🔗 Share this article

The adage 'History is written by the victors' serves as a central motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the story. Popular tales frequently fail to convey the full reality, including the most powerful characters in this world's intricate past. Kozuki Oden wasn't a foolish showman prancing through the roads of Wano Country; he behaved out of honor 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 flags and followers.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we see the peak of this theme. The whole Divine Isle story acts as a cautionary tale, advising audiences not to judge the characters too quickly.

Myths often fail to capture the complete reality, even for the most powerful figures.

One Piece's most recent look back, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, represents one of the series' finest arcs to date. Beyond the thrill of witnessing legends in their peak, it's gripping to see them prior to when they became symbols — when their fame had yet to outgrow their humanity. History, as written by the World Government and retold through secondhand tales, painted our perception of figures like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But each of the regime's records and the narratives of those who knew them prove untrustworthy, revealing only fragments of who these men truly were.

The Individual Before the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by mission and the bold spirit that sparked a new age of piracy, but before he was known as the Pirate King, he was a young man governed by passion and wanderlust. When individuals discuss his myth, they usually mean his second voyage, the epic quest in search of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to Laugh Tale. Yet not much is understood about his initial travels, the one that shaped him prior to fame found 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 darkest realities: the genocidal "contests," the monstrous forms of the Gorosei, and even the presence of the planet's hidden ruler, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's reflections about all that's occurring in God Valley, but maybe discovering the child of a God's Knight on his vessel will make him realize his role in the globe and seek the reality he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Before this flashback, what we knew of Xebec was derived almost entirely from Sengoku's version, each to the viewers and to new Navy recruits. He painted Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man determined to achieve world domination, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it turns out, Sengoku wasn't even present at the Divine Isle; he was only repeating the World Government's approved narrative of occurrences, the very story Imu authorized to bury the truth about Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to topple Imu and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We don't know if he was motivated by ambition, revenge for his family, or a wish for justice, but when he found out the government's scheme to annihilate the land where his kin resided, he gave up his ambitions of conquest to save them.

This love for his relatives proved to be his undoing. Upon facing Imu, he forfeited his determination and liberty, turning into a puppet enslaved to their power. Now, with what little consciousness remains, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — believing that dying would be a mercy in contrast to the torment he endures. The reality of Rocks is thus far from the tale told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic presents him in a favorable light during the God Valley incidents.

Could He Be Living Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec actually die? An intriguing idea is that he is even now a servant to the ruler in the current timeline, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the Global Authority's only remaining Poneglyph in constant transit to keep the One Piece from being found.

Garp's Secret Rebellion

Another key figure of the God Valley event is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced backlash from followers for a long time for standing by as Admiral Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment only grew more intense after the time jump, when he endangered everything to save the young Marine at Pirate Island, leading many to wonder why he was unable to do the same for his biological grandson. Similar doubts have now resurfaced with the God Valley recollection: how could Garp work for the Marines, knowing the Global Authority treats genocide and slavery as entertainment for the upper class?

The truth reveals something distinct. The moment Garp witnessed the Elders' monstrous shapes, he attacked without hesitation. His partnership with Roger was not meant to defeat some villainous Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an attempt to stop Imu, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to wipe out all in the Divine Isle, including it seems, including the World Nobles themselves. This event is probably the cause Monkey D. Garp detests the World Nobles in the current era and why he not once desired to be elevated to Admiral, reporting directly to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Even though the audience are viewing the Divine Isle incident through a flashback narrated by Loki, including perspectives and events he clearly was absent for, I believe we can consider this account as entirely truthful. The series may provide an explanation in the future, perhaps connected to Loki's still mysterious paramecia ability. Still, the God Valley incident perfectly exemplifies the idea that the past is written by the winners. This attitude is {