The Series' Divine Isle Flashback Demonstrates Why Legends Shouldn't Be Trusted Without Question

The saying 'History is written by the victors' is a key theme that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the narrative. Popular tales often fail to convey the full truth, including the most powerful figures in this story's intricate past. Kozuki Oden was no silly performer prancing through the streets of Wano Country; he acted out of honor and conviction. Kuma wasn't a ruthless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hats, either; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, Davy Jones signified more than a buccaneer's game in pursuit of emblems and followers.

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

Myths frequently do not capture the full truth, even for the most influential characters.

One Piece's most recent flashback, chronicling the God Valley incident, represents one of the series' finest storylines to now. Beyond the thrill of seeing icons in their prime, it's compelling to observe them before they turned into symbols — when their fame had still not outgrow their human nature. History, as recorded by the World Government and recounted through secondhand stories, shaped our perception of figures like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Garp. But both the regime's records and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them prove unreliable, showing only pieces of who these men truly were.

The Individual Before the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been driven by mission and the daring attitude that ignited a new age of buccaneering, but prior to he became the King of the Pirates, he was a youth ruled by passion and wanderlust. When individuals discuss his myth, they usually mean his second voyage, the epic expedition in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward the final island. Yet little is understood about his initial travels, the one that shaped him before fame discovered him.

At that time, Roger was largely unaware of the globe's secret history. His affection for the barkeep led him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the World Government's darkest truths: the genocidal "contests," the grotesque forms of the Five Elders, and including the presence of the planet's unseen ruler, Imu. We haven't seen Roger's thoughts about all that's happening in the Divine Isle, but perhaps discovering the child of a God's Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his role in the globe and seek the truth he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Before this flashback, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec came mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's account, both to the viewers and to new Marines. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, ambitious man bent on global control, someone so dangerous that Roger and Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it transpires, the strategist wasn't even present at the Divine Isle; he was only repeating the World Government's approved narrative of occurrences, the very story Imu authorized to bury the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to overthrow Imu and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We don't know if he was motivated by lust for power, revenge for his clan, or a desire for justice, but when he discovered the regime's plan to eliminate the land where his family resided, he abandoned his ambitions of domination to rescue them.

This devotion for his family proved to be his downfall. Upon confronting the sovereign, he forfeited his will and liberty, becoming a marionette enslaved to their authority. Currently, with what little consciousness is left, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Garp to end his life — believing that dying would be a mercy compared to the living hell he suffers. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the story told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic presents him in a favorable light during the God Valley events.

Could He Be Living Today?

But did Rocks really die? An intriguing theory is that he is still a servant to the ruler in the current timeline, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the World Government's only remaining Poneglyph in constant movement to prevent the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

The Hero's Secret Rebellion

Another key figure of the Divine Isle event is Garp, who has faced criticism from fans for a long time for doing nothing as Akainu murdered Ace. That feeling only grew more intense after the timeskip, when he endangered everything to save Koby at Hachinosu, leading many to question why he couldn't do the same for his own grandson. Similar questions have now reemerged with the Divine Isle flashback: how can Garp serve the Navy, aware the World Government considers mass murder and slavery as entertainment for the upper class?

The reality reveals something different. The instant Garp witnessed the Gorosei's grotesque shapes, he attacked immediately. His partnership with Gol D. Roger was not meant to vanquish some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an effort to halt the sovereign, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to wipe out everyone in God Valley, including it seems, even the World Nobles themselves. This incident is likely the cause Monkey D. Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he never desired to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, reporting directly to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Even though the readers are viewing the God Valley incident through a flashback narrated by the giant, including perspectives and occurrences he clearly was absent for, I think we can treat this account as entirely accurate. The series may provide an explanation in the future, maybe connected to Loki's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the God Valley incident excellently exemplifies the idea that history is written by the victors. This attitude is {