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The adage 'The past is recorded by the winners' serves as a key theme that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the story. Legends often do not capture the complete truth, including the most powerful characters in this world's complex history. Oden was no silly showman prancing through the roads of Wano Country; he behaved out of duty and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma was not a ruthless villain who tore apart the Straw Hats, either; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend signified more than a buccaneer's game in search of emblems and followers.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we witness the peak of this idea. The whole Divine Isle narrative acts as a cautionary tale, instructing audiences not to evaluate the characters too hastily.

Legends frequently fail to capture the full reality, including the most powerful figures.

The series's latest flashback, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, represents one of the series' finest storylines to now. Beyond the thrill of seeing legends in their prime, it's gripping to see them before they turned into symbols — when their fame had still not outgrow their humanity. History, as written by the Global Authority and retold through hearsay tales, shaped our understanding of figures like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But each of the regime's accounts and the narratives of those who knew them turn out to be unreliable, showing only fragments of who these individuals truly were.

The Man Prior to the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been guided by mission and the bold spirit that sparked a new age of buccaneering, but before he was known as the Pirate King, he was a youth governed by emotion and the desire to explore. When individuals speak of his legend, they usually mean his second voyage, the grand quest in search of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to Laugh Tale. However not much is understood about his first journey, the one that shaped him prior to glory found him.

Back then, Roger was largely unaware of the globe's hidden past. His affection for Shakky led him to God Valley, where he uncovered the Global Authority's darkest truths: the genocidal "games," the grotesque forms of the Gorosei, and even the existence of the world's hidden ruler, Imu. We haven't seen Roger's reflections about everything happening in God Valley, but perhaps finding the child of a God's Knight on his ship will make him realize his role in the globe and seek the truth he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this recollection, what we were aware of of Xebec was derived mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's version, each to the viewers and to young Navy recruits. He depicted Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man determined to achieve global control, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it turns out, the strategist was not present at God Valley; he was merely repeating the World Government's sanctioned version of occurrences, the very narrative the sovereign authorized to conceal the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to topple Imu and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We don't know if he was guided by ambition, revenge for his clan, or a wish for justice, but when he discovered the government's scheme to annihilate the land where his kin lived, he abandoned his ambitions of domination to rescue them.

This devotion for his relatives became his undoing. After confronting Imu, he lost his determination and liberty, turning into a puppet controlled to their power. Currently, with what limited awareness is left, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Garp to end his life — believing that death would be a mercy compared to the torment he endures. The reality of Rocks is thus far from the story told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic shows him in a positive manner during the God Valley events.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks actually die? An intriguing idea is that he is even now a servant to the ruler in the current timeline, serving as the scarred individual, keeping the World Government's last Poneglyph in constant movement to keep the ultimate treasure from being found.

Garp's Hidden Defiance

A further key figure of the Divine Isle incident is Garp, who has faced backlash from fans for a long time for doing nothing as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment only grew more intense after the timeskip, when he risked everything to save the young Marine at Pirate Island, leading many to question why he couldn't do the identical for his own grandchild. Comparable questions have recently resurfaced with the Divine Isle recollection: how could Garp work for the Navy, aware the Global Authority treats mass murder and slavery as entertainment for the elite?

The reality uncovers something distinct. The moment Garp saw the Gorosei's monstrous shapes, he attacked immediately. His alliance with Roger was not meant to vanquish some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an attempt to halt Imu, who was using Xebec as a pawn to wipe out all in the Divine Isle, even it seems, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is probably the cause Garp despises the World Nobles in the present day and why he never wanted to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, reporting straight to them.

History's Untrustworthy Narrators

Although the audience are viewing the Divine Isle event through a flashback recounted by the giant, covering perspectives and events he obviously was absent for, I think we can consider this version as completely truthful. The manga may provide an explanation in the future, perhaps connected to Loki's yet unknown paramecia ability. Still, the God Valley incident perfectly embodies the notion that history is recorded by the victors. This mindset is {