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The saying 'The past is written by the winners' serves as a central theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the story. Popular tales often do not capture the complete reality, even for the most influential characters in this world's complex past. Oden wasn't a silly performer dancing through the streets of Wano Country; he behaved out of duty and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a merciless villain who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend signified more than a buccaneer's game in pursuit of flags and crews.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we witness the culmination of this theme. The entire Divine Isle story acts as a cautionary tale, instructing readers not to judge the characters too quickly.

Myths often do not convey the full reality, even for the most powerful characters.

One Piece's latest flashback, detailing the Divine Isle event, represents one of the series' finest arcs to date. Beyond the excitement of seeing legends in their prime, it's gripping to observe them before they turned into icons — when their fame had still not surpass their human nature. The past, as written by the World Government and recounted through hearsay tales, painted our understanding of individuals like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Garp. But each of the regime's records and the stories of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be untrustworthy, showing only pieces of who these individuals really were.

The Individual Before the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been guided by purpose and the bold spirit that sparked a new age of buccaneering, but before he became the Pirate King, he was a young man governed by passion and wanderlust. When people discuss his legend, they typically mean his second voyage, the grand quest in search of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward the final island. However not much is known about his first journey, the one that shaped him prior to glory discovered him.

Back then, Roger knew little of the world's secret history. His affection for Shakky led him to God Valley, where he discovered the World Government's most sinister realities: the genocidal "games," the grotesque forms of the Five Elders, and even the presence of the world's hidden ruler, Imu. We are yet to witness Roger's thoughts about everything occurring in God Valley, but maybe discovering the son of a Holy Knight on his ship will make him realize his place in the world and pursue the truth he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Before this flashback, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec came mostly from Sengoku's version, each to the audience and to young Navy recruits. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man bent on world domination, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it transpires, the strategist wasn't even there at the Divine Isle; he was only echoing the Global Authority's sanctioned version of occurrences, the exact story the sovereign approved to conceal the truth about Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, Rocks D. Xebec, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to topple Imu and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We don't know if he was motivated by ambition, revenge for his clan, or a desire for fairness, but when he discovered the regime's scheme to annihilate the land where his kin resided, he gave up his dreams of conquest to rescue them.

This devotion for his relatives proved to be his undoing. After confronting Imu, he forfeited his will and freedom, turning into a puppet enslaved to their authority. Currently, with what little awareness is left, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — thinking that dying would be a mercy in contrast to the living hell he endures. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the tale narrated by Sengoku, and the manga presents him in a positive manner during the God Valley events.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec actually meet his end? An interesting idea is that he is even now a slave to Imu in the current timeline, serving as the scarred individual, maintaining the Global Authority's last Poneglyph in continuous movement to keep the One Piece from being found.

Garp's Hidden Rebellion

A further key figure of the Divine Isle incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured backlash from fans for a long time for standing by as Admiral Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment only grew more intense after the time jump, when he endangered everything to rescue Koby at Hachinosu, leading many to wonder why he was unable to do the identical for his own grandson. Similar questions have now reemerged with the God Valley recollection: how can Monkey D. Garp work for the Marines, aware the Global Authority treats genocide and enslavement as sport for the elite?

The reality reveals something distinct. The moment Garp witnessed the Elders' monstrous shapes, he struck immediately. His partnership with Gol D. Roger wasn't to defeat some villainous Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an attempt to stop the sovereign, who was manipulating Xebec as a tool to wipe out all in the Divine Isle, including it seems, including the World Nobles themselves. This incident is probably the reason Monkey D. Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he never desired to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, answering directly to them.

History's Untrustworthy Narrators

Even though the audience are viewing the God Valley incident through a recollection recounted by Loki, including viewpoints and events he obviously wasn't present for, I believe we can treat this account as entirely accurate. The series may provide an explanation in the future, perhaps connected to Loki's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Still, the God Valley event perfectly exemplifies the idea that the past is recorded by the victors. This attitude is {