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The saying 'The past is written by the victors' is a key theme that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the narrative. Popular tales often do not convey the complete truth, even for the most powerful characters in this world's complex history. Kozuki Oden wasn't a silly performer dancing through the streets of Wano; he behaved out of honor and principle. Kuma was not a ruthless antagonist who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend signified more than a pirate's contest in search of flags and followers.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we witness the peak of this idea. The entire Divine Isle story acts as a warning story, advising readers not to judge the characters too quickly.

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

The series's latest look back, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, represents one of the series' finest arcs to date. Apart from the thrill of witnessing legends in their prime, it's compelling to see them before they became symbols — when their fame had still not outgrow their human nature. The past, as written by the World Government and recounted through secondhand tales, shaped our understanding of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But each of the government's accounts and the stories of those who knew them turn out to be untrustworthy, showing only fragments of who these men truly were.

The Man Before the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by purpose and the bold attitude that ignited a fresh era of buccaneering, but prior to he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a youth governed by passion and wanderlust. When people discuss his myth, they typically mean his second voyage, the epic quest in search of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward the final island. Yet little is understood about his first journey, the one that shaped him before glory discovered him.

Back then, Roger was largely unaware of the world's secret past. His affection for the barkeep guided him to God Valley, where he uncovered the Global Authority's darkest truths: the extermination "games," the monstrous appearances of the Five Elders, and even the existence of the planet's hidden ruler, Imu. We haven't seen Roger's thoughts about everything occurring in God Valley, but maybe discovering the child of a God's Knight on his ship will make him realize his place in the globe and seek the truth he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this recollection, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec was derived mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's version, both to the audience and to young Navy recruits. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man determined to achieve world domination, someone so dangerous that Roger and Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it transpires, the strategist wasn't even present at God Valley; he was merely repeating the Global Authority's sanctioned version of events, the very story Imu authorized to bury 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 sought to topple the ruler and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We are unsure if he was guided by lust for power, retribution for his clan, or a desire for fairness, but when he found out the regime's plan to annihilate the land where his kin resided, he abandoned his dreams of conquest to rescue them.

This devotion for his relatives became his downfall. After facing Imu, he forfeited his determination and freedom, turning into a marionette enslaved to their power. Currently, with what little consciousness is left, he begs with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — believing that death would be a kindness compared to the torment he suffers. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the story narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic shows him in a positive light during the Divine Isle incidents.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks actually meet his end? An interesting idea is that he is even now a slave to the ruler in the present day, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the World Government's last Poneglyph in continuous movement to keep the One Piece from being found.

Garp's Hidden Rebellion

A further protagonist of the Divine Isle event is Garp, who has faced criticism from followers for a long time for standing by as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That feeling became even more intense after the timeskip, when he endangered everything to rescue Koby at Hachinosu, leading many to question why he couldn't do the identical for his own grandchild. Comparable doubts have recently reemerged with the Divine Isle flashback: how can Monkey D. Garp serve the Marines, knowing the Global Authority considers genocide and slavery as entertainment for the upper class?

The reality uncovers something different. The moment Monkey D. Garp saw the Elders' monstrous forms, he struck immediately. His alliance with Roger wasn't to defeat some villainous Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an attempt to stop the sovereign, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to eliminate all in God Valley, even apparently, including the World Nobles themselves. This incident is likely the cause Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he not once wanted to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, reporting directly to them.

History's Unreliable Storytellers

Even though the audience are viewing the God Valley incident through a flashback narrated by Loki, covering viewpoints and events he obviously was absent for, I believe we can treat this account as completely accurate. The manga may offer an explanation in the future, perhaps linked to the giant's still mysterious paramecia ability. Still, the God Valley incident perfectly embodies the notion that history is recorded by the victors. This attitude is {