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The saying 'The past is recorded by the winners' serves as a key motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Legends frequently do not capture the complete reality, even for the most influential figures in this world's complex history. Oden was no silly performer prancing through the streets of Wano Country; he behaved out of honor and conviction. Kuma wasn't a ruthless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, Davy Jones meant beyond just a buccaneer's game in search of emblems and crews.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we witness the culmination of this theme. The entire Divine Isle narrative serves as a cautionary tale, advising readers not to judge the individuals too quickly.

Legends frequently fail to convey the complete reality, including the most influential figures.

One Piece's latest flashback, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, represents one of the series' best storylines to now. Beyond the excitement of witnessing icons in their peak, it's gripping to observe them before they became icons — when their reputation had still not outgrow their humanity. The past, as recorded by the World Government and retold through secondhand stories, painted our perception of figures like Roger, Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But each of the regime's accounts and the narratives of those who knew them turn out to be untrustworthy, showing only fragments of who these men truly were.

The Individual Before the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by mission and the bold attitude that ignited a fresh era of buccaneering, but before he became the King of the Pirates, he was a youth ruled by emotion and wanderlust. When individuals speak of his myth, they usually refer to his later journey, the epic quest in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward Laugh Tale. Yet little is understood about his initial travels, the one that molded him before glory discovered him.

Back then, Roger knew little of the world's secret history. His love for Shakky led him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the World Government's most sinister realities: the extermination "games," the monstrous appearances of the Gorosei, and including the presence of the planet's unseen ruler, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Roger's reflections about all that's happening in God Valley, but maybe finding the son of a Holy Knight on his ship will make him realize his role in the world and pursue the truth he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Before this recollection, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec came 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 world domination, someone so dangerous that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it turns out, Sengoku was not present at God Valley; he was merely echoing the World Government's sanctioned version of events, the very story the sovereign authorized to conceal the reality about Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, Rocks D. Xebec, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to topple Imu and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We don't know if he was motivated by ambition, retribution for his family, or a desire for justice, but when he found out the regime's scheme to eliminate the land where his family resided, he gave up his dreams of conquest to save them.

This devotion for his family became his undoing. Upon confronting the sovereign, he forfeited his will and liberty, becoming a puppet enslaved to their authority. Currently, with what limited consciousness is left, he pleads with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — thinking that death would be a kindness in contrast to the living hell he endures. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the tale told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic presents him in a favorable light during the God Valley incidents.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks actually meet his end? An intriguing theory is that he is still a slave to Imu in the current timeline, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the Global Authority's only remaining ancient stone in constant movement to prevent the One Piece from being discovered.

The Hero's Hidden Rebellion

A further protagonist of the Divine Isle incident is Garp, who has faced backlash from followers for a long time for doing nothing as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment became even stronger after the time jump, when he endangered everything to save the young Marine at Pirate Island, causing many to wonder why he couldn't do the same for his own grandson. Similar doubts have recently reemerged with the Divine Isle recollection: how could Garp serve the Navy, aware the World Government considers mass murder and enslavement as sport for the upper class?

The reality uncovers something different. The moment Monkey D. Garp saw the Elders' grotesque forms, he struck without hesitation. His partnership with Roger was not meant to defeat some evil Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an attempt to stop the sovereign, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to eliminate everyone in the Divine Isle, even apparently, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is likely the cause Monkey D. Garp detests the World Nobles in the current era and why he not once wanted to be promoted to Admiral, reporting straight to them.

The Past's Unreliable Storytellers

Even though the readers are seeing the Divine Isle event through a flashback narrated by Loki, including viewpoints and occurrences he obviously was absent for, I think we can consider this version as completely truthful. The series may offer an reason in the future, maybe connected to Loki's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Still, the God Valley incident perfectly embodies the idea that the past is recorded by the victors. This mindset is {