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The saying 'History is recorded by the winners' serves as a key motif that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the story. Popular tales often do not convey the full reality, even for the most influential figures in this story's complex past. Kozuki Oden was no silly showman dancing through the roads of Wano; he acted out of duty and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a ruthless antagonist who separated the Straw Hats, either; he was helping them. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend meant beyond just a buccaneer's contest in search of flags and followers.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we see the culmination of this theme. The entire Divine Isle story serves as a warning story, advising audiences not to evaluate the individuals too quickly.

Myths frequently do not convey the complete truth, even for the most influential figures.

The series's latest look back, detailing the Divine Isle event, stands as one of the series' finest arcs to date. Beyond the excitement of witnessing icons in their peak, it's compelling to see them before they turned into symbols — when their fame had still not surpass their human nature. The past, as written by the World Government and retold through secondhand tales, shaped our perception of figures like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Garp. But each of the regime's accounts and the stories of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be untrustworthy, showing only fragments of who these individuals truly were.

The Individual Prior to the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by mission and the daring attitude that ignited a fresh era of buccaneering, but prior to he was known as the Pirate King, he was a young man governed by emotion and the desire to explore. When people discuss his myth, they usually refer to his second voyage, the epic quest in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to Laugh Tale. However little is understood about his initial travels, the one that molded him before glory discovered him.

Back then, Roger knew little of the world's hidden past. His affection for Shakky led him to God Valley, where he discovered the World Government's darkest realities: the genocidal "contests," the monstrous forms of the Gorosei, and including the presence of the world's unseen sovereign, Imu. We are yet to witness Roger's reflections about everything occurring in the Divine Isle, but maybe finding the child of a God's Knight on his vessel will make him realize his role in the globe and seek the truth he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this recollection, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec was derived mostly from Sengoku's account, each to the audience and to new Navy recruits. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, ambitious man determined to achieve global control, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it transpires, the strategist was not there at God Valley; he was only repeating the World Government's sanctioned narrative of occurrences, the exact story the sovereign approved to conceal the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We are unsure if he was guided by ambition, revenge for his family, or a desire for fairness, but when he found out the regime's scheme to annihilate the island where his family lived, he gave up his ambitions of conquest to save them.

This devotion for his relatives proved to be his downfall. After confronting Imu, he forfeited his will and liberty, turning into a puppet controlled to their authority. Now, with what little awareness is left, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — thinking that death would be a kindness compared to the torment he suffers. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the tale narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga presents him in a positive manner during the God Valley incidents.

Could He Be Living Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec actually die? An interesting theory is that he is still a servant to the ruler in the present day, acting as the scarred individual, keeping the Global Authority's last ancient stone in continuous movement to keep the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

The Hero's Secret Rebellion

A further protagonist of the Divine Isle event is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced backlash from fans for a long time for doing nothing as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment became even stronger after the time jump, when he endangered all to save the young Marine at Pirate Island, leading many to question why he couldn't do the same for his biological grandchild. Similar questions have now reemerged with the God Valley recollection: how could Monkey D. Garp serve the Navy, aware the Global Authority treats genocide and enslavement as entertainment for the elite?

The truth reveals something different. The instant Garp witnessed the Gorosei's grotesque shapes, he struck without hesitation. His alliance with Gol D. Roger was not meant to defeat some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an effort to halt the sovereign, who was using Xebec as a pawn to eliminate all in the Divine Isle, even it seems, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is likely the reason Monkey D. Garp despises 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 recollection narrated by Loki, including viewpoints and occurrences he clearly wasn't present for, I believe we can treat this account as entirely truthful. The series may provide an explanation in the future, perhaps connected to the giant's still mysterious paramecia ability. Still, the Divine Isle event perfectly exemplifies the notion that history is written by the winners. This mindset is {