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The adage 'The past is written by the victors' serves as a key theme that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the narrative. Popular tales frequently do not capture the full truth, including the most influential characters in this story's complex past. Kozuki Oden wasn't a silly showman prancing through the streets of Wano; he acted out of honor and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a ruthless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hats, as well; he was helping them. Similarly, Davy Jones signified beyond just a pirate's contest in search of emblems and crews.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we see the peak of this idea. The whole Divine Isle narrative serves as a cautionary tale, advising audiences not to judge the individuals too hastily.

Legends frequently do not convey the complete reality, even for the most influential figures.

One Piece's most recent flashback, chronicling the Divine Isle event, stands as one of the story's best arcs to now. Apart from the excitement of seeing legends in their prime, it's gripping to observe them before they became icons — when their fame had yet to surpass their human nature. History, as recorded by the World Government and retold through secondhand tales, shaped our perception of figures like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Garp. But both the government's records and the stories of those who were acquainted with them prove untrustworthy, showing only pieces of who these individuals really were.

The Individual Before the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by mission and the daring spirit that ignited a new age of piracy, but before he became the King of the Pirates, he was a young man governed by passion and wanderlust. When individuals speak of his legend, they typically refer to his later journey, the grand quest in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward the final island. Yet little is known about his first journey, the one that molded him before fame found him.

Back then, Roger was largely unaware of the globe's hidden past. His love for Shakky led him to God Valley, where he discovered the Global Authority's darkest realities: the genocidal "contests," the grotesque appearances of the Five Elders, and even the existence of the planet's hidden ruler, Imu. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's reflections about all that's happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe finding the son of a Holy Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his role in the globe and seek the truth he glimpsed from Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this flashback, what we knew of Xebec was derived mostly from Sengoku's version, each to the audience and to young Navy recruits. He painted Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man determined to achieve global control, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it turns out, Sengoku wasn't even there at the Divine Isle; he was only echoing the Global Authority's approved narrative of events, the exact narrative Imu authorized to bury the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to topple the ruler and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We are unsure if he was guided by lust for power, retribution for his clan, or a desire for fairness, but when he discovered the regime's plan to eliminate the land where his family lived, he gave up his ambitions of domination to save them.

This love for his relatives became his undoing. Upon facing the sovereign, he lost his determination and liberty, turning into a puppet controlled to their power. Currently, with what limited consciousness remains, he pleads with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — thinking that dying would be a kindness compared to the torment he endures. The reality of Rocks is thus very different from the tale told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic shows him in a favorable light during the Divine Isle incidents.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks actually meet his end? An intriguing theory is that he is even now a servant to the ruler in the present day, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the Global Authority's only remaining Poneglyph in constant movement to prevent the One Piece from being found.

The Hero's Hidden Rebellion

Another key figure of the God Valley event is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced criticism from fans for years for standing by as Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment only grew stronger after the time jump, when he risked everything 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 doubts have recently resurfaced with the Divine Isle flashback: how can Garp serve the Marines, aware the Global Authority considers genocide and slavery as sport for the elite?

The reality reveals something distinct. The instant Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Elders' grotesque forms, he struck without hesitation. His partnership with Gol D. Roger wasn't to defeat some evil Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an effort to stop the sovereign, who was manipulating Xebec as a tool to wipe out everyone in the Divine Isle, including it seems, including the World Nobles themselves. This event is likely the cause Monkey D. Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he never desired to be elevated to Admiral, reporting straight to them.

History's Unreliable Narrators

Although the readers are seeing the God Valley incident through a recollection narrated by Loki, including viewpoints and occurrences he clearly wasn't present for, I think we can treat this account as completely accurate. The manga may offer an explanation later, perhaps linked to Loki's yet unknown paramecia ability. Still, the Divine Isle incident excellently exemplifies the idea that the past is written by the victors. This mindset is {