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The saying 'History is recorded by the winners' serves as a key motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the narrative. Popular tales frequently do not capture the full truth, even for the most powerful figures in this world's complex history. Oden wasn't a foolish performer prancing through the roads of Wano; he acted out of duty and principle. Bartholomew Kuma was not a ruthless antagonist who separated the Straw Hats, as well; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, Davy Jones signified beyond just a pirate's contest in pursuit of emblems and crews.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we see the culmination of this idea. The whole God Valley narrative serves as a warning story, instructing readers not to evaluate the characters too hastily.

Myths frequently fail to convey the full reality, including the most influential characters.

The series's most recent look back, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, stands as one of the story's finest storylines to now. Beyond the thrill of seeing icons in their prime, it's compelling to see them before they turned into icons — when their reputation had yet to surpass their human nature. History, as recorded by the Global Authority and retold through secondhand tales, shaped our understanding of individuals like Roger, Xebec, and including Garp. But each of the government's records and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them prove untrustworthy, showing only pieces of who these men really were.

The Man Before the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been guided by purpose and the bold attitude that sparked a fresh era of piracy, but before he became the Pirate King, he was a youth governed by emotion and the desire to explore. When people speak of his legend, they typically mean his later journey, the epic quest in search of the guide stones that point toward the final island. However little is known about his first journey, the one that molded him before glory found him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the globe's secret past. His love for Shakky guided him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the World Government's darkest truths: the genocidal "contests," the grotesque appearances of the Five Elders, and including the presence of the world's hidden ruler, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's reflections about everything happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe finding the child of a Holy Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his role in the globe and pursue the truth he glimpsed from Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Before this recollection, what we knew of Xebec came almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's version, both to the viewers and to young Marines. He painted Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man determined to achieve world domination, someone so dangerous that Roger and Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it turns out, Sengoku wasn't even there at the Divine Isle; he was merely repeating the World Government's sanctioned narrative of occurrences, the very narrative the sovereign authorized to bury the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to topple Imu and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We are unsure if he was guided by lust for power, revenge for his clan, or a desire for justice, but when he found out the government's scheme to eliminate the land where his family lived, he gave up his ambitions of conquest to save them.

This devotion for his family became his undoing. Upon confronting Imu, he forfeited his determination and freedom, becoming a puppet enslaved to their authority. Currently, with what little consciousness remains, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Garp to end his life — believing that death would be a mercy compared to the torment he suffers. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the tale narrated by Sengoku, and the comic shows him in a positive manner during the Divine Isle events.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks really die? An interesting theory is that he is even now a slave to the ruler in the present day, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the Global Authority's only remaining Poneglyph in continuous transit to keep the One Piece from being found.

Garp's Hidden Rebellion

Another protagonist of the Divine Isle event is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured backlash from followers for years for standing by as Admiral Akainu murdered Ace. That feeling only grew more intense after the timeskip, when he endangered everything to save Koby at Pirate Island, leading many to wonder why he was unable to do the identical for his biological grandchild. Comparable doubts have now reemerged with the God Valley flashback: how could Monkey D. Garp serve the Navy, aware the Global Authority treats mass murder and enslavement as entertainment for the upper class?

The truth reveals something different. The instant Garp witnessed the Gorosei's grotesque forms, he struck immediately. His partnership with Roger wasn't to vanquish some villainous Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an effort to halt Imu, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to wipe out everyone in God Valley, including apparently, including the World Nobles themselves. This event is likely the reason Monkey D. Garp detests the World Nobles in the present day and why he never wanted to be promoted to Admiral, answering straight to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Although the audience are seeing the Divine Isle event through a flashback narrated by Loki, including perspectives and events he obviously wasn't present for, I believe we can treat this account as completely truthful. The manga may provide an explanation later, perhaps connected to the giant's still mysterious paramecia ability. Still, the Divine Isle event excellently exemplifies the idea that the past is written by the victors. This attitude is {