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The saying 'The past is recorded by the victors' serves as a key theme that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the story. Legends frequently do not capture the full reality, including the most influential characters in this story's complex history. Kozuki Oden wasn't a silly performer dancing through the streets of Wano Country; he acted out of honor and principle. Kuma was not a ruthless villain who tore apart the Straw Hats, as well; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, Davy Jones signified beyond just a buccaneer's contest in search of flags and followers.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we see the peak of this theme. The whole God Valley narrative acts as a warning story, advising audiences not to evaluate the individuals too quickly.

Myths frequently do not convey the full truth, including the most powerful figures.

One Piece's latest look back, chronicling the Divine Isle event, represents one of the story's best storylines to date. Beyond the excitement of seeing legends in their prime, it's gripping to observe them prior to when they turned into icons — when their reputation had yet to outgrow their humanity. History, as written by the World Government and retold through hearsay stories, painted our perception of figures like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But each of the government's records and the narratives of those who knew them turn out to be untrustworthy, revealing only pieces of who these individuals really were.

The Man Prior to the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been guided by mission and the bold spirit that ignited a fresh era of piracy, but before he became the King of the Pirates, he was a youth ruled by emotion and wanderlust. When people speak of his myth, they usually mean his later journey, the grand quest in pursuit of the guide stones that lead to Laugh Tale. Yet little is known about his initial travels, the one that shaped him prior to fame found him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger knew little of the world's secret history. His love for the barkeep guided him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the Global Authority's most sinister truths: the extermination "contests," the grotesque forms of the Gorosei, and including the existence of the world's unseen sovereign, Imu. We are yet to witness Roger's thoughts about everything happening in the Divine Isle, but perhaps finding the son of a Holy Knight on his ship will make him realize his role in the globe and seek the reality he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this recollection, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec came almost entirely from Sengoku's version, each to the audience and to new Marines. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, ambitious man bent on world domination, someone so threatening that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it turns out, Sengoku was not there at God Valley; he was only repeating the World Government's approved narrative of events, the very narrative Imu authorized to conceal the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to overthrow Imu and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We don't know if he was guided by lust for power, retribution for his clan, or a desire for justice, but when he found out the government's plan to eliminate the land where his kin resided, he abandoned his ambitions of conquest to save them.

This devotion for his family became his downfall. After facing the sovereign, he lost his will and freedom, becoming a marionette enslaved to their power. Currently, with what little awareness is left, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Garp to kill him — believing that death would be a mercy 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 shows him in a favorable light during the Divine Isle incidents.

Could He Be Living Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec actually meet his end? An interesting theory is that he is even now a slave to the ruler in the current timeline, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the Global Authority's only remaining ancient stone in constant movement to prevent the One Piece from being discovered.

The Hero's Hidden Defiance

Another protagonist of the Divine Isle incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced criticism from followers for a long time for doing nothing as Akainu murdered Ace. That feeling became even stronger after the timeskip, when he endangered all to save Koby at Pirate Island, leading many to question why he was unable to do the same for his biological grandson. Similar questions have recently reemerged with the Divine Isle recollection: how can Garp work for the Marines, aware the Global Authority considers genocide and enslavement as entertainment for the elite?

The reality reveals something different. The moment Garp saw the Elders' grotesque shapes, he attacked without hesitation. His alliance with Roger wasn't to defeat some villainous Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an attempt to halt Imu, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to wipe out everyone in the Divine Isle, including apparently, including the World Nobles themselves. This event is likely the reason Monkey D. Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he never wanted to be elevated to Admiral, answering directly to them.

History's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Even though the readers are seeing the God Valley incident through a recollection narrated by the giant, including viewpoints and events he clearly wasn't present for, I believe we can treat this version as entirely accurate. The manga may provide an reason in the future, perhaps connected to Loki's still mysterious paramecia ability. Still, the Divine Isle event excellently embodies the notion that the past is written by the winners. This attitude is {