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The saying 'History is recorded by the victors' serves as a central theme that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Popular tales frequently fail to capture the complete truth, even for the most powerful characters in this story's intricate history. Kozuki Oden wasn't a silly performer dancing through the roads of Wano; he behaved out of honor and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma was not a merciless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was helping them. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend signified more than a pirate's contest in search of flags and crews.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we see the culmination of this idea. The entire Divine Isle story serves as a warning story, instructing audiences not to judge the individuals too quickly.

Myths frequently fail to capture the full truth, including the most influential figures.

The series's latest flashback, detailing the Divine Isle incident, stands as one of the story's best storylines to date. Apart from the excitement of witnessing icons in their prime, it's compelling to observe them before they turned into icons — when their fame had yet to outgrow their human nature. The past, as recorded by the World Government and recounted through secondhand stories, shaped our perception of individuals like Roger, Xebec, and including Garp. But both the government's records and the narratives of those who knew them prove untrustworthy, showing only pieces of who these individuals truly were.

The Individual Prior to the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been driven by mission and the bold spirit that sparked a new age of piracy, but before he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a youth ruled by passion and wanderlust. When people speak of his legend, they usually mean his second voyage, the grand quest in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward the final island. However little is understood about his first journey, the one that molded him prior to glory discovered him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger knew little of the globe's secret past. His love for Shakky led him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the World Government's most sinister realities: the genocidal "contests," the monstrous forms of the Gorosei, and even the existence of the planet's unseen ruler, Imu. We haven't seen Roger's thoughts about all that's happening in God Valley, but perhaps discovering the child of a Holy Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his role in the globe and pursue the reality he glimpsed from Xebec's situation.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Before this flashback, what we were aware of of Xebec was derived almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's account, both to the audience and to new Navy recruits. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man bent on global control, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it turns out, the strategist wasn't even there at God Valley; he was only echoing the Global Authority's approved narrative of events, the very story the sovereign approved to conceal the truth about Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to topple the ruler and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We are unsure if he was motivated by lust for power, retribution for his clan, or a desire for justice, but when he found out the government's plan to eliminate the island where his kin resided, he gave up his dreams of conquest to rescue them.

This devotion for his relatives became his undoing. Upon confronting the sovereign, he forfeited his will and freedom, becoming a puppet controlled to their authority. Now, with what limited awareness is left, he begs with Roger and Garp to end his life — thinking that dying would be a mercy in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The truth of Rocks is thus far from the story narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic shows him in a positive manner during the Divine Isle events.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec actually die? An intriguing idea is that he is still a servant to Imu in the current timeline, acting as the scarred individual, maintaining the Global Authority's only remaining Poneglyph in continuous transit to prevent the ultimate treasure from being found.

The Hero's Secret Defiance

A further key figure of the Divine Isle event is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured backlash from followers for a long time for doing nothing as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment became even more intense after the timeskip, when he risked all to rescue Koby at Hachinosu, causing many to wonder why he was unable to do the same for his biological grandson. Similar questions have now resurfaced with the God Valley recollection: how can Monkey D. Garp work for the Marines, aware the World Government considers genocide and enslavement as entertainment for the elite?

The truth reveals something different. The moment Garp witnessed the Elders' grotesque shapes, he attacked without hesitation. His alliance with Roger was not meant to vanquish some evil Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an attempt to stop the sovereign, who was using Xebec as a pawn to eliminate everyone in God Valley, including it seems, including the World Nobles themselves. This event is probably the cause Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he never wanted to be elevated to Admiral, reporting directly to them.

The Past's Unreliable Storytellers

Even though the readers are viewing the Divine Isle incident through a recollection recounted by the giant, including viewpoints and events he obviously wasn't present for, I believe we can treat this account as completely truthful. The manga may provide an explanation in the future, maybe connected to Loki's still mysterious paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle incident perfectly embodies the notion that history is recorded by the winners. This mindset is {