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The saying 'History is recorded by the winners' serves as a key theme that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the narrative. Popular tales frequently do not convey the full reality, even for the most powerful figures in this world's intricate past. Oden was no silly showman dancing through the roads of Wano Country; he behaved out of honor and principle. Kuma wasn't a ruthless antagonist who separated the Straw Hats, as well; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend signified beyond just a pirate's contest in search of flags and followers.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we witness the peak of this theme. The entire God Valley story acts as a cautionary tale, instructing readers not to judge the characters too quickly.

Myths frequently do not capture the full reality, even for the most powerful figures.

One Piece's most recent flashback, detailing the God Valley event, stands as one of the story's finest arcs to date. Beyond the excitement of witnessing icons in their prime, it's gripping to observe them before they became icons — when their fame had still not outgrow their humanity. History, as recorded by the World Government and retold through hearsay stories, shaped our perception of figures like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Garp. But each of the government's records and the stories of those who were acquainted with them prove untrustworthy, showing only fragments of who these individuals really were.

The Individual Before the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by mission and the bold attitude that ignited a new age of buccaneering, 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 legend, they typically refer to his second voyage, the grand quest in pursuit of the guide stones that lead to Laugh Tale. Yet little is understood about his first journey, the one that shaped him prior to fame found him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger knew little of the world's hidden history. His love for Shakky guided him to God Valley, where he uncovered the Global Authority's most sinister truths: the extermination "contests," the monstrous forms of the Gorosei, and even the presence of the world's unseen sovereign, Imu. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's reflections about all that's occurring in God Valley, but maybe finding the son of a Holy Knight on his vessel will make him realize his place in the world and seek the truth he glimpsed from Xebec's situation.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this flashback, what we were aware of of Xebec came almost entirely from Sengoku's version, both to the viewers and to young Marines. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man bent on global control, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it transpires, Sengoku was not present at God Valley; he was merely repeating the World Government's sanctioned version of occurrences, the exact narrative the sovereign approved to conceal the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to topple the ruler and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We are unsure if he was motivated by lust for power, revenge for his clan, or a wish for justice, but when he found out the government's scheme to eliminate the land where his family resided, he abandoned his dreams of domination to save them.

This devotion for his family proved to be his undoing. Upon facing the sovereign, he lost his determination and liberty, turning into a puppet enslaved to their authority. Currently, with what little awareness remains, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — thinking that death would be a mercy compared to the living hell he endures. The reality of Rocks is thus far from the story narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga presents him in a positive light during the God Valley incidents.

Could He Be Living Today?

But did Rocks actually die? An interesting idea is that he is still a slave to Imu in the current timeline, serving as the scarred individual, maintaining the World Government's last ancient stone in continuous movement to keep the One Piece from being found.

The Hero's Hidden Rebellion

A further key figure of the God Valley incident is Garp, who has endured criticism from followers for a long time for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That feeling became even more intense after the time jump, when he risked everything to save Koby at Pirate Island, leading many to question why he was unable to do the identical for his own grandson. Similar doubts have recently reemerged with the Divine Isle flashback: how can Monkey D. Garp work for the Marines, knowing the Global Authority considers genocide and slavery as sport for the elite?

The truth reveals something different. The moment Garp witnessed the Gorosei's monstrous forms, he struck immediately. His alliance with Roger wasn't to vanquish some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an attempt to halt the sovereign, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to wipe out everyone in the Divine Isle, including apparently, including the World Nobles themselves. This event is probably the cause Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he never wanted to be elevated to Admiral, reporting straight to them.

History's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Even though the audience are viewing the God Valley event through a flashback narrated by the giant, including perspectives and occurrences he clearly was absent for, I believe we can consider this version as entirely accurate. The manga may provide an explanation in the future, perhaps linked to the giant's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Still, the God Valley incident perfectly embodies the notion that the past is written by the victors. This attitude is {