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The adage 'The past is recorded by the victors' serves as a key theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Popular tales often do not capture the full reality, even for the most influential characters in this story's complex past. Kozuki Oden was no foolish performer prancing through the streets of Wano; he acted out of honor and principle. Kuma was not a merciless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hats, as well; he was helping them. Likewise, Davy Jones meant beyond just a buccaneer's game in search of emblems and crews.

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

Legends often do not convey the complete reality, including the most influential figures.

The series's most recent look back, chronicling the God Valley incident, stands as one of the story's finest storylines to now. Beyond the excitement of seeing icons in their prime, it's compelling to see them before they became symbols — when their reputation had still not outgrow their humanity. History, as recorded by the Global Authority and recounted through hearsay tales, painted our perception of figures like Roger, Xebec, and even Garp. But each of the regime's records and the stories of those who knew them prove unreliable, showing only pieces of who these individuals truly were.

The Man Prior to the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by mission and the daring attitude that ignited a new age of piracy, but before he became the King of the Pirates, he was a youth ruled by passion and the desire to explore. When people speak of his myth, they typically refer to his later journey, the grand expedition in pursuit of the guide stones that lead to the final island. Yet little is known about his initial travels, the one that molded him prior to glory discovered him.

Back then, Roger knew little of the globe's secret past. His love for Shakky guided him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the World Government's most sinister realities: the genocidal "contests," the grotesque forms of the Gorosei, and including the presence of the world's unseen sovereign, Imu. We are yet to witness Roger's reflections about everything occurring in God Valley, but maybe discovering the son of a God's Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his place in the world and seek the truth he glimpsed from Xebec's situation.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Before this flashback, what we knew of Xebec came almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's account, both to the audience and to new Marines. He depicted Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man determined to achieve world domination, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it turns out, the strategist wasn't even there at the Divine Isle; he was merely echoing the World Government's sanctioned narrative of occurrences, the exact narrative Imu approved to conceal the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to topple Imu and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We don't know if he was motivated by lust for power, retribution for his family, or a wish for justice, but when he found out the government's plan to annihilate the land where his kin resided, he abandoned his ambitions of domination to save them.

This devotion for his family proved to be his downfall. After facing Imu, he forfeited his determination and liberty, becoming a marionette controlled to their authority. Currently, with what little consciousness remains, he pleads with Roger and Garp to end his life — thinking that dying would be a mercy in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the story narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic presents him in a positive light during the God Valley events.

Could He Be Living Today?

But was Rocks really meet his end? An intriguing idea is that he is even now a servant to the ruler in the present day, serving as the scarred individual, maintaining the Global Authority's only remaining Poneglyph in continuous transit to prevent the ultimate treasure from being found.

The Hero's Secret Defiance

A further key figure of the Divine Isle incident is Garp, who has endured criticism from fans for a long time for doing nothing as Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That feeling only grew stronger after the time jump, when he endangered all to rescue the young Marine at Pirate Island, leading many to wonder why he was unable to do the same for his own grandson. Comparable doubts have recently reemerged with the Divine Isle recollection: how can Monkey D. Garp work for the Navy, aware the World Government treats genocide and enslavement as entertainment for the elite?

The truth uncovers something distinct. The moment Garp saw the Elders' monstrous forms, he attacked without hesitation. His alliance with Roger was not meant to vanquish some evil Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an effort to halt the sovereign, who was manipulating Xebec as a tool to eliminate everyone in God Valley, including it seems, including the World Nobles themselves. This incident is likely the reason Garp despises the World Nobles in the current era and why he never wanted to be elevated to Admiral, reporting straight to them.

History's Untrustworthy Narrators

Even though the readers are seeing the God Valley incident through a recollection narrated by the giant, covering perspectives and occurrences he obviously was absent for, I think we can consider this account as completely truthful. The series may provide an reason in the future, perhaps connected to the giant's still mysterious paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the God Valley event excellently embodies the idea that the past is recorded by the winners. This mindset is {