The Series' Divine Isle Flashback Demonstrates Why Myths Shouldn't Be Believed Blindly

The saying 'The past is recorded by the winners' is a central motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the narrative. Popular tales often do not convey the full truth, including the most influential characters in this story's intricate history. Oden was no foolish performer dancing through the roads of Wano; he behaved out of honor and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a merciless villain who separated the Straw Hats, as well; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend signified beyond just a pirate's contest in search of flags and followers.

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

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

One Piece's most recent look back, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, represents one of the series' best storylines to date. Apart from the excitement of witnessing icons in their peak, it's gripping to see them prior to when they turned into symbols — when their reputation had still not surpass their human nature. History, as recorded by the World Government and recounted through secondhand stories, painted our perception of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But each of the government's records and the stories of those who knew them prove unreliable, revealing only pieces of who these individuals truly were.

The Individual Before the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by mission and the bold attitude that ignited a new age of buccaneering, but prior to he became the King of the Pirates, he was a youth governed by passion and the desire to explore. When people discuss his legend, they typically mean his second voyage, the epic expedition in pursuit of the guide stones that point toward Laugh Tale. However not much is understood about his initial travels, the one that shaped him prior to glory discovered him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger knew little of the world's hidden past. His love for the barkeep led him to God Valley, where he discovered the Global Authority's most sinister realities: the extermination "contests," the monstrous forms of the Five Elders, and including the presence of the planet's unseen ruler, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Roger's reflections about all that's happening in God Valley, but maybe discovering the child of a Holy Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his place in the globe and seek the reality he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Before this recollection, what we were aware of of Xebec came mostly from Sengoku's version, both to the viewers and to new Marines. He depicted Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man bent on global control, someone so dangerous that Roger and Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it transpires, the strategist was not present at the Divine Isle; he was only repeating the World Government's sanctioned narrative of events, the exact story the sovereign authorized to conceal the truth about Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to overthrow Imu and dismantle the decadent World Government. We don't know if he was motivated by lust for power, retribution for his clan, or a desire for fairness, but when he discovered the government's plan to annihilate the land where his family resided, he gave up his dreams of domination to save them.

This love for his family became his downfall. After confronting the sovereign, he lost his will and liberty, becoming a puppet controlled to their authority. Currently, with what limited awareness remains, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Garp to kill him — thinking that dying would be a mercy compared to the torment he endures. The reality 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 incidents.

Could He Be Living Today?

But was Rocks actually meet his end? An interesting theory is that he is even now a slave to Imu in the present day, serving as the scarred individual, keeping the Global Authority's last Poneglyph in constant movement to keep the One Piece from being found.

The Hero's Secret Defiance

A further protagonist of the God Valley incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured backlash from followers for years for standing by as Admiral Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment only grew more intense after the timeskip, when he endangered everything to rescue Koby at Hachinosu, leading many to wonder why he couldn't do the identical for his own grandchild. Comparable questions have now reemerged with the Divine Isle recollection: how can Garp work for the Navy, aware the World Government considers mass murder and enslavement as entertainment for the elite?

The truth uncovers something distinct. The instant Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Elders' grotesque forms, he attacked immediately. His partnership with Gol D. Roger was not meant to defeat some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an effort to stop Imu, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to eliminate everyone in the Divine Isle, even apparently, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is likely the reason Monkey D. Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he never desired to be promoted to Admiral, answering directly to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Narrators

Although the readers are seeing the Divine Isle event through a recollection narrated by Loki, including perspectives and occurrences he clearly wasn't present for, I believe we can treat this version as entirely truthful. The series may offer an explanation in the future, perhaps connected to the giant's still mysterious paramecia ability. Still, the God Valley event perfectly embodies the idea that the past is written by the winners. This mindset is {