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The adage 'History is written by the victors' is a key motif that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the narrative. Popular tales often fail to capture the complete reality, even for the most influential figures in this world's complex history. Oden was no silly showman dancing through the streets of Wano Country; he acted out of duty and principle. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a merciless villain who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, Davy Jones meant more than a pirate's contest in pursuit of emblems and followers.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we see the peak of this idea. The entire God Valley narrative acts as a warning story, advising readers not to evaluate the individuals too quickly.

Myths often do not capture the full truth, including the most influential figures.

One Piece's latest flashback, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, stands as one of the series' best storylines to date. Apart from the excitement of seeing icons in their peak, it's gripping to observe them before they turned into symbols — when their reputation had still not outgrow their human nature. History, as recorded by the Global Authority and recounted through hearsay stories, shaped our perception of figures like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But each of the government's accounts and the stories of those who were acquainted with them prove untrustworthy, showing only fragments of who these men truly were.

The Man Prior to the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been guided by purpose and the bold attitude that ignited a fresh era of buccaneering, but before he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a youth ruled by passion and the desire to explore. When people speak of his myth, they usually refer to his later journey, the epic quest in search of the guide stones that lead to Laugh Tale. Yet little is understood about his first journey, the one that shaped him before fame discovered him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the globe's hidden past. His affection for the barkeep guided him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the Global Authority's darkest realities: the genocidal "games," the grotesque appearances of the Five Elders, and even the presence of the world's hidden sovereign, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Roger's thoughts about everything occurring in the Divine Isle, but maybe finding the child of a Holy Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his role in the world and seek the reality he glimpsed from Xebec's situation.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this flashback, what we knew of Xebec was derived mostly from Sengoku's version, each to the audience and to young Navy recruits. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man bent on world domination, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it transpires, Sengoku wasn't even present at the Divine Isle; he was only echoing the Global Authority's sanctioned version of occurrences, the very story the sovereign authorized to bury 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 aimed to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We are unsure if he was guided by ambition, retribution for his clan, or a desire for fairness, but when he discovered the government's scheme to annihilate the land where his family resided, he abandoned his dreams of conquest to rescue them.

This love for his family proved to be his undoing. After confronting Imu, he forfeited his determination and freedom, turning into a puppet enslaved to their authority. Now, with what little awareness remains, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Garp to kill him — thinking that death would be a kindness in contrast to the living hell he endures. The truth of Rocks is thus very different from the story narrated by Sengoku, and the comic shows him in a favorable manner during the God Valley incidents.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks really meet his end? An interesting idea is that he is even now a slave to the ruler in the present day, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the World Government's last ancient stone in continuous movement to keep the One Piece from being found.

The Hero's Hidden Rebellion

A further protagonist of the God Valley event is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured backlash from followers for a long time for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment became even stronger after the time jump, when he endangered everything to rescue the young Marine at Pirate Island, causing many to question why he couldn't do the same for his own grandson. Similar doubts have now resurfaced with the Divine Isle flashback: how could Monkey D. Garp serve the Navy, knowing the World Government treats mass murder and enslavement as entertainment for the upper class?

The reality uncovers something different. The instant Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Elders' grotesque shapes, he struck immediately. His alliance with Gol D. Roger was not meant to defeat some villainous Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an effort to stop the sovereign, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to eliminate everyone in God Valley, including apparently, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is likely the reason Monkey D. Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he never desired to be elevated to Admiral, answering straight to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Even though the audience are seeing the Divine Isle event through a recollection narrated by Loki, including perspectives and occurrences he clearly wasn't present for, I think we can consider this version as completely truthful. The series may offer an reason later, maybe linked to Loki's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Still, the Divine Isle incident perfectly exemplifies the idea that the past is written by the winners. This attitude is {