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The saying 'The past is recorded by the winners' is a central motif that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the story. Legends often fail to capture the complete reality, even for the most powerful figures in this story's complex past. Kozuki Oden wasn't a foolish showman prancing through the streets of Wano; he acted out of duty and principle. Kuma was not a ruthless villain who tore apart the Straw Hats, as well; he was helping them. Similarly, Davy Jones signified beyond just a pirate's game in pursuit of flags and crews.

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

Legends often fail to capture the full truth, including the most influential characters.

The series's most recent flashback, detailing the Divine Isle incident, stands as one of the series' best arcs to date. Beyond the excitement of witnessing legends in their prime, it's compelling to see them before they turned into symbols — when their reputation had still not outgrow their humanity. The past, as written by the World Government and recounted through secondhand tales, shaped our perception of figures like Roger, Xebec, and including Garp. But each of the regime's accounts and the stories of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be unreliable, showing only pieces of who these individuals truly were.

The Individual Before the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by mission and the bold spirit that sparked a fresh era of piracy, but before he was known as the Pirate King, he was a young man governed by emotion and the desire to explore. When people speak of his myth, they usually mean his later journey, the grand quest in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to the final island. However not much is understood about his first journey, the one that shaped him before fame discovered him.

Back then, Roger knew little of the globe's secret past. His affection for Shakky led him to God Valley, where he discovered the Global Authority's darkest realities: the extermination "contests," the monstrous appearances of the Gorosei, and including the existence of the planet's hidden sovereign, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Roger's thoughts about everything occurring in God Valley, but perhaps discovering the child of a God's Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his place in the globe and pursue the truth he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this recollection, what we were aware of of Xebec was derived almost entirely from Sengoku's version, both to the audience and to new Marines. He painted Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man bent on 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, the strategist was not there at the Divine Isle; he was only echoing the World Government's approved version of occurrences, the exact story Imu authorized to conceal the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the decadent World Government. We are unsure if he was motivated by ambition, revenge for his clan, or a wish for fairness, but when he discovered the regime's plan to annihilate the land where his family lived, he abandoned his dreams of domination to save them.

This love for his relatives proved to be his downfall. After facing the sovereign, he forfeited his determination and freedom, turning into a puppet controlled to their authority. Now, with what limited awareness remains, he pleads with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — believing that death would be a kindness compared to the torment he suffers. The truth of Rocks is thus very different from the story told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga presents him in a favorable manner during the Divine Isle events.

Is He Living Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec actually meet his end? An interesting theory is that he is even now a slave to the ruler in the current timeline, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the World Government's last ancient stone in continuous transit to prevent the One Piece from being discovered.

Garp's Secret Defiance

Another protagonist of the Divine Isle incident is Garp, who has faced backlash from fans for years for standing by as Akainu murdered Ace. That sentiment only grew more intense after the timeskip, when he endangered everything to save Koby at Pirate Island, causing many to wonder why he couldn't do the identical for his own grandson. Similar doubts have now reemerged with the Divine Isle recollection: how can Garp work for the Navy, aware the World Government considers mass murder and enslavement as sport for the elite?

The truth uncovers something different. The instant Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Elders' grotesque forms, he attacked immediately. His partnership with Gol D. Roger was not meant to defeat some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an attempt to halt the sovereign, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to wipe out all in the Divine Isle, including it seems, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is probably the cause Monkey D. Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he not once wanted to be elevated to Admiral, answering directly to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Even though the audience are viewing the Divine Isle event through a recollection recounted by Loki, covering viewpoints and events he obviously was absent for, I think we can treat this account as entirely truthful. The manga may offer an reason in the future, maybe linked to Loki's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Still, the God Valley event excellently embodies the notion that the past is written by the victors. This attitude is {