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The adage 'The past is recorded by the winners' serves as a key motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the narrative. Legends often do not capture the complete truth, even for the most powerful figures in this world's complex past. Kozuki Oden wasn't a silly showman dancing through the roads of Wano; he behaved out of honor and conviction. Kuma was not a merciless villain who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was helping them. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend meant more than a pirate's game in search of emblems and crews.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we witness the culmination of this theme. The entire Divine Isle story serves as a cautionary tale, instructing audiences not to evaluate the individuals too quickly.

Legends frequently do not convey the full truth, even for the most influential figures.

One Piece's most recent look back, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, stands as one of the story's finest arcs to now. Apart from the excitement of seeing icons in their prime, it's compelling to see them before they turned into icons — when their fame had yet to surpass their humanity. The past, as recorded by the World Government and retold through hearsay tales, shaped our perception of figures like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Garp. But both the government's records and the narratives of those who knew them prove untrustworthy, revealing only fragments of who these individuals really were.

The Individual Before the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been driven by mission and the bold spirit that sparked a new age of buccaneering, but before he became the Pirate King, he was a young man ruled by emotion and the desire to explore. When individuals speak of his myth, they typically mean his second voyage, the grand expedition in pursuit of the guide stones that point toward Laugh Tale. However not much is known about his initial travels, the one that shaped him prior to fame found him.

Back then, Roger was largely unaware of the globe's secret history. His love for Shakky led him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the World Government's most sinister realities: the genocidal "games," the monstrous appearances of the Five Elders, and even the presence of the planet's hidden sovereign, Imu. We are yet to witness Roger's thoughts about all that's occurring in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the child of a God's Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his place in the world and seek the reality he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this recollection, what we were aware of of Xebec was derived mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's account, both to the viewers and to new Navy recruits. He painted Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man bent on world domination, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it transpires, the strategist wasn't even present at God Valley; he was only echoing the Global Authority's approved version of events, the exact narrative Imu authorized to conceal the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to overthrow Imu and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We are unsure if he was motivated by lust for power, retribution for his clan, or a wish for fairness, but when he discovered the regime's plan to eliminate the island where his family resided, he gave up his dreams of domination to rescue them.

This devotion for his family became his undoing. Upon facing Imu, he forfeited his determination and liberty, turning into a puppet enslaved to their power. Now, with what little consciousness remains, he begs with Roger and Garp to end his life — thinking that death would be a kindness compared to the living hell he suffers. The truth of Rocks is thus far from the tale narrated by Sengoku, and the comic presents him in a positive light during the Divine Isle events.

Is He Living Today?

But did Rocks actually die? An intriguing idea is that he is even now a slave to Imu in the current timeline, serving as the scarred individual, maintaining the World Government's last Poneglyph in continuous movement to keep the ultimate treasure from being found.

The Hero's Secret Rebellion

Another protagonist of the God Valley event is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured backlash from followers for a long time for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu murdered Ace. That sentiment only grew more intense after the timeskip, when he endangered everything to rescue Koby at Pirate Island, causing many to question why he was unable to do the same for his own grandson. Comparable doubts have now resurfaced with the Divine Isle flashback: how could Garp serve the Marines, aware the World Government treats genocide and slavery as sport for the upper class?

The reality reveals something distinct. The instant Garp witnessed the Gorosei's grotesque shapes, he attacked immediately. His partnership with Roger wasn't to defeat some evil Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an attempt to stop the sovereign, who was using Xebec as a pawn to eliminate everyone in God Valley, even apparently, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is likely the cause Monkey D. Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he never desired to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, reporting directly to them.

History's Untrustworthy Narrators

Even though the audience are viewing the God Valley event through a flashback recounted by the giant, including viewpoints and events he clearly was absent for, I think we can consider this account as entirely accurate. The manga may offer an reason later, perhaps connected to Loki's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Still, the God Valley incident excellently embodies the idea that the past is written by the winners. This attitude is {