🔗 Share this article

The adage 'The past is written by the victors' is a key theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Popular tales often do not capture the complete truth, even for the most powerful characters in this world's complex history. Oden wasn't a foolish showman prancing through the roads of Wano Country; he acted out of honor and principle. Bartholomew Kuma was not a merciless antagonist who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was helping them. Likewise, Davy Jones meant beyond just a buccaneer's contest in search of emblems and followers.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we see the peak of this idea. The whole God Valley narrative serves as a cautionary tale, advising readers not to evaluate the individuals too hastily.

Myths often do not capture the complete reality, even for the most powerful characters.

The series's latest look back, detailing the Divine Isle incident, stands as one of the story's finest arcs to now. Beyond the thrill of witnessing icons in their prime, it's compelling to observe them before they became icons — when their fame had still not outgrow their human nature. The past, as recorded by the World Government and retold through secondhand tales, painted our understanding of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But each of the government's records and the stories of those who knew them prove untrustworthy, revealing only fragments of who these individuals truly were.

The Man Prior to the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by mission and the bold attitude that sparked a fresh era of buccaneering, but prior to he became the King of the Pirates, he was a youth governed by passion and the desire to explore. When individuals discuss his legend, they typically mean his later journey, the grand expedition in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward Laugh Tale. However little is known about his first journey, the one that shaped him before fame discovered him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the world's hidden history. His affection for the barkeep led him to God Valley, where he uncovered the World Government's most sinister truths: the extermination "games," the grotesque appearances of the Five Elders, and including the presence of the planet's unseen sovereign, 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 son of a Holy Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his place in the globe and pursue the truth he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this recollection, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec came mostly from Sengoku's account, both to the audience and to young Marines. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man bent on global control, someone so dangerous that Roger and Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it transpires, Sengoku wasn't even there at the Divine Isle; he was only echoing the Global Authority's approved narrative of occurrences, the exact story the sovereign approved to conceal the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to overthrow Imu 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 fairness, but when he found out the regime's plan to annihilate the land where his kin resided, he gave up his ambitions of conquest to rescue them.

This devotion for his family proved to be his undoing. Upon confronting the sovereign, he lost his will and liberty, becoming a puppet enslaved to their authority. Now, with what little awareness is left, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — believing that dying would be a mercy compared to the torment he suffers. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the tale told by Sengoku, and the comic shows him in a favorable manner during the God Valley events.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks really die? An interesting idea is that he is even now a servant to Imu in the current timeline, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the World Government's only remaining Poneglyph in constant transit to prevent the One Piece from being discovered.

Garp's Hidden Defiance

A further protagonist of the Divine Isle event is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced criticism from fans for a long time for standing by as Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That feeling only grew more intense after the timeskip, when he risked everything to rescue Koby at Pirate Island, leading many to question why he was unable to do the same for his own grandchild. Similar doubts have recently resurfaced with the Divine Isle flashback: how could Garp work for the Marines, aware the Global Authority treats genocide and slavery as entertainment for the upper class?

The truth uncovers something distinct. The instant Garp witnessed the Elders' monstrous shapes, he struck without hesitation. His alliance with Gol D. Roger wasn't to vanquish some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an effort to stop the sovereign, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to wipe out everyone in God Valley, even apparently, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is probably the cause Garp despises the World Nobles in the current era and why he never desired to be elevated to Admiral, reporting directly to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Even though the readers are seeing the Divine Isle event through a recollection recounted by Loki, including viewpoints and events he clearly was absent for, I believe we can treat this version as entirely truthful. The manga may provide an explanation later, maybe connected to the giant's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle event perfectly embodies the notion that the past is written by the victors. This attitude is {