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The saying 'The past is recorded by the victors' is a central theme that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the narrative. Legends often do not convey the complete reality, even for the most powerful figures in this world's intricate past. Oden wasn't a silly performer dancing through the streets of Wano; he behaved out of duty and principle. Kuma wasn't a merciless villain who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was helping them. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend signified beyond just a buccaneer's contest in pursuit of flags and followers.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we witness the culmination of this idea. The whole Divine Isle narrative serves as a warning story, advising audiences not to evaluate the characters too hastily.

Legends often do not capture the full truth, including the most influential characters.

One Piece's most recent flashback, chronicling the Divine Isle event, stands as one of the story's best arcs to date. Beyond the excitement of witnessing icons in their peak, it's gripping to observe them prior to when they turned into icons — when their fame had still not outgrow their human nature. History, as recorded by the World Government and recounted through secondhand stories, shaped our understanding of figures like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But both the government's records and the narratives of those who knew them prove unreliable, showing 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 fresh era of piracy, but before he became the Pirate King, he was a youth ruled by passion and the desire to explore. When people discuss his legend, they typically mean his later journey, the grand quest in pursuit of the guide stones that lead to Laugh Tale. However little is understood about his first journey, the one that shaped him prior to fame discovered him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger knew little of the world's hidden past. His affection for Shakky led him to God Valley, where he discovered the World Government's darkest realities: the extermination "games," the grotesque forms of the Gorosei, and including the presence of the world's unseen sovereign, Imu. We are yet to witness Roger's thoughts about everything occurring in the Divine Isle, but perhaps discovering the son of a God's Knight on his ship will make him realize his role in the globe and pursue the reality he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this flashback, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec was derived mostly from Sengoku's version, each to the viewers and to young Marines. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man determined to achieve world domination, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it turns out, the strategist wasn't even present at God Valley; he was merely repeating the Global Authority's sanctioned narrative of events, the exact narrative the sovereign approved to conceal the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We don't know if he was motivated by lust for power, retribution for his family, or a desire for fairness, but when he discovered the regime's scheme to annihilate the land where his family lived, he gave up his dreams of domination to save them.

This devotion for his relatives proved to be his undoing. After facing the sovereign, he lost his will and freedom, becoming a marionette enslaved to their power. Now, with what little consciousness remains, he pleads with Roger and Garp to end his life — believing that dying would be a kindness compared to the living hell he endures. The reality of Rocks is thus very different from the story narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic shows him in a positive manner during the God Valley incidents.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec actually meet his end? An intriguing theory is that he is even now a slave to Imu in the present day, acting as the scarred individual, maintaining the World Government's only remaining ancient stone in constant movement to keep the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

Garp's Secret Defiance

A further protagonist of the God Valley incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced backlash from followers for a long time for standing by as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment only grew stronger after the time jump, when he risked everything to rescue the young Marine at Pirate Island, leading many to question why he couldn't do the same for his biological grandchild. Similar questions have now resurfaced with the Divine Isle recollection: how can Monkey D. Garp work for the Navy, knowing the Global Authority considers genocide and slavery as sport for the elite?

The reality uncovers something distinct. The moment Garp saw the Gorosei's grotesque forms, he struck without hesitation. His partnership with Gol D. Roger was not meant to defeat some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an effort to stop Imu, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to eliminate everyone in the Divine Isle, even apparently, including the World Nobles themselves. This incident is likely the cause Monkey D. Garp detests the World Nobles in the present day and why he never desired to be promoted to Admiral, reporting directly to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Although the audience are viewing the Divine Isle incident through a flashback narrated by Loki, covering perspectives and events he clearly was absent for, I think we can treat this account as completely truthful. The series may provide an explanation later, perhaps linked to Loki's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle incident perfectly exemplifies the idea that the past is recorded by the winners. This mindset is {