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The saying 'The past is recorded by the winners' is a central motif that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the narrative. Legends often fail to convey the full truth, including the most influential figures in this story's complex history. Oden was no foolish performer prancing through the streets of Wano; he behaved out of duty and principle. Kuma wasn't a ruthless villain who tore apart the Straw Hats, either; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend meant more than a buccaneer'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 cautionary tale, advising audiences not to evaluate the individuals too hastily.

Myths frequently fail to capture the full reality, including the most influential characters.

The series's latest look back, chronicling the Divine Isle event, stands as one of the series' best arcs to date. Apart from the thrill of seeing icons in their peak, it's gripping to observe them before they turned into symbols — when their fame had yet to outgrow their humanity. History, as written by the Global Authority and recounted through hearsay stories, shaped our understanding of figures like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Garp. But each of the government's records and the stories of those who knew them prove untrustworthy, showing only pieces of who these men really were.

The Man Before the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by purpose and the daring spirit that sparked a new age of buccaneering, but prior to he became the Pirate King, he was a young man governed by emotion and wanderlust. When people speak of his myth, they usually mean his later journey, the grand quest in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward the final island. However little is understood about his first journey, the one that molded him before fame discovered him.

Back then, Roger was largely unaware of the world's secret past. His affection for the barkeep guided him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the Global Authority's darkest realities: the extermination "games," the grotesque appearances of the Five Elders, and even the presence of the world's hidden sovereign, Imu. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's reflections about all that's occurring in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the child of a God's Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his role in the globe and seek the reality he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this recollection, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec came almost entirely from Sengoku's version, both to the viewers and to young Navy recruits. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man bent on global control, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it transpires, Sengoku wasn't even present at the Divine Isle; he was merely echoing the World Government's approved narrative of events, the very story the sovereign authorized to bury the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to overthrow Imu and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We don't know if he was motivated by lust for power, retribution for his family, or a wish for justice, but when he found out the government's plan to eliminate the island where his kin resided, he gave up his dreams of domination to rescue them.

This devotion for his relatives proved to be his undoing. After facing Imu, he forfeited his determination and liberty, becoming a puppet enslaved to their power. Currently, with what limited awareness remains, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — thinking that dying would be a kindness compared to the torment he endures. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the tale told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic presents him in a favorable light during the Divine Isle events.

Is He Living Today?

But was Rocks really die? An interesting idea is that he is still a servant to the ruler in the present day, serving as the scarred individual, maintaining the World Government's last ancient stone in constant transit to prevent the ultimate treasure from being found.

The Hero's Secret Defiance

Another key figure of the God Valley event is Garp, who has endured backlash from followers 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 endangered all to save Koby at Pirate Island, causing many to question why he was unable to do the same for his biological grandson. Similar doubts have recently reemerged with the God Valley flashback: how can Garp serve the Navy, knowing the Global Authority considers mass murder and slavery as entertainment for the upper class?

The reality uncovers something distinct. The moment Garp saw the Gorosei's monstrous shapes, he struck immediately. His alliance with Gol D. Roger was not meant to defeat some evil Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an effort to stop the sovereign, who was manipulating Xebec as a pawn to eliminate everyone in God Valley, even it seems, even the World Nobles themselves. This incident is probably the reason Monkey D. Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he never wanted to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, reporting directly to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Although the readers are viewing the Divine Isle event through a flashback recounted by Loki, including viewpoints and occurrences he clearly wasn't present for, I think we can treat this version as completely truthful. The series may provide an explanation in the future, perhaps linked to the giant's yet unknown paramecia ability. Still, the God Valley event excellently exemplifies the notion that the past is written by the winners. This mindset is {