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The saying 'History is written by the winners' is a key motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the narrative. Legends often fail to capture the full reality, including the most powerful characters in this story's complex history. Oden was no silly showman dancing through the streets of Wano Country; he acted out of honor and conviction. Kuma was not a ruthless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hats, as well; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend signified beyond just a pirate's contest in search of emblems and crews.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we witness the peak of this idea. The whole Divine Isle story serves as a cautionary tale, instructing audiences not to evaluate the characters too quickly.

Myths frequently do not capture the full reality, including the most influential characters.

One Piece's latest look back, detailing the God Valley incident, stands as one of the series' finest storylines to now. Beyond the thrill of witnessing legends in their peak, it's compelling to observe them before they became symbols — when their fame had yet to outgrow their humanity. History, as written by the World Government and retold through secondhand stories, shaped our perception of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and including Garp. But both the regime's accounts and the stories of those who knew them prove unreliable, showing only pieces of who these men truly were.

The Individual Prior to the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by mission and the bold spirit that ignited a new age of buccaneering, but before he became the Pirate King, he was a young man ruled by emotion and the desire to explore. When individuals discuss his legend, they usually mean his second voyage, the grand quest in pursuit of the guide stones that point toward Laugh Tale. However not much is known about his first journey, the one that shaped him prior to glory discovered him.

Back then, Roger was largely unaware of the world's secret history. His love for Shakky guided him to God Valley, where he discovered the World Government's most sinister realities: the genocidal "contests," the monstrous forms of the Gorosei, and even the existence of the world's hidden sovereign, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Roger's thoughts about everything happening in the Divine Isle, but perhaps finding the son of a Holy Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his place in the globe and pursue the reality he glimpsed from Xebec's situation.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this recollection, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec came mostly from Sengoku's account, each to the audience and to young Navy recruits. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, ambitious man determined to achieve world domination, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it turns out, Sengoku was not there at the Divine Isle; he was only echoing the World Government's sanctioned version of events, the very narrative Imu authorized to conceal the reality about Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to overthrow Imu and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We don't know if he was guided by lust for power, retribution for his family, or a desire for fairness, but when he found out the government's plan to eliminate the land where his family lived, he gave up his dreams of conquest to rescue them.

This devotion for his relatives became his downfall. Upon confronting Imu, he forfeited his will and liberty, turning into a marionette enslaved to their authority. Now, with what little consciousness remains, he pleads with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — thinking that dying would be a kindness compared to the torment he suffers. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the tale narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic shows him in a favorable light during the God Valley events.

Could He Be Living Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec really die? An interesting theory is that he is even now a servant to Imu in the current timeline, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the World Government's only remaining ancient stone in constant movement to prevent the One Piece from being found.

The Hero's Secret Rebellion

Another protagonist of the Divine Isle event is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured criticism from fans for a long time for standing by as Akainu murdered Ace. That sentiment became even more intense after the timeskip, when he endangered all to save Koby at Pirate Island, leading many to question why he was unable to do the identical for his own grandson. Similar doubts have recently resurfaced with the Divine Isle flashback: how can Monkey D. Garp serve the Navy, knowing the World Government treats mass murder and enslavement as entertainment for the elite?

The truth reveals something different. The instant Garp witnessed the Gorosei's monstrous shapes, he attacked immediately. His alliance with Gol D. Roger was not meant to defeat some evil Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an attempt to halt the sovereign, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to wipe out all in God Valley, even it seems, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is likely the cause Monkey D. Garp despises the World Nobles in the present day and why he not once desired to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, reporting straight to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Even though the audience are viewing the God Valley incident through a flashback recounted by the giant, covering perspectives and events he obviously was absent for, I think we can consider this version as completely accurate. The series may provide an reason later, perhaps linked to Loki's still mysterious paramecia ability. Still, the Divine Isle incident excellently embodies the notion that the past is recorded by the winners. This attitude is {