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The saying 'History is recorded by the winners' serves as a central theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the story. Popular tales frequently do not capture the full reality, including the most powerful figures in this world's intricate history. Oden was no silly showman prancing through the streets of Wano; he behaved out of honor and principle. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a merciless villain who separated the Straw Hats, either; he was helping them. Likewise, Davy Jones signified more than a pirate's contest in search of flags and crews.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we witness the culmination of this idea. The whole Divine Isle story acts as a cautionary tale, advising readers not to evaluate the individuals too quickly.

Myths often do not capture the full truth, including the most powerful characters.

The series's latest flashback, detailing the Divine Isle event, represents one of the story's finest storylines to now. Beyond the thrill of witnessing legends in their prime, it's compelling to observe them prior to when they became symbols — when their reputation had yet to surpass their human nature. The past, as written by the Global Authority and recounted through hearsay stories, painted our perception of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Garp. But both the government's records and the narratives of those who knew them turn out to be unreliable, showing only pieces of who these men really were.

The Man Before the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been guided by mission and the daring attitude that ignited a new age of piracy, but before he was known as the Pirate King, he was a young man ruled by emotion and wanderlust. When individuals discuss his myth, they typically refer to his second voyage, the grand quest in search of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to the final island. Yet little is understood about his initial travels, the one that shaped him prior to glory discovered him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the globe's hidden history. His love for the barkeep guided him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the World Government's darkest realities: the genocidal "contests," the monstrous appearances of the Five Elders, and including the existence of the planet's hidden sovereign, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Roger's thoughts about all that's happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe finding the child of a God's Knight on his vessel will make him realize his place in the globe and seek the reality he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this recollection, what we knew of Xebec was derived mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's account, each to the audience and to new Marines. He depicted Xebec as a vile, ambitious man determined to achieve global control, someone so dangerous that Roger and Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it turns out, Sengoku wasn't even there at the Divine Isle; he was merely repeating the Global Authority's approved narrative of occurrences, the very narrative Imu authorized to conceal the reality about Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled 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 family, or a wish for fairness, but when he found out the regime's plan to annihilate the land where his family resided, he gave up his ambitions of conquest to save them.

This devotion for his family became his downfall. After confronting the sovereign, he lost his determination and freedom, becoming a puppet controlled to their power. Currently, with what little awareness remains, he begs with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — believing that death would be a kindness compared to the living hell he endures. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the tale narrated by Sengoku, and the comic presents him in a favorable manner during the God Valley events.

Is He Living Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec really die? An interesting theory is that he is still a servant to the ruler in the current timeline, acting as the scarred individual, maintaining the World Government's only remaining Poneglyph in constant movement to keep the ultimate treasure from being found.

Garp's Hidden Defiance

A further protagonist of the Divine Isle incident is Garp, who has faced backlash from fans for years for standing by as Akainu killed Ace. That sentiment became even stronger after the timeskip, when he endangered everything to save the young Marine at Hachinosu, leading many to wonder why he was unable to do the same for his biological grandson. Similar questions have now resurfaced with the Divine Isle flashback: how could Monkey D. Garp serve the Marines, aware the World Government considers mass murder and enslavement as sport for the elite?

The truth uncovers something different. The instant Garp witnessed the Gorosei's grotesque forms, he attacked without hesitation. His partnership with Gol D. Roger was not meant to vanquish some evil Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an attempt to stop Imu, who was manipulating Xebec as a tool to wipe out everyone in the Divine Isle, including it seems, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is probably the reason Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he never desired to be promoted to Admiral, answering directly to them.

History's Unreliable Storytellers

Although the readers are viewing the Divine Isle event through a flashback narrated by the giant, covering perspectives and occurrences he obviously was absent for, I think we can treat this version as completely truthful. The series may offer an reason later, perhaps connected to the giant's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the God Valley event perfectly embodies the notion that the past is recorded by the victors. This attitude is {