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The adage 'The past is written by the winners' is a central motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Legends often fail to capture the complete reality, even for the most powerful characters in this world's intricate past. Kozuki Oden wasn't a foolish performer dancing through the streets of Wano Country; he acted out of honor and conviction. Kuma wasn't a merciless antagonist who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was helping them. Similarly, Davy Jones meant beyond just a pirate's contest in search of flags and followers.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we witness the culmination of this idea. The whole Divine Isle story acts as a warning story, advising readers not to evaluate the individuals too quickly.

Myths often fail to convey the full truth, even for the most powerful characters.

One Piece's latest look back, detailing the Divine Isle incident, stands as one of the series' finest arcs to date. Beyond the thrill of seeing legends in their prime, it's compelling to observe them prior to when they turned into symbols — when their reputation had yet to outgrow their human nature. History, as written by the Global Authority and recounted through hearsay stories, shaped our understanding of individuals like Roger, Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But each of the regime's records and the narratives of those who knew them turn out to be unreliable, 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 bold attitude that sparked a new age of buccaneering, but prior to he became the King of the Pirates, he was a young man ruled by emotion and wanderlust. When individuals discuss his legend, they typically mean his later journey, the epic quest in search of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward Laugh Tale. Yet little is known about his first journey, the one that shaped him prior to glory discovered him.

At that time, Roger knew little of the world's secret past. His affection for the barkeep led him to God Valley, where he uncovered the Global Authority's darkest realities: the genocidal "contests," the grotesque appearances of the Gorosei, and including the presence of the planet's unseen sovereign, Imu. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's thoughts about everything occurring in God Valley, but perhaps discovering the son of a God's Knight on his ship will make him realize his role in the globe and seek the truth he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Before this flashback, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec came mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's version, both to the audience and to young Navy recruits. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man determined to achieve global control, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it turns out, Sengoku wasn't even present at the Divine Isle; he was merely echoing the World Government's approved version of occurrences, the exact story Imu approved to bury the reality about Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to topple Imu and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We are unsure if he was motivated by lust for power, retribution for his clan, or a desire for justice, but when he discovered the regime's scheme to annihilate the land where his kin resided, he gave up his ambitions of conquest to save them.

This devotion for his relatives became his undoing. Upon confronting Imu, he lost his determination and freedom, becoming a marionette enslaved to their power. Now, with what limited awareness remains, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Garp to kill him — thinking that death would be a kindness in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the story told by Sengoku, and the comic presents him in a favorable light during the Divine Isle incidents.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks actually die? An interesting theory is that he is still a slave to Imu in the current timeline, acting as the scarred individual, maintaining the Global Authority's last ancient stone in constant transit to prevent the One Piece from being found.

The Hero's Secret Defiance

A further key figure of the God Valley incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured backlash from followers for a long time for standing by as Akainu killed Ace. That feeling became even stronger after the time jump, when he risked all to save the young Marine at Hachinosu, leading many to wonder why he was unable to do the identical for his biological grandson. Similar questions have recently resurfaced with the Divine Isle recollection: how could Monkey D. Garp serve the Navy, aware the Global Authority considers genocide and enslavement as sport for the elite?

The reality reveals something different. The moment Monkey D. Garp saw the Gorosei's grotesque shapes, he attacked without hesitation. His alliance with Roger was not meant to defeat some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an effort to halt Imu, who was manipulating Xebec as a pawn to wipe out all in God Valley, even it seems, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is likely the cause Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he never wanted to be elevated to Admiral, answering straight to them.

History's Unreliable Storytellers

Even though the readers are seeing the God Valley incident through a flashback recounted by Loki, covering viewpoints and events he clearly was absent for, I believe we can consider this account as completely truthful. The series may provide an reason later, maybe linked to Loki's yet unknown paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle incident excellently embodies the notion that the past is written by the victors. This mindset is {