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The adage 'The past is recorded by the victors' serves as a key motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the narrative. Popular tales often do not capture the full reality, even for the most powerful figures in this story's complex history. Kozuki Oden wasn't a foolish performer dancing through the roads of Wano Country; he acted out of honor and conviction. Kuma wasn't a merciless antagonist who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend signified beyond just a buccaneer's game in pursuit of flags and crews.

In installment #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 individuals too quickly.

Legends often fail to convey the full truth, even for the most influential characters.

One Piece's most recent look back, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, stands as one of the series' finest storylines to date. Apart from the thrill of seeing icons in their peak, it's compelling to see them before they became icons — when their fame had yet to outgrow their humanity. History, as written by the Global Authority and retold through hearsay stories, painted our perception of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Garp. But each of the government's accounts and the stories of those who were acquainted with them prove unreliable, revealing only fragments of who these individuals truly were.

The Individual Before the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by purpose and the daring attitude that sparked a fresh era of piracy, but prior to he became the Pirate King, he was a young man governed by passion and the desire to explore. When individuals speak of his myth, they typically refer to his second voyage, the epic expedition in search of the guide stones that point toward the final island. Yet little is known about his first journey, the one that molded him before fame discovered him.

At that time, Roger was largely unaware of the globe's hidden past. His love for Shakky guided him to God Valley, where he discovered the World Government's most sinister truths: the genocidal "contests," the grotesque forms of the Gorosei, and even the presence of the world's unseen sovereign, Imu. We are yet to witness Roger's thoughts about everything occurring in God Valley, but maybe discovering the child of a Holy Knight on his vessel will make him realize his role in the globe and seek the reality he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's situation.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this recollection, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec came mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's account, each to the audience and to young Marines. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man bent on world domination, someone so threatening that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it transpires, the strategist wasn't even present at the Divine Isle; he was only repeating the Global Authority's sanctioned narrative of occurrences, the very story the sovereign approved to bury 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 aimed to topple Imu and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We are unsure if he was motivated by lust for power, retribution for his family, or a wish for fairness, but when he found out the government's plan to annihilate the land where his family lived, he gave up his dreams of conquest to save them.

This love for his family became his downfall. After confronting Imu, he forfeited his will and freedom, becoming a marionette enslaved to their authority. Currently, with what little awareness remains, he begs with Roger and Garp to end his life — thinking that death would be a kindness in contrast to the torment he suffers. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the tale told by Sengoku, and the manga shows him in a positive light during the God Valley incidents.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks really meet his end? An interesting idea is that he is still a slave to Imu in the current timeline, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the World Government's only remaining Poneglyph in continuous transit to keep the One Piece from being found.

Garp's Hidden Defiance

Another key figure of the Divine Isle incident is Garp, who has faced criticism from followers for years for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That feeling only grew stronger after the timeskip, when he risked all to save the young Marine at Pirate Island, causing many to wonder why he couldn't do the same for his biological grandson. Comparable questions have now reemerged with the God Valley recollection: how could Monkey D. Garp work for the Navy, knowing the World Government considers genocide and slavery as sport for the elite?

The truth uncovers something different. The instant Monkey D. Garp saw the Gorosei's monstrous shapes, he attacked without hesitation. His alliance with Gol D. Roger was not meant to defeat some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an attempt to stop Imu, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to wipe out all in God Valley, including it seems, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is probably the cause Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he never wanted to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, reporting straight to them.

History's Unreliable Storytellers

Even though the audience are viewing the Divine Isle event through a recollection narrated by the giant, covering viewpoints and events he obviously was absent for, I believe we can consider this version as completely accurate. The manga may provide an explanation later, maybe linked to the giant's yet unknown paramecia ability. Still, the Divine Isle event excellently exemplifies the notion that the past is recorded by the victors. This attitude is {