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The saying 'History is written by the victors' is a key theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the story. Popular tales frequently fail to convey the complete truth, even for the most powerful figures in this story's intricate history. Oden was no silly showman dancing through the streets of Wano Country; he acted out of honor and conviction. Kuma wasn't a merciless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was helping them. Similarly, Davy Jones signified more than a pirate's contest in pursuit of emblems and crews.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we witness the culmination of this theme. The entire God Valley story serves as a cautionary tale, instructing audiences not to judge the characters too quickly.

Myths often do not convey the complete reality, even for the most powerful characters.

The series's latest flashback, detailing the Divine Isle event, stands as one of the story's best storylines to date. Beyond the thrill of witnessing legends in their peak, it's compelling to observe them prior to when they turned into icons — when their fame had still not outgrow their humanity. The past, as written by the Global Authority and recounted through secondhand stories, shaped our perception of individuals like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Garp. But each of the regime's records and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be unreliable, revealing only pieces of who these men truly were.

The Individual Before the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by purpose and the daring spirit that ignited a fresh era of piracy, but before he became the Pirate King, he was a youth ruled by emotion and the desire to explore. When individuals speak of his myth, they usually refer to his second voyage, the epic quest in search of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to the final island. However little is known about his initial travels, the one that shaped him before glory discovered him.

Back then, Roger was largely unaware of the globe's hidden history. His affection for the barkeep led him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the World Government's most sinister truths: the extermination "contests," the grotesque appearances of the Five Elders, and even the existence of the planet's hidden ruler, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's reflections about everything occurring in the Divine Isle, but maybe finding the son of a God's Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his place in the globe and pursue the reality he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Before this flashback, what we were aware of of Xebec was derived almost entirely from Sengoku's version, each to the viewers and to young Navy recruits. He depicted Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man determined to achieve world domination, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it turns out, the strategist was not there at God Valley; he was only echoing the World Government's sanctioned version of events, the exact narrative the sovereign approved to bury the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the decadent World Government. We don't know if he was motivated by lust for power, revenge for his family, or a wish for justice, but when he found out the government's plan to eliminate the island where his family resided, he gave up his dreams of domination to rescue them.

This devotion for his relatives proved to be his undoing. Upon confronting Imu, he lost his will and freedom, becoming a puppet enslaved to their power. Now, with what limited awareness is left, he begs with Roger and Garp to kill him — thinking that death would be a kindness in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the story told by Sengoku, and the manga shows him in a positive light during the Divine Isle incidents.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks really die? An intriguing idea is that he is still a slave to the ruler in the current timeline, serving as the scarred individual, maintaining the Global Authority's last Poneglyph in constant movement to prevent the ultimate treasure from being found.

The Hero's Hidden Defiance

A further protagonist of the God Valley incident is Garp, who has endured backlash from fans for years for standing by as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That feeling became even stronger after the time jump, when he endangered everything to rescue the young Marine at Hachinosu, causing many to wonder why he couldn't do the identical for his biological grandson. Similar doubts have now resurfaced with the Divine Isle flashback: how can Garp work for the Marines, aware the World Government considers genocide and enslavement as entertainment for the elite?

The reality reveals something different. The moment Garp saw the Elders' monstrous forms, he attacked immediately. His alliance with Gol D. Roger was not meant to defeat some villainous Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an attempt to halt Imu, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to eliminate all in the Divine Isle, even it seems, including the World Nobles themselves. This event is probably the reason Garp detests the World Nobles in the present day and why he not once wanted to be elevated to Admiral, answering directly to them.

History's Unreliable Storytellers

Even though the audience are seeing the God Valley event through a flashback narrated by Loki, covering perspectives and occurrences he obviously wasn't present for, I believe we can consider this account as entirely accurate. The series may offer an explanation later, perhaps connected to Loki's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Still, the God Valley incident perfectly exemplifies the notion that the past is recorded by the victors. This mindset is {