The Series' Divine Isle Recollection Demonstrates Why Myths Aren't to Be Believed Blindly

The saying 'History is written by the winners' serves as a key theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the narrative. Legends frequently fail to convey the full truth, including the most powerful figures in this world's complex past. Oden was no silly performer dancing through the streets of Wano Country; he behaved out of duty and conviction. Kuma wasn't a merciless villain who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was helping them. Likewise, Davy Jones meant more than a buccaneer's game in pursuit of flags and crews.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we witness the peak of this idea. The entire Divine Isle story acts as a warning story, advising readers not to evaluate the individuals too hastily.

Legends often do not capture the complete truth, including the most powerful figures.

One Piece's most recent look back, detailing the Divine Isle incident, stands as one of the series' finest storylines to now. Beyond the thrill of witnessing legends in their prime, it's compelling to see them prior to when they turned into icons — when their reputation had still not surpass their human nature. History, as written by the Global Authority and recounted through secondhand stories, painted our understanding of individuals like Roger, Xebec, and including Garp. But both the regime's accounts and the stories of those who knew them turn out to be untrustworthy, showing only pieces of who these men really were.

The Man Prior to the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been guided by purpose and the daring spirit that sparked a new age of buccaneering, but before he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a youth ruled by passion and the desire to explore. When people speak of his legend, they typically refer to his later journey, the epic expedition in search of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to Laugh Tale. Yet little is understood about his first journey, the one that molded him before fame discovered him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the world's hidden history. His affection for the barkeep led him to God Valley, where he discovered the World Government's most sinister realities: the extermination "contests," the grotesque appearances of the Gorosei, and including the presence of the planet's unseen sovereign, Imu. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's thoughts about all that's happening in God Valley, but maybe discovering the son of a God's Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his place in the globe and seek the truth he glimpsed from Xebec's situation.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this recollection, what we were aware of of Xebec was derived mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's version, each to the viewers and to new Navy recruits. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man determined to achieve global control, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it transpires, Sengoku was not there at God Valley; he was only repeating the World Government's approved narrative of occurrences, the exact story the sovereign approved to bury the reality about Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to topple Imu and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We don't know if he was motivated by lust for power, retribution for his family, or a wish for justice, but when he discovered the government's scheme to eliminate the land where his kin lived, he abandoned his ambitions of conquest to save them.

This love for his family proved to be his undoing. Upon facing the sovereign, he forfeited his determination and freedom, becoming a marionette enslaved to their authority. Now, with what little consciousness is left, he pleads with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — believing that death would be a mercy in contrast to the torment he suffers. The reality of Rocks is thus far from the tale told by Sengoku, and the manga shows him in a favorable manner during the God Valley events.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec actually die? An intriguing idea is that he is still a servant to Imu in the present day, serving as the scarred individual, keeping the World Government's only remaining Poneglyph in constant movement to keep the ultimate treasure from being found.

The Hero's Hidden Defiance

A further protagonist of the God Valley incident is Garp, who has endured criticism from fans for years for standing by as Admiral Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That feeling only grew more intense after the time jump, when he endangered all to save Koby at Pirate Island, causing many to wonder why he was unable to do the identical for his biological grandson. Comparable questions have recently resurfaced with the Divine Isle recollection: how can Garp work for the Marines, knowing the Global Authority treats mass murder and slavery as sport for the elite?

The reality reveals something different. The moment Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Gorosei's monstrous forms, he attacked without hesitation. His partnership with Gol D. Roger was not meant to vanquish some evil Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an effort to halt the sovereign, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to eliminate everyone in the Divine Isle, even it seems, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is probably the cause Monkey D. Garp despises the World Nobles in the present day and why he not once desired to be elevated to Admiral, answering directly to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Although the audience are viewing the God Valley event through a flashback narrated by Loki, including viewpoints and occurrences he obviously was absent for, I think we can treat this version as entirely truthful. The series may provide an reason in the future, maybe linked to Loki's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the God Valley incident perfectly exemplifies the notion that history is recorded by the victors. This mindset is {