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The saying 'History is written by the winners' is a central motif that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the story. Popular tales often do not convey the full reality, including the most powerful figures in this world's intricate past. Oden was no foolish performer dancing through the roads of Wano Country; he acted out of honor and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma was not a merciless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend signified beyond just a buccaneer's contest in pursuit of flags and followers.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we see the culmination of this idea. The whole Divine Isle story acts as a warning story, instructing readers not to judge the characters too hastily.

Myths often fail to capture the full reality, including the most powerful figures.

The series's latest flashback, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, stands as one of the series' best arcs to now. Beyond the thrill of seeing icons in their peak, it's gripping 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, painted our perception of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and even Garp. But both the regime's accounts and the narratives of those who knew them prove unreliable, revealing only fragments of who these men really were.

The Individual Prior to 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 became 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 epic quest in pursuit of the guide stones that point toward Laugh Tale. However not much is known about his first journey, the one that shaped him prior to glory discovered him.

Back then, Roger was largely unaware of the globe's secret past. His affection for the barkeep led him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the Global Authority's darkest truths: the extermination "games," the monstrous forms of the Five Elders, and including the presence of the planet's unseen ruler, Imu. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's thoughts about all that's happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the child of a Holy Knight on his vessel will make him realize his role in the globe and pursue the reality he glimpsed from Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Before this flashback, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec was derived almost entirely from Sengoku's account, both to the audience and to new Navy recruits. He depicted Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man bent on global control, someone so threatening that Roger and Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it turns out, the strategist wasn't even there at the Divine Isle; he was merely echoing the World Government's approved narrative of events, the very story Imu authorized to bury the reality 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 topple Imu and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We don't know if he was motivated by lust for power, retribution for his clan, or a desire for fairness, but when he discovered the regime's plan to eliminate the island where his family lived, he abandoned his ambitions of domination to rescue them.

This devotion for his relatives proved to be his undoing. After confronting Imu, he forfeited his will and freedom, turning into a marionette enslaved to their authority. Now, with what limited awareness remains, he begs with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — believing that death would be a kindness in contrast to the living hell he endures. The truth of Rocks is thus very different from the story told by Sengoku, and the comic presents him in a positive light during the God Valley incidents.

Could He Be Living Today?

But was Rocks really die? An interesting theory is that he is still a servant to the ruler in the present day, acting as the scarred individual, keeping the Global Authority's only remaining Poneglyph in continuous transit to prevent the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

The Hero's Hidden Defiance

A further key figure of the God Valley event is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured backlash from fans for a long time for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment became even more intense after the time jump, when he endangered all to rescue the young Marine at Hachinosu, leading many to question why he couldn't do the same for his biological grandson. Comparable questions have now reemerged with the Divine Isle recollection: how can Monkey D. Garp serve the Navy, knowing the Global Authority considers mass murder and slavery as sport for the upper class?

The truth reveals something different. The moment Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Gorosei's monstrous shapes, he struck immediately. His alliance with Roger was not meant to vanquish some villainous Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an effort to halt the sovereign, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to wipe out all in the Divine Isle, even it seems, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is probably the reason Monkey D. Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he not once desired to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, reporting directly to them.

The Past's Unreliable Storytellers

Even though the audience are viewing the God Valley event through a recollection recounted by the giant, covering perspectives and occurrences he clearly wasn't present for, I think we can consider this version as entirely accurate. The series may offer an reason later, maybe linked to the giant's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the God Valley event excellently embodies the notion that history is written by the winners. This attitude is {