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The saying 'The past is recorded by the winners' serves as a key theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Legends often do not convey the full truth, including the most powerful figures in this world's complex past. Oden was no silly performer dancing through the roads of Wano; he behaved out of duty and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma was not a merciless antagonist who separated the Straw Hats, either; he was helping them. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend meant more than a buccaneer's game in search of emblems and followers.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we witness the peak of this idea. The entire Divine Isle narrative serves as a cautionary tale, instructing audiences not to evaluate the characters too quickly.

Myths frequently do not convey the complete truth, even for the most influential figures.

One Piece's most recent flashback, chronicling the God Valley event, represents one of the series' best arcs to now. Beyond the thrill of witnessing legends in their prime, it's compelling to see them before they became icons — when their reputation had still not outgrow their human nature. History, as recorded by the World Government and retold through secondhand tales, shaped our understanding of figures like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But each of the government's records and the narratives of those who knew them turn out to be unreliable, showing only fragments of who these men truly were.

The Man Before the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been guided by purpose and the bold attitude that ignited a new age of piracy, but prior to he was known as the Pirate King, he was a youth ruled by passion and wanderlust. When individuals speak of his myth, they typically refer to his later journey, the epic expedition in search of the guide stones that point toward Laugh Tale. However little is understood about his initial travels, the one that shaped him prior to fame found him.

Back then, Roger knew little of the globe's secret history. His affection for Shakky led him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the World Government's most sinister truths: the extermination "contests," the grotesque forms of the Five Elders, and even the presence of the world's unseen sovereign, Imu. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's reflections about everything occurring in the Divine Isle, but maybe finding the son of a Holy Knight on his vessel will make him realize his role in the world and pursue the truth he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this flashback, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec came mostly from Sengoku's version, each to the viewers and to new Marines. He painted Xebec as a vile, ambitious man bent on world domination, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it turns out, Sengoku was not present at the Divine Isle; he was only echoing the World Government's approved narrative of occurrences, the very 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 ethical man who sought to overthrow Imu and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We don't know if he was motivated by lust for power, retribution for his family, or a wish for justice, but when he discovered the regime's scheme to eliminate the island where his kin lived, he gave up his ambitions of domination to rescue them.

This devotion for his family became his downfall. After confronting the sovereign, he forfeited his determination and liberty, turning into a marionette enslaved to their power. Currently, with what limited consciousness is left, he begs with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — believing that dying would be a mercy in contrast to the torment he suffers. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the story told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic presents him in a favorable manner during the God Valley incidents.

Could He Be Living Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec really meet his end? An intriguing idea is that he is still a slave to Imu in the present day, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the World Government's last ancient stone in constant movement to keep the One Piece from being discovered.

The Hero's Secret Defiance

Another key figure of the God Valley event is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured backlash from fans for a long time for standing by as Admiral Akainu killed Ace. That sentiment only grew more intense after the time jump, when he endangered all to rescue Koby at Pirate Island, leading many to wonder why he couldn't do the same for his own grandson. Comparable doubts have recently reemerged with the Divine Isle recollection: how can Monkey D. Garp work for the Navy, knowing the World Government treats genocide and slavery as sport for the upper class?

The reality reveals something different. The instant Garp saw the Gorosei's grotesque forms, he struck without hesitation. His partnership with Roger wasn't to vanquish some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an attempt to halt Imu, who was using Xebec as a pawn to eliminate everyone in God Valley, including it seems, including the World Nobles themselves. This incident is probably the cause Garp detests the World Nobles in the current era and why he not once desired to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, reporting directly to them.

History's Unreliable Narrators

Even though the audience are seeing the God Valley event through a flashback narrated by Loki, covering viewpoints and occurrences he obviously was absent for, I think we can consider this account as completely truthful. The manga may offer an explanation in the future, perhaps linked to Loki's still mysterious paramecia ability. Still, the Divine Isle event perfectly exemplifies the idea that the past is written by the winners. This mindset is {