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The adage 'The past is recorded by the victors' is a key theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the narrative. Legends frequently do not capture the full truth, even for the most powerful figures in this story's intricate history. Oden wasn't a foolish performer prancing through the streets of Wano; he acted out of duty and principle. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a merciless villain who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was helping them. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend meant more than a pirate's game in pursuit of emblems and followers.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we see the culmination of this theme. The whole Divine Isle story serves as a warning story, instructing audiences not to judge the individuals too hastily.

Myths often fail to capture the full truth, even for the most influential figures.

One Piece's most recent look back, chronicling the God Valley incident, stands as one of the story's finest storylines to date. Beyond the thrill of seeing legends in their peak, it's compelling to observe them before they became icons — when their fame had still not outgrow their human nature. The past, as recorded by the Global Authority and recounted through secondhand stories, shaped our perception of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and including Garp. But each of the government's records and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them prove unreliable, showing only fragments of who these individuals truly were.

The Man Before the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been guided by mission and the daring attitude that ignited a new age of buccaneering, but prior to he was known as the Pirate King, he was a youth governed by passion and wanderlust. When people speak of his myth, they typically refer to his second voyage, the grand expedition in search of the guide stones that point toward Laugh Tale. However not much is understood about his first journey, the one that shaped him prior to fame found him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger knew little of the globe's secret past. His affection for the barkeep guided him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the World Government's darkest truths: the genocidal "games," the monstrous appearances of the Five Elders, and even the presence of the planet's hidden sovereign, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Roger's thoughts about all that's happening in God Valley, but maybe finding the child of a Holy Knight on his ship will make him realize his role in the world and pursue the reality he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Before this flashback, what we knew of Xebec came almost entirely from Sengoku's version, each to the viewers and to young Navy recruits. He depicted Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man bent on world domination, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it turns out, the strategist wasn't even present at God Valley; he was merely repeating the Global Authority's sanctioned version of occurrences, the exact narrative Imu authorized to bury the reality about Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to overthrow Imu and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We don't know if he was motivated by ambition, retribution for his family, or a wish for fairness, but when he discovered the regime's plan to annihilate the land where his kin lived, he gave up his ambitions of domination to rescue them.

This love for his family became his undoing. Upon facing Imu, he lost his determination and freedom, becoming a marionette enslaved to their power. Currently, with what limited awareness 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 suffers. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the story narrated by Sengoku, and the manga shows him in a favorable manner during the God Valley incidents.

Is He Living Today?

But was Rocks actually meet his end? An intriguing theory is that he is even now a servant to the ruler in the present day, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the World Government's only remaining Poneglyph in continuous movement to keep the ultimate treasure from being found.

Garp's Hidden Rebellion

Another key figure of the Divine Isle event is Garp, who has endured backlash from fans for years for standing by as Akainu murdered Ace. That sentiment only grew stronger after the time jump, when he endangered all to save the young Marine at Hachinosu, causing many to wonder why he was unable to do the same for his own grandson. Similar doubts have now reemerged with the God Valley recollection: how can Garp serve the Marines, knowing the World Government considers genocide and slavery as entertainment for the elite?

The reality uncovers something distinct. The instant Monkey D. Garp saw the Gorosei's grotesque forms, he attacked without hesitation. His partnership with Roger was not meant to vanquish some villainous Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an attempt to stop Imu, who was manipulating Xebec as a tool to eliminate all in God Valley, including it seems, including the World Nobles themselves. This incident is likely the cause Monkey D. Garp detests the World Nobles in the current era and why he never wanted to be promoted to Admiral, answering straight to them.

History's Untrustworthy Narrators

Even though the audience are seeing the God Valley incident through a flashback narrated by Loki, covering viewpoints and events he obviously was absent for, I believe we can consider this account as entirely accurate. The series may provide an reason later, perhaps connected to Loki's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle incident perfectly exemplifies the notion that history is written by the winners. This attitude is {