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The adage 'The past is recorded by the victors' is a central motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the narrative. Legends often fail to convey the full truth, including the most powerful figures in this story's intricate history. Oden wasn't a foolish showman prancing through the roads of Wano Country; he behaved out of duty and principle. Kuma was not a merciless antagonist who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend signified more than a buccaneer's game in search of flags and crews.

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

Legends frequently do not convey the complete reality, including the most influential figures.

One Piece's most recent look back, chronicling the God Valley event, stands as one of the series' finest arcs to now. Apart from the excitement of witnessing icons in their peak, it's gripping to observe them prior to when they turned into icons — when their fame had yet to outgrow their humanity. The past, as recorded by the Global Authority and retold through secondhand tales, shaped our perception of individuals like Roger, Xebec, and including Garp. But each of the regime's records and the stories of those who were acquainted with them prove unreliable, revealing only fragments of who these men truly were.

The Individual Before the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been guided by mission and the daring attitude that ignited a new age of piracy, but prior to he was known as the Pirate King, he was a young man ruled by passion and wanderlust. When individuals discuss his legend, they usually mean his second voyage, the grand quest in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward Laugh Tale. Yet not much is known about his first journey, the one that molded him before glory discovered him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger knew little of the globe's hidden history. His affection for Shakky led him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the Global Authority's darkest truths: the genocidal "games," the monstrous appearances of the Gorosei, and even the existence of the planet's hidden ruler, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Roger's thoughts about everything happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the child of a God's Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his role in the globe and pursue the truth he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this flashback, what we knew of Xebec was derived almost entirely from Sengoku's account, each to the audience and to young Marines. He painted Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man determined to achieve global control, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it turns out, the strategist wasn't even present at God Valley; he was only echoing the World Government's sanctioned version of occurrences, the very story the sovereign approved to conceal the truth 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 overthrow the ruler and dismantle the decadent World Government. We don't know if he was guided by lust for power, retribution for his family, or a wish for fairness, but when he discovered the regime's plan to annihilate the land where his family lived, he gave up his ambitions of conquest to save them.

This love for his family proved to be his undoing. Upon confronting the sovereign, he forfeited his will and freedom, becoming a puppet controlled to their power. Now, with what little awareness is left, he pleads with Roger and Garp to kill him — believing that death would be a mercy in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the story narrated by Sengoku, and the manga shows him in a positive light during the God Valley incidents.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec really meet his end? An interesting idea is that he is still a servant to the ruler in the current timeline, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the World Government's last Poneglyph in continuous movement to prevent the ultimate treasure from being found.

Garp's Secret Defiance

A further key figure of the Divine Isle incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced backlash from fans for a long time for standing by as Admiral Akainu killed Ace. That feeling became even stronger after the time jump, when he risked everything to rescue Koby at Pirate Island, causing many to question why he couldn't do the identical for his own grandchild. Similar questions have now reemerged with the God Valley flashback: how could Garp work for the Marines, aware the Global Authority treats genocide and enslavement as sport for the elite?

The reality uncovers something different. The instant Monkey D. Garp saw the Elders' grotesque shapes, he attacked without hesitation. His partnership with Roger wasn't to defeat some villainous Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an effort to stop the sovereign, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to eliminate all in God Valley, including apparently, even the World Nobles themselves. This event is probably the reason Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he not once wanted to be promoted to Admiral, answering directly to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Narrators

Although the readers are viewing the Divine Isle incident through a flashback recounted by the giant, covering viewpoints and occurrences he clearly was absent for, I believe we can consider this version as entirely accurate. The manga may provide an explanation later, maybe linked to the giant's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle incident excellently embodies the idea that the past is written by the victors. This attitude is {