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The adage 'The past is written by the victors' is a central motif that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the narrative. Legends often fail to convey the complete truth, including the most powerful figures in this world's intricate history. Oden was no foolish performer prancing through the roads of Wano Country; he behaved out of honor and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a ruthless villain who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was helping them. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend signified more than a pirate's contest in pursuit of flags and crews.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we witness the culmination of this idea. The entire Divine Isle narrative acts as a cautionary tale, advising readers not to evaluate the individuals too quickly.

Legends often do not convey the complete truth, even for the most powerful characters.

The series's most recent look back, detailing the Divine Isle event, stands as one of the series' finest arcs to now. Apart from the thrill of witnessing legends in their prime, it's compelling to see them prior to when they turned into symbols — when their reputation had yet to outgrow their humanity. The past, as written by the Global Authority and recounted through hearsay stories, painted our understanding of individuals like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Garp. But each of the government's records and the narratives of those who knew them turn out to be unreliable, showing only pieces of who these individuals really were.

The Man Before the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by mission and the bold attitude that ignited a new age of piracy, but prior to he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a young man ruled by emotion and the desire to explore. When individuals speak of his legend, they typically mean his later journey, the epic quest in pursuit of the guide stones that point toward Laugh Tale. Yet little is known about his initial travels, the one that shaped him prior to glory discovered him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the globe's hidden past. His affection for Shakky guided him to God Valley, where he discovered the Global Authority's most sinister truths: the genocidal "contests," the grotesque forms of the Gorosei, and even the presence of the planet's unseen ruler, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Roger's reflections about all that's happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the son of a God's Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his place in the world and seek the truth he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this recollection, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec was derived mostly from Sengoku's account, both to the audience and to young Navy recruits. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man bent on global control, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it transpires, Sengoku was not there at God Valley; he was only repeating the Global Authority's approved narrative of occurrences, the exact narrative the sovereign authorized to conceal the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to topple the ruler and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We don't know if he was guided by ambition, retribution for his clan, or a desire for fairness, but when he found out the government's scheme to eliminate the land where his kin lived, he abandoned his dreams of domination to rescue them.

This love for his family became his undoing. After facing Imu, he lost his will and freedom, becoming a puppet controlled to their power. Now, with what limited awareness is left, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Garp to kill him — believing that dying would be a mercy in contrast to the torment he endures. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the tale narrated by Sengoku, and the comic shows him in a favorable manner during the Divine Isle events.

Could He Be Living Today?

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

Garp's Secret Rebellion

Another protagonist of the Divine Isle event is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced criticism from followers for a long time for doing nothing as Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment only grew more intense after the timeskip, when he endangered all to rescue Koby at Hachinosu, causing many to question why he couldn't do the same for his own grandchild. Similar questions have recently resurfaced with the God Valley flashback: how could Garp serve the Navy, aware the Global Authority treats mass murder and slavery as sport for the upper class?

The reality uncovers something different. The moment Monkey D. Garp saw the Gorosei's monstrous forms, he struck immediately. His alliance with Roger wasn't to vanquish some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an attempt to stop Imu, who was using Xebec as a pawn to eliminate everyone in God Valley, including it seems, even the World Nobles themselves. This incident is probably the cause Monkey D. Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he not once wanted to be elevated to Admiral, reporting directly to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Narrators

Even though the audience are seeing the Divine Isle incident through a flashback narrated by Loki, covering viewpoints and occurrences he obviously was absent for, I think we can treat this account as entirely accurate. The series may offer an explanation in the future, maybe connected to Loki's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the God Valley incident perfectly exemplifies the notion that the past is written by the winners. This attitude is {