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The adage 'The past is written by the winners' serves as a central motif that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Legends often fail to convey the complete truth, even for the most powerful characters in this world's complex past. Oden wasn't a silly performer prancing through the streets of Wano; he acted out of honor and principle. Kuma wasn't a ruthless villain who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend meant more than a pirate's game in search of emblems and followers.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we see the culmination of this theme. The whole Divine Isle story acts as a warning story, advising readers not to evaluate the characters too hastily.

Legends frequently do not convey the full truth, even for the most powerful figures.

The series's latest look back, chronicling the God Valley event, represents one of the series' finest storylines to now. Apart from the thrill of seeing legends in their prime, it's compelling to observe them before they became icons — when their fame had still not surpass their humanity. The past, as written by the World Government and recounted through secondhand tales, painted our understanding of figures like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But both the government's accounts and the stories of those who knew them turn out to be unreliable, showing only pieces of who these men truly were.

The Individual Prior to the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by mission and the bold attitude that ignited a fresh era of buccaneering, but before he became the Pirate King, 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 expedition in search of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to Laugh Tale. However not much is understood about his first journey, the one that shaped him prior to fame discovered him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the world's hidden history. His affection for the barkeep led him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the World Government's darkest realities: the extermination "contests," the grotesque appearances of the Gorosei, and even the existence of the world's hidden ruler, Imu. We are yet to witness Roger's thoughts about everything occurring in the Divine Isle, but perhaps finding the child of a God's Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his role in the globe and seek the truth he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this recollection, what we knew of Xebec was derived almost entirely from Sengoku's account, both to the viewers and to new Marines. He depicted Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man determined to achieve world domination, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it transpires, the strategist wasn't even there at God Valley; he was merely echoing the Global Authority's approved version of events, the very narrative the sovereign authorized to bury the truth about Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to topple Imu and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We don't know if he was guided by lust for power, retribution for his clan, or a wish for justice, but when he found out the regime's plan to eliminate the island where his kin lived, he abandoned his dreams of conquest to rescue them.

This devotion for his family proved to be his downfall. After confronting Imu, he lost his will and freedom, becoming a puppet enslaved to their power. Currently, with what little consciousness remains, he begs with Roger and Garp to end his life — believing that dying would be a kindness in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the tale narrated by Sengoku, and the manga presents him in a positive manner during the Divine Isle events.

Could He Be Living Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec really die? An intriguing theory is that he is still a slave to the ruler in the present day, acting as the scarred individual, maintaining the Global Authority's only remaining Poneglyph in constant movement to prevent the One Piece from being found.

Garp's Secret Defiance

A further key figure of the Divine Isle incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced criticism from followers for years for standing by as Admiral Akainu murdered Ace. That sentiment became even more intense after the timeskip, when he endangered all to rescue the young Marine at Pirate Island, causing many to wonder why he couldn't do the same for his biological grandchild. Similar doubts have recently resurfaced with the Divine Isle recollection: how can Garp work for the Marines, aware the World Government treats mass murder and enslavement as sport for the elite?

The reality uncovers something distinct. The moment Garp saw the Elders' grotesque forms, he struck without hesitation. His partnership with Gol D. Roger was not meant to defeat some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an attempt to stop Imu, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to eliminate everyone in the Divine Isle, even it seems, including the World Nobles themselves. This event is probably the reason Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he never desired to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, reporting straight to them.

History's Untrustworthy Narrators

Although the readers are viewing the Divine Isle incident through a flashback narrated by the giant, including viewpoints and occurrences he obviously wasn't present for, I believe we can treat this version as entirely accurate. The series may offer an explanation later, maybe linked to Loki's still mysterious paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the God Valley event perfectly embodies the notion that the past is written by the victors. This attitude is {