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The adage 'History is recorded by the winners' serves as a key motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the story. Popular tales frequently do not capture the full truth, even for the most influential figures in this world's complex history. Oden wasn't a foolish performer dancing through the streets of Wano Country; he acted out of honor and principle. Bartholomew Kuma was not a ruthless villain who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was helping them. Similarly, Davy Jones meant more than a buccaneer's game in pursuit of flags and crews.

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

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

The series's latest flashback, chronicling the God Valley incident, stands as one of the story's finest arcs to date. Beyond the excitement of witnessing legends in their prime, it's gripping to observe them before they became icons — when their fame had yet to surpass their human nature. The past, as written by the Global Authority and recounted through hearsay tales, painted our understanding of individuals like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But each of the government's records and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be unreliable, revealing only pieces of who these men truly were.

The Man Prior to the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by mission and the daring spirit that ignited a fresh era of buccaneering, but prior to he became the Pirate King, he was a young man ruled by emotion and wanderlust. When people discuss his myth, they typically mean his second voyage, the grand quest in pursuit of the guide stones that point toward the final island. However not much is understood about his initial travels, the one that shaped him before fame found him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the world's secret history. His love for the barkeep guided him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the Global Authority's darkest realities: the genocidal "contests," the monstrous forms of the Gorosei, and even the existence of the world's unseen ruler, Imu. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's thoughts about all that's occurring in the Divine Isle, but perhaps discovering the child of a Holy Knight on his ship will make him realize his role in the globe and seek the truth he glimpsed from Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Before this recollection, what we knew of Xebec came mostly from Sengoku's account, each to the viewers and to young Marines. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man bent on world domination, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it turns out, the strategist was not there at the Divine Isle; he was merely echoing the World Government's approved narrative of events, the exact story Imu authorized to bury the truth about Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We are unsure if he was motivated by ambition, revenge for his family, or a desire for justice, but when he discovered the regime's plan to annihilate the island where his kin lived, he abandoned his ambitions of conquest to rescue them.

This love for his relatives became his downfall. Upon confronting the sovereign, he forfeited his determination and freedom, turning into a marionette enslaved to their authority. Currently, with what little consciousness is left, he begs with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — believing that dying would be a kindness compared to the living hell he suffers. The reality of Rocks is thus far from the story told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga presents him in a positive manner during the Divine Isle incidents.

Is He Living Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec actually meet his end? An intriguing theory is that he is even now a slave to Imu in the current timeline, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the World Government's last ancient stone in constant movement to keep the ultimate treasure from being found.

Garp's Hidden Defiance

Another key figure of the Divine Isle incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced backlash from followers for a long time for standing by as Akainu murdered Ace. That sentiment became even more intense after the time jump, when he endangered everything to rescue Koby at Hachinosu, leading many to question why he was unable to do the identical for his biological grandson. Similar questions have now reemerged with the Divine Isle recollection: how can Monkey D. Garp work for the Navy, aware the World Government treats mass murder and slavery as sport for the upper class?

The truth reveals something different. The instant Garp witnessed the Elders' monstrous forms, he attacked without hesitation. His partnership with Gol D. Roger was not meant to defeat some evil Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an effort to stop the sovereign, who was using Xebec as a tool to eliminate everyone in God Valley, even apparently, even the World Nobles themselves. This event is likely the cause Monkey D. Garp despises the World Nobles in the current era and why he never wanted to be elevated to Admiral, answering straight to them.

History's Unreliable Storytellers

Even though the readers are seeing the Divine Isle event through a flashback narrated by Loki, covering perspectives and occurrences he obviously was absent for, I believe we can treat this version as completely truthful. The manga may provide an reason later, perhaps linked to Loki's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the God Valley incident excellently embodies the idea that the past is recorded by the victors. This mindset is {