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The saying 'History is recorded by the winners' serves as a key motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the story. Legends frequently do not capture the full truth, even for the most influential characters in this story's intricate past. Kozuki Oden was no silly showman dancing through the streets of Wano Country; he behaved out of honor and principle. Bartholomew Kuma was not a merciless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend signified beyond just a buccaneer's contest in pursuit of emblems and crews.

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

Legends often fail to convey the complete truth, even for the most influential figures.

One Piece's latest flashback, chronicling the God Valley event, represents one of the series' finest arcs to date. Apart from the excitement of seeing legends in their prime, it's gripping to see them before they turned into icons — when their reputation had yet to surpass their human nature. The past, as recorded by the Global Authority and retold through secondhand tales, shaped our understanding of figures like Roger, Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But each of the regime's records and the stories of those who knew them prove unreliable, showing only pieces of who these individuals really were.

The Individual Prior to the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been guided by mission and the bold attitude that ignited a new age of piracy, but before he became the King of the Pirates, he was a youth governed by passion and wanderlust. When individuals speak of his myth, they typically mean his later journey, the epic expedition in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to the final island. Yet little is known about his initial travels, the one that molded him before fame found him.

Back then, Roger was largely unaware of the world's hidden history. His affection for the barkeep guided him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the World Government's darkest truths: the genocidal "contests," the grotesque appearances of the Five Elders, and even the presence of the world's unseen ruler, Imu. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's thoughts about all that's occurring in God Valley, but perhaps discovering the child of a God's Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his place in the world and pursue the truth he glimpsed from Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this flashback, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec came almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's account, each to the audience and to new Navy recruits. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, ambitious man determined to achieve global control, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it transpires, Sengoku was not present at God Valley; he was only echoing the World Government's approved narrative of occurrences, the very story Imu approved to conceal the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We are unsure if he was guided by ambition, revenge for his clan, or a wish for fairness, but when he discovered the government's plan to annihilate the land where his family lived, he gave up his dreams of conquest to save them.

This devotion for his family became his undoing. Upon facing Imu, he forfeited his will and liberty, turning into a marionette enslaved to their authority. Currently, with what little awareness is left, he pleads with Roger and Garp to kill him — thinking that dying would be a mercy compared to the torment he suffers. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the story narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga shows him in a positive light during the Divine Isle events.

Is He Living Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec really meet his end? An interesting idea is that he is even now a slave to the ruler in the present day, acting as the scarred individual, maintaining the World Government's last ancient stone in constant transit to keep the ultimate treasure from being found.

Garp's Hidden Rebellion

A further key figure of the God Valley event is Garp, who has faced backlash from followers for a long time for standing by as Akainu murdered Ace. That sentiment only grew stronger after the timeskip, when he risked everything to rescue the young Marine at Hachinosu, causing many to wonder why he couldn't do the identical for his biological grandson. Comparable doubts have recently reemerged with the God Valley recollection: how could Monkey D. Garp work for the Navy, knowing the World Government considers genocide and enslavement as sport for the upper class?

The reality uncovers something different. The moment Garp witnessed the Elders' grotesque forms, he struck without hesitation. His partnership with Gol D. Roger wasn't to defeat some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an attempt to halt Imu, who was using Xebec as a pawn to eliminate all in the Divine Isle, including it seems, including the World Nobles themselves. This event is likely the reason Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he not once wanted to be elevated to Admiral, answering straight to them.

The Past's Unreliable Storytellers

Although the readers are viewing the Divine Isle event through a flashback recounted by the giant, covering viewpoints and occurrences he obviously wasn't present for, I believe we can consider this version as entirely accurate. The manga may offer an explanation later, perhaps linked to the giant's still mysterious paramecia ability. Still, the Divine Isle incident perfectly embodies the idea that history is written by the winners. This mindset is {