One Piece's Divine Isle Recollection Demonstrates Why Myths Aren't to Be Trusted Without Question

The saying 'The past is recorded by the victors' serves as a central motif that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the narrative. Popular tales often do not convey the complete truth, including the most influential characters in this story's complex past. Kozuki Oden wasn't a foolish showman prancing through the streets of Wano Country; he behaved out of duty and principle. Bartholomew Kuma was not a ruthless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hats, either; he was helping them. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend meant beyond just a pirate's contest in search of flags and crews.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we witness the peak of this idea. The whole God Valley narrative serves as a cautionary tale, instructing audiences not to evaluate the characters too quickly.

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

The series's latest look back, detailing the Divine Isle event, stands as one of the story's finest arcs to now. Beyond the excitement of witnessing legends in their prime, it's compelling to see them prior to when they turned into icons — when their fame had yet to surpass their human nature. The past, as recorded by the Global Authority and retold through secondhand stories, shaped our understanding of figures like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and even Garp. But each of the government's records and the stories of those who knew them turn out to be unreliable, showing only pieces of who these men truly were.

The Man Prior to the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by mission and the bold attitude that ignited a fresh era of piracy, but before he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a youth governed by emotion and wanderlust. When people speak of his myth, they usually refer to his second voyage, the grand expedition in search of the guide stones that lead to Laugh Tale. However little is understood about his first journey, the one that shaped him prior to glory found him.

Back then, Roger was largely unaware of the world's secret past. His love for Shakky guided him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the World Government's darkest realities: the extermination "games," the monstrous forms of the Five Elders, and including the presence of the world's unseen sovereign, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's reflections about all that's happening in God Valley, but maybe finding the son of a God's Knight on his ship will make him realize his role in the globe and seek the truth he glimpsed from Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this recollection, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec came almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's version, each to the audience and to young Marines. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man determined to achieve world domination, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it turns out, the strategist was not present at God Valley; he was only repeating the Global Authority's sanctioned version of occurrences, the very narrative Imu approved to conceal the reality about Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, Rocks D. Xebec, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to topple the ruler and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We don't know if he was guided by lust for power, revenge for his clan, or a wish for justice, but when he found out the regime's plan to annihilate the land where his family resided, he gave up his ambitions of domination to save them.

This love for his relatives proved to be his downfall. Upon confronting the sovereign, he forfeited his will and freedom, turning into a puppet enslaved to their authority. Now, with what little awareness remains, he begs with Roger and Garp to kill him — thinking that dying would be a mercy compared to the living hell he suffers. The truth of Rocks is thus far from the tale narrated by Sengoku, and the manga presents him in a favorable manner during the Divine Isle incidents.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks really meet his end? An intriguing theory is that he is even now a slave to the ruler in the current timeline, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the World Government's only remaining ancient stone in continuous movement to keep the One Piece from being discovered.

The Hero's Secret Rebellion

Another key figure of the God Valley event is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced backlash from fans for years for doing nothing as Akainu killed Ace. That sentiment became even more intense after the timeskip, when he risked everything to rescue Koby at Hachinosu, leading many to wonder why he was unable to do the identical for his biological grandchild. Comparable questions have now reemerged with the Divine Isle flashback: how can Monkey D. Garp work for the Marines, knowing the Global Authority treats genocide and enslavement as sport for the elite?

The truth uncovers something distinct. The moment Garp saw the Gorosei's grotesque shapes, he struck immediately. His alliance with Gol D. Roger wasn't to vanquish some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an effort to halt Imu, who was manipulating Xebec as a pawn to wipe out everyone in the Divine Isle, even it seems, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is probably the cause Monkey D. Garp despises the World Nobles in the current era and why he never desired to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, answering directly to them.

History's Unreliable Narrators

Although the audience are seeing the Divine Isle event through a recollection narrated by the giant, covering viewpoints and occurrences he obviously wasn't present for, I believe we can consider this account as entirely truthful. The series may offer an reason later, maybe linked to the giant's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle incident excellently embodies the notion that history is written by the victors. This mindset is {