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The adage 'The past is written by the winners' serves as a central theme that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the narrative. Popular tales often fail to capture the full truth, including the most powerful figures in this story's intricate history. Kozuki Oden wasn't a silly showman prancing through the streets of Wano Country; he acted out of duty and principle. Kuma was not a merciless antagonist who separated the Straw Hats, as well; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend meant beyond just a buccaneer's game in pursuit of emblems and followers.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we witness the culmination of this idea. The entire Divine Isle narrative serves as a warning story, advising audiences not to evaluate the characters too quickly.

Legends often fail to capture the complete reality, even for the most influential characters.

One Piece's latest flashback, chronicling the Divine Isle event, represents one of the story's best arcs to date. Apart from the thrill of witnessing icons in their prime, it's gripping to see them before they turned into icons — when their reputation had still not surpass their human nature. History, as written by the World Government and retold through secondhand tales, painted our understanding of figures like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and even Garp. But each of the government's accounts and the stories of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be untrustworthy, showing only pieces of who these men truly were.

The Individual Prior to the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been driven by purpose and the daring attitude that ignited a new age of buccaneering, but prior to he became the King of the Pirates, he was a youth governed by emotion and the desire to explore. When people discuss his myth, they usually refer to his later journey, the grand expedition in search of the guide stones that lead to Laugh Tale. Yet little is known about his first journey, the one that molded him prior to glory discovered him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger knew little of the world's secret history. His love for the barkeep guided him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the Global Authority's darkest truths: the genocidal "contests," the monstrous forms of the Five Elders, and including the presence of the world's unseen sovereign, Imu. We haven't seen Roger's thoughts about all that's occurring in God Valley, but maybe discovering the child of a Holy Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his place in the world and seek the reality he glimpsed from Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Before this recollection, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec was derived almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's version, both to the audience and to young Navy recruits. He painted Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man determined to achieve world domination, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it turns out, Sengoku wasn't even there at the Divine Isle; he was only repeating the World Government's sanctioned narrative of events, the very story 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 sought to topple the ruler and dismantle the decadent World Government. We don't know if he was guided by ambition, revenge for his family, or a wish for justice, but when he discovered the government's scheme to annihilate the land where his family lived, he gave up his dreams of conquest to rescue them.

This devotion for his family became his downfall. After confronting Imu, he forfeited his determination and freedom, turning into a puppet controlled to their power. Now, with what little consciousness is left, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Garp to end his life — thinking that dying would be a mercy compared to the torment he suffers. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the tale narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga presents him in a favorable light during the Divine Isle incidents.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks actually die? An intriguing idea is that he is still a servant to Imu in the present day, serving as the scarred individual, keeping the World Government's last ancient stone in constant movement to keep the One Piece from being discovered.

The Hero's Hidden Defiance

A further protagonist of the Divine Isle incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured criticism from fans for years for standing by as Admiral Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment became even stronger after the timeskip, when he risked all to rescue the young Marine at Pirate Island, causing many to question why he couldn't do the same for his biological grandson. Similar questions have recently resurfaced with the God Valley flashback: how could Garp work for the Marines, aware the World Government treats genocide and slavery as sport for the elite?

The reality uncovers something different. The moment Garp witnessed the Gorosei's grotesque forms, he attacked immediately. His partnership with Roger was not meant to vanquish some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an effort to stop Imu, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to eliminate everyone in the Divine Isle, including apparently, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is likely the reason Garp despises the World Nobles in the current era and why he not once wanted to be elevated to Admiral, reporting directly to them.

History's Unreliable Storytellers

Even though the readers are seeing the Divine Isle incident through a recollection recounted by Loki, including viewpoints and occurrences he obviously was absent for, I believe we can treat this account as entirely truthful. The series may provide an explanation in the future, maybe linked to the giant's yet unknown paramecia ability. Still, the God Valley incident perfectly exemplifies the notion that the past is written by the victors. This attitude is {