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The saying 'The past is recorded by the victors' serves as a central motif that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the narrative. Popular tales frequently fail to capture the full truth, including the most influential characters in this story's intricate past. Oden wasn't a silly performer prancing through the roads of Wano; he acted out of honor and principle. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a merciless villain who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend meant more than a pirate's contest in pursuit of flags and followers.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we witness the peak of this idea. The entire Divine Isle story serves as a warning story, instructing audiences not to judge the characters too quickly.

Myths often fail to capture the full truth, even for the most influential characters.

One Piece's most recent flashback, chronicling the Divine Isle event, represents one of the story's best arcs to date. Beyond the excitement of witnessing icons in their peak, it's compelling to see them prior to when they turned into icons — when their fame had still not surpass their humanity. History, as written by the Global Authority and retold through secondhand stories, painted our perception of figures like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But both the regime's records and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them prove unreliable, revealing only pieces of who these individuals truly 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 buccaneering, but prior to he became the King of the Pirates, he was a young man ruled by passion and wanderlust. When individuals speak of his legend, they usually refer to his later journey, the epic quest in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward the final island. Yet little is understood about his initial travels, the one that molded him prior to fame discovered him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the globe's secret past. His love for the barkeep led him to God Valley, where he discovered the Global Authority's darkest realities: the extermination "games," the grotesque appearances of the Gorosei, and including the presence of the world's hidden sovereign, Imu. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's reflections about all that's happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the child of a Holy Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his role in the world and seek the reality he glimpsed from Xebec's situation.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Before this flashback, what we knew of Xebec came mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's account, both to the viewers and to new Marines. He depicted Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man bent on world domination, someone so threatening that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it transpires, Sengoku wasn't even there at God Valley; he was merely repeating the Global Authority's sanctioned narrative of events, the exact story the sovereign approved to conceal the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to topple Imu and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We don't know if he was motivated by ambition, retribution for his clan, or a wish for fairness, but when he discovered the regime's scheme to eliminate the land where his kin resided, he abandoned his dreams of conquest to save them.

This devotion for his relatives proved to be his undoing. Upon confronting the sovereign, he forfeited his determination and liberty, becoming a puppet enslaved to their power. Now, with what little consciousness remains, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — thinking that death would be a mercy in contrast 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 presents him in a positive light during the God Valley events.

Could He Be Living Today?

But did Rocks actually meet his end? An intriguing theory is that he is still a servant to Imu in the current timeline, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the World Government's only remaining ancient stone in continuous transit to keep the ultimate treasure from being found.

Garp's Secret Defiance

Another key figure of the Divine Isle incident is Garp, who has faced criticism from fans for a long time for standing by as Admiral Akainu killed Ace. That sentiment only grew more intense after the timeskip, when he endangered everything to rescue Koby at Hachinosu, leading many to question why he was unable to do the identical for his biological grandson. Similar questions have recently resurfaced with the God Valley recollection: how could Monkey D. Garp work for the Marines, knowing the World Government treats mass murder and enslavement as entertainment for the upper class?

The reality reveals something different. The moment Garp witnessed the Elders' monstrous shapes, he attacked immediately. His partnership with Roger was not meant to defeat some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an effort to halt Imu, who was using Xebec as a pawn to eliminate all in the Divine Isle, even it seems, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is likely the cause Monkey D. Garp detests the World Nobles in the present day and why he never wanted to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, answering directly to them.

History's Untrustworthy Narrators

Although the readers are seeing the Divine Isle event through a recollection recounted by the giant, covering perspectives and events he clearly wasn't present for, I believe we can consider this version as completely accurate. The series may provide an explanation later, maybe linked to Loki's still mysterious paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the God Valley event perfectly exemplifies the idea that the past is written by the victors. This mindset is {