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The adage 'The past is written by the victors' is a central motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the narrative. Legends often do not convey the full truth, including the most powerful figures in this world's intricate past. Kozuki Oden wasn't a silly showman prancing through the streets of Wano Country; he behaved out of duty and principle. Kuma wasn't a ruthless antagonist who separated the Straw Hats, as well; he was helping them. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend signified more than a buccaneer's game in pursuit of flags and followers.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we see the peak of this idea. The entire Divine Isle story serves as a warning story, instructing readers not to evaluate the characters too quickly.

Myths frequently fail to capture the full reality, even for the most influential figures.

One Piece's latest flashback, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, represents one of the series' finest arcs to date. Apart from the excitement of witnessing icons in their peak, it's gripping to observe them before they turned into symbols — when their fame had still not surpass their human nature. History, as written by the Global Authority and recounted through hearsay tales, shaped our understanding of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But both the government's records and the stories of those who were acquainted with them prove unreliable, revealing only fragments of who these individuals truly were.

The Individual Prior to the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by mission and the bold spirit that ignited a fresh era of piracy, but before he became the King of the Pirates, he was a youth ruled by emotion and the desire to explore. When people discuss his myth, they typically mean his later journey, the grand quest in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to Laugh Tale. However not much is known about his first journey, the one that molded him prior to fame found him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the globe's secret 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 monstrous forms of the Five Elders, and even the existence of the world's hidden ruler, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Roger's thoughts about everything occurring in the Divine Isle, but perhaps discovering the son of a Holy Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his place in the world and pursue the truth he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Before this recollection, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec was derived almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's account, both to the audience and to young Navy recruits. He depicted Xebec as a vile, ambitious man bent on world domination, someone so dangerous that Roger and Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it turns out, the strategist wasn't even present at the Divine Isle; he was only echoing the Global Authority's approved narrative of occurrences, the very narrative Imu approved to conceal the truth about Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We are unsure if he was guided by ambition, 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 lived, he gave up his ambitions of conquest to rescue them.

This love for his relatives proved to be his downfall. Upon confronting the sovereign, he lost his determination and liberty, turning into a puppet enslaved to their authority. Currently, with what limited consciousness remains, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Garp to end his life — thinking that death would be a mercy compared to the living hell he endures. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the tale told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic shows him in a positive light during the Divine Isle events.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks really die? An intriguing theory is that he is even now a slave to the ruler in the current timeline, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the World Government's only remaining Poneglyph in constant transit to prevent the One Piece from being found.

The Hero's Hidden Defiance

A further protagonist of the Divine Isle event is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured backlash from fans for years for standing by as Admiral Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That feeling only grew more intense after the time jump, when he endangered all to save Koby at Hachinosu, leading many to wonder why he was unable to do the identical for his biological grandchild. Comparable questions have recently resurfaced with the Divine Isle flashback: how could Garp serve the Marines, knowing the Global Authority considers mass murder and slavery as sport for the elite?

The reality reveals something distinct. The instant Monkey D. Garp saw the Elders' grotesque shapes, he struck immediately. His partnership with Roger wasn't to vanquish some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an effort to halt Imu, who was manipulating Xebec as a tool to eliminate everyone in God Valley, including apparently, including the World Nobles themselves. This event is probably the cause Garp despises the World Nobles in the current era and why he never wanted to be elevated to Admiral, reporting directly to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Although the readers are viewing the Divine Isle event through a flashback recounted by the giant, covering perspectives and events he clearly was absent for, I believe we can treat this version as entirely truthful. The series may offer an reason later, perhaps linked to the giant's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Still, the Divine Isle incident perfectly exemplifies the notion that history is written by the victors. This attitude is {