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The adage 'History is written by the victors' serves as a central theme that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the story. Legends frequently fail to convey the full reality, even for the most influential characters in this world's intricate past. Oden was no foolish performer dancing through the streets of Wano Country; he acted out of duty and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma was not a merciless villain who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was helping them. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend signified more than a pirate's contest in pursuit of flags and crews.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we see the culmination of this idea. The whole Divine Isle story serves as a cautionary tale, advising audiences not to evaluate the characters too hastily.

Legends frequently fail to convey the complete reality, including the most powerful figures.

The series's most recent look back, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, stands as one of the story's finest arcs to date. Apart from the thrill of witnessing icons in their peak, it's compelling to see them before they turned into symbols — when their fame had yet to outgrow their humanity. History, as written by the Global Authority and retold through secondhand tales, shaped our understanding of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But each of the regime's accounts and the stories of those who knew them turn out to be untrustworthy, revealing only fragments of who these men really were.

The Individual Prior to the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by purpose and the bold spirit that sparked a fresh era of buccaneering, but prior to he became the Pirate King, he was a young man ruled by emotion and wanderlust. When individuals speak of his myth, they typically refer to his second voyage, the grand expedition in search of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to the final island. However little is understood about his initial travels, the one that shaped him before fame found him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the globe's hidden history. His love for the barkeep led him to God Valley, where he uncovered the Global Authority's most sinister truths: the genocidal "contests," the grotesque forms of the Five Elders, and including the presence of the world's unseen ruler, Imu. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's reflections about everything occurring in the Divine Isle, but maybe finding the child of a Holy Knight on his ship will make him realize his role in the globe and pursue the reality he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Before this recollection, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec came almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's account, each to the viewers and to new Navy recruits. He depicted Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man determined to achieve global control, someone so dangerous that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it transpires, Sengoku was not present at God Valley; he was merely repeating the World Government's sanctioned version of occurrences, the very narrative the sovereign approved to conceal the truth 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 Imu and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We don't know if he was motivated by lust for power, revenge for his clan, or a wish for fairness, but when he found out the regime's scheme to eliminate the land where his kin resided, he gave up his ambitions of conquest to rescue them.

This devotion for his family proved to be his undoing. Upon facing Imu, he forfeited his will and freedom, becoming a puppet controlled to their power. Currently, with what little awareness is left, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Garp to end his life — thinking that dying would be a mercy in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the story told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic presents him in a positive light during the God Valley events.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec really die? An intriguing theory is that he is still a servant to the ruler in the current timeline, acting as the scarred individual, maintaining the World Government's last ancient stone in constant movement to prevent the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

The Hero's Secret Rebellion

A further protagonist of the God Valley event is Garp, who has faced criticism from fans for years for doing nothing as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment became even stronger after the timeskip, when he risked everything to rescue Koby at Hachinosu, causing 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, knowing the Global Authority treats mass murder and enslavement as sport for the upper class?

The truth reveals something distinct. The moment Garp saw the Elders' grotesque shapes, he struck immediately. His partnership with Gol D. Roger was not meant to vanquish some evil Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an effort to halt the sovereign, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to wipe out all in God Valley, including apparently, including the World Nobles themselves. This incident is probably the reason Monkey D. Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he never wanted to be elevated to Admiral, reporting directly to them.

The Past's Unreliable Storytellers

Although the audience are viewing the God Valley event through a recollection recounted by Loki, including viewpoints and occurrences he obviously was absent for, I believe we can consider this account as completely accurate. The manga may offer an reason in the future, maybe connected to the giant's yet unknown paramecia ability. Still, the God Valley event excellently exemplifies the idea that the past is written by the victors. This mindset is {