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The saying 'The past is written by the winners' serves as a key motif that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the story. Legends frequently do not capture the full truth, even for the most powerful characters in this story's intricate past. Kozuki Oden was no foolish showman dancing through the roads of Wano Country; he acted out of duty and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a merciless villain who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was helping them. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend signified more than a pirate's contest in pursuit of flags and crews.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we see the culmination of this idea. The entire Divine Isle narrative acts as a warning story, advising readers not to evaluate the characters too quickly.

Legends frequently do not capture the complete reality, including the most powerful characters.

The series's most recent look back, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, represents one of the series' finest storylines to now. Apart from the thrill of witnessing icons in their peak, it's gripping to observe them before they became icons — when their reputation had yet to surpass their humanity. The past, as written by the Global Authority and retold through hearsay tales, painted our understanding of individuals like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But each of the regime's accounts and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them prove unreliable, revealing only pieces of who these individuals really were.

The Man Before the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by mission and the daring attitude that ignited a fresh era of piracy, but prior to he became the King of the Pirates, he was a young man governed by passion and the desire to explore. When people speak of his legend, they typically refer to his second voyage, the epic expedition in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward Laugh Tale. Yet not much is understood about his first journey, the one that molded him before fame discovered him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the world's secret past. His affection for the barkeep led him to God Valley, where he discovered the World Government's darkest truths: the extermination "contests," the grotesque forms of the Five Elders, and even the presence of the planet's hidden ruler, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's reflections about everything happening in the Divine Isle, but perhaps discovering the son of a Holy Knight on his ship will make him realize his place in the globe and seek the truth he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this recollection, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec came almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's version, each to the viewers and to young Navy recruits. He painted Xebec as a vile, ambitious man bent on world domination, someone so threatening that Roger and Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it transpires, the strategist wasn't even there at God Valley; he was merely repeating the World Government's approved narrative of events, the very story Imu authorized to conceal the reality about Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to topple the ruler and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We don't know if he was motivated by lust for power, retribution for his family, or a wish for fairness, but when he found out the government's plan to eliminate the land where his kin resided, he abandoned his dreams of domination to rescue them.

This love for his relatives proved to be his undoing. Upon confronting Imu, he lost his will and freedom, becoming a marionette enslaved to their power. Currently, with what limited awareness is left, he begs with Roger and Garp to kill him — thinking that death would be a mercy in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the tale told by Sengoku, and the comic presents him in a positive manner during the Divine Isle incidents.

Is He Living Today?

But was Rocks really meet his end? An interesting theory is that he is even now a servant to the ruler in the current timeline, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the Global Authority's only remaining Poneglyph in continuous movement to keep the ultimate treasure from being found.

Garp's Hidden Rebellion

A further key figure of the God Valley event is Garp, who has endured criticism from followers for years for standing by as Akainu killed Ace. That sentiment only grew more intense after the timeskip, when he risked all to rescue the young Marine at Pirate Island, causing many to question why he was unable to do the identical for his biological grandchild. Comparable questions have now resurfaced with the Divine Isle recollection: how can Monkey D. Garp work for the Marines, aware the Global Authority treats mass murder and enslavement as sport for the upper class?

The truth uncovers something different. The instant Garp saw the Gorosei's monstrous shapes, he attacked immediately. His alliance with Gol D. Roger was not meant to defeat some villainous Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an effort to halt the sovereign, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to eliminate all in God Valley, including apparently, including the World Nobles themselves. This event is likely the cause Monkey D. Garp detests the World Nobles in the present day and why he not once desired to be promoted to Admiral, answering straight to them.

History's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Even though the audience are seeing the Divine Isle event through a recollection recounted by the giant, covering perspectives and occurrences he clearly was absent for, I believe we can treat this version as entirely truthful. The series may provide an explanation in the future, maybe linked to Loki's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Still, the Divine Isle event perfectly embodies the notion that the past is written by the winners. This attitude is {