Alert: This article includes reveals for One Piece chapter #1164.
The saying 'History is recorded by the victors' is a central theme that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the story. Legends frequently do not capture the complete reality, even for the most powerful characters in this world's complex past. Kozuki Oden was no silly performer prancing through the streets of Wano; he behaved out of duty and principle. Kuma was not a merciless villain who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend signified more than a buccaneer's contest in search of flags and crews.
In chapter #1164 of the manga, we see the culmination of this theme. The whole Divine Isle narrative acts as a warning story, instructing audiences not to judge the characters too quickly.
Legends frequently fail to capture the complete reality, including the most powerful characters.
The series's latest look back, detailing the Divine Isle event, represents one of the series' best arcs to now. Beyond the thrill of seeing legends in their prime, it's compelling to see them prior to when they became symbols — when their reputation had yet to surpass their human nature. The past, as written by the Global Authority and retold through hearsay tales, painted our perception of figures like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But each of the regime's records and the stories of those who were acquainted with them prove unreliable, showing only pieces of who these men really were.
The future Pirate King may have been guided by purpose and the daring spirit that sparked a fresh era of buccaneering, but before he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a youth ruled by passion and the desire to explore. When people discuss his legend, they usually refer to his later journey, the epic quest in search of the guide stones that point toward the final island. Yet little is known about his first journey, the one that shaped him prior to fame found him.
Back then, Roger knew little of the globe's hidden history. His love for the barkeep led him to God Valley, where he uncovered the Global Authority's darkest realities: the genocidal "contests," the grotesque forms of the Five Elders, and even the presence of the planet's hidden ruler, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Roger's thoughts about all that's happening in God Valley, but maybe discovering the child of a Holy Knight on his ship will make him realize his role in the globe and pursue the reality he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.
Prior to this recollection, what we knew of Xebec was derived mostly from Sengoku's version, both to the audience and to young Marines. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, ambitious man determined to achieve global control, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it transpires, Sengoku wasn't even present at the Divine Isle; he was only echoing the Global Authority's sanctioned narrative of events, the very narrative the sovereign authorized to conceal the reality about Xebec and the event itself.
In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We don't know if he was motivated by lust for power, retribution for his family, or a desire for fairness, but when he found out the government's scheme to annihilate the island where his family resided, he gave up his ambitions of conquest to rescue them.
This love for his family became his undoing. Upon facing the sovereign, he lost his determination and freedom, turning into a puppet enslaved to their authority. Currently, with what little consciousness is left, he pleads with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — thinking that dying would be a kindness in contrast to the torment he endures. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the tale narrated by Sengoku, and the manga shows him in a favorable light during the God Valley incidents.
But did Rocks D. Xebec actually meet his end? An interesting theory is that he is even now a servant to the ruler in the present day, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the World Government's only remaining ancient stone in continuous transit to prevent the One Piece from being discovered.
A further protagonist of the God Valley incident is Garp, who has faced criticism from followers for a long time for doing nothing as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That feeling only grew stronger after the timeskip, when he endangered everything to rescue the young Marine at Pirate Island, causing many to question why he couldn't do the identical for his own grandson. Comparable questions have recently reemerged with the Divine Isle recollection: how can Garp work for the Navy, knowing the Global Authority treats mass murder and slavery as sport for the upper class?
The truth reveals something distinct. The moment Monkey D. Garp saw the Elders' monstrous forms, he struck immediately. His alliance with Gol D. Roger wasn't to vanquish some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an attempt to halt Imu, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to wipe out everyone in the Divine Isle, even it seems, including the World Nobles themselves. This event is probably the reason Monkey D. Garp detests the World Nobles in the present day and why he never wanted to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, reporting directly to them.
Even though the readers are seeing the God Valley incident through a flashback recounted by the giant, including perspectives and events he obviously wasn't present for, I believe we can consider this account as completely truthful. The series may offer an reason in the future, perhaps linked to the giant's still mysterious paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the God Valley incident perfectly exemplifies the notion that history is written by the victors. This attitude is {
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