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The adage 'The past is written by the victors' is a key theme that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the narrative. Legends frequently fail to convey the complete truth, even for the most powerful characters in this story's intricate past. Kozuki Oden wasn't a silly showman dancing through the roads of Wano Country; he behaved out of duty and conviction. Kuma wasn't a ruthless villain who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend signified more than a buccaneer's contest in search of flags and followers.

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

Legends often do not convey the full reality, including the most influential characters.

The series's latest look back, chronicling the God Valley incident, stands as one of the series' best storylines to date. Apart from the thrill of seeing legends in their peak, it's gripping to observe them before they became symbols — when their fame had yet to outgrow their human nature. The past, as written by the Global Authority and retold through secondhand tales, shaped our perception of individuals like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But both the regime's records and the stories of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be unreliable, revealing only pieces of who these individuals really were.

The Man Before the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been driven by purpose and the daring attitude that ignited a fresh era of buccaneering, but before he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a young man ruled by emotion and the desire to explore. When individuals discuss his legend, they typically refer to his later journey, the grand expedition in search of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to Laugh Tale. However little is understood about his first journey, the one that shaped him prior to fame found him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger knew little of the world's hidden past. His affection for the barkeep led him to God Valley, where he uncovered the World Government's darkest realities: the genocidal "games," the monstrous appearances of the Gorosei, and even the existence of the world's hidden ruler, Imu. We haven't seen Roger's thoughts about everything occurring in the Divine Isle, but maybe finding the son of a Holy Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his place in the world and pursue the reality he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this flashback, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec came mostly from Sengoku's account, both to the viewers and to new Navy recruits. He depicted Xebec as a vile, ambitious man bent on global control, someone so threatening that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it turns out, the strategist wasn't even present at the Divine Isle; he was only echoing the Global Authority's approved narrative of events, the very story the sovereign authorized to bury the truth about Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to topple the ruler and dismantle the decadent World Government. We don't know if he was guided by ambition, retribution for his family, or a desire for justice, but when he discovered the government's plan to annihilate the land where his kin lived, he abandoned his ambitions of domination to save them.

This devotion for his relatives proved to be his downfall. Upon facing the sovereign, he forfeited his will and freedom, turning into a puppet enslaved to their authority. Currently, with what limited awareness remains, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — thinking that dying would be a mercy in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The reality of Rocks is thus far from the story told by Sengoku, and the manga shows him in a positive manner during the Divine Isle events.

Is He Living Today?

But did Rocks really die? An interesting idea is that he is even now a servant to Imu in the present day, acting as the scarred individual, maintaining the Global Authority's last ancient stone in continuous movement to prevent the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

The Hero's Secret Rebellion

A further key figure of the Divine Isle event is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced backlash from fans for years for standing by as Akainu killed Ace. That sentiment only grew more intense 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 identical for his own grandson. Comparable questions have now resurfaced with the God Valley flashback: how could Garp work for the Marines, aware the Global Authority considers genocide and enslavement as sport for the elite?

The reality reveals something distinct. The moment Garp saw the Elders' grotesque forms, he attacked without hesitation. His partnership with Gol D. Roger was not meant to defeat some evil Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an effort to stop the sovereign, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to wipe out everyone in the Divine Isle, even it seems, including the World Nobles themselves. This incident is probably the cause Monkey D. Garp despises the World Nobles in the current era and why he not once desired to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, reporting directly to them.

The Past's Unreliable Storytellers

Even though the readers are viewing the Divine Isle incident through a flashback recounted by the giant, covering viewpoints and occurrences he obviously was absent for, I believe we can treat this account as entirely truthful. The manga may offer an explanation later, maybe linked to the giant's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the God Valley incident excellently embodies the notion that history is written by the victors. This attitude is {