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The adage 'The past is recorded by the winners' serves as a key motif that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the narrative. Popular tales frequently do not capture the full reality, even for the most influential figures in this world's intricate past. Oden was no foolish performer dancing through the roads of Wano; he behaved out of honor and principle. Kuma wasn't a merciless antagonist who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend meant beyond just a buccaneer's contest in search of flags 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, instructing audiences not to judge the characters too quickly.

Myths often fail to convey the complete reality, even for the most influential figures.

The series's latest look back, chronicling the Divine Isle event, represents one of the series' best storylines to date. Beyond the thrill of seeing icons in their prime, it's gripping to observe them before they turned into symbols — when their fame had still not surpass their human nature. History, as recorded by the Global Authority and recounted through secondhand tales, shaped our perception of figures like Roger, Xebec, and including Garp. But each of the regime's records and the narratives of those who knew them prove unreliable, revealing only pieces of who these men truly were.

The Man Prior to the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by mission and the bold spirit that ignited a fresh era of buccaneering, but before he became the King of the Pirates, he was a young man ruled by passion and wanderlust. When individuals discuss his myth, they typically mean his later journey, the epic expedition in search of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to Laugh Tale. However not much is understood about his initial travels, the one that molded him before fame found him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger knew little of the world's hidden past. His affection for Shakky guided him to God Valley, where he uncovered the Global Authority's most sinister realities: the genocidal "contests," the grotesque appearances of the Five Elders, and even the existence of the planet's hidden sovereign, Imu. We are yet to witness Roger's thoughts about everything happening in God Valley, but maybe finding the son of a God's Knight on his ship will make him realize his role in the world and seek the truth he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Before this flashback, what we knew of Xebec was derived almost entirely from Sengoku's version, both to the audience and to new Marines. He painted Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man bent on global control, someone so dangerous that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it turns out, Sengoku was not there at God Valley; he was only echoing the Global Authority's approved narrative of occurrences, the very narrative the sovereign approved to bury the truth about Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, Rocks D. Xebec, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to topple Imu and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We don't know if he was guided by ambition, retribution for his clan, or a desire for justice, but when he found out the government's plan to annihilate the land where his kin resided, he gave up his dreams of conquest to rescue them.

This love for his relatives became his undoing. After confronting the sovereign, he lost his will and liberty, becoming a marionette controlled to their power. Now, with what limited consciousness is left, he pleads with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — believing that dying would be a kindness in contrast to the torment he endures. The truth of Rocks is thus far from the story narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic shows him in a favorable light during the God Valley incidents.

Is He Living Today?

But did Rocks actually die? An interesting idea is that he is even now a servant to the ruler in the present day, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the World Government's only remaining Poneglyph in constant movement to keep the One Piece from being discovered.

The Hero's Hidden Defiance

Another protagonist of the God Valley event is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced criticism from followers for a long time for standing by as Akainu killed Ace. That sentiment only grew more intense after the timeskip, when he risked all to save Koby at Hachinosu, leading many to wonder why he was unable to do the same for his own grandchild. Similar doubts have recently resurfaced with the Divine Isle flashback: how can Garp serve the Navy, knowing the World Government considers genocide and enslavement as sport for the upper class?

The reality uncovers something different. The moment Monkey D. Garp saw the Gorosei's grotesque shapes, he struck immediately. His partnership with Gol D. Roger wasn't to defeat some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an effort to halt Imu, who was using Xebec as a pawn to eliminate everyone in the Divine Isle, even it seems, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is probably the cause Monkey D. Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he never wanted to be elevated to Admiral, answering straight to them.

The Past's Unreliable Storytellers

Although the readers are seeing the Divine Isle incident through a flashback recounted by the giant, including perspectives and occurrences he obviously was absent for, I believe we can treat this account as entirely accurate. The manga may offer an explanation in the future, perhaps linked to Loki's still mysterious paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle incident perfectly exemplifies the idea that the past is written by the victors. This mindset is {