🔗 Share this article

The saying 'History is recorded by the winners' is a central theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the narrative. Legends frequently do not convey the full truth, including the most powerful figures in this world's intricate history. Kozuki Oden was no foolish performer dancing through the streets of Wano Country; he behaved out of honor and principle. Kuma wasn't a merciless villain who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was helping them. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend signified more than a buccaneer's contest in search of flags and followers.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we see the peak of this idea. The whole Divine Isle story serves as a cautionary tale, instructing readers not to evaluate the individuals too quickly.

Legends often fail to capture the complete reality, even for the most influential characters.

The series's most recent flashback, detailing the God Valley incident, stands as one of the story's best storylines to date. Beyond the excitement of witnessing legends in their prime, it's gripping to observe them before they became icons — when their reputation had yet to surpass their humanity. The past, as written by the Global Authority and retold through secondhand stories, painted our perception of figures like Roger, Xebec, and even Garp. But both the government's accounts and the stories of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be untrustworthy, revealing only fragments of who these individuals really were.

The Individual Before the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been driven by mission and the bold attitude that sparked a new age of piracy, but prior to he became the King of the Pirates, he was a youth governed by passion and wanderlust. When individuals discuss his legend, they usually mean his second voyage, the grand quest in pursuit of the guide stones that point toward Laugh Tale. Yet not much is understood about his first journey, the one that molded him prior to glory discovered him.

Back then, Roger knew little of the globe's secret history. His love for the barkeep guided him to God Valley, where he discovered the World Government's darkest truths: the extermination "games," the monstrous forms of the Gorosei, and even the existence of the world's unseen ruler, Imu. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's reflections about all that's occurring in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the son of a Holy Knight on his vessel will make him realize his place in the world and pursue the truth he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this recollection, what we knew of Xebec was derived mostly from Sengoku's account, each to the audience and to young Navy recruits. He depicted Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man bent on 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, Sengoku wasn't even there at God Valley; he was only echoing the Global Authority's approved version of occurrences, the exact narrative the sovereign authorized to conceal the truth about Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to topple the ruler and dismantle the decadent World Government. We are unsure if he was guided by lust for power, retribution for his family, or a wish for justice, but when he discovered the government's scheme to eliminate the island 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 the sovereign, he forfeited his determination and liberty, becoming a puppet enslaved to their power. Currently, with what limited consciousness is left, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — believing that death would be a mercy in contrast to the torment he suffers. The truth of Rocks is thus very different from the tale told by Sengoku, and the manga presents him in a favorable light during the Divine Isle events.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec really die? An interesting idea is that he is still a slave to Imu in the present day, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the World Government's only remaining ancient stone in constant transit to prevent the One Piece from being discovered.

Garp's Hidden Rebellion

A further key figure of the Divine Isle event is Garp, who has faced criticism from fans for years for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu murdered Ace. That feeling became even more intense after the time jump, when he endangered everything to rescue the young Marine at Pirate Island, causing many to question why he was unable to do the same for his own grandchild. Similar questions have now reemerged with the Divine Isle flashback: how can Monkey D. Garp work for the Marines, aware the World Government treats mass murder and slavery as sport for the elite?

The truth reveals something different. The moment Monkey D. Garp saw the Elders' monstrous shapes, he struck without hesitation. His partnership with Roger was not meant to defeat some villainous Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an attempt to stop the sovereign, who was using Xebec as a pawn to eliminate all in God Valley, even it seems, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is probably the cause Garp detests the World Nobles in the present day and why he not once wanted to be promoted to Admiral, answering directly to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Although the audience are viewing the God Valley event through a flashback narrated by the giant, including perspectives and events he clearly was absent for, I believe we can consider this version as completely truthful. The manga may offer an reason later, maybe linked to Loki's yet unknown paramecia ability. Still, the Divine Isle incident perfectly embodies the idea that the past is written by the winners. This attitude is {