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The saying 'The past is recorded by the victors' serves as a central motif that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Popular tales often fail to convey the full reality, including the most powerful figures in this world's complex history. Oden wasn't a foolish showman dancing through the roads of Wano; he behaved out of honor and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a ruthless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hats, either; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend meant more than a buccaneer's contest in search of emblems and followers.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we see the culmination of this idea. The whole Divine Isle narrative acts as a cautionary tale, advising readers not to evaluate the characters too quickly.

Legends often do not capture the full truth, even for the most powerful figures.

One Piece's latest look back, detailing the Divine Isle event, stands as one of the series' finest arcs to now. Apart from the thrill of seeing legends in their peak, it's compelling to see them before they turned into symbols — when their fame had yet to outgrow their human nature. History, as recorded by the Global Authority and recounted through secondhand stories, painted our understanding of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But both the government's accounts and the narratives of those who knew them turn out to be unreliable, revealing only pieces of who these individuals truly were.

The Man Before the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by purpose and the daring spirit that ignited a fresh era of piracy, but prior to he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a youth governed by passion and the desire to explore. When individuals discuss his legend, they usually mean his later journey, the grand quest in pursuit of the guide stones that lead to Laugh Tale. However little is known about his initial travels, the one that molded him before fame found him.

At that time, Roger knew little of the globe's secret history. His love for Shakky guided him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the World Government's most sinister truths: the genocidal "contests," the grotesque forms of the Gorosei, and even the existence of the world's unseen sovereign, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Roger's thoughts about everything happening in God Valley, but perhaps discovering the son of a Holy Knight on his vessel will make him realize his role in the world and pursue the truth he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this recollection, what we knew of Xebec came almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's version, both to the viewers and to new Navy recruits. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man bent on global control, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it transpires, Sengoku wasn't even present at God Valley; he was only repeating the World Government's approved narrative of events, the very story Imu approved to bury the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We don't know if he was guided by ambition, retribution for his family, or a desire for justice, but when he discovered the regime's scheme to eliminate the land where his kin lived, he abandoned his ambitions of domination to save them.

This love for his relatives proved to be his downfall. Upon confronting Imu, he lost his will and freedom, becoming a puppet controlled to their power. Currently, with what little awareness is left, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Garp to kill him — thinking that death would be a mercy compared to the torment he suffers. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the tale told by Sengoku, and the comic shows him in a favorable light during the Divine Isle events.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec actually meet his end? An intriguing theory is that he is still a slave to Imu in the current timeline, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the World Government's last Poneglyph in continuous transit to prevent the ultimate treasure from being found.

The Hero's Secret Rebellion

A further protagonist of the God Valley event is Garp, who has endured criticism from followers for a long time for standing by as Admiral Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment only grew more intense after the timeskip, when he risked all to save the young Marine at Pirate Island, leading many to wonder why he was unable to do the same for his biological grandchild. Comparable doubts have recently reemerged with the Divine Isle recollection: how could Garp serve the Navy, aware the World Government considers genocide and slavery as entertainment for the elite?

The reality uncovers something distinct. The moment Garp saw the Gorosei's grotesque shapes, he struck without hesitation. His alliance with Gol D. Roger was not meant to defeat some evil Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an attempt to stop the sovereign, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to wipe out all in God Valley, even it seems, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is likely the reason Monkey D. Garp despises the World Nobles in the present day and why he never wanted to be elevated to Admiral, reporting directly to them.

The Past's Unreliable Storytellers

Even though the audience are viewing the Divine Isle event through a flashback narrated by the giant, covering viewpoints and occurrences he obviously wasn't present for, I think we can treat this account as completely accurate. The series may provide an reason in the future, maybe linked to Loki's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Still, the God Valley event excellently exemplifies the idea that the past is written by the victors. This attitude is {