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The saying 'The past is written by the victors' serves as a central theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the narrative. Legends often do not convey the full reality, including the most influential characters in this story's intricate past. Kozuki Oden was no silly showman dancing through the roads of Wano; he acted out of honor and principle. Kuma was not a merciless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hats, as well; he was helping them. Similarly, Davy Jones signified beyond just a buccaneer's contest in search of emblems and followers.

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

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

One Piece's most recent look back, detailing the Divine Isle incident, stands as one of the story's finest storylines to now. Beyond the excitement of seeing icons in their prime, it's gripping to observe them before they turned into symbols — when their fame had yet to surpass their human nature. History, as recorded by the World Government and recounted through secondhand stories, shaped our understanding of individuals like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But both the regime's accounts and the stories of those who knew them turn out to be untrustworthy, revealing only fragments of who these men truly were.

The Individual Prior to the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been guided by purpose and the bold attitude that ignited a new age of piracy, but before he was known as the Pirate King, he was a youth ruled by emotion and wanderlust. When individuals speak of his myth, they usually mean his later journey, the epic quest in search of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to Laugh Tale. However not much is known about his initial travels, the one that shaped him prior to fame found him.

At that time, Roger was largely unaware of the world's hidden past. His love for Shakky guided him to God Valley, where he discovered the World Government's darkest truths: the genocidal "games," the grotesque forms of the Gorosei, and including the presence of the planet's hidden sovereign, Imu. We are yet to witness 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 vessel will make him realize his role in the world and pursue the reality he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this recollection, what we were aware of of Xebec was derived mostly from Sengoku's version, each to the viewers and to new Navy recruits. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man bent on global control, someone so threatening that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it transpires, Sengoku was not present at God Valley; he was only repeating the World Government's approved narrative of occurrences, the exact narrative Imu approved to bury the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to overthrow Imu and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We are unsure if he was motivated by ambition, revenge for his family, or a desire for justice, but when he discovered the regime's plan to annihilate the island where his kin lived, he abandoned his dreams of domination to save them.

This devotion for his relatives proved to be his downfall. Upon confronting Imu, he forfeited his determination and freedom, becoming a marionette controlled to their authority. Currently, with what limited consciousness remains, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Garp to end his life — thinking that dying would be a mercy compared to the torment he suffers. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the story told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic presents him in a favorable light during the God Valley incidents.

Could He Be Living Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec actually meet his end? An interesting 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 Poneglyph in continuous movement to keep the One Piece from being found.

Garp's Secret Rebellion

Another protagonist of the Divine Isle event is Garp, who has endured criticism from fans for a long time for standing by as Admiral Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment only grew more intense after the time jump, when he risked all to rescue the young Marine at Pirate Island, causing many to wonder why he was unable to do the identical for his own grandson. Comparable questions have recently resurfaced with the Divine Isle recollection: how could Monkey D. Garp serve the Navy, knowing the Global Authority treats genocide and enslavement as entertainment for the upper class?

The truth uncovers something different. The moment Garp witnessed the Elders' monstrous shapes, he attacked immediately. His partnership with Gol D. Roger was not meant to vanquish some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an effort to halt Imu, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to eliminate everyone in the Divine Isle, including apparently, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is likely the reason Monkey D. Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he never wanted to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, answering straight to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Although the readers are seeing the God Valley event through a recollection narrated by the giant, covering perspectives and occurrences he obviously was absent for, I believe we can treat this account as entirely accurate. The series may offer an reason later, maybe linked to the giant's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Still, the Divine Isle event perfectly embodies the idea that the past is recorded by the winners. This mindset is {