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The adage 'The past is recorded by the winners' is a key theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the story. Legends often do not convey the complete truth, even for the most influential figures in this world's complex history. Kozuki Oden wasn't a silly showman dancing through the streets of Wano Country; he behaved out of honor and principle. Kuma was not a ruthless villain who separated the Straw Hats, either; he was helping them. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend signified beyond just a buccaneer's contest in pursuit of emblems and crews.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we witness the peak of this idea. The entire God Valley narrative acts as a warning story, advising audiences not to evaluate the characters too quickly.

Legends frequently do not convey the full reality, including the most influential characters.

One Piece's latest look back, detailing the God Valley event, stands as one of the story's finest arcs to now. Beyond the thrill of seeing icons in their peak, it's gripping to observe them before they turned into icons — when their fame had yet to surpass their human nature. History, as recorded by the World Government and recounted through hearsay stories, shaped our perception of figures like Roger, Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But each of the regime's records and the stories of those who knew them turn out to be unreliable, revealing only fragments of who these individuals really were.

The Individual Prior to the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been driven by purpose and the bold spirit that ignited a new age of buccaneering, but before he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a young man ruled by emotion and wanderlust. When individuals speak of his myth, they typically mean his second voyage, the grand quest in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward Laugh Tale. However little is known about his initial travels, the one that molded him before glory discovered him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger knew little of the globe's secret history. His love for the barkeep led him to God Valley, where he uncovered the Global Authority's most sinister realities: the extermination "games," the monstrous appearances of the Gorosei, and even the presence of the world's hidden sovereign, Imu. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's thoughts about all that's occurring in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the child of a Holy Knight on his vessel will make him realize his place in the globe and seek the truth he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this recollection, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec came almost entirely from Sengoku's version, both to the viewers and to young Navy recruits. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man bent on global control, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it transpires, Sengoku was not there at the Divine Isle; he was only repeating the World Government's sanctioned narrative of events, the very story the sovereign authorized to bury the reality about Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to topple Imu and dismantle the decadent World Government. We don't know if he was guided by ambition, revenge for his family, or a wish for justice, but when he discovered the regime's plan to eliminate the land where his family resided, he gave up his ambitions of conquest to rescue them.

This devotion for his family proved to be his downfall. After facing Imu, he forfeited his will and liberty, becoming a marionette controlled to their authority. Currently, with what limited consciousness remains, he begs with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — believing that dying would be a mercy compared to the living hell he suffers. The truth of Rocks is thus far from the story narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic presents him in a favorable manner during the God Valley incidents.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks actually meet his end? An interesting idea is that he is still a slave to Imu in the current timeline, acting as the scarred individual, keeping the World Government's only remaining Poneglyph in constant transit to keep the ultimate treasure from being found.

Garp's Secret Defiance

Another key figure of the God Valley event is Garp, who has endured criticism from fans for a long time for standing by as Admiral Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment became even stronger after the timeskip, when he risked all to rescue Koby at Hachinosu, causing many to wonder why he was unable to do the identical for his own grandson. Comparable questions have now reemerged with the Divine Isle flashback: how could Monkey D. Garp work for the Marines, aware the World Government treats genocide and enslavement as entertainment for the upper class?

The truth uncovers something different. The moment Garp saw the Elders' monstrous shapes, he struck immediately. His alliance with Gol D. Roger was not meant to vanquish some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an attempt to halt the sovereign, who was manipulating Xebec as a pawn to eliminate all in God Valley, including it seems, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is likely the cause Monkey D. Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he never desired to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, answering directly to them.

The Past's Unreliable Storytellers

Although the readers are seeing the God Valley incident through a recollection narrated by the giant, covering viewpoints and occurrences he clearly wasn't present for, I believe we can consider this account as entirely accurate. The manga may offer an explanation later, perhaps linked to Loki's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle event excellently exemplifies the idea that the past is written by the winners. This attitude is {