The Series' Divine Isle Flashback Reveals Why Legends Aren't to Be Trusted Blindly

The adage 'History is written by the victors' is a central motif that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the story. Popular tales frequently fail to capture the full truth, including the most powerful figures in this world's intricate past. Kozuki Oden was no silly performer dancing through the roads of Wano Country; he behaved out of duty and principle. Kuma was not a merciless antagonist who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was helping them. Likewise, Davy Jones meant beyond just a buccaneer's game in search of flags and followers.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we see the culmination of this theme. The entire God Valley story acts as a cautionary tale, instructing readers not to judge the individuals too hastily.

Legends often do not capture the full reality, including the most powerful characters.

One Piece's most recent flashback, chronicling the Divine Isle event, stands as one of the series' finest storylines to date. Apart from the thrill of witnessing legends in their peak, it's gripping to observe them before they turned into symbols — when their fame had still not outgrow their humanity. History, as written by the World Government and recounted through hearsay tales, painted our perception of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and even Garp. But both the government's records and the stories of those who were acquainted with them prove untrustworthy, showing only fragments of who these individuals truly were.

The Man Before the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by mission and the daring attitude that ignited a new age of piracy, but before he was known as the Pirate King, he was a young man ruled by passion and wanderlust. When individuals speak of his legend, they usually mean his second voyage, the grand quest in search of the guide stones that point toward the final island. However little is known about his initial travels, the one that shaped him prior to glory discovered him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the globe's hidden past. His affection for the barkeep guided him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the Global Authority's darkest realities: the genocidal "contests," the monstrous appearances of the Five Elders, and including the presence of the planet's hidden ruler, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Roger's thoughts about all that's occurring in God Valley, but maybe finding the child of a Holy Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his place in the world and pursue the reality he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this flashback, what we were aware of of Xebec was derived almost entirely from Sengoku's version, each to the viewers and to new Marines. He depicted Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man bent on world domination, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it transpires, the strategist was not there at God Valley; he was merely echoing the Global Authority's sanctioned narrative of occurrences, the exact narrative the sovereign approved to bury the truth about Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to topple Imu and dismantle the decadent World Government. We don't know if he was guided by ambition, revenge for his clan, or a wish for fairness, but when he discovered the regime's scheme to annihilate the land where his family resided, he gave up his ambitions of conquest to rescue them.

This love for his family became his undoing. Upon facing the sovereign, he forfeited his determination and freedom, turning into a puppet controlled to their authority. Now, with what limited consciousness is left, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Garp to end his life — thinking that dying would be a mercy in contrast to the torment he suffers. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the tale told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic presents him in a favorable manner during the God Valley incidents.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks actually die? An interesting idea is that he is even now a slave to Imu in the present day, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the World Government's last ancient stone in constant movement to keep the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

Garp's Hidden Rebellion

A further key figure of the God Valley event is Garp, who has faced criticism from fans for a long time for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu killed Ace. That feeling became even stronger after the timeskip, when he risked everything to save the young Marine at Hachinosu, leading many to wonder why he was unable to do the same for his biological grandson. Similar questions have recently reemerged with the Divine Isle flashback: how could Monkey D. Garp serve the Marines, knowing the Global Authority considers genocide and slavery as entertainment for the upper class?

The reality reveals something different. The moment Garp saw the Elders' monstrous shapes, he struck immediately. His alliance with Roger was not meant to vanquish some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an effort to stop the sovereign, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to eliminate all in God Valley, even apparently, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is probably the reason Garp despises the World Nobles in the current era and why he never desired to be promoted to Admiral, reporting straight to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Even though the audience are seeing the Divine Isle incident through a recollection narrated by Loki, covering perspectives and events he obviously was absent for, I believe we can treat this version as entirely accurate. The series may offer an reason in the future, perhaps connected to the giant's still mysterious paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle incident excellently exemplifies the idea that history is recorded by the victors. This mindset is {