🔗 Share this article

The saying 'History is recorded by the winners' is a key motif that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the story. Legends often do not capture the complete reality, even for the most powerful characters in this world's intricate history. Oden wasn't a foolish showman prancing through the roads of Wano Country; he acted out of honor and conviction. Kuma wasn't a merciless antagonist who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, Davy Jones signified more than a buccaneer's game in pursuit of flags and crews.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we witness the peak of this theme. The whole Divine Isle story acts as a cautionary tale, advising audiences not to judge the characters too hastily.

Myths frequently do not convey the complete reality, even for the most influential figures.

One Piece's most recent look back, chronicling the Divine Isle event, represents one of the series' best arcs to now. Apart from the thrill of witnessing icons in their peak, it's gripping to observe them prior to when they became icons — when their reputation had yet to outgrow their humanity. The past, as recorded by the Global Authority and recounted through hearsay stories, shaped our perception of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But both the regime's records and the stories of those who were acquainted with them prove unreliable, revealing only fragments of who these individuals truly were.

The Man Before the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by purpose and the bold attitude that sparked a fresh era of buccaneering, but before he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a young man governed by emotion and wanderlust. When individuals speak of his myth, they typically mean his later journey, the epic expedition in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward the final island. Yet little is understood about his initial travels, the one that shaped him before fame found him.

At that time, Roger knew little of the world's hidden history. His love for the barkeep guided him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the World Government's darkest truths: the genocidal "contests," the monstrous forms of the Five Elders, and including the presence of the planet's unseen sovereign, Imu. We are yet to witness Roger's reflections about all that's happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the son of a God's Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his role in the world and pursue the truth he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this flashback, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec was derived mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's version, both to the audience and to young Navy recruits. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man bent on world domination, someone so dangerous that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it transpires, the strategist was not present at God Valley; he was merely repeating the Global Authority's approved version of events, the exact story Imu authorized to bury the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to topple the ruler and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We are unsure if he was guided by ambition, revenge for his family, or a desire for justice, but when he found out the government's plan to annihilate the land where his kin resided, he abandoned his dreams of domination to rescue them.

This love for his family proved to be his downfall. Upon confronting Imu, he lost his determination and freedom, turning into a marionette controlled to their authority. Currently, with what limited consciousness remains, he begs with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — thinking that death would be a kindness in contrast to the living hell he endures. The truth of Rocks is thus far from the story narrated by Sengoku, and the comic presents him in a favorable light during the God Valley incidents.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec actually meet his end? An intriguing idea is that he is still 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 Hidden Rebellion

A further key figure of the Divine Isle event is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced backlash from fans for years for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu murdered Ace. That feeling became even stronger after the timeskip, when he endangered all to save the young Marine at Pirate Island, causing many to question why he couldn't do the same for his biological grandson. Comparable doubts have now resurfaced with the Divine Isle flashback: how could Garp serve the Navy, aware the Global Authority considers genocide and slavery as entertainment for the elite?

The reality uncovers something different. The moment Garp witnessed the Gorosei's grotesque shapes, he attacked immediately. His partnership with Gol D. Roger was not meant to vanquish some villainous Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an attempt to halt Imu, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to eliminate everyone in God Valley, even apparently, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is likely the reason Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he never wanted to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, reporting directly to them.

History's Unreliable Narrators

Although the audience are seeing the Divine Isle incident through a recollection narrated by the giant, covering viewpoints and events he obviously wasn't present for, I think we can treat this version as entirely accurate. The series may offer an reason later, perhaps connected to Loki's yet unknown paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the God Valley event perfectly embodies the notion that the past is recorded by the winners. This mindset is {