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The adage 'The past is recorded by the victors' is a key theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the story. Popular tales often fail to convey the full reality, even for the most influential figures in this story's complex history. Oden was no foolish showman dancing through the roads of Wano; he behaved out of honor and principle. Kuma wasn't a ruthless antagonist who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend meant beyond just a buccaneer's contest in search of emblems and crews.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we witness the peak of this theme. The entire Divine Isle narrative acts as a cautionary tale, instructing audiences not to evaluate the characters too quickly.

Legends often fail to capture the complete truth, even for the most powerful figures.

The series's most recent flashback, detailing the God Valley event, stands as one of the series' best arcs to now. Beyond the excitement of seeing legends in their prime, it's gripping to see them before they became symbols — when their fame had yet to outgrow their human nature. The past, as written by the Global Authority and recounted through secondhand tales, shaped our perception of figures like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Garp. But each of the government's records and the stories of those who knew them prove untrustworthy, revealing only pieces of who these men 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 King of the Pirates, he was a youth governed by emotion and the desire to explore. When individuals discuss his myth, they usually mean his later journey, the epic quest in pursuit of the guide stones that lead to the final island. However not much is understood about his first journey, the one that shaped him before glory found him.

At that time, Roger was largely unaware of the world's secret past. His affection for Shakky guided him to God Valley, where he discovered the World Government's darkest realities: the extermination "contests," the grotesque appearances of the Five Elders, and including the existence of the world's unseen ruler, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's reflections about everything occurring in God Valley, but perhaps finding the child of a God's Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his place in the world and seek the truth he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's situation.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Before this recollection, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec was derived mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's account, both to the audience and to new Marines. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man determined to achieve world domination, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it turns out, Sengoku wasn't even there at the Divine Isle; he was merely echoing the World Government's sanctioned version of events, the exact narrative the sovereign authorized to bury the truth about Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to overthrow Imu and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We are unsure if he was motivated by ambition, retribution for his clan, or a desire for fairness, but when he found out the regime's scheme to annihilate the island where his kin lived, he abandoned his ambitions of domination to rescue them.

This love for his relatives became his undoing. After facing Imu, he forfeited his will and freedom, turning into a marionette enslaved to their authority. Currently, with what little awareness remains, he pleads with Roger and Garp to kill him — believing that dying would be a mercy in contrast to the living hell he endures. The truth of Rocks is thus very different from the tale narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga shows him in a positive light during the God Valley events.

Could He Be Living Today?

But was Rocks 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 World Government's only remaining ancient stone in constant transit to prevent the One Piece from being found.

Garp's Secret Defiance

Another protagonist of the Divine Isle incident is Garp, who has faced backlash from followers for years for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu murdered Ace. That sentiment became even stronger after the timeskip, when he risked everything to save the young Marine at Pirate Island, causing many to wonder why he was unable to do the identical for his biological grandchild. Similar questions have now resurfaced with the Divine Isle flashback: how can Garp serve the Marines, aware the Global Authority considers genocide and enslavement as entertainment for the elite?

The reality uncovers something distinct. The moment Garp witnessed the Elders' monstrous forms, he attacked without hesitation. His partnership with Roger wasn't to vanquish some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an effort to halt the sovereign, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to eliminate all in the Divine Isle, even it seems, even the World Nobles themselves. This event is likely the cause Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he not once wanted to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, answering straight to them.

History's Unreliable Storytellers

Even though the readers are seeing the God Valley incident through a recollection narrated by Loki, covering perspectives and occurrences he obviously wasn't present for, I think we can consider this version as entirely truthful. The series may offer an explanation later, perhaps linked to the giant's still mysterious paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle incident perfectly exemplifies the notion that history is recorded by the winners. This attitude is {