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The adage 'The past is written by the winners' serves as a key motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Legends often do not capture the full truth, including the most powerful figures in this story's complex past. Oden wasn't a foolish showman dancing through the streets of Wano; he behaved out of honor and conviction. Kuma wasn't a ruthless villain who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, Davy Jones signified beyond just a pirate's contest in search of flags and followers.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we see the culmination of this theme. The whole Divine Isle story serves as a cautionary tale, instructing readers not to evaluate the individuals too hastily.

Myths often do not capture the full reality, even for the most powerful figures.

One Piece's most recent flashback, chronicling the Divine Isle event, stands as one of the series' finest arcs to date. Beyond the excitement of seeing icons in their peak, it's compelling to see them before they became symbols — when their reputation had yet to outgrow their human nature. History, as recorded by the World Government and recounted through hearsay tales, painted our understanding of individuals like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But each of the regime's accounts and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be untrustworthy, revealing only pieces of who these individuals really were.

The Man Before the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by mission and the bold attitude that ignited a fresh era of piracy, but prior to he was known as the Pirate King, he was a young man ruled by passion and wanderlust. When people discuss his legend, they usually refer to his second voyage, the grand quest in search of the guide stones that point toward Laugh Tale. However little is understood about his first journey, the one that shaped him before glory found him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger knew little of the world's secret past. His affection for Shakky led him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the World Government's darkest truths: the extermination "contests," the grotesque appearances of the Five Elders, and including the existence of the world's unseen sovereign, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Roger's thoughts about everything happening in God Valley, but maybe finding the child of a Holy Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his role in the world and seek the reality he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this flashback, what we knew of Xebec came mostly from Sengoku's version, both to the audience and to new Navy recruits. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, ambitious man determined to achieve world domination, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it transpires, Sengoku wasn't even there at God Valley; he was only echoing the World Government's sanctioned version of events, the very story Imu authorized to conceal the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to topple Imu and dismantle the decadent World Government. We are unsure if he was guided by ambition, revenge for his family, or a wish for fairness, but when he discovered the government's plan to annihilate the island where his kin resided, he abandoned his dreams of domination to save them.

This love for his relatives became his downfall. Upon confronting Imu, he lost his will and liberty, turning into a puppet enslaved to their power. Currently, with what little consciousness remains, he pleads with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — believing that dying would be a mercy compared to the torment he endures. The reality of Rocks is thus very different from the story narrated by Sengoku, and the manga shows him in a favorable light during the Divine Isle events.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks really meet his end? An interesting idea is that he is even now a servant to the ruler in the current timeline, acting as the scarred individual, maintaining the World Government's only remaining ancient stone in constant movement to keep the One Piece from being found.

The Hero's Secret Defiance

A further key figure of the Divine Isle incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured backlash from fans for a long time for standing by as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment became even more intense after the timeskip, when he risked everything to save Koby at Hachinosu, causing many to question why he couldn't do the same for his own grandchild. Comparable questions have recently reemerged with the Divine Isle recollection: how can Monkey D. Garp serve the Marines, knowing the Global Authority considers genocide and slavery as sport for the upper class?

The reality uncovers something different. The moment Garp saw the Elders' monstrous forms, he attacked without hesitation. His partnership with Roger wasn't to defeat some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an effort to stop Imu, who was manipulating Xebec as a tool to wipe out all in the Divine Isle, including apparently, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is likely the cause Garp despises the World Nobles in the current era and why he not once wanted to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, reporting directly to them.

The Past's Unreliable Storytellers

Even though the audience are seeing the Divine Isle incident through a recollection recounted by the giant, including perspectives and events he clearly was absent for, I believe we can treat this account as entirely accurate. The series may offer an reason later, maybe connected to Loki's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle event excellently embodies the notion that the past is recorded by the winners. This attitude is {