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The adage 'The past is recorded by the winners' is a key motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the narrative. Popular tales often fail to capture the complete truth, including the most powerful characters in this world's intricate past. Oden wasn't a silly showman dancing through the streets of Wano Country; he behaved out of duty and principle. Kuma was not a merciless villain who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, Davy Jones meant beyond just a buccaneer's game in search of emblems and crews.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we see the peak of this idea. The whole Divine Isle story acts as a cautionary tale, advising audiences not to judge the individuals too hastily.

Legends often fail to convey the full truth, including the most powerful figures.

One Piece's most recent flashback, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, represents one of the story's best storylines to date. Beyond the excitement of seeing legends in their prime, it's compelling to observe them before they turned into symbols — when their reputation had still not outgrow their human nature. The past, as recorded by the Global Authority and recounted through hearsay stories, shaped our understanding of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But each of the government's records and the stories of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be untrustworthy, revealing only pieces of who these men really were.

The Individual Before the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been driven by purpose and the daring spirit that sparked a fresh era of buccaneering, but before he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a youth governed by passion and wanderlust. When people discuss his legend, they usually mean his later journey, the epic quest in search of the guide stones that lead to the final island. However not much is known about his initial travels, the one that molded him prior to glory discovered him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the globe's hidden history. His love for the barkeep guided him to God Valley, where he uncovered the World Government's most sinister realities: the extermination "games," the monstrous appearances of the Gorosei, and even the existence of the planet's unseen sovereign, Imu. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's thoughts about all that's occurring in God Valley, but maybe finding the child of a God's Knight on his vessel will make him realize his role in the world and seek the truth he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Before this flashback, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec came almost entirely from Sengoku's account, each to the viewers and to new Marines. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man bent on global control, someone so threatening that Roger and Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it transpires, the strategist was not present at the Divine Isle; he was merely repeating the Global Authority's approved version of occurrences, the very narrative the sovereign authorized to conceal the reality about Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, The captain, whose true 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 guided by lust for power, retribution for his family, or a desire for fairness, but when he found out the government's scheme to eliminate the land where his family lived, he abandoned his ambitions of conquest to save them.

This love for his family became his downfall. Upon facing Imu, he forfeited his determination and freedom, becoming a puppet enslaved to their power. Now, with what little consciousness is left, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — believing that dying would be a mercy in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The truth of Rocks is thus very different from the story told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga presents him in a favorable light during the God Valley incidents.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks actually meet his end? An interesting theory is that he is even now a slave to the ruler in the present day, acting as the scarred individual, keeping the World Government's only remaining Poneglyph in continuous transit to keep the One Piece from being discovered.

The Hero's Secret Defiance

Another protagonist of the Divine Isle event is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced backlash from followers for a long time for standing by as Admiral Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment only grew stronger after the timeskip, when he risked all to save Koby at Pirate Island, causing many to question why he was unable to do the same for his biological grandson. Similar doubts have recently resurfaced with the God Valley flashback: how could Garp serve the Navy, knowing the Global Authority treats genocide and slavery as entertainment for the upper class?

The truth reveals something different. The instant Garp witnessed the Elders' grotesque shapes, he struck immediately. His alliance with Roger was not meant to defeat some evil Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an attempt to stop Imu, who was manipulating Xebec as a pawn to wipe out all in the Divine Isle, even it seems, even the World Nobles themselves. This incident is likely the cause Monkey D. Garp despises the World Nobles in the present day and why he not once desired to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, answering directly to them.

History's Unreliable Narrators

Although the readers are seeing the Divine Isle event through a recollection narrated by the giant, including viewpoints and events he clearly was absent for, I believe we can treat this version as completely truthful. The series may offer an reason later, maybe linked to Loki's yet unknown paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the God Valley event perfectly exemplifies the idea that history is written by the victors. This mindset is {