Warning: This piece contains spoilers for One Piece chapter #1164.
The saying 'The past is recorded by the victors' is a key theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Legends frequently do not capture the full reality, including the most powerful characters in this world's complex past. Kozuki Oden was no silly showman prancing through the roads of Wano; he acted out of honor and conviction. Kuma wasn't a ruthless villain who separated the Straw Hats, either; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend meant more than a pirate's game in search of emblems and crews.
In installment #1164 of One Piece, we see the peak of this idea. The entire God Valley narrative acts as a warning story, instructing audiences not to evaluate the characters too hastily.
Myths often do not convey the full reality, including the most powerful characters.
The series's latest flashback, detailing the God Valley incident, represents one of the series' best storylines to date. Apart from the thrill of seeing icons in their peak, it's compelling to see them prior to when they became symbols — when their fame had yet to outgrow their human nature. The past, as recorded by the Global Authority and recounted through hearsay tales, painted our understanding of figures like Roger, Xebec, and even Garp. But both the government's accounts and the stories of those who knew them prove unreliable, showing only pieces of who these individuals truly were.
The Individual Before the Legend
Gol D. Roger may have been guided by mission and the bold attitude that sparked a fresh era of piracy, but prior to he became the King of the Pirates, he was a young man governed by emotion and the desire to explore. When individuals speak of his myth, they usually refer to his later journey, the epic quest in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to Laugh Tale. However not much is understood about his initial travels, the one that molded him before glory found him.
Back then, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the world's secret history. His affection for the barkeep guided him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the World Government's most sinister realities: the genocidal "contests," the monstrous appearances of the Five Elders, and including the presence of the world's unseen ruler, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Roger's thoughts about everything happening in the Divine Isle, but perhaps discovering the son of a Holy Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his place in the world and pursue the truth he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.
The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec
Prior to this flashback, what we knew of Xebec came almost entirely from Sengoku's account, each to the viewers and to new Marines. He depicted Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man determined to achieve world domination, someone so threatening that Roger and Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it transpires, Sengoku wasn't even present at the Divine Isle; he was only repeating the Global Authority's sanctioned narrative of events, the very story Imu approved to conceal the reality about Xebec and the incident itself.
In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to overthrow Imu and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We are unsure if he was motivated by ambition, retribution for his family, or a wish for fairness, but when he found out the government's plan to annihilate the land where his kin resided, he gave up his ambitions of conquest to save them.
This devotion for his relatives proved to be his undoing. Upon facing the sovereign, he lost his determination and liberty, becoming a puppet controlled to their power. Now, with what limited awareness is left, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — thinking that dying would be a kindness in contrast to the living hell he endures. The reality of Rocks is thus far from the tale told by Sengoku, and the comic presents him in a positive manner during the Divine Isle incidents.
Could He Be Still Alive Today?
But did Rocks really die? An intriguing idea 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 only remaining ancient stone in continuous movement to prevent the One Piece from being found.
The Hero's Hidden Rebellion
A further protagonist of the Divine Isle incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured backlash from fans for a long time for standing by as Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That feeling became even stronger after the timeskip, when he endangered all to save the young Marine at Pirate Island, leading many to wonder why he couldn't do the same for his own grandchild. Comparable questions have now reemerged with the Divine Isle recollection: how could Monkey D. Garp work for the Navy, knowing the Global Authority considers genocide and slavery as sport for the upper class?
The truth uncovers something distinct. The moment Garp witnessed the Gorosei's monstrous forms, he attacked immediately. His partnership with Roger wasn't to vanquish some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an effort to stop Imu, who was manipulating Xebec as a pawn to wipe out all in the Divine Isle, even it seems, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is probably the cause Garp despises the World Nobles in the current era and why he never wanted to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, reporting straight to them.
History's Untrustworthy Storytellers
Even though the readers are viewing the God Valley incident through a flashback recounted by Loki, covering perspectives and events he obviously wasn't present for, I think we can consider this version as entirely truthful. The manga may provide an reason later, perhaps connected to the giant's still mysterious paramecia ability. Still, the Divine Isle incident perfectly exemplifies the notion that the past is written by the winners. This mindset is {
