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The adage 'History is written by the winners' is a key motif that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the narrative. Legends often fail to convey the complete truth, including the most influential figures in this world's complex history. Kozuki Oden was no silly performer prancing through the streets of Wano; he acted out of duty and conviction. Kuma wasn't a merciless villain who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend meant beyond just a pirate's contest in pursuit of flags and crews.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we witness the peak of this idea. The whole Divine Isle story serves as a cautionary tale, instructing readers not to judge the characters too hastily.

Legends frequently fail to capture the full truth, even for the most influential characters.

The series's latest look back, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, stands as one of the series' best arcs to date. Apart from the thrill of seeing legends in their prime, it's compelling to observe them before they turned into symbols — when their fame had still not surpass their human nature. The past, as recorded by the Global Authority and retold through secondhand tales, shaped our understanding of figures like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Garp. But both the government's accounts and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be unreliable, revealing only pieces of who these men truly were.

The Man Before the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by mission and the bold spirit that sparked a new age of piracy, but before he became the Pirate King, he was a young man governed by passion and wanderlust. When individuals speak of his myth, they typically refer to his later journey, the epic expedition in pursuit of the guide stones that point toward the final island. Yet little is understood about his first journey, the one that molded him prior to fame discovered him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the globe's secret history. His love for the barkeep guided him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the Global Authority's most sinister truths: the genocidal "games," the monstrous appearances of the Gorosei, and even the existence of the world's unseen sovereign, Imu. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's thoughts about all that's occurring in God Valley, but perhaps finding the son of a God's Knight on his ship will make him realize his place in the globe and pursue the truth he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this recollection, what we knew of Xebec was derived mostly from Sengoku's version, each to the viewers and to new Marines. He painted Xebec as a vile, ambitious man bent on world domination, someone so threatening that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it transpires, the strategist was not present at God Valley; he was only echoing the Global Authority's sanctioned narrative of occurrences, the exact story the sovereign authorized to conceal the reality about Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to overthrow Imu and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We are unsure if he was guided by ambition, retribution for his clan, or a wish for justice, but when he discovered the government's scheme to annihilate the island where his kin resided, he gave up his ambitions of domination to save them.

This love for his relatives became his downfall. After facing the sovereign, he forfeited his determination and freedom, becoming a puppet controlled to their power. Currently, with what little awareness remains, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Garp to kill him — thinking that dying would be a mercy in contrast to the living hell he endures. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the story told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic presents him in a favorable manner during the God Valley events.

Is He Living Today?

But was Rocks really meet his end? An intriguing theory is that he is even now a servant to Imu in the current timeline, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the Global Authority's last Poneglyph in continuous movement to keep the ultimate treasure from being found.

The Hero's Secret Defiance

Another protagonist of the God Valley incident is Garp, who has faced criticism from fans for a long time for standing by as Admiral Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment only grew more intense after the time jump, when he risked everything to save Koby at Hachinosu, leading many to wonder why he was unable to do the same for his own grandchild. Comparable doubts have recently reemerged with the God Valley flashback: how can Monkey D. Garp serve the Marines, aware the Global Authority treats genocide and slavery as sport for the elite?

The truth reveals something different. The moment Garp witnessed the Elders' grotesque forms, he struck immediately. His partnership with Gol D. Roger wasn't to defeat some evil Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an attempt to halt the sovereign, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to wipe out all in God Valley, even apparently, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is likely the cause Monkey D. Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he not once desired to be promoted to Admiral, answering directly to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Narrators

Although the readers are viewing the God Valley event through a recollection narrated by Loki, covering viewpoints and occurrences he obviously wasn't present for, I think we can consider this version as entirely truthful. The series may provide an explanation in the future, perhaps connected to Loki's still mysterious paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle incident perfectly exemplifies the idea that the past is recorded by the victors. This attitude is {