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The adage 'The past is written by the winners' is a central motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the narrative. Legends frequently do not convey the full truth, including the most powerful figures in this world's intricate history. Kozuki Oden wasn't a foolish showman prancing through the roads of Wano; he behaved out of duty and principle. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a ruthless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was helping them. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend signified more than a pirate's contest in pursuit of flags and followers.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we witness the peak of this theme. The whole Divine Isle story acts as a warning story, advising readers not to evaluate the individuals too hastily.

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

The series's most recent flashback, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, represents one of the story's best arcs to now. Apart from the excitement of seeing icons in their peak, it's gripping to see them before they became symbols — when their fame had yet to surpass their human nature. History, as written by the Global Authority and recounted through secondhand tales, shaped our perception of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But both the regime's accounts and the narratives of those who knew them prove untrustworthy, showing only fragments of who these men really were.

The Individual Before the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been driven by mission and the daring spirit that sparked a new age of buccaneering, but before he became the Pirate King, he was a young man governed by emotion and the desire to explore. When individuals speak of his legend, they typically refer to his second voyage, the grand quest in search of the guide stones that lead to Laugh Tale. Yet not much is understood about his initial travels, the one that shaped him before fame discovered him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger knew little of the globe's hidden history. His affection for the barkeep led him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the Global Authority's darkest realities: the extermination "contests," the grotesque appearances of the Gorosei, and even the existence of the planet's hidden sovereign, Imu. We haven't seen Roger's reflections about all that's occurring in God Valley, but perhaps finding the child of a God's Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his place in the world and seek the reality he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this recollection, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec was derived mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's version, both to the viewers and to young Navy recruits. He painted Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man determined to achieve global control, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it turns out, the strategist was not there at the Divine Isle; he was only echoing the World Government's approved version of occurrences, the exact narrative Imu approved to bury the truth about Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to topple Imu and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We don't know if he was guided by ambition, retribution for his family, or a desire for fairness, but when he found out the government's scheme to eliminate the land where his kin lived, he gave up his ambitions of conquest to save them.

This love for his relatives became his downfall. Upon facing the sovereign, he lost his will and freedom, becoming a puppet controlled to their power. Now, with what little consciousness is left, he begs with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — thinking that dying would be a kindness compared to the living hell he endures. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the story narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga shows him in a positive manner during the Divine Isle events.

Is He Living Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec actually meet his end? An interesting idea is that he is still a slave to Imu in the current timeline, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the Global Authority's only remaining Poneglyph in continuous movement to prevent the ultimate treasure from being found.

The Hero's Secret Defiance

A further protagonist of the Divine Isle incident is Garp, who has faced backlash from fans for years for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu murdered Ace. That feeling only grew more intense after the timeskip, when he endangered everything to rescue the young Marine at Pirate Island, causing many to question why he was unable to do the same for his biological grandchild. Similar doubts have recently resurfaced with the Divine Isle recollection: how could Garp serve the Marines, knowing the World Government considers genocide and slavery as entertainment for the elite?

The truth uncovers something different. The instant Monkey D. Garp saw the Elders' grotesque forms, he attacked without hesitation. His partnership with Gol D. Roger was not meant to defeat some evil Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an attempt to stop Imu, who was manipulating Xebec as a tool to wipe out all in the Divine Isle, even apparently, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is probably the reason Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he never desired to be promoted to Admiral, reporting directly to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Even though the readers are seeing the God Valley incident through a recollection recounted by the giant, including viewpoints and events he clearly was absent for, I think we can consider this version as entirely accurate. The manga may provide an explanation later, perhaps connected to Loki's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Still, the God Valley incident perfectly embodies the idea that the past is recorded by the victors. This attitude is {