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The adage 'History is recorded by the winners' serves as a key motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the story. Popular tales often fail to capture the full reality, including the most powerful figures in this world's complex past. Kozuki Oden was no silly performer dancing through the roads of Wano; he acted out of honor and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma was not a merciless villain who separated the Straw Hats, either; he was helping them. Similarly, Davy Jones meant more than a buccaneer's game in search of flags and crews.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we witness the peak of this theme. The entire God Valley story acts as a cautionary tale, advising readers not to judge the individuals too quickly.

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

The series's most recent flashback, detailing the God Valley incident, stands as one of the story's best storylines to now. Apart from the excitement of seeing icons in their prime, it's gripping to observe them before they became icons — when their fame had yet to outgrow their humanity. History, as recorded by the Global Authority and recounted through secondhand stories, shaped our perception of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and including Garp. But both the regime's accounts and the stories of those who were acquainted with them prove untrustworthy, showing only pieces of who these individuals really were.

The Individual Prior to the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been guided by purpose and the daring attitude that sparked a fresh era of piracy, but before he was known as the Pirate King, he was a youth governed by passion and the desire to explore. When people discuss his myth, they usually refer to his second voyage, the grand quest in pursuit of the guide stones that lead to Laugh Tale. However not much is known about his initial travels, the one that shaped him before glory found him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger knew little of the globe's hidden history. His love for Shakky led him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the Global Authority's darkest realities: the genocidal "contests," the monstrous appearances of the Five Elders, and including the existence of the planet's hidden sovereign, Imu. We are yet to witness Roger's reflections about everything happening in God Valley, but perhaps discovering the son of a Holy Knight on his ship will make him realize his place in the world and pursue the reality he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Before this flashback, what we knew of Xebec came almost entirely from Sengoku's version, each to the viewers and to young Marines. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, ambitious man bent on world domination, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it turns out, the strategist was not there at God Valley; he was only echoing the Global Authority's approved narrative of occurrences, the exact narrative Imu approved to conceal the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to overthrow Imu and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We are unsure if he was motivated by ambition, revenge for his family, or a desire for fairness, but when he found out the government's scheme to annihilate the island where his family lived, he gave up his ambitions of conquest to rescue them.

This devotion for his relatives proved to be his undoing. After confronting Imu, he forfeited his determination and freedom, turning into a marionette controlled to their authority. Currently, with what limited awareness is left, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — thinking that dying would be a mercy in contrast to the torment he suffers. The truth of Rocks is thus very different from the tale told by Sengoku, and the comic shows him in a positive light during the God Valley incidents.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec actually die? An intriguing theory is that he is still a servant to Imu in the current timeline, acting as the scarred individual, keeping the World Government's last ancient stone in constant transit to prevent the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

Garp's Secret Rebellion

A further key figure of the God Valley incident is Garp, who has faced backlash from fans for years for doing nothing as Akainu murdered Ace. That sentiment became even more intense after the timeskip, when he risked all to rescue Koby at Hachinosu, leading many to question why he couldn't do the same for his biological grandson. Similar doubts have now reemerged with the Divine Isle flashback: how could Garp serve the Navy, aware the Global Authority treats genocide and enslavement as sport for the upper class?

The reality uncovers something distinct. The moment Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Elders' grotesque shapes, he struck without hesitation. His partnership with Gol D. Roger was not meant to vanquish some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an attempt to halt the sovereign, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to wipe out everyone in the Divine Isle, even it seems, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is likely the cause Garp despises the World Nobles in the current era and why he never desired to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, answering straight to them.

History's Unreliable Storytellers

Although the readers are viewing the God Valley event through a flashback recounted by Loki, including perspectives and events he obviously wasn't present for, I think we can treat this version as entirely truthful. The series may offer an reason in the future, perhaps connected to Loki's yet unknown paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle event perfectly exemplifies the notion that history is recorded by the victors. This mindset is {