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The saying 'The past is recorded by the winners' is a key theme that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Popular tales often do not capture the complete reality, even for the most influential figures in this world's intricate past. Oden wasn't a foolish showman dancing through the streets of Wano Country; he acted out of duty and principle. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a ruthless antagonist who separated the Straw Hats, either; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend signified beyond just a buccaneer's game in pursuit of emblems and crews.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we witness the peak of this idea. The whole Divine Isle story serves as a warning story, instructing readers not to evaluate the characters too hastily.

Legends frequently fail to capture the complete truth, including the most influential figures.

The series's latest look back, detailing the Divine Isle incident, represents one of the story's finest arcs to now. Apart from the excitement of witnessing icons in their prime, it's compelling to see them prior to when they turned into icons — when their fame had yet to surpass their humanity. History, as recorded by the World Government and retold through secondhand stories, painted our understanding of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and including Garp. But each of the government's accounts and the stories of those who were acquainted with them prove untrustworthy, revealing only pieces of who these men really were.

The Individual Before the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by mission and the daring attitude that ignited a fresh era of piracy, but prior to he became the Pirate King, he was a young man ruled by emotion and the desire to explore. When people discuss his legend, they usually refer to his second voyage, the grand expedition in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to the final island. Yet not much is understood about his first journey, the one that shaped him before fame discovered him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger knew little of the globe's hidden history. His affection for the barkeep guided him to God Valley, where he discovered the World Government's most sinister realities: the extermination "contests," the monstrous appearances of the Five Elders, and even the presence of the planet's unseen sovereign, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's thoughts about everything occurring in God Valley, but maybe discovering the child of a God's Knight on his vessel will make him realize his place in the globe and pursue the reality he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this flashback, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec came almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's account, both to the audience and to young Marines. He depicted Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man bent on world domination, someone so threatening that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it turns out, Sengoku was not present at the Divine Isle; he was merely repeating the Global Authority's sanctioned narrative of events, the very story the sovereign approved to bury the reality about Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, Rocks D. Xebec, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We don't know if he was guided by lust for power, retribution for his clan, or a desire for justice, but when he discovered the regime's plan to annihilate the land where his family lived, he gave up his ambitions of domination to rescue them.

This love for his relatives proved to be his downfall. Upon facing Imu, he forfeited his will and liberty, becoming a marionette enslaved to their authority. Now, with what little consciousness is left, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — believing 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 shows him in a positive manner during the God Valley incidents.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks really die? An interesting idea is that he is even now a slave to Imu in the present day, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the World Government's only remaining ancient stone in constant transit to prevent the ultimate treasure from being found.

Garp's Secret Defiance

Another key figure of the Divine Isle event is Garp, who has faced criticism from fans for years for standing by as Admiral Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That feeling only grew stronger after the timeskip, when he endangered everything to save Koby at Pirate Island, causing many to question why he couldn't do the same for his biological grandchild. Similar questions have now reemerged with the Divine Isle recollection: how could Garp work for the Marines, aware the World Government considers genocide and enslavement as sport for the elite?

The reality uncovers something different. The instant Garp witnessed the Elders' monstrous shapes, he attacked without hesitation. His partnership with Roger wasn't to vanquish some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an attempt to halt the sovereign, who was using Xebec as a tool to eliminate everyone in God Valley, including apparently, including the World Nobles themselves. This incident 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, answering straight to them.

History's Unreliable Narrators

Even though the audience are viewing the Divine Isle incident through a recollection recounted by the giant, including perspectives and occurrences he obviously wasn't present for, I believe we can treat this version as entirely accurate. The manga may provide an reason later, perhaps linked to Loki's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Still, the God Valley event perfectly exemplifies the notion that the past is recorded by the victors. This mindset is {