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The adage 'History is written by the victors' serves as a central theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the story. Legends often do not capture the full reality, including the most influential figures in this story's intricate history. Oden wasn't a foolish performer dancing through the roads of Wano Country; he acted out of duty and principle. Bartholomew Kuma was not a merciless antagonist who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was helping them. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend meant beyond just a buccaneer's game in pursuit of emblems and followers.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we witness the peak of this theme. The entire God Valley story serves as a warning story, instructing readers not to judge the individuals too hastily.

Myths often fail to capture the full reality, including the most powerful characters.

The series's latest look back, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, stands as one of the series' finest arcs to now. Apart from the thrill of seeing icons in their peak, it's gripping to observe them prior to when they became icons — when their reputation had yet to outgrow their humanity. The past, as recorded by the World Government and retold through secondhand stories, painted our perception of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But each of the regime's records and the narratives of those who knew them prove unreliable, revealing only pieces of who these individuals truly were.

The Man Before the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been guided by mission and the bold attitude that sparked a fresh era of buccaneering, but before he became the King of the Pirates, he was a youth ruled by passion and wanderlust. When individuals speak of his legend, they usually mean his second voyage, the epic expedition in pursuit of the guide stones that point toward the final island. However not much is known about his initial travels, the one that shaped him prior to glory discovered him.

Back then, Roger knew little of the globe's secret history. His affection for Shakky led him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the World Government's darkest realities: the extermination "games," the grotesque forms of the Five Elders, and including the presence of the world's hidden sovereign, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's thoughts about everything happening in the Divine Isle, but perhaps finding the child of a Holy Knight on his ship will make him realize his role in the world and pursue the truth he glimpsed from Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this flashback, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec came almost entirely from Sengoku's account, each to the viewers and to new Navy recruits. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man bent on world domination, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it transpires, the strategist wasn't even present at the Divine Isle; he was only echoing the Global Authority's sanctioned narrative of events, the very narrative Imu approved to conceal the reality about Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, Rocks D. Xebec, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to topple the ruler and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We are unsure if he was motivated by lust for power, revenge for his clan, or a desire for fairness, but when he discovered the regime's scheme to eliminate the island where his family lived, he gave up his dreams of conquest to save them.

This love for his relatives proved to be his undoing. Upon facing the sovereign, he forfeited his will and liberty, turning into a marionette enslaved to their authority. Currently, with what little consciousness is left, he pleads with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — believing that dying would be a kindness in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The truth of Rocks is thus far from the tale narrated by Sengoku, and the comic shows him in a positive light during the God Valley events.

Could He Be Living Today?

But was Rocks really die? An interesting theory is that he is still a slave to the ruler in the current timeline, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the World Government's last Poneglyph in constant transit to prevent the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

The Hero's Hidden Defiance

A further protagonist of the God Valley event is Garp, who has endured backlash from fans for a long time for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment only grew more intense after the time jump, when he endangered all to rescue Koby at Pirate Island, causing many to wonder why he couldn't do the same for his biological grandchild. Similar doubts have now reemerged with the God Valley flashback: how can Monkey D. Garp work for the Navy, knowing the Global Authority treats genocide and slavery as sport for the upper class?

The truth reveals something distinct. The moment Garp witnessed the Elders' monstrous forms, he attacked immediately. His alliance with Roger wasn't to vanquish some evil Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an attempt to stop Imu, who was using Xebec as a tool to eliminate all in the Divine Isle, even it seems, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is probably the cause Garp despises the World Nobles in the current era and why he not once desired to be elevated to Admiral, reporting directly to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Even though the audience are viewing the God Valley event through a recollection narrated by Loki, covering perspectives and events he obviously was absent for, I believe we can consider this account as entirely accurate. The series may offer an reason in the future, maybe linked to Loki's still mysterious paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the God Valley incident perfectly embodies the notion that the past is written by the winners. This mindset is {