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The adage 'The past is written by the winners' serves as a key theme that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the story. Legends often do not convey the complete reality, including the most powerful figures in this story's intricate history. Kozuki Oden wasn't a silly showman prancing through the streets of Wano Country; he behaved out of duty and conviction. Kuma wasn't a merciless antagonist who separated the Straw Hats, as well; he was helping them. Likewise, Davy Jones signified more than a buccaneer's contest in pursuit of flags and followers.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we see the peak of this theme. The whole Divine Isle narrative acts as a cautionary tale, instructing readers not to judge the characters too hastily.

Legends frequently fail to capture the full truth, including the most influential characters.

The series's latest look back, chronicling the God Valley incident, represents one of the story's best storylines to now. Beyond the thrill of seeing legends in their peak, it's gripping to see them prior to when they turned into icons — when their fame had still not outgrow their human nature. History, as written by the Global Authority and recounted through hearsay stories, shaped our perception of figures like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But both the government's accounts and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them prove unreliable, showing only pieces of who these men truly were.

The Individual Before the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been driven by purpose and the bold attitude that sparked a new age of buccaneering, but before he was known as the Pirate King, he was a youth governed by passion and wanderlust. When individuals speak of his myth, they usually refer to his second voyage, the epic expedition in pursuit of the guide stones that point toward Laugh Tale. However not much is understood about his first journey, the one that molded him prior to fame found him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger knew little of the world's hidden history. His love for Shakky guided him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the Global Authority's most sinister truths: the extermination "games," the grotesque appearances of the Five Elders, and including the existence of the planet's unseen sovereign, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Roger's thoughts about all that's happening in God Valley, but maybe discovering the child of a God's 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 situation.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this flashback, what we knew of Xebec was derived mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's version, both to the viewers and to new Marines. He depicted Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man determined to achieve global control, someone so threatening that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it transpires, Sengoku was not there at the Divine Isle; he was merely repeating the Global Authority's approved version of occurrences, the exact story 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 aimed to overthrow Imu and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We don't know if he was guided by lust for power, retribution for his clan, or a wish for fairness, but when he found out the government's plan to annihilate the land where his kin lived, he abandoned his ambitions of domination to rescue them.

This devotion for his family became his downfall. After facing the sovereign, he lost his determination and freedom, turning into a puppet controlled to their power. Now, with what limited awareness remains, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Garp to kill him — thinking that death would be a kindness in contrast to the torment he suffers. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the tale narrated by Sengoku, and the manga shows him in a favorable manner during the God Valley events.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec really die? An intriguing idea is that he is even now a servant to Imu in the present day, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the Global Authority's only remaining ancient stone in continuous movement to prevent the ultimate treasure from being found.

The Hero's Hidden Rebellion

Another key figure of the Divine Isle event is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured backlash from followers for years for standing by as Admiral Akainu murdered Ace. That sentiment only grew more intense after the timeskip, when he endangered everything to rescue Koby at Hachinosu, leading many to question why he was unable to do the same for his biological grandson. Similar questions have now reemerged with the God Valley recollection: how could Monkey D. Garp serve the Marines, aware the Global Authority considers genocide and enslavement as sport for the upper class?

The truth reveals something different. The instant Monkey D. Garp saw the Elders' monstrous forms, he struck immediately. His partnership with Roger wasn't to vanquish some evil Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an effort to stop the sovereign, who was using Xebec as a tool to wipe out all in God Valley, including apparently, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is likely the reason Garp despises the World Nobles in the present day and why he never wanted to be promoted to Admiral, reporting straight to them.

History's Untrustworthy Narrators

Although the audience are viewing the Divine Isle event through a recollection recounted by Loki, covering viewpoints and occurrences he obviously wasn't present for, I think we can consider this version as entirely truthful. The manga may provide an reason in the future, maybe linked to the giant's yet unknown paramecia ability. Still, the God Valley event excellently exemplifies the notion that the past is recorded by the winners. This mindset is {