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The adage 'The past is written by the winners' is a key motif that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Legends often fail to capture the complete reality, even for the most influential characters in this story's intricate history. Kozuki Oden was no foolish showman dancing through the roads of Wano; he behaved out of duty and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a ruthless villain who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, Davy Jones meant more than a pirate's game in pursuit of flags and followers.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we witness the peak of this theme. The entire Divine Isle story acts as a warning story, advising readers not to judge the characters too hastily.

Legends often do not capture the full reality, including the most powerful characters.

One Piece's most recent look back, chronicling the Divine Isle event, represents one of the story's finest storylines to now. Beyond the excitement of seeing legends in their peak, it's gripping to observe them prior to when they became icons — when their reputation had yet to surpass their humanity. The past, as recorded by the World Government and retold through hearsay stories, painted our perception of individuals like Roger, Xebec, and including Garp. But each of the government's records and the stories of those who were acquainted with them prove unreliable, showing only fragments of who these individuals really were.

The Man Before the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been guided by mission and the daring attitude that sparked a new age of piracy, but before he was known as the Pirate King, he was a youth governed by emotion and wanderlust. When individuals speak of his legend, they typically mean his later journey, the grand expedition in search of the guide stones that point toward Laugh Tale. Yet little is understood about his initial travels, the one that molded him prior to fame discovered him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger knew little of the globe's secret past. His affection for the barkeep led him to God Valley, where he uncovered the World Government's most sinister truths: the genocidal "contests," the grotesque forms of the Five Elders, and including the presence of the world's unseen ruler, Imu. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's reflections about all that's happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe finding the son of a God's Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his role in the world and seek the truth he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this recollection, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec was derived mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's version, each to the viewers and to new Navy recruits. He depicted Xebec as a vile, ambitious man bent on world domination, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it transpires, the strategist was not there at the Divine Isle; he was merely repeating the World Government's sanctioned version of occurrences, the very narrative Imu authorized to bury the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to topple the ruler and dismantle the decadent World Government. We are unsure if he was guided by lust for power, revenge for his clan, or a desire for justice, but when he found out the regime's plan to eliminate the island where his family lived, he abandoned his ambitions of conquest to rescue them.

This love for his relatives proved to be his undoing. After facing the sovereign, he lost his determination and liberty, becoming a puppet controlled to their power. Currently, with what limited awareness remains, he begs with Roger and Garp to kill him — thinking that death would be a mercy in contrast to the torment he suffers. The reality of Rocks is thus far from the story narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic presents him in a positive manner during the Divine Isle incidents.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks really die? An intriguing idea is that he is still a slave to the ruler in the current timeline, serving as the scarred individual, maintaining the Global Authority's last ancient stone in continuous transit to keep the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

Garp's Secret Rebellion

Another key figure of the Divine Isle event is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured criticism from followers for years for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu murdered Ace. That sentiment became even more intense after the time jump, when he risked everything to save Koby at Hachinosu, causing many to wonder why he was unable to do the identical for his biological grandson. Comparable doubts have recently reemerged with the Divine Isle recollection: how can Monkey D. Garp serve the Marines, aware the Global Authority considers mass murder and slavery as sport for the elite?

The truth uncovers something distinct. The instant Garp witnessed the Gorosei's grotesque shapes, he attacked immediately. His partnership with Roger wasn't to vanquish some evil Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an attempt to halt Imu, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to wipe out everyone in the Divine Isle, including apparently, including the World Nobles themselves. This incident is probably the cause Monkey D. Garp despises the World Nobles in the current era and why he never desired to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, reporting directly to them.

History's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Although the readers are viewing the Divine Isle incident through a flashback recounted by the giant, covering perspectives and occurrences he obviously was absent for, I think we can treat this version as completely accurate. The series may provide an explanation later, maybe connected to the giant's still mysterious paramecia ability. Still, the Divine Isle event excellently embodies the idea that history is written by the winners. This attitude is {