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The saying 'History is written by the winners' serves as a central theme that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the narrative. Legends often fail to capture the full truth, including the most powerful figures in this story's complex history. Kozuki Oden wasn't a foolish performer prancing through the streets of Wano Country; he acted out of duty and conviction. Kuma was not a merciless villain who tore apart the Straw Hats, either; he was helping them. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend meant more than a buccaneer's game in search of flags and followers.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we see the peak of this idea. The entire Divine Isle story serves as a warning story, instructing audiences not to judge the individuals too hastily.

Legends often fail to convey the full reality, including the most powerful figures.

One Piece's most recent flashback, chronicling the Divine Isle event, represents one of the series' best arcs to date. Apart from the thrill of seeing legends in their prime, it's compelling to see them before they became icons — when their reputation had yet to surpass their humanity. The past, as recorded by the Global Authority and retold through hearsay tales, painted our perception of individuals like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But each of the regime's accounts and the narratives of those who knew them prove untrustworthy, revealing only fragments of who these individuals really were.

The Man Prior to the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by purpose and the bold attitude that sparked a fresh era of piracy, but before he was known as the Pirate King, he was a youth governed by emotion and the desire to explore. When people discuss his myth, they usually refer to his second voyage, the grand quest in search of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward the final island. Yet little is known about his initial travels, the one that molded him before fame found him.

At that time, Roger knew little of the globe's secret past. His affection for Shakky guided him to God Valley, where he uncovered the Global Authority's most sinister realities: the extermination "contests," the monstrous appearances of the Gorosei, and including the existence of the world's unseen sovereign, Imu. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's thoughts about all that's happening in God Valley, but maybe finding the son of a Holy Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his role in the world and seek the truth he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this flashback, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec came mostly from Sengoku's version, each to the viewers and to young Marines. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, ambitious man bent on global control, someone so threatening that Roger and Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it transpires, the strategist wasn't even present at the Divine Isle; he was merely echoing the World Government's sanctioned narrative of events, the very story the sovereign approved to conceal the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the decadent World Government. We don't know if he was motivated by ambition, revenge for his family, or a desire for justice, but when he discovered the regime's scheme to annihilate the island where his family lived, he abandoned his ambitions of conquest to save them.

This devotion for his family became his undoing. After facing the sovereign, he lost his determination and freedom, turning into a marionette controlled to their power. Now, with what limited awareness is left, he pleads with Roger and Garp to kill him — believing that dying would be a kindness in contrast to the torment he endures. The truth of Rocks is thus far from the story told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga shows him in a favorable manner during the Divine Isle events.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks actually meet his end? An intriguing idea is that he is even now a servant to the ruler in the current timeline, serving as the scarred individual, keeping the World Government's only remaining Poneglyph in constant transit to prevent the One Piece from being discovered.

The Hero's Secret Rebellion

A further key figure of the God Valley event is Garp, who has faced backlash from fans for a long time for standing by as Admiral Akainu killed Ace. That feeling only grew stronger after the timeskip, when he endangered everything to save Koby at Pirate Island, causing many to wonder why he was unable to do the identical for his biological grandchild. Comparable doubts have recently resurfaced with the Divine Isle flashback: how could Monkey D. Garp work for the Marines, aware the Global Authority treats mass murder and slavery as entertainment for the elite?

The truth uncovers something distinct. The moment Garp witnessed the Gorosei's grotesque forms, he attacked immediately. His partnership with Gol D. Roger wasn't to defeat some villainous Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an attempt to halt Imu, who was manipulating Xebec as a pawn to eliminate everyone in the Divine Isle, including apparently, even the World Nobles themselves. This event is likely the cause Garp despises the World Nobles in the current era and why he never wanted to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, answering straight to them.

History's Unreliable Narrators

Although the readers are seeing the Divine Isle event through a flashback recounted by Loki, covering perspectives and events he clearly wasn't present for, I believe we can treat this version as entirely truthful. The series may provide an explanation later, perhaps linked to the giant's still mysterious paramecia ability. Still, the God Valley event excellently exemplifies the notion that the past is written by the winners. This mindset is {