Warning: This piece contains spoilers for One Piece manga chapter #1164.
The adage 'The past is written by the winners' is a key theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the narrative. Popular tales frequently do not capture the complete reality, even for the most influential figures in this story's intricate past. Kozuki Oden wasn't a foolish showman prancing through the streets of Wano Country; he behaved out of honor and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma was not a merciless villain who separated the Straw Hats, as well; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, Davy Jones meant more than a pirate's game in pursuit of emblems and followers.
In installment #1164 of One Piece, we witness the peak of this idea. The entire Divine Isle story serves as a warning story, instructing audiences not to judge the characters too hastily.
Myths frequently do not capture the full reality, even for the most powerful characters.
The series's latest look back, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, stands as one of the series' finest arcs to date. Beyond the excitement of witnessing icons in their prime, it's compelling to observe them before they turned into icons — when their reputation had yet to outgrow their human nature. The past, as recorded by the World Government and retold through secondhand stories, shaped our perception of figures like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But each of the government's records and the narratives of those who knew them prove untrustworthy, showing only fragments of who these men really were.
The future Pirate King may have been guided by purpose and the bold spirit that sparked a new age of piracy, but before he was known as the Pirate King, he was a young man governed by emotion and wanderlust. When individuals speak of his myth, they typically mean his later journey, the epic quest in search of the guide stones that point toward the final island. However not much is understood about his initial travels, the one that molded him prior to glory found him.
At that time, Gol D. Roger knew little of the globe's secret past. His love for the barkeep led him to God Valley, where he uncovered the Global Authority's darkest realities: the extermination "games," the grotesque appearances of the Gorosei, and even the existence of the world's unseen ruler, Imu. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's thoughts about all that's happening in the Divine Isle, but perhaps finding the child of a Holy Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his role in the world and pursue the truth he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.
Prior to this recollection, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec came mostly from Sengoku's account, each to the viewers and to new Navy recruits. He depicted Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man bent on world domination, someone so threatening that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it transpires, the strategist was not there at the Divine Isle; he was only repeating the World Government's approved narrative of events, the exact story Imu approved to bury the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.
In truth, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to topple Imu and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We are unsure if he was motivated by lust for power, retribution for his clan, or a desire for fairness, but when he discovered the government's scheme to annihilate the island where his family lived, he abandoned his dreams of domination to save them.
This love for his relatives became his downfall. After confronting Imu, he forfeited his will and liberty, turning into a marionette controlled to their authority. Now, with what limited consciousness is left, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — thinking that death would be a kindness in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the tale narrated by Sengoku, and the manga presents him in a positive manner during the Divine Isle events.
But was Rocks D. Xebec really die? An interesting theory is that he is even now a slave to the ruler in the present day, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the Global Authority's only remaining Poneglyph in constant transit to prevent the ultimate treasure from being discovered.
A further protagonist of the God Valley event is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured criticism from fans for a long time for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu killed Ace. That feeling 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 biological grandson. Similar questions have now reemerged with the God Valley recollection: how could Garp serve the Marines, knowing the World Government considers mass murder and enslavement as sport for the elite?
The truth reveals something different. The moment Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Elders' grotesque forms, he attacked immediately. His partnership with Roger wasn't to vanquish some evil Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an effort to halt the sovereign, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to wipe out all in the Divine Isle, even apparently, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is likely the cause Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he never desired to be elevated to Admiral, reporting directly to them.
Even though the audience are seeing the God Valley event through a flashback narrated by the giant, including perspectives and occurrences he obviously was absent for, I think we can consider this account as completely accurate. The manga may provide an reason later, perhaps connected to Loki's yet unknown paramecia ability. Still, the Divine Isle event perfectly embodies the idea that history is recorded by the victors. This attitude is {
Elara is a seasoned gaming journalist with a passion for slot mechanics and player strategies.
