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The adage 'The past is recorded by the victors' serves as a key theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Popular tales frequently fail to capture the full reality, even for the most influential characters in this world's intricate history. Oden wasn't a silly performer prancing through the streets of Wano Country; he behaved out of honor and principle. Kuma wasn't a merciless villain who tore apart the Straw Hats, either; he was helping them. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend meant more than a pirate's contest in search of emblems and crews.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we see the peak of this idea. The whole Divine Isle story serves as a cautionary tale, advising audiences not to evaluate the characters too hastily.

Legends frequently do not convey the full truth, even for the most influential characters.

One Piece's latest look back, detailing the God Valley event, represents one of the series' finest storylines to date. Beyond the excitement of witnessing legends in their peak, it's gripping to see them before they turned into icons — when their fame had yet to outgrow their humanity. The past, as written by the Global Authority and retold through secondhand stories, shaped our understanding of figures like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But both the government's records and the stories of those who were acquainted with them prove unreliable, revealing only fragments of who these men truly were.

The Man Before the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by mission and the bold attitude that ignited a new age of buccaneering, but before he became the King of the Pirates, he was a youth governed by passion and the desire to explore. When individuals speak of his myth, they typically mean his later journey, the epic expedition in search of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward the final island. However little is known about his initial travels, the one that molded him prior to glory discovered him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the globe's hidden history. His affection for Shakky guided him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the World Government's darkest truths: the genocidal "games," the monstrous forms of the Five Elders, and including the presence of the world's hidden sovereign, Imu. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's thoughts about all that's occurring in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the child of a Holy Knight on his vessel will make him realize his role in the globe and seek the truth he glimpsed from Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this recollection, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec came mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's version, both to the audience and to new Navy recruits. He depicted Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man bent on global control, someone so dangerous that Roger and Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it transpires, the strategist wasn't even there at God Valley; he was merely repeating the World Government's approved narrative of events, the very story the sovereign authorized to bury the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to topple the ruler and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We are unsure if he was guided by lust for power, retribution for his clan, or a wish for justice, but when he found out the government's scheme to eliminate the land where his kin resided, he gave up his ambitions of domination to rescue them.

This devotion for his family proved to be his undoing. Upon facing Imu, he forfeited his will and liberty, turning into a marionette controlled to their power. Now, with what limited awareness remains, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — believing that dying would be a kindness compared to the living hell he endures. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the story narrated by Sengoku, and the comic shows him in a positive light during the Divine Isle incidents.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec really meet his end? An interesting theory is that he is still a slave to the ruler in the current timeline, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the Global Authority's only remaining Poneglyph in constant movement to prevent the ultimate treasure from being found.

Garp's Hidden Rebellion

A further protagonist of the God Valley event is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured backlash from fans for years for doing nothing as Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That feeling only grew stronger after the timeskip, when he endangered everything to rescue the young Marine at Hachinosu, causing many to wonder why he was unable to do the same for his biological grandson. Similar questions have now reemerged with the Divine Isle flashback: how could Garp work for the Marines, knowing the World Government considers mass murder and enslavement as sport for the upper class?

The truth reveals something distinct. The moment Garp witnessed the Gorosei's monstrous shapes, he struck without hesitation. His alliance with Roger was not meant to defeat some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an attempt to stop Imu, who was using Xebec as a tool to eliminate everyone in God Valley, even apparently, even the World Nobles themselves. This incident is likely the cause Garp detests the World Nobles in the current era and why he not once wanted to be promoted to Admiral, reporting directly to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Although the readers are seeing the Divine Isle event through a recollection recounted by the giant, including viewpoints and events he obviously wasn't present for, I think we can consider this version as entirely accurate. The series may provide an reason in the future, perhaps connected to Loki's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle incident perfectly embodies the idea that history is recorded by the winners. This attitude is {