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The adage 'History is recorded by the winners' is a key theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the story. Popular tales frequently fail to capture the full truth, including the most powerful figures in this world's complex history. Oden was no foolish showman dancing through the roads of Wano; he behaved out of duty and principle. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a merciless villain who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was helping them. Similarly, Davy Jones signified more than a pirate's game in search of emblems and followers.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we witness the peak of this theme. The whole Divine Isle narrative acts as a warning story, instructing audiences not to judge the characters too hastily.

Legends frequently fail to capture the complete truth, even for the most powerful figures.

One Piece's latest look back, detailing the Divine Isle event, stands as one of the story's finest storylines to date. Beyond the thrill of witnessing icons in their peak, it's gripping to observe them before they became symbols — when their fame had yet to surpass their human nature. The past, as written by the World Government and recounted through secondhand tales, painted our understanding of figures like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Garp. But each of the regime's accounts and the stories of those who knew them prove untrustworthy, revealing only pieces of who these men really were.

The Individual Before the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by purpose and the daring attitude that sparked a new age of buccaneering, but prior to he was known as the Pirate King, he was a youth ruled by passion and the desire to explore. When people speak of his legend, they usually mean his second voyage, the grand expedition in search of the guide stones that lead to the final island. Yet not much is understood about his initial travels, the one that shaped him prior to glory found him.

At that time, Roger knew little of the globe's hidden past. His love for Shakky guided him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the Global Authority's darkest truths: the extermination "games," the grotesque appearances of the Gorosei, and including the presence of the planet's unseen sovereign, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's thoughts about everything occurring in God Valley, but perhaps discovering the child of a God's Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his role in the world and seek the truth he glimpsed from Xebec's situation.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this recollection, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec came almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's version, each to the audience and to young Marines. He depicted Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man determined to achieve global control, someone so dangerous that Roger and Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it transpires, Sengoku was not there at God Valley; he was merely repeating the World Government's sanctioned narrative of occurrences, the very narrative the sovereign approved to bury the reality about Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We don't know if he was motivated by ambition, retribution for his family, or a wish for fairness, but when he discovered the government's plan to eliminate the island where his kin lived, he abandoned his dreams of domination to rescue them.

This love for his family proved to be his downfall. After confronting the sovereign, he forfeited his determination and freedom, turning into a marionette controlled to their authority. Now, with what little awareness remains, he pleads with Roger and Garp to kill him — thinking that dying would be a mercy in contrast to the torment he suffers. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the tale told by Sengoku, and the comic shows him in a favorable light during the God Valley events.

Could He Be Living Today?

But did Rocks actually meet his end? An interesting idea is that he is still a slave to Imu in the present day, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the World Government's last ancient stone in continuous transit to keep the One Piece from being found.

The Hero's Hidden Defiance

Another key figure of the Divine Isle event is Garp, who has faced backlash from followers for a long time for standing by as Admiral Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That feeling only grew stronger after the time jump, when he endangered everything to save Koby at Hachinosu, causing many to question why he was unable to do the identical for his own grandchild. Comparable questions have recently resurfaced with the Divine Isle flashback: how could Garp work for the Marines, knowing the World Government treats genocide and slavery as sport for the elite?

The truth uncovers something distinct. The instant Garp witnessed the Elders' monstrous shapes, he attacked without hesitation. His partnership with Gol D. Roger wasn't to defeat some villainous Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an attempt to halt the sovereign, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to eliminate everyone in God Valley, even apparently, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is likely the cause Monkey D. Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he never wanted to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, reporting directly to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Although the audience are viewing the Divine Isle incident through a flashback narrated by Loki, including perspectives and occurrences he clearly was absent for, I think we can consider this account as completely accurate. The manga may offer an reason later, maybe connected to the giant's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the God Valley event perfectly embodies the notion that history is recorded by the victors. This attitude is {