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The adage 'History is written by the winners' serves as a central motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Legends often do not convey the complete reality, including the most influential figures in this world's complex history. Kozuki Oden wasn't a silly showman prancing through the streets of Wano; he acted out of honor and conviction. Kuma was not a ruthless antagonist who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was helping them. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend signified more than a pirate's contest in search of emblems and crews.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we witness the peak of this idea. The whole God Valley story serves as a cautionary tale, instructing audiences not to judge the characters too hastily.

Myths frequently do not capture the full truth, including the most powerful characters.

The series's most recent look back, chronicling the God Valley event, stands as one of the series' best storylines to now. Apart from the thrill of seeing icons in their prime, it's gripping to see them before they turned into icons — when their reputation had still not outgrow their human nature. The past, as written by the World Government and recounted through secondhand stories, shaped our perception of individuals like Roger, Xebec, and including Garp. But each of the government's accounts and the stories of those who were acquainted with them prove untrustworthy, revealing only pieces of who these men really were.

The Individual Before the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been guided by mission and the bold attitude that ignited a new age of buccaneering, but prior to he became the Pirate King, he was a youth governed by passion and the desire to explore. When people discuss his myth, they typically refer to his later journey, 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 molded him prior to glory discovered him.

At that time, Roger was largely unaware of the world's hidden past. His love for the barkeep guided him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the World Government's darkest realities: the genocidal "contests," the monstrous appearances of the Gorosei, and including the presence of the planet's hidden ruler, Imu. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's thoughts about all that's happening in the Divine Isle, but perhaps finding the child of a Holy Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his role in the world and pursue the reality he glimpsed from Xebec's situation.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this recollection, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec was derived mostly from Sengoku's account, both to the audience and to new Navy recruits. He painted Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man bent on global control, someone so dangerous that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it turns out, the strategist was not there at the Divine Isle; he was merely repeating the Global Authority's approved version of occurrences, the exact narrative the sovereign approved to conceal the truth about Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to topple the ruler and dismantle the decadent World Government. We don't know if he was motivated by lust for power, revenge for his clan, or a desire for fairness, but when he found out the government's plan to annihilate the land where his family resided, he abandoned his ambitions of conquest to rescue them.

This love for his relatives proved to be his downfall. After facing the sovereign, he lost his determination and freedom, turning into a marionette enslaved to their authority. Currently, with what little consciousness remains, he pleads with Roger and Garp to end his life — believing that dying would be a mercy compared to the torment he endures. The reality of Rocks is thus very different from the tale told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic presents him in a favorable manner during the God Valley events.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec actually die? An intriguing idea is that he is even now a slave to Imu in the present day, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the World Government's only remaining Poneglyph in continuous movement to keep the ultimate treasure from being found.

The Hero's Secret Defiance

A further protagonist of the Divine Isle incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured backlash from fans for years for doing nothing as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment only grew stronger after the timeskip, when he endangered everything to rescue Koby at Hachinosu, leading many to wonder why he couldn't do the identical for his biological grandson. Similar questions have recently reemerged with the God Valley recollection: how can Monkey D. Garp work for the Marines, knowing the Global Authority considers mass murder and enslavement as entertainment for the elite?

The reality reveals something distinct. The instant Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Elders' grotesque shapes, he struck without hesitation. His alliance with Roger was not meant to defeat some evil Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an attempt to stop the sovereign, who was using Xebec as a pawn to wipe out all in God Valley, including it seems, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is probably the cause Garp despises the World Nobles in the current era and why he never desired to be elevated to Admiral, reporting straight to them.

History's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Even though the readers are seeing the Divine Isle incident through a flashback narrated by the giant, including viewpoints and events he obviously wasn't present for, I believe we can treat this account as entirely accurate. The series may provide an reason later, perhaps linked to the giant's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Still, the God Valley incident perfectly embodies the idea that history is written by the winners. This attitude is {