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The saying 'History is recorded by the victors' serves as a key motif that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the narrative. Legends frequently do not convey the complete reality, including the most influential figures in this story's intricate past. Oden wasn't a foolish showman prancing through the roads of Wano Country; he behaved out of honor and principle. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a merciless antagonist who separated the Straw Hats, as well; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, Davy Jones meant more than a pirate's game in search of emblems and followers.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we witness the peak of this theme. The whole Divine Isle narrative serves as a cautionary tale, advising readers not to evaluate the individuals too quickly.

Legends frequently fail to convey the complete reality, including the most powerful figures.

One Piece's most recent flashback, detailing the God Valley event, represents one of the series' finest arcs to now. Apart from the thrill of seeing legends in their peak, it's gripping to see them before they became symbols — when their fame had still not surpass their human nature. History, as written by the Global Authority and retold through secondhand stories, shaped our perception of individuals like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But both the regime's records and the stories of those who were acquainted with them prove untrustworthy, revealing only fragments of who these individuals truly were.

The Man Before the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been driven by mission and the bold spirit that sparked a new age of piracy, but before he was known as the Pirate King, he was a young man ruled by passion and wanderlust. When individuals speak of his myth, they typically mean his later journey, the grand expedition in search of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward Laugh Tale. Yet not much is understood about his first journey, the one that shaped him prior to fame discovered him.

Back then, Roger was largely unaware of the globe's hidden past. His love for the barkeep guided him to God Valley, where he discovered the World Government's darkest truths: the extermination "games," the grotesque forms of the Gorosei, and even the existence of the planet's hidden ruler, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Roger's thoughts about all that's happening in God Valley, but perhaps discovering the child of a Holy Knight on his vessel will make him realize his role in the globe and pursue the reality he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this flashback, what we knew of Xebec came almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's account, each to the viewers and to new Navy recruits. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man determined to achieve global control, someone so threatening that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it transpires, the strategist wasn't even present at the Divine Isle; he was only echoing the World Government's sanctioned narrative of occurrences, the very narrative Imu approved to bury the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident 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 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 government's scheme to annihilate the land where his kin resided, he gave up his dreams of conquest to rescue them.

This devotion for his family proved to be his downfall. Upon facing Imu, he forfeited his determination and freedom, becoming a marionette controlled to their authority. Now, with what little awareness is left, he begs with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — believing that dying would be a kindness in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The reality of Rocks is thus far from the tale told by Sengoku, and the comic presents him in a favorable light during the God Valley incidents.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec actually die? An intriguing idea is that he is even now 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.

The Hero's Secret Rebellion

A further protagonist of the Divine Isle event is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced criticism from fans for years for doing nothing as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That feeling became even stronger after the timeskip, when he endangered everything to save the young Marine at Pirate Island, causing many to question why he couldn't do the identical for his own grandson. Similar questions have now reemerged with the Divine Isle flashback: how could Garp work for the Marines, knowing the Global Authority treats genocide and enslavement as entertainment for the elite?

The reality uncovers something different. The moment Garp witnessed the Gorosei's grotesque forms, he attacked without hesitation. His alliance with Gol D. Roger was not meant to vanquish some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an attempt to halt the sovereign, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to eliminate all in the Divine Isle, even apparently, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is probably the cause Garp detests the World Nobles in the current era and why he not once desired to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, reporting straight to them.

History's Untrustworthy Narrators

Although the readers are seeing the God Valley incident through a flashback narrated by Loki, covering perspectives and occurrences he obviously was absent for, I think we can treat this version as completely accurate. The series may provide an reason in the future, perhaps linked to the giant's yet unknown paramecia ability. Still, the Divine Isle incident perfectly embodies the idea that history is recorded by the victors. This mindset is {