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The adage 'The past is recorded by the winners' serves as a central motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the narrative. Legends frequently do not convey the complete reality, including the most influential figures in this story's complex past. Oden wasn't a silly showman dancing through the roads of Wano; he acted out of duty and principle. Kuma was not a merciless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hats, either; he was helping them. Likewise, Davy Jones meant more than a pirate's game in search of flags and crews.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we witness the culmination of this theme. The whole God Valley narrative serves as a cautionary tale, instructing audiences not to evaluate the characters too quickly.

Myths frequently fail to convey the complete reality, including the most powerful figures.

One Piece's latest look back, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, stands as one of the story's best storylines to date. Apart from the thrill of witnessing legends in their prime, it's gripping to observe them before they became icons — when their reputation had still not surpass their human nature. The past, as recorded by the Global Authority and recounted through secondhand stories, painted our perception of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Garp. But each of the government's records and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be unreliable, revealing only pieces of who these men really were.

The Individual Before the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been guided by mission and the bold spirit that sparked a new age of buccaneering, but before he was known as the Pirate King, he was a young man ruled by emotion and wanderlust. When people speak of his legend, they usually refer to his second voyage, the grand quest in pursuit of the guide stones that lead to the final island. Yet little is understood about his first journey, the one that shaped him prior to glory found him.

Back then, Roger was largely unaware of the globe's hidden past. His love for Shakky guided him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the World Government's most sinister realities: the extermination "contests," the grotesque forms of the Five Elders, and including the presence of the planet's hidden sovereign, Imu. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's thoughts about all that's occurring in the Divine Isle, but maybe finding the son of a Holy Knight on his vessel will make him realize his role in the world and pursue the truth he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's situation.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Before this recollection, what we were aware of of Xebec came mostly from Sengoku's version, each to the audience and to new Marines. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man determined to achieve global control, someone so dangerous that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it transpires, the strategist was not present at the Divine Isle; he was only echoing the Global Authority's approved version of occurrences, the exact story Imu approved to bury the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the decadent World Government. We don't know if he was guided by lust for power, retribution for his family, or a wish for justice, but when he found out the government's scheme to annihilate the island where his kin resided, he gave up his dreams of domination to save them.

This love for his relatives proved to be his downfall. After facing Imu, he forfeited his will and liberty, turning into a marionette enslaved to their power. Now, with what limited awareness remains, he pleads with Roger and Garp to kill him — believing that dying would be a mercy compared to the living hell he suffers. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the story narrated by Sengoku, and the manga presents him in a positive light during the God Valley events.

Is He Living Today?

But was Rocks actually meet his end? An intriguing theory is that he is still a slave to the ruler in the current timeline, serving as the scarred individual, maintaining the World Government's last ancient stone in constant transit to prevent the One Piece from being discovered.

The Hero's Hidden Rebellion

A further protagonist of the Divine Isle event is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced backlash from followers for a long time for doing nothing as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That feeling only grew stronger after the timeskip, when he endangered all to save Koby at Hachinosu, causing many to question why he was unable to do the same for his biological grandchild. Comparable questions have now resurfaced with the Divine Isle recollection: how could Monkey D. Garp work for the Navy, knowing the World Government considers mass murder and slavery as entertainment for the elite?

The truth reveals something different. The moment Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Gorosei's grotesque shapes, he struck without hesitation. His partnership with Roger was not meant to defeat some evil Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an attempt to halt Imu, who was using Xebec as a tool to eliminate everyone in the Divine Isle, including it seems, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is probably the cause Monkey D. Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he never desired to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, reporting directly to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Although the readers are viewing the Divine Isle event through a recollection narrated by the giant, including perspectives and occurrences he obviously was absent for, I think we can consider this version as completely accurate. The series may offer an reason in the future, perhaps connected to the giant's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle event perfectly exemplifies the notion that history is recorded by the victors. This mindset is {