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The saying 'The past is recorded by the winners' serves as a key motif that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the narrative. Popular tales often fail to capture the complete truth, even for the most influential figures in this world's complex history. Oden wasn't a foolish showman dancing through the roads of Wano; he acted out of honor and principle. Kuma was not a ruthless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend meant beyond just a buccaneer's game in search of flags and crews.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we witness the culmination of this theme. The entire Divine Isle narrative serves as a cautionary tale, instructing readers not to judge the individuals too hastily.

Legends frequently do not capture the full reality, including the most powerful characters.

The series's latest flashback, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, represents one of the story's finest arcs to now. Beyond the excitement of witnessing icons in their prime, it's gripping to observe them before they became symbols — when their reputation had still not outgrow their human nature. The past, as written by the Global Authority and retold through secondhand stories, painted our perception of figures like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But each of the government's accounts and the narratives of those who knew them turn out to be unreliable, showing only pieces of who these individuals really were.

The Individual Prior to the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been guided by mission 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 passion and wanderlust. When individuals discuss his legend, they usually mean his second voyage, the grand quest in search of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to Laugh Tale. Yet little is known about his initial travels, the one that shaped him before glory found him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the globe's secret history. His affection for Shakky led him to God Valley, where he discovered the Global Authority's most sinister realities: the genocidal "games," the grotesque appearances of the Gorosei, and including the existence of the world's hidden ruler, Imu. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's reflections about all that's occurring in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the son of a Holy Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his role in the world and pursue the truth he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this recollection, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec was derived mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's version, each to the viewers and to young Marines. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man bent on 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, Sengoku was not present at God Valley; he was only repeating the World Government's sanctioned narrative of occurrences, the very story Imu authorized to conceal the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to topple Imu and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We don't know if he was guided by lust for power, revenge for his family, or a wish for justice, but when he found out the government's scheme to eliminate the island where his kin resided, he abandoned his dreams of domination to rescue them.

This love for his relatives proved to be his undoing. Upon facing Imu, he forfeited his will and liberty, turning into a marionette controlled to their authority. Now, with what little consciousness remains, he begs with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — believing that dying would be a kindness in contrast to the torment he endures. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the story narrated by Sengoku, and the manga shows him in a favorable light during the God Valley events.

Could He Be Living Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec really meet his end? An interesting idea is that he is even now a slave to Imu in the present day, serving as the scarred individual, keeping the World Government's last Poneglyph in constant transit to keep the One Piece from being discovered.

Garp's Hidden Defiance

Another key figure of the God Valley event is Garp, who has endured backlash from followers for years for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu murdered Ace. That feeling only grew more intense after the timeskip, when he endangered everything to rescue the young Marine at Pirate Island, leading many to wonder why he couldn't do the identical for his own grandchild. Similar doubts have now reemerged with the God Valley flashback: how could Garp work for the Marines, knowing the World Government considers mass murder and slavery as entertainment for the elite?

The reality reveals something different. The instant Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Gorosei's monstrous shapes, he attacked without hesitation. His partnership with Roger was not meant to defeat some villainous Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an effort to halt the sovereign, who was manipulating Xebec as a pawn to eliminate all in God Valley, even it seems, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is probably the cause Monkey D. Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he not once wanted to be promoted to Admiral, answering directly to them.

History's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Even though the audience are viewing the God Valley incident through a recollection narrated by Loki, covering perspectives and events he clearly was absent for, I think we can treat this account as entirely accurate. The series may offer an reason in the future, perhaps linked to the giant's yet unknown paramecia ability. Still, the Divine Isle event excellently embodies the idea that history is recorded by the victors. This attitude is {