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The adage 'The past is recorded by the victors' is a central motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the narrative. Popular tales frequently fail to capture the complete truth, even for the most powerful characters in this world's intricate past. Kozuki Oden wasn't a silly showman dancing through the roads of Wano; he acted out of honor and principle. Kuma was not a merciless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hats, either; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, Davy Jones meant beyond just a buccaneer's game in pursuit of emblems and crews.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we see the peak of this theme. The entire Divine Isle narrative serves as a warning story, advising readers not to judge the individuals too hastily.

Legends frequently fail to capture the full truth, even for the most powerful figures.

The series's latest flashback, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, stands as one of the story's finest arcs to date. Beyond the thrill of seeing icons in their peak, it's gripping to observe them prior to when they turned into icons — when their fame had yet to surpass their humanity. The past, as written by the Global Authority and retold through hearsay tales, painted our perception of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and including Garp. But each of the government's records and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them prove unreliable, showing only fragments of who these men truly were.

The Individual Before the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been guided by mission and the bold attitude that sparked a new age of piracy, but before he was known as the Pirate King, he was a young man governed by passion and wanderlust. When people speak of his legend, they usually refer to his second voyage, the grand expedition in search of the guide stones that point toward Laugh Tale. However not much is known about his initial travels, the one that shaped him before glory discovered him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger knew little of the world's secret past. His love for the barkeep guided him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the Global Authority's darkest realities: the extermination "contests," the monstrous forms of the Gorosei, and even the presence of the world's hidden sovereign, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's reflections about all that's happening in God Valley, but perhaps discovering the son of a God's Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his place in the globe and seek the reality he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this flashback, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec was derived almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's account, both to the viewers and to young Marines. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, ambitious man determined to achieve world domination, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it turns out, the strategist was not there at God Valley; he was only repeating the World Government's approved narrative of events, the exact story the sovereign approved to bury the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to topple Imu and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We don't know if he was motivated by ambition, revenge for his family, or a wish for fairness, but when he discovered the government's plan to eliminate the island where his kin resided, he gave up his dreams of conquest to rescue them.

This love for his relatives proved to be his downfall. After confronting Imu, he lost his will and liberty, turning into a puppet controlled to their power. Now, with what limited awareness remains, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — thinking that dying would be a kindness in contrast to the torment he suffers. The truth of Rocks is thus very different from the tale told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga shows him in a favorable manner during the God Valley incidents.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec really meet his end? An interesting theory is that he is even now a servant to the ruler in the present day, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the World Government's last Poneglyph in continuous transit to keep the One Piece from being discovered.

Garp's Secret Defiance

Another key figure of the God Valley incident is Garp, who has endured backlash from fans for a long time for standing by as Admiral Akainu killed Ace. That feeling only grew more intense after the timeskip, when he risked everything to rescue the young Marine at Hachinosu, causing many to question why he was unable to do the same for his own grandson. Comparable questions have recently reemerged with the Divine Isle recollection: how could Garp serve the Marines, aware the World Government considers genocide and enslavement as sport for the upper class?

The truth reveals something distinct. The instant Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Gorosei's grotesque forms, he struck immediately. His alliance with Gol D. Roger was not meant to vanquish some villainous Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an attempt to stop the sovereign, who was using Xebec as a tool to wipe out everyone in the Divine Isle, even apparently, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is likely the reason Monkey D. Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he not once wanted to be promoted to Admiral, answering directly to them.

History's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Even though the readers are seeing the God Valley event through a flashback narrated by Loki, including viewpoints and events he clearly was absent for, I think we can consider this version as entirely accurate. The series may offer an reason later, perhaps linked to Loki's still mysterious paramecia ability. Still, the God Valley incident excellently embodies the notion that history is written by the winners. This mindset is {