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The saying 'The past is written by the winners' serves as a central motif that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the story. Popular tales frequently do not convey the complete truth, including the most powerful figures in this story's complex history. Kozuki Oden was no foolish performer dancing through the streets of Wano Country; he acted out of honor and conviction. Kuma was not a ruthless villain who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, Davy Jones meant more than a pirate's game in pursuit of flags and crews.

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

Myths frequently do not convey the complete reality, even for the most powerful characters.

One Piece's most recent flashback, detailing the God Valley event, represents one of the story's finest arcs to now. Beyond the thrill of seeing icons in their peak, it's gripping to see them before they became icons — when their reputation had still not surpass their humanity. History, as written by the World Government and retold through secondhand tales, shaped our understanding of individuals like Roger, Xebec, and even Garp. But both the regime's records and the narratives of those who knew them turn out to be untrustworthy, revealing only fragments of who these men really were.

The Man Prior to the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been guided by mission and the bold attitude that sparked a fresh era of piracy, 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 people discuss his legend, they typically mean his later journey, the epic quest in pursuit of the guide stones that lead to the final island. Yet not much is known about his initial travels, the one that shaped him prior to glory found him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger knew little of the world's hidden history. His love for the barkeep guided him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the World Government's darkest truths: the genocidal "contests," the grotesque forms of the Five Elders, and even the presence of the planet's unseen sovereign, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Roger's reflections about all that's occurring in the Divine Isle, but maybe finding the son of a Holy Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his role in the world and seek the truth he glimpsed from Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this recollection, what we were aware of of Xebec came almost entirely from Sengoku's account, both to the audience and to new Marines. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man bent on global control, someone so threatening that Roger and Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it turns out, Sengoku wasn't even there at the Divine Isle; he was only echoing the World Government's approved narrative of occurrences, the exact story Imu authorized to bury the truth about Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, Rocks D. Xebec, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to topple Imu and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We are unsure if he was guided by lust for power, revenge for his clan, or a wish for fairness, but when he discovered the government's scheme to annihilate the land where his family lived, he abandoned his dreams of conquest to save them.

This love for his family became his undoing. Upon confronting the sovereign, he lost his will and liberty, becoming a puppet controlled to their power. Currently, with what limited awareness remains, he begs with Roger and Garp to end his life — believing that dying would be a kindness compared to the living hell he suffers. The reality of Rocks is thus very different from the story narrated by Sengoku, and the comic shows him in a positive manner during the Divine Isle incidents.

Could He Be Living Today?

But did Rocks really die? An intriguing idea is that he is even now a slave to the ruler in the present day, acting as the scarred individual, maintaining the World Government's only remaining Poneglyph in continuous transit to prevent the One Piece from being found.

Garp's Secret Defiance

Another protagonist of the Divine Isle incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced criticism from followers for years for standing by as Admiral Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That feeling only grew more intense after the timeskip, when he risked all to rescue the young Marine at Pirate Island, leading many to wonder why he couldn't do the same for his biological grandchild. Comparable doubts have now reemerged with the Divine Isle recollection: how can Monkey D. Garp serve the Navy, aware the World Government treats mass murder and enslavement as sport for the elite?

The reality reveals something distinct. The moment Monkey D. Garp saw the Elders' grotesque forms, he attacked without hesitation. His partnership with Roger was not meant to vanquish some evil Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an effort to stop the sovereign, who was manipulating Xebec as a tool to eliminate all in the Divine Isle, including it seems, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is likely the reason Monkey D. Garp detests the World Nobles in the present day and why he never wanted to be elevated to Admiral, reporting straight to them.

History's Untrustworthy Narrators

Even though the readers are viewing the Divine Isle event through a flashback recounted by Loki, including perspectives and events he clearly was absent for, I think we can consider this version as completely truthful. The series may offer an reason in the future, perhaps linked to Loki's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Still, the God Valley event excellently exemplifies the idea that history is written by the winners. This mindset is {