🔗 Share this article

The adage 'The past is written by the winners' serves as a key motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the story. Popular tales often do not capture the full truth, even for the most powerful characters in this story's complex history. Kozuki Oden was no foolish performer dancing through the streets of Wano; he acted out of duty and principle. Kuma was not a ruthless villain who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was helping them. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend signified more than a pirate's game in pursuit of flags and followers.

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

Myths often do not convey the full reality, even for the most influential characters.

One Piece's most recent look back, detailing the Divine Isle incident, represents one of the story's best arcs to now. Beyond the excitement of witnessing legends in their prime, it's gripping to see them prior to when they turned into icons — when their fame had yet to outgrow their humanity. History, as written by the World Government and retold through secondhand stories, shaped our perception of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But each of the regime's records and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be unreliable, revealing only pieces of who these individuals truly were.

The Individual Before the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been guided by purpose and the bold attitude that sparked a new age of buccaneering, but prior to he was known as the Pirate King, he was a youth governed by passion and wanderlust. When people speak of his myth, they usually refer to his later journey, the epic expedition in search of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward Laugh Tale. Yet not much is understood about his initial travels, the one that molded him before glory found him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger knew little of the world's hidden past. His affection for Shakky led him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the Global Authority's darkest realities: the genocidal "games," the grotesque appearances of the Gorosei, and even the existence of the world's hidden ruler, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's reflections about all that's happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the son of a God's Knight on his ship will make him realize his role in the world and seek the reality he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's situation.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this recollection, what we knew of Xebec came mostly from Sengoku's account, both to the viewers and to new Navy recruits. He painted Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man bent on world domination, someone so threatening that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it transpires, the strategist wasn't even present at the Divine Isle; he was only echoing the World Government's sanctioned version of events, the very story the sovereign authorized to bury the truth about Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to topple Imu and dismantle the decadent World Government. We are unsure if he was guided by ambition, retribution for his family, or a wish for justice, but when he found out the regime's scheme to eliminate the island where his family resided, he abandoned his dreams of conquest to save them.

This love for his family became his downfall. After confronting Imu, he forfeited his will and freedom, becoming a puppet enslaved to their power. Now, with what little awareness remains, he pleads with Roger and Garp to kill him — thinking that death would be a kindness compared to the living hell he suffers. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the tale told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic presents him in a positive manner during the God Valley incidents.

Is He Living Today?

But did Rocks actually meet his end? An interesting theory is that he is still a slave to the ruler in the present day, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the Global Authority's last ancient stone in continuous transit to keep the One Piece from being discovered.

Garp's Hidden Rebellion

A further key figure of the Divine Isle incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced backlash from followers for a long time for standing by as Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That feeling only grew more intense after the time jump, when he endangered everything to rescue the young Marine at Pirate Island, causing many to question why he was unable to do the same for his biological grandchild. Comparable questions have recently reemerged with the Divine Isle flashback: how could Monkey D. Garp work for the Marines, aware the World Government considers genocide and enslavement as entertainment for the upper class?

The reality reveals something distinct. The moment Monkey D. Garp saw the Gorosei's monstrous shapes, he attacked without hesitation. His alliance with Roger wasn't to defeat some evil Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an attempt to stop the sovereign, who was manipulating Xebec as a pawn to eliminate all in the Divine Isle, even apparently, even the World Nobles themselves. This incident is likely the cause Monkey D. Garp detests the World Nobles in the current era and why he not once wanted to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, answering directly to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Even though the audience are seeing the God Valley event through a flashback narrated by Loki, including perspectives and events he clearly wasn't present for, I believe we can consider this account as entirely truthful. The series may offer an explanation later, perhaps linked to Loki's yet unknown paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle incident excellently embodies the idea that history is written by the victors. This attitude is {