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The adage 'History is recorded by the winners' serves as a key motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the story. Popular tales frequently do not convey the full reality, including the most influential figures in this story's complex history. Oden was no silly performer prancing through the roads of Wano Country; he acted out of duty and principle. Kuma wasn't a ruthless villain who separated the Straw Hats, either; he was helping them. Similarly, Davy Jones meant more than a buccaneer's game in pursuit of emblems and followers.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we see the peak of this idea. The whole God Valley narrative serves as a warning story, instructing readers not to evaluate the characters too hastily.

Myths often fail to convey the full truth, including the most powerful characters.

One Piece's most recent flashback, detailing the Divine Isle event, stands as one of the series' finest arcs to date. Apart from the thrill of seeing legends in their prime, it's compelling to see them before they turned into symbols — when their fame had still not surpass their human nature. History, as recorded by the Global Authority and recounted through hearsay stories, painted our perception of individuals like Roger, Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But both the regime's records and the narratives of those who knew them turn out to be untrustworthy, showing only pieces of who these individuals really were.

The Individual Prior to the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by purpose and the daring spirit that sparked a fresh era of buccaneering, but prior to he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a youth ruled by emotion and wanderlust. When people speak of his myth, they typically refer to his later journey, the grand expedition in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to Laugh Tale. However not much is known about his initial travels, the one that molded him before glory discovered him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the globe's hidden past. His love for Shakky guided him to God Valley, where he uncovered the World Government's darkest realities: the extermination "games," the grotesque appearances of the Five Elders, and including the existence of the planet's hidden sovereign, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Roger's reflections about everything happening in God Valley, but maybe discovering the child of a Holy Knight on his ship will make him realize his role in the globe and pursue the reality he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's situation.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this flashback, what we knew of Xebec was derived almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's account, both to the audience 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 transpires, Sengoku wasn't even present at God Valley; he was only repeating the World Government's sanctioned version of occurrences, the exact story the sovereign approved to bury the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to topple Imu and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We don't know if he was guided by lust for power, revenge for his clan, or a desire for justice, but when he discovered the government's scheme to annihilate the land where his kin resided, he abandoned his ambitions of conquest to save them.

This love for his family proved to be his undoing. Upon facing the sovereign, he lost his will and liberty, turning into a marionette controlled to their power. Now, with what limited awareness remains, he pleads with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — thinking that death would be a kindness in contrast to the torment he endures. The truth of Rocks is thus very different from the story narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga shows him in a favorable manner during the God Valley incidents.

Could He Be Living Today?

But did Rocks actually meet his end? An interesting idea is that he is still a servant to Imu in the current timeline, acting as the scarred individual, keeping the Global Authority's last Poneglyph in constant transit to prevent the One Piece from being discovered.

Garp's Secret Defiance

Another protagonist of the Divine Isle incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured backlash from followers for years for doing nothing as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment only grew more intense after the timeskip, when he risked all to save the young Marine at Pirate Island, leading many to wonder why he was unable to do the same for his biological grandchild. Comparable questions have now resurfaced with the Divine Isle recollection: how could Garp serve the Navy, knowing the World Government considers mass murder and slavery as entertainment for the elite?

The truth reveals something distinct. The moment Garp saw the Gorosei's monstrous shapes, he struck immediately. His partnership with Gol D. Roger wasn't to vanquish some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an attempt to halt the sovereign, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to eliminate all in the Divine Isle, even apparently, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is probably the cause Garp detests the World Nobles in the present day and why he never desired to be promoted to Admiral, reporting directly to them.

The Past's Unreliable Storytellers

Even though the readers are seeing the God Valley event through a flashback recounted by Loki, covering perspectives and occurrences he clearly wasn't present for, I think we can treat this account as completely accurate. The manga may provide an reason later, perhaps connected to Loki's still mysterious paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle event excellently exemplifies the idea that history is written by the victors. This attitude is {