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The saying 'The past is recorded by the victors' serves as a key motif that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the story. Popular tales frequently fail to capture the complete truth, including the most influential figures in this world's complex past. Oden wasn't a silly performer prancing through the roads of Wano Country; he behaved out of duty and principle. Kuma was not a merciless antagonist who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, Davy Jones signified more than a pirate's game in search of emblems and crews.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we see the peak of this idea. The whole God Valley story serves as a warning story, advising readers not to evaluate the characters too hastily.

Myths frequently do not convey the complete reality, even for the most powerful figures.

One Piece's latest look back, chronicling the God Valley event, stands as one of the series' best storylines to now. Beyond the thrill of witnessing legends in their prime, it's compelling to observe them prior to when they became symbols — when their fame had still not surpass their humanity. History, as written by the World Government and retold through secondhand stories, shaped our perception of figures like Roger, Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But each of the government's accounts and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be unreliable, showing only pieces of who these individuals really were.

The Individual Prior to the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been driven by mission and the daring attitude that sparked a fresh era of buccaneering, 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 refer to his second voyage, the grand expedition in pursuit of the guide stones that lead to Laugh Tale. However little is understood about his first journey, the one that shaped him before fame found him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger knew little of the world's secret history. His affection for the barkeep led him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the World Government's darkest realities: the extermination "games," the monstrous forms of the Five Elders, and including the existence of the planet's hidden sovereign, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's thoughts about everything occurring in God Valley, but perhaps discovering the son of a God's Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his role in the world and seek the truth he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's situation.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this flashback, what we knew of Xebec was derived almost entirely from Sengoku's account, both to the audience and to new Navy recruits. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, ambitious man bent on global control, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it turns out, Sengoku was not there at the Divine Isle; he was merely echoing the Global Authority's approved version of events, the very story the sovereign authorized to conceal the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to topple the ruler and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We don't know if he was motivated by ambition, revenge for his clan, or a desire for justice, but when he discovered the government's scheme to annihilate the island where his family resided, he gave up his dreams of conquest to save them.

This love for his relatives proved to be his undoing. Upon confronting the sovereign, he forfeited his determination and freedom, turning into a marionette controlled to their power. Now, with what little consciousness remains, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Garp to kill him — thinking that dying would be a kindness compared to the living hell he suffers. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the story narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga shows him in a favorable light during the God Valley events.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec actually meet his end? An interesting idea is that he is still a servant to Imu in the current timeline, acting as the scarred individual, maintaining the Global Authority's last ancient stone in constant transit to prevent the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

The Hero's Hidden Defiance

Another key figure of the God Valley incident is Garp, who has endured backlash from fans for years for standing by as Admiral Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment only grew more intense after the time jump, when he risked everything to rescue Koby at Pirate Island, causing many to wonder why he couldn't do the same for his own grandson. Similar doubts have now resurfaced with the God Valley flashback: how can Monkey D. Garp serve the Marines, aware the Global Authority treats mass murder and enslavement as sport for the upper class?

The reality reveals something different. The instant Garp witnessed the Elders' monstrous shapes, he struck without hesitation. His alliance with Roger was not meant to vanquish some evil Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an attempt to halt the sovereign, who was using Xebec as a pawn to eliminate all in God Valley, including it seems, even the World Nobles themselves. This event is likely the reason Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he never desired to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, answering directly to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Even though the readers are seeing the God Valley event through a flashback narrated by the giant, including perspectives and occurrences he clearly was absent for, I believe we can treat this account as entirely truthful. The manga may offer an reason in the future, perhaps linked to the giant's still mysterious paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle event excellently exemplifies the idea that history is written by the winners. This attitude is {