🔗 Share this article

The adage 'History is recorded by the winners' serves as a central motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the narrative. Popular tales often do not convey the full reality, including the most influential figures in this story's intricate past. Kozuki Oden was no foolish performer dancing through the streets of Wano; he acted out of duty and principle. Kuma wasn't a ruthless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hats, as well; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, Davy Jones signified more than a pirate's game in search of flags and followers.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we see the peak of this theme. The entire Divine Isle story acts as a cautionary tale, advising readers not to judge the characters too quickly.

Myths frequently fail to capture the full truth, including the most influential figures.

The series's latest flashback, detailing the Divine Isle incident, represents one of the series' best storylines to now. Apart from the thrill of seeing icons in their peak, it's gripping to observe them before they became icons — when their fame had still not surpass their human nature. History, as recorded by the Global Authority and recounted through hearsay tales, shaped our perception of individuals like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Garp. But each of the regime's records and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be unreliable, revealing only pieces of who these men really were.

The Man Before the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been guided by mission and the bold spirit that ignited a new age of buccaneering, but before he became the Pirate King, he was a young man ruled by emotion and wanderlust. When individuals speak of his myth, they typically refer to his later journey, the epic expedition in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward Laugh Tale. Yet little is understood about his first journey, the one that shaped him prior to fame discovered him.

Back then, Roger knew little of the globe's secret past. His love for the barkeep guided him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the World Government's most sinister realities: the genocidal "games," the monstrous forms of the Gorosei, and even the presence of the world's hidden sovereign, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Roger's reflections about everything happening in the Divine Isle, but perhaps discovering the son of a God's Knight on his ship will make him realize his place in the world and pursue the reality he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this recollection, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec came almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's version, each to the audience and to young Marines. He painted Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man bent on global control, someone so dangerous that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it turns out, Sengoku was not present at the Divine Isle; he was merely echoing the Global Authority's approved narrative of events, the exact narrative the sovereign approved to conceal the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to topple the ruler and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We don't know if he was guided by ambition, revenge for his family, or a desire for justice, but when he found out the government's scheme to annihilate the island where his kin resided, he gave up his dreams of domination to rescue them.

This love for his relatives proved to be his undoing. After confronting the sovereign, he forfeited his determination and liberty, becoming a puppet controlled to their authority. Now, with what limited consciousness is left, he pleads with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — thinking that death would be a kindness 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 manga shows him in a favorable manner during the Divine Isle incidents.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks really meet his end? An intriguing idea is that he is even now a servant to the ruler in the current timeline, acting as the scarred individual, maintaining the Global Authority's only remaining Poneglyph in constant movement to prevent the One Piece from being discovered.

The Hero's Hidden Rebellion

A further protagonist of the Divine Isle incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced backlash from followers for years for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That feeling only grew stronger after the timeskip, when he risked everything to save Koby at Hachinosu, leading many to question why he couldn't do the same for his biological grandchild. Comparable questions have recently resurfaced with the God Valley flashback: how can Monkey D. Garp serve the Marines, aware the World Government considers genocide and slavery as sport for the upper class?

The reality uncovers something distinct. The instant Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Gorosei's grotesque forms, he struck without hesitation. His partnership with Roger was not meant to defeat some evil Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an effort to halt the sovereign, who was manipulating Xebec as a tool to wipe out all in the Divine Isle, including it seems, including the World Nobles themselves. This incident is likely the cause Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he never wanted to be promoted to Admiral, reporting straight to them.

History's Untrustworthy Narrators

Although the readers are seeing the Divine Isle event through a recollection recounted by Loki, including viewpoints and occurrences he clearly wasn't present for, I believe we can consider this version as completely truthful. The manga may provide an reason in the future, perhaps connected to Loki's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Still, the Divine Isle incident excellently exemplifies the idea that the past is recorded by the winners. This mindset is {