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The adage 'The past is written by the winners' is a central motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Popular tales frequently do not capture the complete reality, even for the most powerful figures in this world's complex past. Oden was no foolish performer prancing through the roads of Wano; he behaved out of honor and principle. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a merciless antagonist who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was helping them. Similarly, Davy Jones signified beyond just a buccaneer's game in pursuit of flags and followers.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we see the peak of this idea. The entire Divine Isle narrative serves as a cautionary tale, instructing readers not to judge the characters too quickly.

Legends frequently do not capture the complete reality, even for the most powerful figures.

One Piece's latest look back, detailing the Divine Isle event, represents one of the series' best arcs to date. Apart from the excitement of seeing legends in their peak, it's gripping to see them before they turned into symbols — when their reputation had yet to outgrow their human nature. The past, as recorded by the World Government and recounted through secondhand tales, shaped our perception of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But both the regime's accounts and the narratives of those who knew them prove untrustworthy, revealing only pieces of who these individuals really were.

The Man Before the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by mission and the daring attitude that ignited a new age of piracy, but prior to he was known as the Pirate King, he was a young man ruled by passion and the desire to explore. When individuals discuss his legend, they typically mean his second voyage, the epic expedition in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward Laugh Tale. Yet not much is known about his first journey, the one that shaped him prior to fame discovered him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger knew little of the world's secret past. His affection for Shakky led him to God Valley, where he uncovered the World Government's most sinister realities: the genocidal "contests," the monstrous appearances of the Five Elders, and including the presence of the world's hidden ruler, Imu. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's reflections about everything occurring in God Valley, but maybe finding the child of a God's Knight on his vessel will make him realize his place in the world and seek the truth he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this flashback, what we knew of Xebec came almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's version, both to the viewers 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 transpires, Sengoku wasn't even present at God Valley; he was only echoing the Global Authority's approved narrative of occurrences, the very story Imu approved to conceal the reality about Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to topple the ruler and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We don't know if he was motivated by lust for power, retribution for his family, or a desire for justice, but when he found out the government's plan to annihilate the island where his family lived, he abandoned his dreams of conquest to save them.

This love for his relatives became his undoing. After facing the sovereign, he lost his determination and liberty, becoming a puppet controlled to their authority. Now, with what little consciousness is left, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — thinking that dying would be a kindness in contrast to the torment he suffers. The truth of Rocks is thus very different from the story narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic shows him in a positive manner during the Divine Isle incidents.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks actually die? An intriguing theory is that he is even now a slave to Imu in the current timeline, serving 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.

The Hero's Hidden Defiance

Another protagonist of the God Valley incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced backlash from followers for a long time for standing by as Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment became even more intense after the time jump, when he endangered everything to rescue Koby at Pirate Island, causing many to question why he couldn't do the same for his biological grandson. Similar questions have recently reemerged with the Divine Isle recollection: how can Garp serve the Marines, aware the Global Authority treats mass murder and enslavement as sport for the elite?

The reality reveals something distinct. The moment Monkey D. Garp saw the Elders' grotesque forms, he attacked without hesitation. His partnership with Gol D. Roger wasn't to vanquish some villainous Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an attempt to halt the sovereign, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to eliminate all in the Divine Isle, including apparently, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is likely the cause Monkey D. Garp despises the World Nobles in the current era and why he never desired to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, answering straight to them.

History's Unreliable Narrators

Even though the audience are viewing the Divine Isle event through a flashback narrated by Loki, including viewpoints and events he obviously was absent for, I think we can treat this version as completely truthful. The series may provide an reason later, maybe connected to Loki's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the God Valley event excellently exemplifies the idea that history is written by the victors. This mindset is {