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The adage 'The past is recorded by the winners' serves as a key motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the narrative. Popular tales often fail to capture the full reality, even for the most influential figures in this world's complex history. Kozuki Oden wasn't a silly performer dancing through the streets of Wano Country; he behaved out of honor and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a ruthless villain who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was helping them. Likewise, Davy Jones signified beyond just a pirate's game in pursuit of emblems and followers.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we see the culmination of this idea. The whole Divine Isle story serves as a warning story, instructing readers not to evaluate the individuals too hastily.

Myths frequently fail to convey the complete truth, even for the most influential figures.

One Piece's latest look back, detailing the Divine Isle incident, represents one of the series' finest arcs to now. Apart from the excitement of seeing legends in their prime, it's compelling to see them before they became symbols — when their fame had yet to outgrow their humanity. History, as recorded by the World Government and retold through hearsay stories, shaped our perception of figures like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But both the regime's accounts and the stories of those who knew them prove unreliable, revealing only fragments of who these men truly were.

The Individual Prior to the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been guided by mission and the daring spirit that ignited a new age of buccaneering, but before he became the Pirate King, he was a youth ruled by passion and the desire to explore. When individuals discuss his legend, they usually mean his second voyage, the grand expedition in search of the guide stones that lead to the final island. However not much is understood about his first journey, the one that molded him prior to glory discovered him.

At that time, Roger was largely unaware of the globe's secret past. His love for Shakky guided him to God Valley, where he discovered the Global Authority's darkest realities: the extermination "contests," the grotesque appearances of the Five Elders, and even the presence of the planet's unseen sovereign, Imu. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's thoughts about all that's happening in God Valley, but perhaps finding the child of a Holy Knight on his ship will make him realize his role in the world and seek the reality he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this recollection, what we knew of Xebec came almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's version, both to the audience and to young Navy recruits. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man determined to achieve global control, someone so threatening that Roger and Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it transpires, the strategist was not present at God Valley; he was merely repeating the Global Authority's sanctioned version of events, the exact story the sovereign authorized to bury the truth about Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to overthrow Imu and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We don't know if he was guided by ambition, retribution for his clan, or a desire for justice, but when he found out the regime's plan to eliminate the land where his kin lived, he abandoned his dreams of conquest to rescue them.

This devotion for his family proved to be his undoing. After facing Imu, he lost his determination and liberty, becoming a marionette enslaved to their power. Currently, with what limited awareness remains, he pleads with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — thinking that dying would be a kindness compared to the living hell he suffers. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the tale narrated by Sengoku, and the manga presents him in a favorable manner during the God Valley events.

Could He Be Living Today?

But did Rocks actually die? An interesting theory is that he is still a slave to the ruler in the current timeline, acting as the scarred individual, keeping the Global Authority's last ancient stone in continuous transit to keep the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

Garp's Hidden Defiance

Another key figure of the Divine Isle event is Garp, who has endured criticism from fans for a long time for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment only grew stronger after the time jump, when he risked everything to rescue the young Marine at Pirate Island, causing many to question why he was unable to do the identical for his biological grandchild. Similar questions have now resurfaced with the Divine Isle recollection: how could Garp serve the Marines, knowing the World Government considers genocide and slavery as sport for the upper class?

The reality reveals something distinct. The instant Garp saw the Elders' monstrous forms, he struck without hesitation. His alliance with Gol D. Roger was not meant to vanquish some evil Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an effort to halt Imu, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to eliminate everyone in God Valley, even apparently, including the World Nobles themselves. This event is likely the reason Monkey D. Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he never wanted to be elevated to Admiral, reporting straight to them.

History's Untrustworthy Narrators

Although the readers are viewing the Divine Isle event through a recollection narrated by Loki, covering viewpoints and occurrences he clearly wasn't present for, I believe we can treat this version as completely accurate. The series may offer an reason later, maybe linked to the giant's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle event perfectly embodies the notion that history is recorded by the winners. This mindset is {