The Series' Divine Isle Recollection Reveals Why Myths Aren't to Be Believed Blindly

The saying 'History is written by the winners' serves as a key theme that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the narrative. Legends often fail to capture the complete reality, even for the most influential figures in this world's complex past. Kozuki Oden was no silly performer dancing through the streets of Wano; he acted out of duty and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma was not a merciless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was helping them. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend signified more than a buccaneer's game in pursuit of emblems and crews.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we witness the culmination of this idea. The whole Divine Isle story serves as a cautionary tale, advising readers not to judge the characters too hastily.

Legends often do not capture the complete truth, including the most powerful figures.

The series's most recent flashback, detailing the God Valley incident, represents one of the series' best arcs to date. Beyond the thrill of witnessing legends in their peak, it's compelling to observe them before they turned into symbols — when their fame had still not surpass their humanity. The past, as recorded by the Global Authority and recounted through secondhand tales, painted our perception of individuals like Roger, Xebec, and even Garp. But both the regime's accounts and the stories of those who knew them turn out to be unreliable, revealing only fragments of who these individuals really were.

The Man Prior to the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been driven by purpose and the daring spirit that ignited a fresh era of buccaneering, but prior to he was known as the Pirate King, he was a youth ruled by passion and the desire to explore. When people discuss his myth, they typically refer to his second voyage, the grand quest in search of the guide stones that point toward Laugh Tale. However little is known about his initial travels, the one that molded him before fame found him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger knew little of the world's secret history. His love for Shakky led him to God Valley, where he uncovered the Global Authority's most sinister truths: the genocidal "games," the monstrous appearances of the Gorosei, and including the existence of the planet's hidden sovereign, Imu. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's thoughts about everything happening in God Valley, but maybe finding the son of a Holy Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his role in the world and pursue the reality he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Before this flashback, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec came mostly from Sengoku's version, both to the audience and to young Navy recruits. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man bent on global control, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it transpires, Sengoku was not present at God Valley; he was only repeating the Global Authority's sanctioned version of occurrences, the very story the sovereign approved to conceal the truth about Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to overthrow 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 wish for fairness, but when he found out the regime's plan to annihilate the land where his family resided, he abandoned his dreams of conquest to rescue them.

This love for his family became his undoing. Upon facing the sovereign, he forfeited his determination and liberty, becoming a marionette controlled to their authority. Currently, with what limited awareness remains, he pleads with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — thinking that dying would be a mercy compared to the living hell he endures. The reality of Rocks is thus far from the tale told by Sengoku, and the manga presents him in a favorable manner during the Divine Isle incidents.

Is He Living Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec really die? An interesting theory is that he is still a servant to the ruler in the present day, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the World Government's last Poneglyph in continuous transit to keep 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 murdered 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 was unable to do the same for his biological grandson. Comparable doubts have now resurfaced with the Divine Isle recollection: how can Garp work for the Marines, aware the World Government treats mass murder and enslavement as entertainment for the elite?

The reality reveals something distinct. The moment Monkey D. Garp saw the Elders' grotesque forms, he struck without hesitation. His alliance with Gol D. Roger was not meant to vanquish some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an attempt to stop Imu, who was manipulating Xebec as a tool to eliminate everyone in the Divine Isle, including it seems, including the World Nobles themselves. This event is likely the cause Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he not once desired to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, answering directly to them.

History's Untrustworthy Narrators

Although the audience are seeing the God Valley incident through a recollection narrated by Loki, including viewpoints and events he obviously was absent for, I believe we can treat this version as entirely accurate. The series may provide an explanation later, perhaps linked to Loki's still mysterious paramecia ability. Still, the Divine Isle event perfectly embodies the idea that the past is recorded by the winners. This attitude is {