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The saying 'The past is recorded by the winners' is a key theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the narrative. Popular tales frequently do not capture the full reality, including the most powerful characters in this story's complex history. Kozuki Oden wasn't a foolish performer prancing through the roads of Wano; he behaved out of honor and principle. Kuma wasn't a ruthless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, Davy Jones signified beyond just a buccaneer's contest in search of flags and crews.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we witness the culmination of this idea. The entire God Valley story acts as a warning story, instructing audiences not to evaluate the characters too quickly.

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

One Piece's latest look back, detailing the Divine Isle event, represents one of the story's finest arcs to now. Apart from the thrill of witnessing legends in their peak, it's compelling to see them before they became icons — when their reputation had still not outgrow their human nature. History, as recorded by the World Government and retold through hearsay stories, painted our perception of figures like Roger, Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But each of the regime's records and the stories of those who were acquainted with them prove unreliable, showing only pieces of who these men truly were.

The Individual Prior to the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by mission and the daring spirit that ignited a new age of piracy, but before he became the Pirate King, he was a young man governed by emotion and wanderlust. When people discuss his legend, they usually refer to his later journey, the epic quest in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to the final island. However little is known about his first journey, the one that shaped him before fame discovered him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger knew little of the world's hidden history. His love for Shakky guided him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the World Government's most sinister truths: the extermination "games," the monstrous appearances of the Five Elders, and including the presence of the world's hidden ruler, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Roger's reflections about everything occurring in the Divine Isle, but maybe finding the child of a Holy Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his role in the world and pursue the truth he glimpsed from Xebec's situation.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this recollection, what we were aware of of Xebec was derived mostly from Sengoku's version, each to the audience and to young Marines. He depicted Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man determined to achieve global control, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it turns out, the strategist wasn't even present at God Valley; he was only repeating the World Government's approved version of events, the exact narrative Imu authorized to conceal the reality about 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 the ruler and dismantle the decadent World Government. We are unsure if he was guided by lust for power, retribution for his clan, or a wish for fairness, but when he found out the government's scheme to annihilate the island where his kin resided, he abandoned his ambitions of conquest to rescue them.

This love for his relatives became his undoing. After confronting Imu, he forfeited his determination and freedom, becoming a puppet controlled to their authority. Now, with what limited consciousness is left, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — believing that dying would be a mercy compared to the torment he endures. The reality of Rocks is thus far from the story narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga presents him in a positive light during the Divine Isle events.

Is He Living Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec actually die? An intriguing theory is that he is still a servant to the ruler in the current timeline, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the World Government's last ancient stone in continuous movement to prevent the One Piece from being discovered.

Garp's Hidden Rebellion

Another key figure of the Divine Isle incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced criticism from fans for years for standing by as Admiral Akainu murdered Ace. That feeling became even stronger after the timeskip, when he endangered everything to save the young Marine at Hachinosu, leading many to question why he couldn't do the same for his own grandson. Comparable questions have recently reemerged with the Divine Isle recollection: how could Garp serve the Marines, aware the World Government treats genocide and slavery as entertainment for the upper class?

The truth uncovers something distinct. The moment Monkey D. Garp saw the Elders' monstrous forms, he struck immediately. His alliance with Gol D. Roger was not meant to vanquish some evil Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an effort to halt Imu, who was manipulating Xebec as a tool to eliminate all in the Divine Isle, even apparently, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is probably the cause Garp detests the World Nobles in the current era and why he not once desired to be elevated to Admiral, reporting directly to them.

History's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Although the audience are seeing the God Valley incident through a recollection narrated by the giant, including viewpoints and events he clearly wasn't present for, I believe we can consider this version as completely truthful. The manga may offer an reason in the future, perhaps linked to the giant's yet unknown paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle incident excellently exemplifies the idea that history is recorded by the winners. This attitude is {