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The saying 'The past is written by the victors' serves as a key motif that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Legends frequently fail to capture the full reality, including the most powerful figures in this world's intricate history. Kozuki Oden wasn't a silly performer dancing through the streets of Wano; he behaved out of duty and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a ruthless villain who separated the Straw Hats, as well; he was helping them. Likewise, Davy Jones meant beyond just a pirate's contest in pursuit of flags and followers.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we witness the peak of this theme. The entire Divine Isle story acts as a warning story, instructing audiences not to evaluate the characters too hastily.

Myths often fail to capture the complete truth, including the most influential characters.

The series's most recent look back, detailing the Divine Isle event, represents one of the series' finest arcs to now. Apart from the thrill of seeing legends in their prime, it's compelling to see them prior to when they became symbols — when their reputation had yet to outgrow their humanity. History, as recorded by the World Government and recounted through secondhand stories, painted our perception of figures like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But both the regime's accounts and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be untrustworthy, revealing only fragments of who these men truly were.

The Man Before the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by mission and the bold attitude that sparked a new age of piracy, but before he was known as the Pirate King, he was a youth ruled by passion and wanderlust. When people discuss his legend, they typically refer to his second voyage, the grand expedition in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to the final island. However little is understood about his first journey, the one that shaped him before fame found him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger knew little of the world's secret history. His love for the barkeep led him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the World Government's darkest realities: the genocidal "contests," the monstrous appearances of the Five Elders, and even the existence of the world's unseen ruler, Imu. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's thoughts about all that's occurring in the Divine Isle, but maybe finding the son of a God's Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his role in the globe and seek the truth he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Before this recollection, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec came mostly from Sengoku's version, each to the viewers and to new Navy recruits. He painted Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man determined to achieve global control, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it transpires, the strategist wasn't even there at the Divine Isle; he was merely echoing the Global Authority's approved version of occurrences, the very narrative the sovereign authorized to bury the reality 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 the ruler and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We don't know if he was motivated by lust for power, retribution for his clan, or a wish for fairness, but when he discovered the government's scheme to annihilate the island where his family lived, he abandoned his ambitions of conquest to save them.

This love for his relatives became his undoing. Upon confronting the sovereign, he lost his determination and freedom, becoming a puppet controlled to their power. Currently, with what little consciousness is left, he pleads with Roger and Garp to kill him — believing that dying would be a kindness in contrast to the living hell he endures. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the story narrated by Sengoku, and the comic shows him in a favorable manner during the God Valley events.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks really die? An interesting theory is that he is still a servant to the ruler in the present day, acting as the scarred individual, keeping the World Government's only remaining ancient stone in constant transit to keep the One Piece from being discovered.

The Hero's Hidden Rebellion

A further key figure of the God Valley event is Garp, who has endured criticism from fans for a long time for standing by as Admiral Akainu murdered Ace. That feeling only grew more intense after the timeskip, when he risked all to save Koby at Hachinosu, leading many to question why he was unable to do the identical for his biological grandchild. Comparable doubts have now resurfaced with the God Valley recollection: how can Garp work for the Navy, aware the World Government treats mass murder and slavery as entertainment for the elite?

The reality uncovers something different. The moment Monkey D. Garp saw the Elders' grotesque forms, he struck without hesitation. His partnership with Gol D. Roger was not meant to defeat some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an attempt to halt the sovereign, who was manipulating Xebec as a pawn to wipe out all in the Divine Isle, including it seems, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is likely the reason Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he never desired to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, reporting straight to them.

History's Unreliable Storytellers

Even though the audience are seeing the God Valley incident through a flashback narrated by the giant, including viewpoints and events he clearly wasn't present for, I believe we can treat this account as completely accurate. The series may provide an reason later, maybe linked to the giant's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Still, the God Valley incident excellently embodies the notion that the past is written by the winners. This mindset is {