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The saying 'The past is written by the victors' is a central motif that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the story. Popular tales often fail to convey the full reality, including the most influential characters in this world's complex history. Oden was no silly showman dancing through the streets of Wano; he behaved out of honor and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma was not a merciless antagonist who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was helping them. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend meant more than a buccaneer's game in search of flags and crews.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we witness the peak of this idea. The whole Divine Isle story acts as a warning story, advising readers not to evaluate the individuals too hastily.

Legends often do not capture the complete reality, even for the most influential characters.

The series's latest look back, chronicling the Divine Isle event, represents one of the story's finest arcs to now. Beyond the thrill of seeing icons in their peak, it's gripping to see them prior to when they turned into symbols — when their fame had yet to surpass their humanity. History, as recorded by the Global Authority and recounted through secondhand tales, shaped our understanding of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But both the government's records and the stories of those who knew them turn out to be untrustworthy, showing only pieces of who these men truly were.

The Individual Before the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been driven by mission and the daring attitude that ignited a fresh era of piracy, but prior to he became the King of the Pirates, he was a youth governed by emotion and wanderlust. When people discuss his myth, they typically refer to his later journey, the epic expedition in search of the guide stones that point toward Laugh Tale. Yet little is understood about his first journey, the one that shaped him prior to glory discovered him.

At that time, Roger knew little of the globe's hidden history. His love for the barkeep led him to God Valley, where he discovered the World Government's darkest truths: the genocidal "games," the monstrous appearances of the Five Elders, and including the existence of the planet's unseen ruler, Imu. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's reflections about all that's happening in the Divine Isle, but perhaps discovering the child of a God's Knight on his ship will make him realize his place in the globe and pursue the truth he glimpsed from Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Before this flashback, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec came mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's account, both to the audience and to new Navy recruits. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, ambitious man determined to achieve world domination, someone so threatening that Roger and Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it turns out, Sengoku was not there at God Valley; he was only repeating the World Government's approved narrative of occurrences, the very narrative Imu approved to bury the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to topple the ruler and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We don't know if he was guided by lust for power, retribution for his family, or a wish for justice, but when he discovered the government's plan to eliminate the land where his kin lived, he gave up his ambitions of domination to rescue them.

This love for his family became his downfall. Upon confronting the sovereign, he lost his will and freedom, becoming a marionette controlled to their authority. Currently, with what little awareness is left, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Garp to kill him — believing that death would be a mercy compared to the living hell he endures. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the tale told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga shows him in a positive light during the God Valley incidents.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec actually die? An intriguing theory is that he is still a slave to the ruler in the present day, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the Global Authority's last Poneglyph in constant movement to keep the ultimate treasure from being found.

Garp's Secret Defiance

A further key figure of the God Valley event is Garp, who has endured criticism from followers for a long time for standing by as Admiral Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment became even more intense after the timeskip, when he risked all to rescue the young Marine at Pirate Island, causing many to question why he was unable to do the identical for his own grandchild. Comparable doubts have recently resurfaced with the Divine Isle flashback: how can Garp serve the Navy, knowing the Global Authority treats mass murder and enslavement as sport for the upper class?

The reality reveals something distinct. The moment Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Gorosei's grotesque forms, he struck without hesitation. His partnership with Roger wasn't to defeat some villainous Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an attempt to halt the sovereign, who was using Xebec as a tool to eliminate all in the Divine Isle, even apparently, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is probably the reason Monkey D. Garp detests the World Nobles in the current era and why he not once wanted to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, answering straight to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Even though the readers are viewing the God Valley event through a flashback narrated by Loki, covering viewpoints and events he obviously wasn't present for, I think we can treat this version as entirely accurate. The manga may provide an reason in the future, maybe linked to the giant's yet unknown paramecia ability. Still, the Divine Isle event excellently embodies the idea that the past is written by the victors. This attitude is {