The Series' Divine Isle Recollection Reveals Why Legends Aren't to Be Trusted Without Question

The saying 'The past is recorded by the winners' is a central motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the narrative. Legends often fail to convey the complete truth, including the most powerful characters in this world's complex past. Oden was no silly performer prancing through the roads of Wano; he acted out of duty and principle. Kuma wasn't a merciless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hats, either; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, Davy Jones meant beyond just a buccaneer's game in pursuit of emblems and crews.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we witness the culmination of this theme. The entire Divine Isle narrative serves as a warning story, instructing audiences not to evaluate the individuals too quickly.

Myths often do not convey the full reality, including the most powerful characters.

The series's most recent flashback, detailing the Divine Isle incident, stands as one of the series' best arcs to now. Beyond the thrill of witnessing icons in their peak, it's gripping to observe them before they turned into icons — when their fame had yet to surpass their human nature. History, as recorded by the World Government and recounted through secondhand stories, shaped our understanding of figures like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But both the regime's records and the stories of those who knew them turn out to be untrustworthy, revealing only pieces of who these men truly were.

The Man Prior to the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been guided by mission and the daring spirit that ignited a new age of buccaneering, but prior to he became the King of the Pirates, he was a young man ruled by passion and the desire to explore. When people discuss his legend, they typically mean his second voyage, the grand quest in search of the guide stones that lead to Laugh Tale. Yet little is understood about his initial travels, the one that shaped him before glory found him.

At that time, Roger was largely unaware of the world's secret history. His love for Shakky led him to God Valley, where he discovered the World Government's darkest realities: the extermination "contests," the grotesque forms of the Gorosei, and including the existence of the planet's unseen sovereign, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Roger's thoughts about all that's occurring in the Divine Isle, but perhaps finding the son of a God's Knight on his ship will make him realize his place in the globe and seek the truth he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this flashback, what we were aware of of Xebec came mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's version, each to the viewers and to young Navy recruits. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man determined to achieve global control, someone so dangerous that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it turns out, the strategist was not there at God Valley; he was only echoing the World Government's approved version of events, the exact narrative the sovereign approved to bury the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to topple Imu and dismantle the decadent World Government. We are unsure if he was motivated by ambition, revenge for his clan, or a wish for fairness, but when he discovered the government's plan to annihilate the land where his kin resided, he abandoned his dreams of conquest to save them.

This devotion for his relatives became his downfall. After confronting Imu, he lost his determination and liberty, becoming a marionette enslaved to their power. Currently, with what little awareness is left, he pleads with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — believing that death would be a mercy compared to the torment he endures. The reality of Rocks is thus very different from the story narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic shows him in a favorable light during the Divine Isle incidents.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec really meet his end? An intriguing idea is that he is still a servant to the ruler in the present day, serving as the scarred individual, maintaining the Global Authority's last ancient stone in constant transit to prevent the One Piece from being discovered.

The Hero's Hidden Defiance

Another protagonist of the Divine Isle event is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured criticism from fans for a long time for standing by as Admiral Akainu killed Ace. That sentiment became even stronger after the timeskip, when he endangered everything to save Koby at Pirate Island, causing many to question why he was unable to do the same for his own grandson. Similar doubts have now reemerged with the Divine Isle flashback: how could Garp serve the Marines, knowing the Global Authority considers genocide and slavery as sport for the elite?

The reality reveals something different. The instant Garp saw the Gorosei's grotesque forms, he struck without hesitation. His alliance with Gol D. Roger wasn't to defeat some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an attempt to halt Imu, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to wipe out all in the Divine Isle, even apparently, even the World Nobles themselves. This event is probably the reason Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he never wanted to be promoted to Admiral, reporting straight to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Even though the readers are viewing the God Valley incident through a recollection recounted by Loki, covering perspectives and events he clearly wasn't present for, I think we can consider this version as entirely truthful. The series may offer an explanation later, perhaps linked to the giant's yet unknown paramecia ability. Still, the Divine Isle incident excellently embodies the notion that the past is recorded by the winners. This mindset is {