths often do not convey the full reality, even for the most influential characters.

One Piece's latest flashback, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, stands as one of the story's finest arcs to date. Beyond the thrill of witnessing legends in their prime, it's compelling to see them before they turned into icons — when their reputation had still not outgrow their humanity. The past, as recorded by the World Government and retold through hearsay tales, painted our perception of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Garp. But each of the government's records and the stories of those who knew them prove unreliable, revealing only pieces of who these individuals really were.

The Man Before the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by purpose and the bold spirit that ignited a new age of buccaneering, but before he became the King of the Pirates, he was a youth governed by passion and the desire to explore. When people discuss his legend, they usually mean his second voyage, the grand expedition in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward the final island. Yet little is understood about his initial travels, the one that molded him prior to glory found him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger knew little of the globe's hidden history. His affection for the barkeep guided him to God Valley, where he uncovered the World Government's darkest realities: the genocidal "contests," the grotesque appearances of the Gorosei, and including the presence of the world's unseen sovereign, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Roger's reflections about all that's occurring in God Valley, but maybe discovering the son of a Holy Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his place in the world and seek the truth he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Before this recollection, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec came mostly from Sengoku's account, both to the audience and to young Marines. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man bent on world domination, someone so threatening that Roger and Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it turns out, Sengoku wasn't even there at the Divine Isle; he was only echoing the Global Authority's sanctioned narrative of occurrences, the exact story Imu approved to conceal the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to topple the ruler and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We don't know if he was motivated by ambition, retribution for his clan, or a desire for fairness, but when he found out the government's scheme to eliminate the land where his family resided, he abandoned his ambitions of conquest to save them.

This devotion for his family became his undoing. After facing Imu, he lost his determination and liberty, becoming a puppet controlled to their authority. Now, with what little consciousness is left, he pleads with Roger and Garp to kill him — thinking that death would be a kindness compared to the torment he suffers. The reality of Rocks is thus very different from the story told by Sengoku, and the comic presents him in a favorable manner during the Divine Isle incidents.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks really die? An interesting idea is that he is even now a slave to Imu in the current timeline, serving as the scarred individual, keeping the Global Authority's last ancient stone in continuous transit to keep the One Piece from being found.

Garp's Secret Defiance

A further key figure of the Divine Isle incident is Garp, who has endured backlash from fans for a long time for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu killed Ace. That sentiment became even more intense after the timeskip, when he risked everything to rescue the young Marine at Hachinosu, leading many to question why he was unable to do the identical for his biological grandchild. Similar questions have now resurfaced with the Divine Isle recollection: how can Monkey D. Garp work for the Navy, aware the Global Authority considers genocide and slavery as entertainment for the upper class?

The reality uncovers something distinct. The moment Garp saw the Gorosei's monstrous shapes, he attacked without hesitation. His partnership with Roger was not meant to vanquish some villainous Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an effort to halt Imu, who was using Xebec as a pawn to eliminate all in the Divine Isle, even it seems, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is likely the reason Monkey D. Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he not once desired to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, answering directly to them.

The Past's Unreliable Storytellers

Although the readers are viewing the Divine Isle event through a recollection recounted by the giant, covering viewpoints and events he clearly wasn't present for, I think we can treat this version as completely accurate. The manga may provide an explanation later, perhaps connected to the giant's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Still, the God Valley incident excellently exemplifies the idea that history is written by the victors. This attitude is {