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The adage 'History is recorded by the winners' serves as a central motif that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the story. Legends often do not capture the complete truth, including the most influential characters in this world's complex past. Oden wasn't a silly performer prancing through the roads of Wano Country; he acted out of duty and principle. Kuma was not a merciless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, Davy Jones signified beyond just a buccaneer's game in pursuit of flags and crews.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we witness the culmination of this idea. The entire Divine Isle story serves as a cautionary tale, instructing readers not to evaluate the individuals too quickly.

Legends frequently fail to capture the complete truth, even for the most powerful characters.

One Piece's latest look back, detailing the Divine Isle event, stands as one of the series' best arcs to date. Beyond the excitement of witnessing 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, painted our understanding of individuals like Roger, 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 really were.

The Man Before the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been guided by purpose and the daring attitude that sparked a new age of piracy, but before he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a youth governed by emotion and wanderlust. When individuals discuss his legend, they typically mean his later journey, the epic quest in search of the guide stones that lead to Laugh Tale. Yet little is known about his initial travels, the one that shaped him before fame found him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger knew little of the globe's secret history. His love for the barkeep guided him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the Global Authority's darkest realities: the extermination "games," the monstrous forms of the Five Elders, and even the presence of the world's unseen ruler, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's thoughts about all that's happening in God Valley, but perhaps discovering the child of a Holy Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his place in the globe and seek the truth he glimpsed from Xebec's situation.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this flashback, what we knew of Xebec was derived mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's version, each to the audience and to young Marines. He depicted Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man bent on world domination, someone so threatening that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it transpires, the strategist was not there at the Divine Isle; he was only repeating the Global Authority's sanctioned version of events, the exact narrative Imu approved to conceal the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the decadent World Government. We are unsure if he was guided by lust for power, revenge for his clan, or a wish for justice, but when he found out the regime's plan to annihilate the land where his kin resided, he gave up his ambitions of domination to save them.

This devotion for his relatives proved to be his undoing. After facing Imu, he lost his will and liberty, turning into a marionette controlled to their power. Currently, with what limited consciousness remains, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — thinking that death would be a kindness in contrast to the living hell he endures. The reality of Rocks is thus very different from the tale narrated by Sengoku, and the comic shows him in a positive light during the God Valley events.

Is He Living Today?

But did Rocks really meet his end? An intriguing theory is that he is still a servant to Imu in the current timeline, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the World Government's last ancient stone in continuous transit to keep the ultimate treasure from being found.

Garp's Secret Rebellion

Another protagonist of the Divine Isle event is Garp, who has faced criticism from followers for years for standing by as Akainu killed Ace. That sentiment became even more intense after the timeskip, when he risked everything to save Koby at Pirate Island, leading many to question why he was unable to do the same for his own grandson. Similar questions have recently resurfaced with the Divine Isle flashback: how could Garp serve the Navy, aware the World Government treats genocide and slavery as sport for the elite?

The truth reveals something distinct. The instant Monkey D. Garp saw the Elders' monstrous forms, he attacked without hesitation. His alliance with Gol D. Roger wasn't to vanquish some villainous Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an effort to stop Imu, who was using Xebec as a pawn to eliminate everyone in God Valley, including apparently, including the World Nobles themselves. This incident is probably the reason Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he never desired to be promoted to Admiral, answering directly to them.

History's Unreliable Narrators

Although the audience are seeing the Divine Isle incident through a flashback recounted by Loki, including viewpoints and occurrences he obviously was absent for, I think we can treat this account as entirely truthful. The manga may offer an explanation in the future, maybe connected to Loki's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the God Valley incident excellently exemplifies the notion that history is recorded by the victors. This attitude is {