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The saying 'History is written by the winners' is a key theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the story. Legends frequently fail to capture the full truth, including the most powerful figures in this story's complex past. Kozuki Oden was no foolish performer prancing through the roads of Wano Country; he behaved out of honor and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma was not a merciless antagonist who separated the Straw Hats, either; he was helping them. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend meant beyond just a pirate's game in pursuit of flags and crews.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we witness the peak of this theme. The whole Divine Isle narrative serves as a warning story, instructing readers not to evaluate the characters too hastily.

Myths frequently do not convey the full reality, even for the most powerful characters.

One Piece's latest flashback, detailing the Divine Isle event, stands as one of the series' finest arcs to date. Apart from the thrill of seeing legends in their peak, it's compelling to observe them prior to when they turned into symbols — when their reputation had still not outgrow their humanity. History, as recorded by the World Government and retold through secondhand stories, shaped our perception of figures like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Garp. But both the government's accounts and the narratives of those who knew them prove untrustworthy, showing only fragments of who these individuals really were.

The Individual Before the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by purpose and the daring attitude that ignited a fresh era of piracy, but before he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a youth governed by emotion and wanderlust. When individuals speak of his legend, they usually mean his later journey, the grand expedition in search of the guide stones that point toward Laugh Tale. Yet not much is understood about his initial travels, the one that shaped him before fame found him.

Back then, Roger was largely unaware of the world's secret history. His affection for the barkeep guided him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the Global Authority's darkest truths: the genocidal "contests," the grotesque forms of the Five Elders, and even the existence of the world's hidden sovereign, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Roger's thoughts about everything happening in God Valley, but maybe finding the son of a God's Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his role in the globe and seek the truth he glimpsed from Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this recollection, 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 despicable, ambitious man bent on world domination, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it transpires, the strategist was not present at the Divine Isle; he was only repeating the Global Authority's approved narrative of events, the very narrative Imu approved to bury the truth about Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to overthrow Imu and dismantle the decadent World Government. We are unsure if he was guided by lust for power, retribution for his family, or a wish for fairness, but when he found out the government's scheme to eliminate the land where his family lived, he gave up his dreams of domination to save them.

This devotion for his family proved to be his downfall. Upon confronting Imu, he forfeited his determination and freedom, becoming a marionette enslaved to their power. Currently, with what limited awareness is left, he begs with Roger and Garp to end his life — thinking that death would be a kindness in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the tale told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic shows him in a positive manner during the Divine Isle incidents.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec actually die? An interesting theory is that he is even now a servant to Imu in the present day, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the World Government's last Poneglyph in constant transit to keep the One Piece from being found.

Garp's Hidden Rebellion

Another protagonist of the Divine Isle incident is Garp, who has faced criticism from followers for years for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That feeling only grew more intense after the timeskip, when he endangered all to save the young Marine at Pirate Island, leading many to question why he couldn't do the identical for his own grandson. Similar questions have recently resurfaced with the God Valley flashback: how can Garp serve the Navy, knowing the World Government considers genocide and slavery as entertainment for the elite?

The truth reveals something distinct. The moment Garp witnessed the Gorosei's grotesque forms, he struck immediately. His partnership with Roger wasn't to defeat some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an attempt to halt Imu, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to eliminate everyone in the Divine Isle, including it seems, even the World Nobles themselves. This incident is likely the cause Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he never desired to be promoted to Admiral, answering straight to them.

The Past's Unreliable Storytellers

Even though the readers are viewing the God Valley event through a flashback recounted by the giant, covering viewpoints and occurrences he obviously wasn't present for, I think we can consider this account as completely accurate. The manga may offer an reason later, maybe connected to the giant's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle incident perfectly exemplifies the notion that the past is written by the winners. This attitude is {