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The saying 'The past is written by the victors' is a key motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the narrative. Popular tales often do not convey the complete reality, even for the most influential characters in this story's intricate past. Kozuki Oden was no silly performer prancing through the roads of Wano; he acted out of duty and conviction. Kuma wasn't a merciless villain who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was helping them. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend meant beyond just a pirate's contest in pursuit of flags and crews.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we see the peak of this theme. The whole Divine Isle story acts as a cautionary tale, instructing readers not to evaluate the individuals too hastily.

Legends often fail to convey the full reality, including the most influential characters.

One Piece's latest flashback, detailing the Divine Isle event, represents one of the story's best storylines to now. Apart from the thrill of witnessing icons in their peak, it's compelling to observe them before they turned into icons — when their fame had yet to outgrow their humanity. The past, as recorded by the Global Authority and recounted through hearsay stories, painted our understanding of figures like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But each of the regime's records and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them prove untrustworthy, showing only pieces of who these men truly were.

The Individual Prior to the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by mission and the daring spirit that sparked a fresh era of buccaneering, but before he became the Pirate King, he was a youth ruled by emotion and wanderlust. When individuals speak of his myth, they typically refer to his second voyage, the grand quest in pursuit of the guide stones that point toward Laugh Tale. Yet not much is known about his first journey, the one that shaped him prior to fame discovered him.

Back then, Roger knew little of the globe's secret past. His love for the barkeep guided him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the Global Authority's most sinister truths: the genocidal "games," the grotesque forms of the Gorosei, and even the presence of the planet's unseen sovereign, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's thoughts about all that's happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe finding the child of a Holy Knight on his ship will make him realize his place in the globe and pursue the reality he glimpsed from Xebec's situation.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Before this flashback, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec came almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's account, both to the viewers and to young Navy recruits. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, ambitious man determined to achieve global control, someone so dangerous that Roger and Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it turns out, Sengoku was not there at God Valley; he was merely repeating the Global Authority's approved narrative of events, the very narrative the sovereign approved to bury the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, Rocks D. Xebec, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to topple the ruler and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We are unsure if he was guided by ambition, revenge for his clan, or a wish for fairness, but when he discovered the regime's plan to eliminate the island where his kin resided, he gave up his ambitions of domination to save them.

This devotion for his relatives became his undoing. Upon facing Imu, he lost his will and liberty, turning into a puppet controlled to their authority. Now, with what little consciousness is left, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Garp to kill him — believing that death would be a mercy in contrast to the torment he suffers. The truth of Rocks is thus very different from the story told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic shows him in a favorable light during the Divine Isle incidents.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks really die? An intriguing idea is that he is still a servant to Imu in the present day, acting as the scarred individual, keeping the World Government's last ancient stone in continuous transit to prevent the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

Garp's Hidden Defiance

Another protagonist of the God Valley incident is Garp, who has endured backlash from followers for a long time for standing by as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That feeling became even stronger after the time jump, when he risked everything to rescue Koby at Pirate Island, causing many to question why he couldn't do the same for his biological grandson. Comparable doubts have now reemerged with the Divine Isle recollection: how can Garp serve the Navy, aware the Global Authority considers genocide and slavery as sport for the upper class?

The reality uncovers something distinct. The instant Garp witnessed the Gorosei's monstrous shapes, he attacked without hesitation. His partnership with Roger was not meant to defeat some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an effort to halt Imu, who was manipulating Xebec as a pawn to wipe out all in the Divine Isle, including it seems, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is probably the cause Monkey D. Garp despises the World Nobles in the present day and why he never desired to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, answering straight to them.

History's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Although the readers are seeing the God Valley incident through a flashback recounted by Loki, including viewpoints and events he obviously was absent for, I believe we can treat this version as completely truthful. The manga may offer an explanation later, maybe linked to Loki's still mysterious paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle event perfectly exemplifies the notion that the past is written by the winners. This mindset is {