The Series' Divine Isle Flashback Demonstrates Why Myths Aren't to Be Trusted Blindly

The adage 'The past is written by the victors' serves as a key theme that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the story. Popular tales frequently fail to capture the complete reality, including the most influential figures in this world's intricate history. Oden was no foolish showman prancing through the streets of Wano Country; he acted out of duty and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a merciless antagonist who separated the Straw Hats, either; he was helping them. Similarly, Davy Jones meant beyond just a buccaneer's contest in pursuit of emblems and followers.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we see the peak of this theme. The whole God Valley narrative serves as a warning story, advising readers not to evaluate the individuals too quickly.

Myths often do not capture the full truth, including the most powerful characters.

One Piece's most recent look back, detailing the God Valley incident, represents one of the story's best arcs to date. Apart from the thrill of seeing icons in their prime, it's gripping to observe them prior to when they turned into symbols — when their reputation had yet to outgrow their humanity. History, as recorded by the Global Authority and retold through secondhand tales, painted our perception of individuals like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But both the regime's records and the narratives of those who knew them prove untrustworthy, showing only fragments of who these individuals truly were.

The Man Before the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been driven by mission and the daring attitude that sparked a fresh era of buccaneering, but before he became the King of the Pirates, he was a young man ruled by emotion and the desire to explore. When individuals speak of his myth, they usually mean his later journey, the grand expedition in pursuit of the guide stones that point toward the final island. However not much is understood about his first journey, the one that molded him before fame found him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger knew little of the world's secret past. His affection for the barkeep led him to God Valley, where he discovered the World Government's darkest truths: the genocidal "contests," the grotesque appearances of the Five Elders, and even the presence of the world's hidden sovereign, Imu. We are yet to witness Roger's reflections about everything occurring in the Divine Isle, but maybe finding the child of a God's Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his role in the globe and seek the reality he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this flashback, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec was derived mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's account, each to the audience and to new Navy recruits. He painted Xebec as a vile, ambitious man bent on global control, someone so threatening that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it transpires, Sengoku wasn't even present at the Divine Isle; he was merely repeating the Global Authority's sanctioned version of events, the exact narrative Imu authorized to conceal the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to topple the ruler and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We are unsure if he was guided by ambition, retribution for his family, or a desire for justice, but when he found out the government's scheme to annihilate the land where his family lived, he gave up his ambitions of domination to rescue them.

This devotion for his relatives became his undoing. After confronting Imu, he forfeited his will and freedom, becoming a marionette controlled to their power. Currently, with what limited consciousness is left, he pleads with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — thinking that dying would be a kindness in contrast to the torment he suffers. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the tale told by Sengoku, and the manga shows him in a positive light during the Divine Isle events.

Is He Living Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec actually die? An interesting theory is that he is even now a slave to Imu in the current timeline, acting as the scarred individual, maintaining the Global Authority's only remaining Poneglyph in continuous movement to keep the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

Garp's Hidden Defiance

Another key figure of the God Valley incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured backlash from fans for a long time for standing by as Admiral Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That feeling only grew stronger after the time jump, when he risked all to rescue the young Marine at Hachinosu, causing many to question why he couldn't do the same for his own grandchild. Similar questions have recently reemerged with the God Valley flashback: how can Garp work for the Navy, aware the World Government considers mass murder and enslavement as entertainment for the elite?

The reality reveals something different. The moment Garp saw the Gorosei's monstrous shapes, he attacked without hesitation. His alliance with Roger was not meant to vanquish some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an attempt to stop Imu, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to eliminate all in the Divine Isle, including it seems, even the World Nobles themselves. This incident is likely the reason Garp detests the World Nobles in the present day and why he never desired to be elevated to Admiral, answering straight to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Although the audience are seeing the Divine Isle event through a recollection narrated by the giant, including perspectives and events he clearly wasn't present for, I think we can consider this account as entirely accurate. The series may provide an explanation in the future, maybe linked to Loki's yet unknown paramecia ability. Still, the Divine Isle incident perfectly embodies the idea that the past is written by the winners. This attitude is {