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The saying 'History is written by the victors' serves as a central theme that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Legends frequently fail to convey the complete reality, even for the most powerful figures in this story's intricate past. Oden wasn't a silly showman prancing through the streets of Wano Country; he acted out of honor and principle. Bartholomew Kuma was not a ruthless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was helping them. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend signified more than a pirate's game in search of emblems and crews.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we witness the peak of this idea. The entire God Valley narrative serves as a warning story, instructing readers not to evaluate the individuals too quickly.

Legends often fail to convey the full truth, including the most influential characters.

The series's most recent flashback, detailing the God Valley incident, represents one of the series' finest storylines to date. Apart from the thrill of seeing legends in their prime, it's compelling to see them prior to when they turned into icons — when their reputation had still not outgrow their human nature. History, as recorded by the Global Authority and retold through secondhand tales, shaped our understanding of figures like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But both the regime's accounts and the narratives of those who knew them turn out to be untrustworthy, showing only fragments of who these individuals truly were.

The Man Before the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by purpose and the bold spirit that sparked a new age of piracy, but prior to he was known as the Pirate King, he was a youth ruled by emotion and the desire to explore. When individuals speak of his myth, they typically refer to his second voyage, the epic quest in pursuit of the guide stones that lead to the final island. However not much is known about his initial travels, the one that molded him before fame found him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the globe's hidden history. His love for Shakky led him to God Valley, where he uncovered the Global Authority's darkest realities: the extermination "contests," the grotesque appearances of the Five Elders, and even the presence of the planet's unseen sovereign, Imu. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's reflections about all that's happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe finding the child of a God's Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his role in the world and pursue the reality he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Before this flashback, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec was derived almost entirely from Sengoku's account, both to the viewers and to young Navy recruits. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, ambitious man determined to achieve global control, someone so threatening that Roger and Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it transpires, Sengoku was not present at the Divine Isle; he was merely echoing the World Government's sanctioned version of occurrences, the exact story Imu approved to bury the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We are unsure if he was motivated by lust for power, revenge for his clan, or a wish for fairness, but when he discovered the government's plan to annihilate the island where his family resided, he abandoned his dreams of conquest to rescue them.

This love for his relatives became his undoing. After confronting the sovereign, he lost his will and freedom, becoming a puppet controlled to their power. Currently, with what limited awareness remains, he begs with Roger and Garp to kill him — thinking that dying would be a kindness in contrast to the torment he suffers. The truth of Rocks is thus far from the story told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic presents him in a positive light during the Divine Isle events.

Is He Living Today?

But was Rocks really meet his end? An intriguing idea is that he is even now a slave to the ruler in the present day, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the World Government's last Poneglyph in constant movement to prevent the One Piece from being discovered.

Garp's Hidden Defiance

Another protagonist of the Divine Isle event is Garp, who has endured criticism from fans for years for doing nothing as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment only grew stronger after the timeskip, when he endangered everything to rescue the young Marine at Hachinosu, causing many to question why he was unable to do the identical for his own grandson. Similar doubts have now reemerged with the God Valley flashback: how can Monkey D. Garp work for the Navy, knowing the World Government treats genocide and enslavement as entertainment for the upper class?

The reality uncovers something distinct. The instant Monkey D. Garp saw the Gorosei's grotesque forms, he struck without hesitation. His alliance with Gol D. Roger was not meant to vanquish some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an attempt to halt Imu, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to wipe out everyone in the Divine Isle, even apparently, even the World Nobles themselves. This event is likely the cause Monkey D. Garp despises the World Nobles in the present day and why he never wanted to be promoted to Admiral, reporting straight to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Narrators

Even though the readers are seeing the God Valley event through a recollection narrated by Loki, covering perspectives and events he clearly was absent for, I think we can consider this account as completely truthful. The series may provide an explanation in the future, maybe connected to Loki's still mysterious paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the God Valley incident perfectly exemplifies the notion that the past is recorded by the winners. This attitude is {