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The adage 'The past is recorded by the winners' is a key theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the narrative. Legends frequently do not convey the complete reality, including the most powerful figures in this story's intricate history. Oden was no foolish performer prancing through the roads of Wano; he acted out of honor and principle. Kuma was not a merciless villain who separated the Straw Hats, either; he was helping them. Similarly, Davy Jones signified more than a buccaneer's game in search of emblems and followers.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we see the culmination of this idea. The whole Divine Isle narrative acts as a warning story, advising readers not to judge the individuals too hastily.

Legends often fail to capture the complete reality, even for the most powerful characters.

The series's most recent look back, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, represents one of the series' finest storylines to now. Apart from the thrill of witnessing icons in their prime, it's compelling to observe them before they turned into icons — when their reputation had still not outgrow their humanity. The past, as written by the World Government and recounted through hearsay tales, shaped our understanding of figures like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But each of the government's accounts and the narratives of those who knew them prove untrustworthy, showing only fragments of who these men really were.

The Man Before the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been driven by purpose and the daring attitude that sparked a new age of buccaneering, but before he became the King of the Pirates, he was a young man ruled by emotion and the desire to explore. When people discuss his legend, they typically mean his second voyage, the grand quest in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to the final island. Yet not much is known about his initial travels, the one that molded him prior to fame discovered him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger knew little of the world's secret past. His love for Shakky guided him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the World Government's darkest realities: the genocidal "contests," the grotesque forms of the Gorosei, and even the existence of the world's hidden sovereign, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Roger's reflections about all that's happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the child of a Holy Knight on his ship will make him realize his role in the world and seek the reality he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this flashback, what we knew of Xebec was derived almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's version, both to the viewers and to young Navy recruits. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man bent on global control, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it turns out, Sengoku wasn't even there at God Valley; he was merely repeating the Global Authority's sanctioned narrative of occurrences, the very story the sovereign approved to conceal the reality about Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We don't know if he was guided by ambition, revenge for his family, or a desire for justice, but when he found out the government's scheme to annihilate the island where his family lived, he abandoned his ambitions of conquest to save them.

This love for his family became his downfall. Upon confronting the sovereign, he forfeited his will and freedom, becoming a marionette controlled to their power. Currently, with what little consciousness is left, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Garp to kill him — thinking that dying would be a mercy compared to the living hell he endures. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the tale narrated by Sengoku, and the comic presents him in a positive manner during the God Valley events.

Could He Be Living Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec actually meet his end? An intriguing idea is that he is even now a slave to Imu in the current timeline, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the World Government's only remaining Poneglyph in constant transit to keep the One Piece from being discovered.

Garp's Secret Defiance

Another protagonist of the God Valley event is Garp, who has endured criticism from fans for years for doing nothing as Akainu murdered Ace. That sentiment only grew more intense after the timeskip, when he endangered all to rescue Koby at Hachinosu, leading many to wonder why he was unable to do the identical for his biological grandson. Similar doubts have recently reemerged with the God Valley recollection: how could Garp work for the Navy, knowing the Global Authority treats mass murder and enslavement as sport for the upper class?

The reality reveals something distinct. The moment Garp witnessed the Gorosei's grotesque forms, he struck immediately. His alliance with Gol D. Roger wasn't to vanquish some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an attempt to halt the sovereign, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to wipe out everyone in the Divine Isle, even it seems, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is likely the reason Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he not once wanted to be elevated to Admiral, reporting directly to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Narrators

Although the readers are seeing the God Valley incident through a recollection narrated by Loki, covering perspectives and occurrences he clearly was absent for, I believe we can consider this version as completely truthful. The manga may offer an reason later, perhaps connected to the giant's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the God Valley event excellently exemplifies the notion that the past is written by the victors. This mindset is {