One Piece's Divine Isle Recollection Demonstrates Why Legends Shouldn't Be Trusted Without Question

The saying 'History is recorded by the winners' is a central theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the story. Legends often fail to convey the complete truth, including the most powerful characters in this world's complex history. Oden was no silly performer dancing through the roads of Wano; he behaved out of honor and principle. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a merciless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hats, either; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, Davy Jones signified beyond just a buccaneer's contest in pursuit of emblems and followers.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we see the peak of this idea. The entire God Valley narrative serves as a warning story, instructing audiences not to evaluate the characters too quickly.

Legends frequently fail to capture the full truth, even for the most powerful figures.

One Piece's most recent flashback, detailing the God Valley incident, represents one of the series' best arcs to now. Beyond the excitement of witnessing legends in their peak, it's gripping to observe them prior to when they became symbols — when their reputation had still not surpass their humanity. The past, as written by the Global Authority and recounted through secondhand tales, painted our perception of individuals like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But each of the regime's accounts and the narratives of those who knew them turn out to be untrustworthy, revealing only fragments of who these men truly were.

The Man Prior to the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by purpose and the bold attitude that sparked a new age of piracy, but before he became the King of the Pirates, he was a youth governed by passion and wanderlust. When people discuss his legend, they typically mean his later journey, the grand quest in search of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward the final island. Yet not much is understood about his first journey, the one that shaped him before fame discovered him.

Back then, Roger knew little of the globe's hidden history. His love for the barkeep guided him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the Global Authority's darkest realities: the genocidal "games," the monstrous appearances of the Five Elders, and including the existence of the planet's unseen sovereign, Imu. 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 Holy Knight on his ship will make him realize his place in the globe and pursue the reality he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this recollection, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec was derived almost entirely from Sengoku's account, both to the audience and to young Navy recruits. He depicted Xebec as a vile, ambitious man determined to achieve global control, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it turns out, Sengoku wasn't even there at the Divine Isle; he was only echoing the World Government's sanctioned narrative of occurrences, the very story the sovereign authorized to conceal the reality about Rocks D. 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 World Government. We don't know if he was motivated by lust for power, retribution for his family, or a desire for fairness, but when he found out the government's scheme to eliminate the land where his kin resided, he gave up his dreams of conquest to rescue them.

This love for his relatives proved to be his downfall. Upon facing the sovereign, he lost his will and liberty, turning into a puppet enslaved to their authority. Now, with what limited awareness is left, he begs with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — thinking that dying would be a mercy compared to the torment he endures. The reality of Rocks is thus far from the tale narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga presents him in a positive manner during the Divine Isle incidents.

Is He Living Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec really meet his end? An interesting theory is that he is even now a slave to Imu in the present day, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the Global Authority's only remaining ancient stone in continuous transit to prevent the One Piece from being discovered.

Garp's Hidden Rebellion

Another protagonist of the God Valley incident is Garp, who has faced criticism from followers for a long time for doing nothing as Akainu killed Ace. That feeling became even more intense after the time jump, when he risked everything to rescue Koby at Hachinosu, causing many to question why he couldn't do the same for his own grandchild. Comparable questions have now reemerged with the Divine Isle flashback: how could Monkey D. Garp serve the Marines, knowing the World Government considers mass murder and enslavement as sport for the elite?

The truth reveals something distinct. The moment Monkey D. Garp saw the Gorosei's grotesque shapes, he struck immediately. His partnership with Roger was not meant to defeat some villainous Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an effort to stop Imu, who was manipulating Xebec as a tool to eliminate all in the Divine Isle, even it seems, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is probably the cause Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he never wanted to be promoted to Admiral, reporting straight to them.

History's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Even though the readers are seeing the Divine Isle incident through a flashback narrated by Loki, covering viewpoints and events he clearly was absent for, I believe we can consider this account as completely truthful. The manga may offer an reason later, perhaps linked to the giant's yet unknown paramecia ability. Still, the Divine Isle incident perfectly embodies the idea that the past is written by the victors. This attitude is {