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The adage 'History is written by the winners' is a key theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the narrative. Popular tales often fail to convey the complete reality, including the most powerful figures in this story's complex history. Kozuki Oden wasn't a silly showman prancing through the roads of Wano; he behaved out of honor and principle. Kuma wasn't a merciless villain who separated the Straw Hats, either; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend meant beyond just a buccaneer's contest in pursuit of flags and crews.

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

Legends often do not convey the complete truth, even for the most influential figures.

The series's most recent look back, chronicling the God Valley incident, stands as one of the story's finest storylines to now. Apart from the excitement of witnessing icons in their prime, it's compelling to observe them before they turned into icons — when their fame had still not surpass their human nature. The past, as recorded by the World Government and retold through secondhand stories, shaped our perception of figures like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and including Garp. But each of the government's accounts and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be untrustworthy, showing only pieces of who these men really were.

The Individual Before the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by purpose and the bold spirit that sparked a new age of buccaneering, but prior to he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a youth governed by emotion and the desire to explore. When people speak of his legend, they typically refer to his later journey, the epic expedition in search of the guide stones that lead to the final island. Yet not much is understood about his first journey, the one that shaped him before fame discovered him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the world's hidden past. His affection for Shakky led him to God Valley, where he uncovered the Global Authority's most sinister realities: the extermination "games," the monstrous forms of the Five Elders, and including the presence of the world's hidden ruler, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's reflections about all that's occurring in God Valley, but perhaps finding the son of a God's Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his role in the world and seek the reality he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's situation.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this flashback, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec was derived mostly from Sengoku's version, each to the audience and to young Marines. He painted Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man determined to achieve world domination, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it transpires, Sengoku wasn't even there at the Divine Isle; he was only echoing the World Government's approved version of events, the exact narrative the sovereign authorized to bury the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to topple Imu and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We don't know if he was motivated by ambition, revenge for his clan, or a wish for fairness, but when he found out the government's scheme to annihilate the island where his kin lived, he abandoned his ambitions of domination to rescue them.

This devotion for his family proved to be his downfall. Upon facing Imu, he forfeited his determination and freedom, becoming a marionette enslaved to their authority. Now, with what limited consciousness remains, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — believing that dying would be a kindness in contrast to the torment he suffers. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the tale narrated by Sengoku, and the manga shows him in a favorable manner during the God Valley incidents.

Is He Living Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec really die? An intriguing idea is that he is even now a servant to Imu in the current timeline, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the Global Authority's last ancient stone in continuous transit to prevent the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

The Hero's Hidden Rebellion

Another key figure of the Divine Isle event is Garp, who has faced criticism from followers for years for standing by as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment only grew more intense after the timeskip, when he endangered everything to save the young Marine at Hachinosu, leading many to wonder why he was unable to do the same for his biological grandson. Comparable doubts have recently reemerged with the Divine Isle recollection: how could Garp work for the Marines, aware the Global Authority considers genocide and slavery as entertainment for the elite?

The reality reveals something distinct. The instant Garp witnessed the Gorosei's grotesque shapes, he attacked without hesitation. His partnership with Gol D. Roger was not meant to defeat some evil Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an effort to halt the sovereign, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to wipe out all in God Valley, including apparently, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is probably the cause Monkey D. Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he not once desired to be elevated to Admiral, answering directly to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Although the readers are viewing the Divine Isle incident through a flashback recounted by Loki, covering viewpoints and occurrences he obviously wasn't present for, I think we can treat this account as entirely accurate. The series may provide an reason in the future, perhaps linked to Loki's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the God Valley event excellently embodies the idea that the past is recorded by the victors. This mindset is {