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The adage 'The past is written by the victors' is a key motif that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the narrative. Legends often do not convey the full truth, even for the most influential characters in this world's intricate history. Oden wasn't a silly showman dancing through the roads of Wano; he acted out of duty and principle. Kuma was not a ruthless villain who tore apart the Straw Hats, either; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, Davy Jones signified beyond just a pirate's game in pursuit of emblems and crews.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we see the culmination of this theme. The whole God Valley story acts as a cautionary tale, advising readers not to judge the characters too hastily.

Legends frequently fail to capture the full truth, including the most powerful characters.

One Piece's most recent look back, chronicling the God Valley event, stands as one of the series' best arcs to date. Beyond the excitement of witnessing icons in their prime, it's gripping to observe them prior to when they turned into icons — when their reputation had yet to outgrow their humanity. The past, as recorded by the World Government and retold through hearsay tales, shaped our understanding of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But each of the government's records and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be untrustworthy, revealing only fragments of who these individuals really were.

The Man Prior to the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been guided by mission and the daring spirit that ignited a fresh era of piracy, but prior to he was known as the Pirate King, he was a young man governed by emotion and wanderlust. When individuals discuss his legend, they usually mean his later journey, the epic expedition in search of the guide stones that point toward Laugh Tale. However not much is known about his first journey, the one that molded him before glory found him.

Back then, Roger knew little of the globe's hidden past. His love for the barkeep guided him to God Valley, where he uncovered the Global Authority's most sinister realities: the extermination "contests," the grotesque forms of the Gorosei, and even the existence of the world's hidden sovereign, Imu. We haven't seen Roger's reflections about all that's occurring in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the child of a Holy Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his place in the globe and pursue the truth he glimpsed from Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this recollection, what we were aware of of Xebec came mostly from Sengoku's account, each to the viewers and to young Navy recruits. He depicted Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man determined to achieve global control, someone so dangerous that Roger and Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it transpires, Sengoku wasn't even there at God Valley; he was only echoing the World Government'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 principled man who aimed to topple Imu and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We are unsure if he was guided by lust for power, revenge for his family, or a wish for justice, but when he found out the regime's plan to annihilate the island where his kin lived, he abandoned his ambitions of domination to save them.

This love for his relatives became his downfall. Upon facing the sovereign, he forfeited his determination and freedom, becoming a marionette controlled to their power. Now, with what limited consciousness is left, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Garp to kill him — believing that dying would be a mercy in contrast to the torment he endures. The truth of Rocks is thus far from the tale narrated by Sengoku, and the manga presents him in a positive manner during the God Valley events.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec actually meet his end? An intriguing idea is that he is even now a servant to the ruler in the present day, acting as the scarred individual, maintaining the World Government's last ancient stone in continuous transit to prevent the One Piece from being discovered.

The Hero's Secret Defiance

Another key figure of the Divine Isle event is Garp, who has endured criticism 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 Hachinosu, leading many to wonder why he was unable to do the same for his own grandson. Comparable doubts have recently reemerged with the God Valley recollection: how could Monkey D. Garp work for the Marines, knowing the World Government treats genocide and enslavement as entertainment for the upper class?

The truth uncovers something different. The moment Garp saw the Gorosei's grotesque shapes, he attacked without hesitation. His partnership with Gol D. Roger wasn't to vanquish some villainous Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an effort to halt the sovereign, who was using Xebec as a pawn to wipe out all in the Divine Isle, even apparently, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is likely the reason Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he never desired to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, reporting directly to them.

History's Unreliable Narrators

Although the readers are seeing the Divine Isle event through a flashback narrated by Loki, including perspectives and occurrences he obviously wasn't present for, I think we can consider this account as completely truthful. The manga may provide an reason later, maybe linked to Loki's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Still, the God Valley event excellently embodies the idea that the past is written by the winners. This attitude is {