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The saying 'History is written by the winners' is a key motif that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the story. Popular tales frequently fail to convey the complete truth, even for the most influential characters in this world's complex history. Oden wasn't a foolish showman dancing through the roads of Wano Country; he acted out of duty and conviction. Kuma was not a ruthless villain who tore apart the Straw Hats, either; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend meant more than a buccaneer's contest in pursuit of emblems and followers.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we witness the culmination of this idea. The entire Divine Isle narrative acts as a cautionary tale, advising readers not to evaluate the characters too quickly.

Legends frequently do not capture the full truth, including the most influential characters.

One Piece's most recent look back, detailing the God Valley event, stands as one of the story's best storylines to date. Apart from the thrill of seeing legends in their peak, it's gripping to see them before they turned into symbols — when their reputation had still not surpass their human nature. History, as recorded by the World Government and retold through secondhand stories, painted our understanding of figures like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But each of the government's accounts and the stories of those who were acquainted with them prove untrustworthy, showing only fragments of who these men truly were.

The Man Before 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 became the King of the Pirates, he was a young man governed by passion and the desire to explore. When people discuss his myth, they typically refer to his second voyage, the epic quest in search of the guide stones that point toward Laugh Tale. Yet little is understood about his initial travels, the one that molded him prior to fame found him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger knew little of the world's secret past. His love for Shakky led him to God Valley, where he discovered the Global Authority's darkest truths: the genocidal "games," the grotesque appearances of the Gorosei, and even the existence of the planet's unseen sovereign, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's thoughts about everything occurring in the Divine Isle, but perhaps discovering the son of a Holy Knight on his vessel will make him realize his place in the globe and seek the truth he glimpsed from Xebec's situation.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this flashback, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec came almost entirely from Sengoku's version, both to the audience and to young Marines. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man determined to achieve world domination, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it turns out, Sengoku was not there at God Valley; he was merely echoing the World Government's sanctioned version of occurrences, the very story Imu authorized to conceal the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to topple Imu and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We don't know if he was guided by lust for power, revenge for his family, or a wish for justice, but when he discovered the government's scheme to eliminate the island where his kin lived, he abandoned his dreams of domination to rescue them.

This devotion for his family became his undoing. After facing Imu, he forfeited his determination and liberty, becoming a marionette enslaved to their power. Currently, with what little consciousness is left, he begs with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — believing that dying would be a kindness in contrast to the torment he endures. The truth of Rocks is thus very different from the story narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga shows him in a favorable light during the God Valley events.

Could He Be Living Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec really meet his end? An interesting theory is that he is even now a servant to Imu in the present day, acting as the scarred individual, maintaining the World Government's only remaining Poneglyph in continuous movement to prevent the One Piece from being discovered.

Garp's Hidden Rebellion

A further protagonist of the Divine Isle incident is Garp, who has faced criticism from fans for a long time for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu murdered Ace. That feeling only grew more intense after the time jump, when he risked all to save Koby at Pirate Island, causing many to question why he couldn't do the same for his biological grandson. Comparable questions have now reemerged with the God Valley recollection: how could Monkey D. Garp serve the Marines, knowing the Global Authority considers genocide and enslavement as entertainment for the upper class?

The truth uncovers something distinct. The moment Monkey D. Garp saw the Elders' grotesque shapes, he attacked without hesitation. His alliance with Gol D. Roger wasn't to defeat some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an attempt to halt the sovereign, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to wipe out everyone in God Valley, including it seems, including the Celestial Dragons 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 Fleet Admiral, reporting directly to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Although the readers are viewing the God Valley incident through a flashback recounted by the giant, covering viewpoints and occurrences he clearly was absent for, I think we can consider this version as entirely accurate. The series may provide an explanation later, perhaps connected to the giant's yet unknown paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle incident perfectly embodies the idea that the past is written by the victors. This mindset is {