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The saying 'History is written by the winners' serves as a key theme that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the story. Popular tales frequently fail to convey the complete truth, including the most influential characters in this story's complex past. Kozuki Oden was no silly performer dancing through the roads of Wano Country; he acted out of duty and conviction. Kuma wasn't a ruthless villain who tore apart the Straw Hats, either; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, Davy Jones signified beyond just a buccaneer's contest in pursuit of emblems and followers.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we witness the peak of this theme. The entire Divine Isle story serves as a warning story, advising readers not to evaluate the characters too quickly.

Legends frequently fail to capture the full truth, even for the most influential characters.

One Piece's most recent flashback, detailing the God Valley incident, represents one of the story's finest arcs to date. Beyond the thrill of seeing icons in their peak, it's gripping to see them before they became icons — when their fame had yet to outgrow their human nature. History, as recorded by the Global Authority and recounted through secondhand stories, painted our perception of individuals like 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 unreliable, revealing only fragments of who these men really were.

The Individual Before the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been guided by purpose and the bold attitude that ignited a new age of buccaneering, but prior to he was known as the Pirate King, he was a youth ruled by passion and wanderlust. When people speak of his legend, they usually mean his later journey, the grand quest in search of the guide stones that lead to the final island. Yet not much is known about his initial travels, the one that shaped him before fame discovered him.

Back then, Roger knew little of the globe's hidden history. His affection for the barkeep led him to God Valley, where he discovered the Global Authority's most sinister truths: the extermination "games," the monstrous 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 everything occurring in God Valley, but perhaps finding the child of a God's Knight on his ship will make him realize his place in the world and seek the truth he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this flashback, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec came mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's version, each to the viewers and to young Marines. He painted Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man bent on world domination, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it turns out, the strategist wasn't even present at the Divine Isle; he was merely repeating the Global Authority's sanctioned narrative of events, the exact story the sovereign approved to conceal the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to topple the ruler and dismantle the decadent World Government. We don't know if he was motivated by lust for power, retribution for his clan, or a wish for justice, but when he discovered the government's plan to annihilate the island where his family resided, he gave up his ambitions of domination to rescue them.

This love for his family became his downfall. After confronting the sovereign, he forfeited his determination and freedom, becoming a puppet enslaved to their authority. Now, with what little awareness remains, he pleads with Roger and Garp to end his life — thinking that death would be a kindness compared to the torment he suffers. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the story told by Sengoku, and the manga shows him in a positive manner during the Divine Isle events.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec actually meet his end? An intriguing theory is that he is even now a slave to the ruler in the present day, serving as the scarred individual, maintaining the Global Authority's only remaining ancient stone in constant transit to prevent the ultimate treasure from being found.

Garp's Secret Defiance

A further key figure of the God Valley event is Garp, who has faced backlash from fans for a long time for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu killed Ace. That feeling only grew more intense after the timeskip, when he endangered everything to save the young Marine at Pirate Island, causing many to wonder why he couldn't do the identical for his biological grandchild. Similar questions have now reemerged with the Divine Isle recollection: how could Garp work for the Marines, aware the Global Authority treats mass murder and enslavement as sport for the upper class?

The truth reveals something distinct. The moment Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Gorosei's grotesque shapes, he struck immediately. His partnership with Roger was not meant to defeat some villainous Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an effort to stop the sovereign, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to wipe out all in the Divine Isle, including apparently, including the World Nobles themselves. This incident is probably the reason Monkey D. Garp detests the World Nobles in the current era and why he not once wanted to be elevated to Admiral, answering straight to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Even though the audience are viewing the Divine Isle incident through a flashback recounted by Loki, including perspectives and occurrences he clearly was absent for, I believe we can treat this version as entirely truthful. The manga may offer an reason later, perhaps linked to Loki's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Still, the Divine Isle event perfectly embodies the notion that history is written by the winners. This attitude is {