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The saying 'The past is written by the winners' serves as a central theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the story. Legends frequently do not capture the full truth, even for the most influential characters in this story's complex past. Kozuki Oden wasn't a foolish performer prancing through the roads of Wano Country; he behaved out of duty and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a ruthless villain who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was helping them. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend signified more than a buccaneer's contest in pursuit of emblems and followers.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we witness the peak of this idea. The entire God Valley story acts as a cautionary tale, advising audiences not to evaluate the individuals too quickly.

Legends frequently do not capture the full truth, even for the most powerful figures.

The series's most recent flashback, chronicling the God Valley incident, stands as one of the story's finest arcs to now. Apart from the thrill of seeing icons in their prime, it's gripping to observe them prior to when they became symbols — when their reputation had yet to outgrow their humanity. History, as written by the World Government and retold through hearsay stories, shaped our understanding of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Garp. But each of the regime's accounts and the narratives of those who knew them prove unreliable, revealing only fragments of who these men really were.

The Man Before the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been guided by mission and the daring attitude that ignited a new age of piracy, but before he became the Pirate King, he was a youth ruled by emotion and the desire to explore. When individuals discuss his myth, they usually mean his second voyage, the epic quest in pursuit of the guide stones that point toward the final island. However not much is understood about his initial travels, the one that molded him prior to glory found him.

Back then, Roger was largely unaware of the world's secret past. His affection for the barkeep led him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the Global Authority's most sinister realities: the genocidal "games," the monstrous appearances of the Five Elders, and even the existence of the planet's hidden ruler, Imu. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's reflections about everything happening in the Divine Isle, but perhaps finding the child of a God's Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his place in the world and pursue the reality he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this recollection, what we were aware of of Xebec was derived almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's version, each to the viewers and to young Navy recruits. He painted Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man bent on world domination, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it turns out, the strategist was not present at God Valley; he was only repeating the World Government's sanctioned version of events, the exact narrative the sovereign authorized to conceal the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to overthrow Imu and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We don't know if he was motivated by ambition, retribution for his family, or a wish for justice, but when he found out the government's plan to eliminate the land where his kin resided, he abandoned his dreams of domination to rescue them.

This devotion for his family became his downfall. Upon confronting the sovereign, he lost his determination and freedom, turning into a puppet enslaved to their authority. Currently, with what little awareness remains, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — thinking that death would be a kindness in contrast to the living hell he endures. The reality of Rocks is thus very different from the tale told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic shows him in a favorable light during the God Valley events.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks actually meet his end? An interesting theory is that he is still a slave to the ruler in the current timeline, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the World Government's only remaining Poneglyph in constant transit to prevent the One Piece from being discovered.

The Hero's Secret Defiance

A further key figure of the Divine Isle incident is Garp, who has endured criticism from followers for a long time for doing nothing as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment became even more intense after the timeskip, when he risked everything to save Koby at Pirate Island, causing many to wonder why he couldn't do the same for his biological grandchild. Comparable questions have now resurfaced with the Divine Isle flashback: how can Garp serve the Marines, knowing the World Government treats genocide and slavery as entertainment for the elite?

The truth uncovers something different. The moment Garp saw the Gorosei's monstrous forms, he attacked without hesitation. His alliance with Roger wasn't to defeat some evil Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an attempt to halt Imu, who was manipulating Xebec as a tool to wipe out everyone in the Divine Isle, including apparently, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is probably the reason Monkey D. Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he never desired to be promoted to Admiral, reporting directly to them.

The Past's Unreliable Storytellers

Even though the readers are viewing the God Valley incident through a flashback narrated by the giant, covering viewpoints and events he clearly wasn't present for, I think we can consider this account as entirely truthful. The manga may offer an reason in the future, maybe linked to Loki's yet unknown paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle incident perfectly embodies the notion that the past is recorded by the victors. This mindset is {