🔗 Share this article

The adage 'History is written by the victors' is a key theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the narrative. Legends frequently do not convey the full reality, even for the most powerful characters in this world's complex history. Oden wasn't a foolish performer dancing through the streets of Wano Country; he behaved out of honor and conviction. Kuma was not a merciless antagonist who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, Davy Jones meant more than a buccaneer's contest in search of emblems and crews.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we witness the culmination of this idea. The entire Divine Isle story serves as a cautionary tale, advising readers not to judge the characters too hastily.

Legends frequently fail to convey the complete reality, including the most influential figures.

One Piece's most recent look back, chronicling the God Valley incident, stands as one of the story's best arcs to date. Beyond the excitement of seeing icons in their prime, it's compelling to see them before they became icons — when their fame had yet to outgrow their human nature. The past, as written by the World Government and retold through secondhand stories, painted our perception of figures like Roger, Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But each of the regime's records and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be unreliable, showing only fragments of who these individuals really were.

The Individual Before the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been driven by purpose and the daring attitude that sparked a fresh era of buccaneering, but prior to he became the King of the Pirates, he was a youth ruled by emotion and the desire to explore. When individuals discuss his legend, they typically refer to his later journey, the epic quest in search of the guide stones that lead to Laugh Tale. Yet not much is known about his initial travels, the one that shaped him before glory discovered him.

At that time, Roger knew little of the world's hidden past. His love for Shakky guided him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the World Government's darkest truths: the genocidal "contests," the monstrous forms of the Five Elders, and even the existence of the planet's hidden sovereign, Imu. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's reflections about everything occurring in the Divine Isle, but perhaps finding the son of a Holy Knight on his ship will make him realize his place in the world and seek the truth he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Before this recollection, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec came mostly from Sengoku's account, both to the audience and to new Marines. He depicted Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man determined to achieve world domination, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it transpires, the strategist was not there at God Valley; he was only echoing the World Government's sanctioned narrative of events, the exact story the sovereign authorized to bury the truth about Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We don't know if he was motivated by lust for power, revenge for his family, or a wish for justice, but when he found out the regime's plan to eliminate the island where his kin resided, he abandoned his ambitions of domination to save them.

This devotion for his relatives proved to be his downfall. After confronting the sovereign, he forfeited his determination and freedom, becoming a marionette controlled to their authority. Now, with what limited awareness is left, he begs with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — believing that death would be a mercy compared to the living hell he endures. The reality of Rocks is thus far from the tale narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic presents him in a positive light during the God Valley incidents.

Could He Be Living Today?

But did Rocks really die? An intriguing theory is that he is even now a servant to Imu in the present day, serving as the scarred individual, keeping the Global Authority's last ancient stone in constant transit to prevent the One Piece from being found.

The Hero's Hidden Rebellion

A further protagonist of the Divine Isle event is Garp, who has faced criticism from followers for years for doing nothing as Akainu murdered Ace. That feeling became even stronger after the timeskip, when he endangered all to rescue the young Marine at Hachinosu, leading many to wonder why he couldn't do the same for his biological grandson. Similar questions have recently resurfaced with the God Valley flashback: how could Monkey D. Garp serve the Marines, knowing the World Government considers genocide and enslavement as sport for the elite?

The truth reveals something different. The instant Garp witnessed the Elders' grotesque shapes, he attacked without hesitation. His alliance with Gol D. Roger wasn't to defeat some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an effort to halt the sovereign, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to eliminate all in God Valley, even apparently, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is likely the reason Monkey D. Garp detests the World Nobles in the present day and why he never desired to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, answering directly to them.

History's Untrustworthy Narrators

Although the audience are seeing the God Valley event through a recollection recounted by Loki, including perspectives and events he obviously wasn't present for, I believe we can treat this account as completely accurate. The manga may offer an reason later, perhaps linked to Loki's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Still, the Divine Isle event perfectly embodies the idea that the past is written by the winners. This mindset is {