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The saying 'The past is recorded by the victors' is a central theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the story. Popular tales often fail to capture the complete reality, including the most influential figures in this world's complex history. Oden wasn't a foolish performer dancing through the streets of Wano Country; he behaved out of duty and principle. Kuma wasn't a ruthless villain who tore apart the Straw Hats, either; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, Davy Jones meant beyond just a buccaneer's contest in pursuit of flags and followers.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we witness the peak of this theme. The entire Divine Isle narrative acts as a warning story, advising audiences not to evaluate the characters too quickly.

Myths often do not capture the full reality, even for the most powerful figures.

The series's latest look back, detailing the Divine Isle event, stands as one of the story's finest arcs to date. Apart from the excitement of witnessing legends in their prime, it's compelling to observe them prior to when they became icons — when their fame had yet to surpass their humanity. The past, as recorded by the World Government and recounted through secondhand stories, shaped our perception of figures like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Garp. But both the regime's records and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be untrustworthy, showing only fragments of who these individuals really were.

The Individual Before the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by mission and the daring attitude that sparked a new age of piracy, but prior to he became the King of the Pirates, he was a young man ruled by emotion and the desire to explore. When individuals speak of his legend, they typically mean his later journey, the epic expedition in pursuit of the guide stones that lead to the final island. Yet little is understood about his first journey, the one that shaped him before fame discovered him.

Back then, Roger was largely unaware of the globe's hidden history. His love for the barkeep led him to God Valley, where he discovered the Global Authority's darkest realities: the extermination "games," the grotesque appearances of the Gorosei, and including the existence of the planet's hidden ruler, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's reflections about all that's happening in God Valley, but perhaps discovering the child of a God's Knight on his ship will make him realize 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 flashback, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec came mostly from Sengoku's version, each to the viewers and to new Marines. He depicted Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man determined to achieve world domination, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it turns out, the strategist wasn't even there at God Valley; he was only repeating the Global Authority's approved narrative of events, the exact narrative Imu authorized to conceal the reality about Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, Rocks D. Xebec, whose true 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 guided by ambition, 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 lived, he gave up his ambitions of conquest to rescue them.

This love for his family became his undoing. After facing the sovereign, he lost his will and freedom, becoming a marionette enslaved to their power. Currently, with what limited awareness remains, he pleads with Roger and Garp to end his life — believing that dying would be a mercy in contrast to the torment he endures. The reality of Rocks is thus very different from the tale narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga presents him in a positive light during the Divine Isle events.

Is He Living Today?

But did Rocks actually 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, maintaining the Global Authority's only remaining ancient stone in continuous transit to keep the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

The Hero's Hidden Defiance

A further key figure of the God Valley event is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured backlash from followers for years for standing by as Admiral Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That feeling only grew stronger after the timeskip, when he endangered everything to rescue Koby at Pirate Island, causing many to wonder why he couldn't do the same for his biological grandson. Comparable questions have recently reemerged with the God Valley flashback: how can Monkey D. Garp serve the Marines, aware the World Government considers genocide and slavery as entertainment for the elite?

The reality reveals something different. The moment Garp witnessed the Elders' grotesque forms, he struck without hesitation. His partnership with Gol D. Roger wasn't to defeat some evil Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an effort to stop the sovereign, who was manipulating Xebec as a tool to wipe out everyone in the Divine Isle, including it seems, even the World Nobles themselves. This event is likely the cause Monkey D. Garp detests the World Nobles in the current era and why he not once desired to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, reporting directly to them.

History's Unreliable Narrators

Even though the audience are viewing the God Valley incident through a recollection narrated by the giant, covering perspectives and occurrences he obviously was absent for, I think we can consider this account as completely accurate. The manga may offer an reason later, perhaps connected to the giant's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the God Valley event perfectly embodies the idea that the past is recorded by the victors. This mindset is {