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The saying 'The past is recorded by the victors' is a key motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the narrative. Popular tales frequently do not convey the complete reality, including the most influential characters in this world's intricate past. Oden was no silly showman dancing through the streets of Wano; he behaved out of honor and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma was not a merciless villain who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend signified more than a buccaneer's game in search of emblems and crews.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we witness the culmination of this idea. The whole God Valley narrative serves as a cautionary tale, advising audiences not to judge the individuals too hastily.

Myths frequently fail to convey the complete truth, even for the most influential figures.

One Piece's most recent flashback, chronicling the Divine Isle event, represents one of the series' finest arcs to now. Apart from the excitement of witnessing icons in their peak, it's compelling to observe them prior to when they turned into icons — when their reputation had still not outgrow their humanity. The past, as written by the Global Authority and recounted through secondhand stories, painted our understanding of figures like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Garp. But both the regime's records and the stories of those who knew them prove untrustworthy, revealing only pieces of who these individuals truly were.

The Man Before the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by purpose and the bold attitude that sparked a new age of buccaneering, but prior to he was known as the Pirate King, he was a youth ruled by passion and the desire to explore. When individuals discuss his myth, they usually refer to his later journey, the grand quest in search of the guide stones that point toward the final island. However little is known about his first journey, the one that shaped him prior to fame discovered him.

At that time, Roger was largely unaware of the world's hidden history. His affection for Shakky guided him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the World Government's most sinister truths: the extermination "contests," the grotesque forms of the Five Elders, and even the presence of the world's unseen ruler, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's thoughts about everything happening in God Valley, but perhaps discovering the child of a God's Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his role in the globe and pursue the reality he glimpsed from Xebec's situation.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Before this flashback, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec was derived almost entirely from Sengoku's version, each to the audience and to young Navy recruits. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man determined to achieve global control, someone so dangerous that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it transpires, Sengoku was not there at the Divine Isle; he was merely repeating the World Government's approved narrative of occurrences, the very narrative the sovereign authorized to conceal the truth about Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the decadent World Government. We are unsure if he was motivated by ambition, revenge for his family, or a wish for fairness, but when he found out the regime's plan to annihilate the land where his kin lived, he gave up his dreams of domination to rescue them.

This love for his family proved to be his downfall. Upon confronting Imu, he lost his determination and freedom, becoming a marionette enslaved to their authority. Currently, with what little awareness remains, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Garp to kill him — thinking that dying would be a kindness in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The reality of Rocks is thus far from the tale narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic shows him in a favorable light during the Divine Isle incidents.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec really meet his end? An intriguing theory is that he is still a servant to the ruler in the current timeline, serving as the scarred individual, keeping the Global Authority's only remaining Poneglyph in constant movement to keep the One Piece from being found.

The Hero's Secret Defiance

Another key figure of the Divine Isle incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured criticism from fans for years for standing by as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment only grew stronger after the timeskip, when he endangered all to save the young Marine at Pirate Island, causing many to question why he was unable to do the same for his own grandchild. Comparable doubts have now reemerged with the Divine Isle recollection: how can Monkey D. Garp serve the Navy, knowing the World Government treats genocide and slavery as sport for the upper class?

The reality uncovers something distinct. The instant Garp saw the Elders' monstrous shapes, he struck immediately. His partnership with Roger was not meant to defeat some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an attempt to stop Imu, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to eliminate all in the Divine Isle, even it seems, even the World Nobles themselves. This event is probably the reason Garp detests the World Nobles in the current era and why he never wanted to be promoted to Admiral, answering straight to them.

History's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Although the readers are viewing the Divine Isle incident through a flashback recounted by the giant, covering perspectives and occurrences he clearly wasn't present for, I believe we can treat this account as entirely accurate. The manga may offer an reason later, maybe linked to Loki's still mysterious paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle incident excellently embodies the notion that history is written by the winners. This mindset is {