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The adage 'History 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 story. Legends frequently do not convey the complete reality, including the most influential characters in this story's intricate past. Oden wasn't a silly showman prancing through the roads of Wano Country; he behaved out of honor and conviction. Kuma was not a ruthless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hats, either; he was helping them. Likewise, Davy Jones meant beyond just a pirate's game in pursuit of flags and crews.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we see the peak of this theme. The entire God Valley story serves as a cautionary tale, advising audiences not to judge the individuals too quickly.

Myths frequently do not capture the full reality, including the most powerful figures.

One Piece's most recent flashback, detailing the Divine Isle incident, represents one of the series' best storylines to now. Apart from the excitement of witnessing icons in their prime, it's compelling to observe them prior to when they turned into symbols — when their fame had still not outgrow their human nature. History, as written by the Global Authority and recounted through hearsay tales, shaped our perception of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But both the government's accounts and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be unreliable, showing only pieces of who these men really were.

The Man Before the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by mission and the bold spirit that sparked a new age of buccaneering, but prior to he was known as the Pirate King, he was a young man governed by emotion and the desire to explore. When individuals speak of his myth, they typically refer to his later journey, the epic expedition in search of the guide stones that lead to Laugh Tale. Yet not much is understood about his initial travels, the one that shaped him prior to fame discovered him.

At that time, Roger was largely unaware of the world's hidden past. His affection for Shakky led him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the Global Authority's most sinister realities: the genocidal "contests," the grotesque forms of the Five Elders, and even the presence of the planet's unseen sovereign, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Roger's reflections about all that's happening in the Divine Isle, but perhaps discovering the child of a Holy Knight on his vessel will make him realize his role in the world and pursue the truth he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this recollection, what we were aware of of Xebec came almost entirely from Sengoku's account, each to the viewers and to new Navy recruits. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man bent on global control, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it transpires, the strategist wasn't even present at the Divine Isle; he was only echoing the Global Authority's sanctioned narrative of events, the very story the sovereign authorized to conceal the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the decadent World Government. We don't know if he was guided by ambition, retribution for his clan, or a wish for fairness, but when he found out the regime's plan to annihilate the island where his family lived, he abandoned his ambitions of conquest to save them.

This devotion for his family became his undoing. After confronting the sovereign, he lost his determination and freedom, becoming a marionette enslaved to their authority. Currently, with what little consciousness is left, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Garp to kill him — believing that dying would be a kindness in contrast to the living hell he endures. The reality of Rocks is thus far from the story told by Sengoku, and the manga shows him in a positive manner during the God Valley events.

Is He Living Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec actually meet his end? An intriguing idea is that he is even now a slave to the ruler in the present day, serving as the scarred individual, maintaining the World Government's only remaining Poneglyph in continuous transit to prevent the ultimate treasure from being found.

The Hero's Hidden Defiance

A further key figure of the Divine Isle event is Garp, who has endured criticism from followers for years for doing nothing as Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That feeling became even more intense after the time jump, when he endangered all to rescue the young Marine at Hachinosu, leading many to question why he couldn't do the same for his own grandchild. Comparable questions have now reemerged with the Divine Isle flashback: how could Monkey D. Garp serve the Marines, aware the Global Authority treats genocide and enslavement as entertainment for the elite?

The reality reveals something different. The moment Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Elders' grotesque forms, he struck immediately. His partnership with Roger was not meant to vanquish some evil Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an effort to stop Imu, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to wipe out all in God Valley, including apparently, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is probably the reason Monkey D. Garp detests the World Nobles in the present day and why he never wanted to be promoted to Admiral, answering directly to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Although the audience are viewing the God Valley incident through a flashback recounted by the giant, covering perspectives and events he clearly was absent for, I think we can consider this version as completely truthful. The series may provide an explanation in the future, perhaps connected to Loki's still mysterious paramecia ability. Still, the Divine Isle incident excellently exemplifies the notion that the past is written by the victors. This mindset is {