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The saying 'The past is recorded by the winners' is a central motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Legends often do not capture the full truth, even for the most influential characters in this world's complex history. Oden was no silly performer dancing through the streets of Wano Country; he acted out of duty and principle. Bartholomew Kuma was not a merciless villain who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was helping them. Similarly, Davy Jones signified beyond just a buccaneer's contest in search of flags and crews.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we witness the culmination of this theme. The whole Divine Isle narrative acts as a cautionary tale, instructing audiences not to judge the individuals too quickly.

Myths often fail to capture the full truth, including the most influential characters.

One Piece's most recent flashback, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, stands as one of the series' finest arcs to date. Beyond the excitement of witnessing legends in their peak, it's compelling to observe them prior to when they turned into icons — when their reputation had still not outgrow their humanity. The past, as written by the World Government and retold through hearsay tales, shaped our understanding of individuals like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Garp. But both the government's accounts and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them prove untrustworthy, revealing only fragments of who these individuals truly were.

The Individual Prior to the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been driven by purpose and the daring spirit that sparked a new age of buccaneering, but before he became the Pirate King, he was a young man governed by emotion and wanderlust. When people discuss his legend, they typically mean his later journey, the epic quest in search of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to Laugh Tale. However little is known about his first journey, the one that shaped him before glory discovered him.

At that time, Roger was largely unaware of the world's hidden past. His affection for the barkeep guided him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the Global Authority's most sinister truths: the genocidal "contests," the grotesque forms of the Five Elders, and including the presence of the planet's hidden sovereign, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's reflections about everything happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the son of a Holy Knight on his ship will make him realize his role in the world and seek the truth he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's situation.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this recollection, what we knew of Xebec came mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's account, each to the viewers and to young Navy recruits. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man determined to achieve global control, someone so dangerous that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it transpires, Sengoku was not present at God Valley; he was merely repeating the World Government's sanctioned narrative of events, the very narrative the sovereign authorized to bury the reality about Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to topple the ruler and dismantle the decadent World Government. We are unsure if he was motivated by ambition, revenge for his family, or a desire for justice, but when he discovered the government's plan to annihilate the land where his kin lived, he abandoned his ambitions of domination to rescue them.

This love for his family proved to be his downfall. Upon confronting the sovereign, he lost his determination and liberty, turning into a marionette enslaved to their authority. Now, with what little awareness remains, he pleads with Roger and Garp to kill him — thinking that death would be a mercy in contrast to the torment he endures. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the story narrated by Sengoku, and the manga presents him in a favorable manner during the God Valley incidents.

Could He Be Living Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec really die? An intriguing theory is that he is even now a slave to the ruler in the present day, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the World Government's last ancient stone in continuous transit to prevent the One Piece from being discovered.

Garp's Hidden Defiance

A further protagonist of the Divine Isle incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured backlash from fans for a long time for standing by as Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment became even stronger after the timeskip, when he risked everything to rescue the young Marine at Pirate Island, causing many to wonder why he was unable to do the identical for his own grandson. Similar doubts have now resurfaced with the Divine Isle recollection: how can Garp work for the Navy, aware the World Government considers genocide and slavery as entertainment for the upper class?

The reality reveals something different. The moment Garp saw the Elders' grotesque shapes, he struck without hesitation. His alliance with Gol D. Roger was not meant to defeat some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an effort to stop Imu, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to eliminate everyone in God Valley, including it seems, even the World Nobles themselves. This incident is likely the reason Monkey D. Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he never desired to be promoted to Admiral, reporting directly to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Even though the readers are viewing the Divine Isle incident through a recollection recounted by Loki, including viewpoints and occurrences he obviously wasn't present for, I believe we can treat this version as completely accurate. The series may offer an explanation in the future, perhaps connected to Loki's still mysterious paramecia ability. Still, the Divine Isle incident perfectly exemplifies the notion that history is written by the winners. This mindset is {