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The adage 'The past is recorded by the winners' is a key theme that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the story. Popular tales frequently fail to convey the full reality, even for the most influential figures in this story's intricate past. Oden wasn't a silly performer dancing through the streets of Wano Country; he behaved out of honor and principle. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a merciless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was helping them. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend meant more than a buccaneer's contest in search of emblems and crews.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we witness the peak of this idea. The entire God Valley story serves as a warning story, instructing readers not to judge the individuals too quickly.

Myths frequently do not capture the complete reality, including the most powerful figures.

The series's latest look back, detailing the God Valley event, stands as one of the story's finest arcs to now. Beyond the thrill of witnessing legends in their peak, it's compelling to observe them before they turned into icons — when their fame had yet to outgrow their human nature. The past, as recorded by the Global Authority and retold through secondhand tales, shaped our perception of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But each of the regime's accounts and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be unreliable, showing only pieces of who these individuals truly were.

The Man Prior to the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by mission and the bold attitude that sparked a new age of piracy, but prior to he became the King of the Pirates, he was a youth governed by emotion and wanderlust. When people speak of his legend, they typically mean his later journey, the epic quest in search of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward Laugh Tale. However not much is known about his initial travels, the one that shaped him prior to fame discovered him.

Back then, Roger was largely unaware of the world's secret history. His affection for the barkeep guided him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the World Government's most sinister truths: the genocidal "games," the monstrous forms of the Gorosei, and even the presence of the planet's hidden ruler, Imu. We are yet to witness Roger's thoughts about all that's happening in the Divine Isle, but perhaps discovering the son of a God's Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his place in the globe and pursue the reality he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Before this flashback, what we knew of Xebec came mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's version, each to the viewers and to new Marines. He painted Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man determined to achieve global control, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it transpires, the strategist wasn't even present at God Valley; he was only echoing the World Government's approved narrative of events, the exact story the sovereign approved to bury the truth about Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We don't know if he was guided by lust for power, retribution for his clan, or a wish for justice, but when he found out the government's plan to annihilate the island where his family lived, he abandoned his dreams of domination to rescue them.

This devotion for his family proved to be his undoing. Upon confronting Imu, he lost his determination and freedom, turning into a marionette controlled to their authority. Now, with what limited consciousness remains, he pleads with Roger and Garp to end his life — believing that death would be a mercy in contrast to the torment he endures. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the tale told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga presents him in a positive manner during the God Valley incidents.

Is He Living Today?

But was Rocks really meet his end? An intriguing idea is that he is even now a servant to the ruler in the present day, serving as the scarred individual, keeping the Global Authority's last Poneglyph in constant transit to prevent the One Piece from being discovered.

The Hero's Secret Rebellion

A further key figure of the God Valley event is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured backlash from fans for a long time for standing by as Akainu killed Ace. That feeling only grew more intense after the time jump, when he endangered all to save the young Marine at Pirate Island, causing many to wonder why he couldn't do the same for his own grandchild. Comparable questions have recently resurfaced with the Divine Isle recollection: how can Garp serve the Navy, aware the Global Authority considers genocide and slavery as entertainment for the elite?

The truth uncovers something different. The instant Garp saw the Elders' grotesque forms, he attacked without hesitation. His alliance with Roger wasn't to defeat some evil Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an effort to halt Imu, who was using Xebec as a pawn to eliminate everyone in the Divine Isle, including apparently, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is probably the reason Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he never desired to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, answering directly to them.

History's Unreliable Storytellers

Even though the audience are viewing the God Valley incident through a recollection narrated by Loki, covering perspectives and occurrences he clearly was absent for, I think we can consider this account as entirely truthful. The series may offer an reason in the future, maybe connected to Loki's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Still, the God Valley event perfectly exemplifies the idea that history is recorded by the victors. This attitude is {