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The saying 'The past is written by the winners' serves as a key motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the narrative. Popular tales often fail to convey the full reality, even for the most influential characters in this world's intricate history. Oden wasn't a silly showman prancing through the streets of Wano Country; he behaved out of honor and conviction. Kuma wasn't a merciless villain who tore apart the Straw Hats, either; he was helping them. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend signified more than a buccaneer's contest in search of flags and followers.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we see the peak of this theme. The entire God Valley story serves as a cautionary tale, advising audiences not to judge the characters too hastily.

Legends frequently fail to capture the full truth, even for the most powerful characters.

The series's latest look back, chronicling the God Valley incident, stands as one of the story's best storylines to date. Apart from the thrill of witnessing legends in their prime, it's compelling to observe them prior to when they became icons — when their reputation had yet to surpass their humanity. The past, as written by the World Government and retold through secondhand stories, shaped our understanding of figures like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But both the government's accounts and the narratives of those who knew them prove unreliable, revealing only pieces of who these men really were.

The Individual Prior to the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been driven by purpose and the daring attitude that ignited a fresh era of piracy, but before he became the Pirate King, he was a youth governed by passion and the desire to explore. When people speak of his myth, they usually mean his later journey, the epic expedition in search of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to Laugh Tale. Yet little is understood about his initial travels, the one that shaped him before glory discovered him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger knew little of the globe's hidden past. His love for the barkeep guided him to God Valley, where he uncovered the World Government's darkest truths: the genocidal "games," the monstrous appearances of the Gorosei, and including the existence of the world's unseen ruler, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Roger's reflections about all that's happening in God Valley, but maybe discovering the child of a Holy Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his place in the world and seek the reality he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this recollection, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec was derived almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's account, each to the viewers and to young Navy recruits. He painted Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man bent on world domination, someone so dangerous 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 repeating the World Government's sanctioned narrative of events, the very narrative Imu authorized to conceal the truth about Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to overthrow Imu and dismantle the decadent World Government. We don't know if he was guided by ambition, revenge for his clan, or a desire for fairness, but when he discovered the regime's scheme to eliminate the land where his family resided, he abandoned his dreams of domination to save them.

This love for his relatives proved to be his downfall. After facing the sovereign, he forfeited his will and liberty, becoming a marionette controlled to their authority. Now, with what limited consciousness remains, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Garp to end his life — believing that death would be a mercy in contrast to the torment he endures. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the story told by Sengoku, and the comic shows him in a favorable manner during the God Valley events.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks really die? An interesting idea is that he is still a servant to the ruler in the current timeline, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the Global Authority's last ancient stone in continuous movement to prevent the One Piece from being discovered.

Garp's Secret Defiance

A further key figure of the God Valley incident is Garp, who has endured backlash from followers for a long time for standing by as Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That feeling became even more intense after the timeskip, when he endangered everything to rescue the young Marine at Hachinosu, leading many to question why he was unable to do the identical for his own grandson. Similar questions have recently reemerged with the Divine Isle flashback: how can Garp serve the Navy, aware the World Government considers mass murder and slavery as entertainment for the elite?

The truth uncovers something distinct. The instant Garp saw the Gorosei's monstrous forms, he attacked without hesitation. His alliance with Gol D. Roger wasn't to vanquish some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an attempt to stop Imu, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to wipe out everyone in God Valley, even apparently, including the World Nobles themselves. This incident is probably the reason Garp detests the World Nobles in the current era and why he not once wanted to be elevated to Admiral, reporting straight to them.

History's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Even though the readers are viewing the God Valley incident through a flashback narrated by the giant, covering viewpoints and events he obviously was absent for, I think we can consider this version as completely accurate. The manga may offer an reason later, perhaps linked to the giant's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the God Valley event perfectly embodies the idea that history is written by the victors. This mindset is {