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The adage 'The past is written by the winners' is a central theme that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the narrative. Legends often fail to convey the full reality, even for the most influential figures in this world's complex history. Kozuki Oden was no foolish performer prancing through the roads of Wano; he behaved out of duty and conviction. Kuma was not a merciless antagonist who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend meant beyond just a buccaneer's contest in search of emblems and crews.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we witness the peak of this theme. The whole Divine Isle narrative serves as a warning story, instructing audiences not to judge the characters too quickly.

Legends often fail to convey the full truth, even for the most influential figures.

One Piece's most recent look back, chronicling the Divine Isle event, represents one of the story's finest storylines to date. Beyond the excitement of seeing legends in their prime, it's gripping to observe them prior to when they turned into icons — when their fame had still not surpass their human nature. History, as written by the Global Authority and retold through secondhand tales, painted our understanding of individuals like Roger, Xebec, and even Garp. But both the regime's accounts and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be unreliable, revealing only pieces of who these individuals truly were.

The Individual Before the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been guided by mission and the daring spirit that ignited a new age of piracy, 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 typically mean his later journey, the epic quest in search of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward the final island. However not much is known about his initial travels, the one that molded him before glory found him.

Back then, Roger knew little of the world's secret history. His affection for Shakky guided him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the Global Authority's most sinister truths: the extermination "games," the monstrous appearances of the Five Elders, and even the existence of the planet's hidden sovereign, Imu. We haven't seen Roger's reflections about all that's happening in God Valley, but maybe discovering the child of a Holy Knight on his ship will make him realize his role in the globe and pursue the reality he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this recollection, what we knew of Xebec was derived almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's account, each to the viewers and to new Marines. He depicted Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man determined to achieve world domination, someone so threatening that Roger and Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it transpires, Sengoku wasn't even there at God Valley; he was only repeating the Global Authority's approved version of events, the very story the sovereign authorized to bury the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to topple Imu and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We are unsure if he was motivated by ambition, retribution for his clan, or a desire for fairness, but when he found out the government's plan to eliminate the land where his kin resided, he gave up his ambitions of conquest to save them.

This love for his relatives proved to be his downfall. After confronting the sovereign, he forfeited his will and liberty, becoming a marionette controlled to their authority. Now, with what limited consciousness remains, he begs with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — believing that dying would be a mercy in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the story narrated by Sengoku, and the comic presents him in a positive light during the Divine Isle incidents.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec really die? An intriguing idea is that he is even now a slave to the ruler in the present day, acting as the scarred individual, keeping the World Government's only remaining Poneglyph in continuous movement to keep the ultimate treasure from being found.

Garp's Hidden Defiance

A further key figure of the Divine Isle incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured criticism from fans for years for standing by as Admiral Akainu murdered Ace. That sentiment became even stronger after the time jump, when he risked everything to rescue the young Marine at Hachinosu, leading many to question why he was unable to do the same for his own grandchild. Comparable doubts have recently reemerged with the God Valley recollection: how could Garp work for the Marines, knowing the Global Authority considers mass murder and enslavement as entertainment for the elite?

The reality reveals something different. The instant Garp witnessed the Gorosei's monstrous forms, he attacked immediately. His alliance with Roger wasn't to defeat some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an effort to stop the sovereign, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to eliminate all in God Valley, even apparently, even the World Nobles themselves. This incident is probably the reason Monkey D. Garp detests the World Nobles in the present day and why he not once desired to be promoted to Admiral, reporting directly to them.

History's Unreliable Narrators

Although the audience are viewing the Divine Isle event through a flashback narrated by Loki, covering viewpoints and events he obviously was absent for, I think we can treat this version as completely truthful. The manga may offer an reason in the future, maybe connected to the giant's still mysterious paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the God Valley event perfectly embodies the idea that the past is written by the victors. This attitude is {