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The adage 'History is recorded by the victors' serves as a key theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the narrative. Popular tales frequently fail to convey the full truth, including the most influential characters in this world's intricate past. Oden was no silly showman dancing through the streets of Wano Country; he behaved out of honor and principle. Kuma wasn't a merciless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hats, either; he was helping them. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend signified more than a buccaneer's game in pursuit of emblems and followers.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we witness the culmination of this theme. The whole Divine Isle story serves as a warning story, instructing readers not to judge the characters too hastily.

Legends frequently do not capture the full truth, including the most powerful figures.

The series's latest look back, detailing the Divine Isle incident, represents one of the series' best storylines to now. Beyond the excitement of seeing icons in their prime, it's compelling to observe them prior to when they turned into icons — when their fame had still not outgrow their humanity. History, as written by the Global Authority and retold through hearsay stories, shaped our understanding of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But each of the regime's records and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them prove unreliable, showing only fragments of who these individuals really were.

The Man Before the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by mission and the bold spirit that sparked a new age of buccaneering, but before he became the Pirate King, he was a young man ruled by passion and wanderlust. When people discuss his myth, they typically mean his later journey, the grand expedition in pursuit of the guide stones that lead to Laugh Tale. However little is known about his initial travels, the one that molded him prior to fame discovered him.

At that time, Roger was largely unaware of the globe's secret history. His affection for the barkeep led him to God Valley, where he discovered the World Government's darkest realities: the genocidal "contests," the grotesque forms of the Gorosei, and including the existence of the world's hidden sovereign, Imu. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's thoughts about everything occurring in the Divine Isle, but perhaps finding the son of a Holy Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his role in the globe and pursue the reality he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this flashback, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec was derived mostly from Sengoku's account, both to the audience and to new Marines. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man determined to achieve world domination, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it transpires, the strategist was not there at God Valley; he was merely echoing the World Government's sanctioned version of events, the very story Imu approved to bury the truth about Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We are unsure if he was guided by lust for power, revenge for his family, or a desire for justice, but when he discovered the government's plan to annihilate the land where his family resided, he gave up his ambitions of domination to save them.

This love for his relatives proved to be his downfall. After facing the sovereign, he forfeited his determination and freedom, turning into a marionette controlled to their power. Currently, with what limited awareness remains, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Garp to end his life — thinking that dying would be a kindness compared to the living hell he suffers. The reality of Rocks is thus very different from the tale narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga presents him in a positive light during the God Valley incidents.

Could He Be Living Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec actually meet his end? An intriguing idea is that he is even now a servant to Imu in the current timeline, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the Global Authority's only remaining ancient stone in continuous transit to prevent the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

Garp's Secret Defiance

A further key figure of the Divine Isle event is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured criticism from fans for a long time for standing by as Akainu murdered Ace. That feeling became even stronger after the timeskip, when he endangered all to save the young Marine at Pirate Island, leading many to wonder why he was unable to do the same for his own grandchild. Similar doubts have recently reemerged with the God Valley flashback: how could Monkey D. Garp work for the Marines, aware the World Government treats mass murder and enslavement as sport for the elite?

The reality uncovers something different. The instant Monkey D. Garp saw the Gorosei's monstrous forms, he attacked immediately. His alliance with Roger was not meant to defeat some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an attempt to halt the sovereign, who was manipulating Xebec as a tool to wipe out everyone in the Divine Isle, even apparently, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is probably the reason Monkey D. Garp detests the World Nobles in the current era and why he never wanted to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, reporting directly to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Narrators

Although the audience are seeing the God Valley event through a flashback narrated by Loki, including perspectives and events he obviously was absent for, I believe we can treat this account as completely truthful. The series may offer an reason later, perhaps connected to Loki's yet unknown paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the God Valley incident perfectly embodies the idea that history is written by the victors. This mindset is {