🔗 Share this article

The saying 'History is recorded by the victors' serves as a central motif that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the narrative. Popular tales frequently fail to capture the complete truth, including the most powerful figures in this world's intricate history. Kozuki Oden was no foolish performer dancing through the roads of Wano; he behaved out of honor and conviction. Kuma was not a merciless antagonist who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend signified more than a buccaneer's game in pursuit of emblems and crews.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we witness the peak of this idea. The entire Divine Isle story acts as a warning story, instructing audiences not to evaluate the individuals too quickly.

Myths frequently fail to capture the complete truth, including the most powerful characters.

One Piece's most recent look back, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, represents one of the series' finest arcs to now. Apart from the thrill of witnessing icons in their peak, it's gripping to observe them prior to when they turned into symbols — when their reputation had yet to outgrow their humanity. The past, as recorded by the World Government and retold through secondhand tales, shaped our perception of figures like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But both the regime's records and the stories of those who knew them prove untrustworthy, showing only pieces of who these men really were.

The Man Before the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been guided by purpose and the bold spirit that ignited a fresh era of buccaneering, but prior to he became the King of the Pirates, he was a youth ruled by passion and the desire to explore. When individuals speak of his myth, they typically refer to his later journey, the grand expedition in search of the guide stones that lead to Laugh Tale. However not much is understood about his initial travels, the one that shaped him prior to fame found him.

At that time, Roger was largely unaware of the world's secret past. His love for Shakky led him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the World Government's darkest truths: the extermination "games," the grotesque appearances of the Gorosei, and including the existence of the planet's unseen sovereign, Imu. We are yet to witness Roger's thoughts about all that's happening in God Valley, but maybe discovering the son of a God's Knight on his ship will make him realize his role in the globe and seek the reality he glimpsed from Xebec's situation.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this flashback, what we knew of Xebec came almost entirely from Sengoku's account, each to the viewers and to new Navy recruits. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man bent on global control, someone so dangerous that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it transpires, the strategist wasn't even there at God Valley; he was only repeating the Global Authority's approved narrative of occurrences, the exact story Imu authorized 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 aimed to topple the ruler and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We are unsure if he was guided by ambition, revenge for his clan, or a wish for justice, but when he found out the regime's scheme to annihilate the land where his kin lived, he gave up his dreams of conquest to rescue them.

This devotion for his family proved to be his downfall. Upon facing the sovereign, he lost his determination and freedom, turning into a marionette enslaved to their power. Currently, with what little consciousness is left, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Garp to kill him — believing that death would be a kindness in contrast to the torment he suffers. The reality of Rocks is thus very different from the story told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga shows him in a positive manner during the Divine Isle incidents.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks really die? An interesting theory is that he is even now a slave to the ruler in the current timeline, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the World Government's only remaining Poneglyph in continuous transit to keep the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

The Hero's Secret Defiance

A further protagonist of the Divine Isle incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured criticism from followers for years for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment only grew more intense after the timeskip, when he endangered all to save Koby at Pirate Island, causing many to wonder why he couldn't do the same for his own grandchild. Comparable doubts have recently reemerged with the Divine Isle flashback: how could Monkey D. Garp serve the Marines, aware the World Government treats mass murder and enslavement as sport for the upper class?

The reality reveals something distinct. The moment Monkey D. Garp saw the Elders' monstrous forms, he struck immediately. His alliance with Gol D. Roger wasn't to defeat some evil Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an effort to stop Imu, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to wipe out all in God Valley, even apparently, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is likely the reason Monkey D. Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he never wanted to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, answering straight to them.

The Past's Unreliable Storytellers

Although the audience are seeing the Divine Isle incident through a recollection narrated by Loki, covering perspectives and events he obviously was absent for, I believe we can consider this version as completely accurate. The series may provide an reason in the future, perhaps linked to Loki's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Still, the Divine Isle event perfectly embodies the idea that the past is recorded by the winners. This attitude is {