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The saying 'The past is written by the winners' is a central motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the narrative. Popular tales often fail to capture the full reality, including the most influential figures in this world's intricate past. Oden was no silly performer prancing through the roads of Wano; he behaved out of duty and conviction. Kuma was not a merciless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hats, either; he was helping them. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend signified beyond just a buccaneer's contest in pursuit of flags and followers.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we witness the peak of this theme. The whole Divine Isle story serves as a cautionary tale, instructing audiences not to evaluate the characters too quickly.

Myths frequently fail to convey the complete reality, even for the most powerful figures.

The series's most recent flashback, detailing the God Valley incident, stands as one of the series' finest arcs to date. Apart from the thrill of witnessing legends in their prime, it's gripping to see them prior to when they turned into icons — when their reputation had yet to surpass their human nature. The past, as recorded by the World Government and retold through secondhand stories, shaped our understanding of figures like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But each of the regime's accounts and the stories of those who were acquainted with them prove unreliable, revealing only fragments of who these individuals really were.

The Individual Prior to the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by purpose and the bold spirit that ignited a fresh era of piracy, but prior to he became the King of the Pirates, he was a young man governed by emotion and wanderlust. When people discuss his myth, they typically mean his later journey, the epic expedition in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward Laugh Tale. Yet little is known about his initial travels, the one that shaped him before fame discovered him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger knew little of the globe's hidden past. His love for the barkeep led him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the World Government's most sinister truths: the genocidal "contests," the monstrous forms of the Gorosei, and including the presence of the world's unseen sovereign, Imu. We haven't seen Roger's thoughts about everything occurring 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 reality he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Before this recollection, what we knew of Xebec was derived mostly from Sengoku's account, both to the viewers and to new Navy recruits. He painted Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man determined to achieve world domination, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it transpires, the strategist wasn't even present at God Valley; he was only repeating the World Government's approved version of events, the exact story the sovereign authorized to bury the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, Rocks D. Xebec, 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 lust for power, retribution for his family, or a wish for justice, but when he discovered the regime's scheme to annihilate the land where his kin lived, he gave up his ambitions of domination to rescue them.

This love for his family proved to be his undoing. After confronting the sovereign, he lost his will and liberty, turning into a puppet enslaved to their power. Currently, with what little awareness remains, he begs with Roger and Garp to end his life — thinking that death would be a kindness in contrast to the torment he suffers. The truth of Rocks is thus far from the tale narrated by Sengoku, and the manga shows him in a positive manner during the God Valley events.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks really meet his end? An intriguing theory is that he is still a slave to the ruler in the current timeline, serving as the scarred individual, keeping the World Government's last ancient stone in continuous movement to keep the One Piece from being discovered.

Garp's Secret Defiance

Another key figure of the Divine Isle incident is Garp, who has faced criticism from fans for a long time for standing by as Admiral Akainu murdered Ace. That feeling became even more intense after the time jump, when he risked all to rescue Koby at Pirate Island, leading many to question why he was unable to do the same for his own grandchild. Comparable questions have now reemerged with the Divine Isle flashback: how could Monkey D. Garp serve the Marines, aware the Global Authority treats mass murder and enslavement as sport for the elite?

The reality reveals something different. The instant Garp saw the Elders' grotesque forms, he struck immediately. His alliance with Gol D. Roger was not meant to defeat some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an attempt to halt Imu, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to wipe out all in the Divine Isle, including it seems, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is probably the cause Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he never desired to be elevated to Admiral, answering directly to them.

The Past's Unreliable Storytellers

Even though the readers are seeing the God Valley incident through a flashback recounted by the giant, covering perspectives and events he clearly was absent for, I believe we can treat this account as entirely truthful. The manga may provide an explanation later, perhaps linked to Loki's still mysterious paramecia ability. Still, the God Valley event perfectly embodies the notion that history is recorded by the winners. This mindset is {