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The adage 'History is recorded by the winners' serves as a central motif that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the narrative. Popular tales often do not convey the complete reality, even for the most powerful characters in this world's intricate history. Kozuki Oden wasn't a silly showman prancing through the streets of Wano; he acted out of duty and conviction. Kuma was not a ruthless antagonist who separated the Straw Hats, as well; he was helping them. Similarly, Davy Jones signified more than a buccaneer's game in pursuit of emblems and followers.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we witness the peak of this theme. The whole Divine Isle story serves as a warning story, instructing audiences not to evaluate the individuals too quickly.

Myths frequently fail to convey the full truth, including the most powerful characters.

One Piece's latest flashback, chronicling the God Valley incident, stands as one of the series' best arcs to now. Beyond the excitement of seeing icons in their peak, it's gripping to observe them before they became symbols — when their reputation had still not surpass their humanity. History, as recorded by the Global Authority and retold through hearsay stories, shaped our understanding of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Garp. But each of the regime's records and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be unreliable, revealing only pieces of who these men truly were.

The Individual Before the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been guided by purpose and the bold spirit that sparked a fresh era of piracy, but before he became the Pirate King, he was a young man ruled by emotion and the desire to explore. When individuals speak of his legend, they typically refer to his second voyage, the epic expedition in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward Laugh Tale. However little is known about his initial travels, the one that shaped him prior to fame discovered him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger knew little of the world's hidden history. His love for Shakky guided him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the Global Authority's darkest realities: the extermination "contests," the grotesque appearances of the Five Elders, and even the existence of the planet's unseen sovereign, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Roger's reflections about all that's occurring in God Valley, but maybe finding the son of a God's Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his place in the world and seek the reality he glimpsed from Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this flashback, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec was derived mostly from Sengoku's account, each to the viewers and to new Marines. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, ambitious man bent on global control, 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 the Divine Isle; he was merely repeating the World Government's sanctioned version of occurrences, the exact story the sovereign approved to bury the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to overthrow Imu and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We are unsure if he was motivated by lust for power, revenge for his family, or a wish for justice, but when he found out the government's scheme to annihilate the land where his kin resided, he abandoned his dreams of conquest to rescue them.

This devotion for his relatives became his downfall. Upon facing the sovereign, he forfeited his will and liberty, becoming a marionette controlled to their authority. Currently, with what limited awareness remains, he begs with Roger and Garp to end his life — believing 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 story told by Sengoku, and the comic presents him in a favorable manner during the God Valley events.

Is He Living Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec really die? An intriguing theory is that he is even now a servant to the ruler in the current timeline, serving as the scarred individual, maintaining the World Government's last Poneglyph in continuous transit to keep the ultimate treasure from being found.

Garp's Secret Defiance

A further key figure of the Divine Isle event is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced backlash from followers for a long time for standing by as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment only grew stronger after the timeskip, when he endangered everything to save Koby at Pirate Island, leading many to question why he was unable to do the identical for his own grandson. Similar questions have now reemerged with the Divine Isle recollection: how can Monkey D. Garp work for the Marines, aware the World Government considers mass murder and enslavement as entertainment for the upper class?

The reality reveals something different. The moment Garp witnessed the Elders' monstrous forms, he attacked without hesitation. His partnership with Roger wasn't 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 wipe out everyone in God Valley, including apparently, including the World Nobles themselves. This event is likely the reason Monkey D. Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he not once desired to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, reporting directly to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Even though the readers are viewing the Divine Isle event through a flashback narrated by Loki, including viewpoints and occurrences he clearly wasn't present for, I think we can treat this version as entirely accurate. The manga may offer an reason in the future, perhaps connected to the giant's yet unknown paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle event excellently embodies the idea that the past is recorded by the winners. This attitude is {