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The saying 'The past is recorded by the victors' serves as a central theme that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the story. Popular tales frequently do not capture the complete reality, including the most powerful characters in this world's complex history. Oden was no silly performer prancing through the roads of Wano; he acted out of duty and principle. Kuma wasn't a ruthless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, Davy Jones signified beyond just a buccaneer's game in search of flags and followers.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we witness the peak of this theme. The entire Divine Isle narrative serves as a cautionary tale, instructing readers not to judge the individuals too hastily.

Legends frequently fail to convey the complete truth, including the most powerful figures.

The series's latest look back, chronicling the Divine Isle event, stands as one of the story's finest storylines to now. Apart from the thrill of witnessing legends in their peak, it's gripping to see them prior to when they became icons — when their reputation had yet to surpass their humanity. The past, as written by the Global Authority and recounted through hearsay stories, painted our understanding of figures like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But each of the regime's accounts and the stories of those who knew them prove untrustworthy, revealing only fragments of who these men really were.

The Man Before the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been guided by mission and the daring spirit that sparked a new age of piracy, but before he became the Pirate King, he was a young man governed by passion and the desire to explore. When people discuss his myth, they usually mean his second voyage, the grand quest in search of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward Laugh Tale. Yet little is understood about his first journey, the one that molded him before fame discovered him.

At that time, Roger was largely unaware of the globe's secret past. His love for the barkeep guided him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the World Government's most sinister realities: the extermination "games," the monstrous appearances of the Gorosei, and including the presence of the planet's unseen ruler, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Roger's reflections about everything happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe finding the son of a God's Knight on his ship will make him realize his place in the world and seek the truth he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this recollection, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec came almost entirely from Sengoku's account, each to the viewers and to young Navy recruits. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man bent on global control, someone so dangerous that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it turns out, Sengoku was not there at God Valley; he was merely repeating the World Government's sanctioned version of occurrences, the very story the sovereign authorized to conceal the reality about Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We are unsure if he was motivated by lust for power, revenge for his family, or a wish for fairness, but when he discovered the government's plan to annihilate the island where his kin lived, he gave up his ambitions of conquest to rescue them.

This devotion for his family became his downfall. Upon facing the sovereign, he lost his determination and freedom, turning into a marionette enslaved to their authority. Now, with what limited consciousness remains, he pleads with Roger and Garp to end his life — thinking that death would be a kindness in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The reality of Rocks is thus very different from the tale narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic presents him in a positive manner during the God Valley incidents.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec 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 only remaining Poneglyph in continuous transit to prevent the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

Garp's Secret Defiance

A further key figure of the Divine Isle incident is Garp, who has faced backlash from fans for a long time for standing by as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That feeling became even more intense after the time jump, when he risked everything to save Koby at Pirate Island, causing many to question why he was unable to do the identical for his own grandson. Similar questions have now reemerged with the God Valley flashback: how can Garp work for the Navy, aware the Global Authority considers genocide and enslavement as entertainment for the upper class?

The truth reveals something different. The instant Monkey D. Garp saw the Elders' monstrous forms, he attacked immediately. His alliance with Gol D. Roger was not meant to vanquish some evil Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an effort to halt Imu, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to wipe out everyone in God Valley, including apparently, including the World Nobles themselves. This event is likely the cause Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he not once wanted to be elevated to Admiral, answering straight to them.

History's Unreliable Storytellers

Even though the readers are seeing the Divine Isle event through a flashback narrated by Loki, covering viewpoints and events he obviously wasn't present for, I think we can treat this version as completely truthful. The series may offer an reason later, perhaps linked to the giant's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle event perfectly exemplifies the notion that the past is recorded by the victors. This attitude is {