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The saying 'The past is recorded by the winners' serves as a key theme that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the narrative. Legends frequently fail to capture the full truth, even for the most powerful figures in this story's intricate history. Oden was no foolish showman prancing through the streets of Wano; he behaved out of duty and principle. Kuma was not a ruthless antagonist who separated the Straw Hats, as well; he was helping them. Likewise, Davy Jones signified beyond just a pirate's game in search of emblems and crews.

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

Legends frequently fail to capture the full reality, including the most influential figures.

The series's most recent look back, detailing the God Valley incident, stands as one of the series' best storylines to now. Apart from the excitement of seeing legends in their peak, it's gripping to see them before they turned into icons — when their reputation had still not surpass their humanity. The past, as written by the World Government and recounted through secondhand stories, painted our understanding of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But both the regime's records and the stories of those who knew them turn out to be unreliable, showing only fragments of who these individuals really were.

The Individual Prior to the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been driven by purpose and the bold attitude that ignited a new age of buccaneering, but prior to he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a youth ruled by emotion and wanderlust. When people discuss his myth, they typically mean his second voyage, the epic expedition in search of the guide stones that lead to the final island. However little is known about his first journey, the one that shaped him before fame discovered him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the world's hidden past. His affection for Shakky led him to God Valley, where he uncovered the Global Authority's most sinister truths: the genocidal "games," the grotesque forms of the Five Elders, and including the existence of the planet's unseen ruler, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's thoughts about all that's happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the son of a Holy Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his role in the globe and pursue the truth he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this recollection, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec came mostly from Sengoku's account, each to the audience and to young Navy recruits. He depicted Xebec as a vile, ambitious man determined to achieve world domination, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it turns out, Sengoku wasn't even there at God Valley; he was only repeating the World Government's approved version of occurrences, the very narrative Imu authorized to conceal the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to topple Imu and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We don't know if he was guided by ambition, retribution for his family, or a wish for fairness, but when he discovered the government's plan to eliminate the island where his family resided, he gave up his ambitions of conquest to rescue them.

This love for his relatives became his undoing. Upon facing the sovereign, he lost his determination and freedom, becoming a puppet controlled to their authority. Currently, with what little awareness is left, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Garp to kill him — believing that dying would be a mercy in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the tale told by Sengoku, and the manga presents him in a positive light during the Divine Isle incidents.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks actually die? An interesting theory is that he is even now a slave to the ruler in the current timeline, serving 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 Rebellion

Another key figure of the God Valley incident is Garp, who has endured criticism from followers for a long time for standing by as Admiral Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That feeling only grew stronger after the time jump, when he endangered everything to save Koby at Hachinosu, causing many to question why he was unable to do the same for his own grandchild. Comparable doubts have now reemerged with the God Valley recollection: how can Monkey D. Garp serve the Marines, aware the Global Authority treats genocide and enslavement as entertainment for the upper class?

The reality reveals something distinct. The instant Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Gorosei's monstrous shapes, he attacked without hesitation. His alliance with Roger wasn't to vanquish some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an attempt to stop the sovereign, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to wipe out everyone in God Valley, including apparently, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is probably the cause Monkey D. Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he never desired to be elevated to Admiral, reporting directly to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Narrators

Even though the readers are seeing the God Valley event through a flashback recounted by the giant, including perspectives and events he obviously was absent for, I believe we can consider this account as completely truthful. The series may provide an explanation later, perhaps linked to Loki's still mysterious paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle incident excellently exemplifies the notion that the past is recorded by the winners. This attitude is {