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The adage 'History is recorded by the victors' serves as a key theme that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the story. Legends frequently fail to capture the full truth, including the most powerful characters in this story's intricate past. Kozuki Oden was no silly showman prancing through the streets of Wano Country; he behaved out of honor and conviction. Kuma wasn't a merciless villain who separated the Straw Hats, either; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, Davy Jones signified more than a buccaneer's contest in search of emblems and crews.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we see the peak of this theme. The whole Divine Isle narrative serves as a warning story, advising audiences not to evaluate the individuals too quickly.

Legends often do not convey the full reality, even for the most influential figures.

The series's latest flashback, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, represents one of the series' finest storylines to now. Beyond the thrill of seeing icons in their prime, it's compelling to see them prior to when they turned into symbols — when their fame had still not surpass their human nature. History, as written by the World Government and retold through secondhand stories, shaped our understanding of figures like Roger, Xebec, and even Garp. But each of the regime's records and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be untrustworthy, showing only fragments of who these men really were.

The Individual Before the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by mission and the bold attitude that sparked a new age of piracy, but prior to he was known as the Pirate King, he was a youth ruled by emotion and wanderlust. When individuals speak of his legend, they usually refer to his second voyage, the epic expedition in pursuit of the guide stones that point toward Laugh Tale. However not much is known about his initial travels, the one that shaped him prior to glory discovered him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger knew little of the globe's hidden past. His affection for the barkeep guided him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the Global Authority's darkest truths: the extermination "contests," the monstrous appearances of the Five Elders, and including the existence of the planet's unseen ruler, Imu. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's reflections about all that's happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the child of a God's Knight on his ship will make him realize his role in the world and seek the truth he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Before this recollection, what we were aware of of Xebec was derived almost entirely from Sengoku's account, both to the viewers and to young Marines. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man bent on world domination, someone so threatening that Roger and Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it transpires, Sengoku wasn't even present at God Valley; he was only repeating the World Government's sanctioned version of occurrences, the exact story Imu authorized to bury the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought 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 justice, but when he discovered the government's scheme to annihilate the land where his kin lived, he abandoned his dreams of domination to save them.

This love for his family became his undoing. Upon confronting Imu, he lost his will and freedom, turning into a marionette enslaved to their power. Now, with what little consciousness is left, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — thinking that death would be a kindness in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The reality of Rocks is thus far from the tale narrated by Sengoku, and the comic presents him in a favorable light during the God Valley incidents.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec really die? An intriguing idea is that he is still a servant to Imu in the current timeline, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the Global Authority's only remaining ancient stone in constant movement to prevent the ultimate treasure from being found.

Garp's Secret Rebellion

A further key figure of the Divine Isle incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced backlash from fans for years for standing by as Admiral Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That feeling only grew more intense after the timeskip, when he endangered everything to save the young Marine at Hachinosu, leading many to wonder why he was unable to do the same for his own grandson. Similar questions have now reemerged with the God Valley recollection: how can Garp serve the Marines, knowing the Global Authority treats genocide and slavery as sport for the upper class?

The reality uncovers something different. The instant Garp saw the Elders' monstrous shapes, he struck without hesitation. His partnership with Gol D. Roger wasn't to defeat some villainous Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an attempt to stop Imu, who was manipulating Xebec as a pawn to wipe out everyone in God Valley, even apparently, even the World Nobles themselves. This event is likely the reason Monkey D. Garp despises the World Nobles in the present day and why he not once wanted to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, reporting straight to them.

The Past's Unreliable Storytellers

Even though the audience are seeing the Divine Isle incident through a flashback recounted by the giant, covering perspectives and events he clearly was absent for, I think we can consider this account as completely accurate. The manga may offer an reason later, perhaps linked to Loki's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle incident excellently embodies the notion that the past is recorded by the victors. This mindset is {