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The adage 'The past is recorded by the victors' serves as a central motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the narrative. Legends often fail to capture the full reality, even for the most influential figures in this story's complex past. Oden was no foolish showman dancing through the streets of Wano Country; he acted out of honor and principle. Bartholomew Kuma was not a ruthless antagonist who separated the Straw Hats, as well; he was helping them. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend signified beyond just a buccaneer's game in search of flags and crews.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we see the culmination of this theme. The entire Divine Isle narrative acts as a warning story, advising audiences not to evaluate the individuals too hastily.

Myths often fail to capture the full truth, even for the most influential characters.

One Piece's most recent look back, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, stands as one of the story's best arcs to date. Apart from the thrill of seeing icons in their prime, it's compelling to see them prior to when they became icons — when their reputation had yet to outgrow their humanity. The past, as written by the World Government and recounted through secondhand tales, shaped our perception of individuals like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Garp. But both the government's records and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be untrustworthy, showing only pieces of who these individuals really were.

The Man Before the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by purpose and the daring attitude that sparked a new age of buccaneering, but prior to he was known as the Pirate King, he was a young man governed by passion and wanderlust. When individuals speak of his myth, they usually mean his later journey, the grand quest in search of the guide stones that point toward Laugh Tale. Yet not much is known about his first journey, the one that molded him prior to glory discovered him.

At that time, Roger knew little of the globe's secret history. His love for Shakky guided him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the Global Authority's most sinister realities: the genocidal "games," the monstrous appearances of the Five Elders, and including the existence of the planet's hidden sovereign, Imu. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's thoughts about all that's occurring in God Valley, but perhaps finding the son of a God's Knight on his vessel will make him realize his place in the world and seek the truth he glimpsed from Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Before this flashback, what we knew of Xebec was derived almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's version, each to the audience and to young Navy recruits. He depicted Xebec as a vile, ambitious man determined to achieve world domination, someone so dangerous that Roger and Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it turns out, Sengoku wasn't even present at God Valley; he was only echoing the Global Authority's approved version of events, the very story the sovereign approved to conceal the reality about Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the decadent World Government. We are unsure if he was guided by ambition, revenge 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 gave up his ambitions of conquest to save them.

This devotion for his relatives became his downfall. Upon facing the sovereign, he lost his determination and freedom, turning into a puppet controlled to their authority. Now, with what little awareness remains, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — thinking that dying would be a kindness in contrast to the torment he endures. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the tale told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga shows him in a favorable manner during the Divine Isle events.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec really meet his end? An interesting theory is that he is even now a slave to the ruler in the current timeline, acting as the scarred individual, maintaining the World Government's last ancient stone in continuous transit to prevent the One Piece from being found.

The Hero's Secret Defiance

A further protagonist of the Divine Isle incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced criticism from followers for a long time for doing nothing as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That feeling became even stronger after the time jump, when he endangered everything to rescue Koby at Hachinosu, leading many to question why he was unable to do the identical for his own grandchild. Similar questions have recently reemerged with the God Valley recollection: how can Monkey D. Garp work for the Marines, knowing the World Government considers genocide and slavery as entertainment for the upper class?

The truth reveals something different. The moment Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Gorosei's grotesque forms, he attacked immediately. His alliance with Gol D. Roger wasn't to defeat some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an attempt to halt Imu, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to eliminate all in the Divine Isle, including it seems, even the World Nobles themselves. This incident is likely the reason Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he not once desired to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, reporting straight to them.

History's Unreliable Narrators

Although the readers are viewing the Divine Isle incident through a flashback narrated by the giant, including viewpoints and occurrences he obviously was absent for, I think we can consider this version as entirely truthful. The manga may provide an reason later, maybe linked to Loki's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the God Valley incident perfectly embodies the idea that history is written by the winners. This mindset is {