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The adage 'The past is written by the winners' serves as a central motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Popular tales frequently fail to convey the complete truth, including the most influential figures in this story's complex history. Oden was no foolish performer prancing through the streets of Wano Country; he acted out of honor and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma was not a merciless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hats, either; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend meant beyond just a pirate's contest in search of emblems and followers.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we witness the peak of this theme. The entire Divine Isle story serves as a warning story, instructing readers not to evaluate the characters too hastily.

Myths often fail to capture the full reality, even for the most influential figures.

The series's most recent look back, detailing the God Valley incident, represents one of the series' finest arcs to date. Beyond the thrill of witnessing icons in their prime, it's compelling to see them before they turned into symbols — when their reputation had still not surpass their humanity. The past, as written by the Global Authority and recounted through hearsay stories, painted our understanding of individuals like Roger, Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But both the regime's records and the stories of those who were acquainted with them prove unreliable, showing only fragments of who these men really were.

The Man Prior to the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been driven by mission and the bold spirit that ignited a new age of buccaneering, but prior to he was known as the Pirate King, he was a youth governed by emotion and the desire to explore. When people speak of his myth, they typically mean his later journey, the epic expedition in search of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to the final island. However little is understood about his first journey, the one that molded him prior to glory discovered him.

Back then, Roger knew little of the globe's hidden past. His love for the barkeep guided him to God Valley, where he discovered the World Government's darkest realities: the genocidal "contests," the grotesque appearances of the Five Elders, and including the presence of the planet's hidden ruler, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Roger's reflections about everything happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the son of a Holy Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his role in the world and pursue the truth he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

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 new Navy recruits. He depicted Xebec as a vile, ambitious man determined to achieve world domination, someone so dangerous that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it transpires, the strategist wasn't even there at the Divine Isle; he was only echoing the Global Authority's approved narrative of occurrences, the very story Imu approved to conceal the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, The captain, whose real 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 motivated by lust for power, revenge for his clan, or a wish for fairness, but when he found out the regime's plan to eliminate the island where his family lived, he abandoned his dreams of domination to save them.

This devotion for his relatives proved to be his downfall. Upon confronting the sovereign, he lost his determination and freedom, turning into a marionette controlled to their power. Now, with what little awareness remains, he begs with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — believing that death would be a kindness in contrast to the torment he endures. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the tale narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga shows him in a positive manner during the Divine Isle incidents.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks really die? An interesting idea is that he is even now a servant to Imu in the current timeline, acting as the scarred individual, maintaining the World Government's only remaining ancient stone in constant transit to prevent the One Piece from being discovered.

Garp's Secret Rebellion

Another protagonist of the Divine Isle event is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured criticism from fans for a long time for standing by as Admiral Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That feeling only grew more intense after the timeskip, when he risked everything to save Koby at Pirate Island, causing many to wonder why he was unable to do the same for his biological grandson. Similar doubts have now resurfaced with the God Valley flashback: how can Monkey D. Garp serve the Marines, aware the Global Authority treats genocide and slavery as entertainment for the elite?

The reality reveals something distinct. The instant Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Elders' grotesque shapes, he struck without hesitation. His partnership with Gol D. Roger wasn't to defeat some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous 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 incident is probably the reason Monkey D. Garp despises the World Nobles in the present day and why he never wanted to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, reporting directly to them.

History's Unreliable Storytellers

Even though the readers are seeing the Divine Isle incident through a recollection narrated by Loki, covering perspectives and events he clearly was absent for, I think we can treat this version as entirely truthful. The manga may offer an reason later, maybe connected to Loki's still mysterious paramecia ability. Still, the God Valley event excellently exemplifies the idea that history is written by the victors. This mindset is {