Warning: This article contains reveals for One Piece manga chapter #1164.
The adage 'The past is recorded by the victors' is a key motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Popular tales often do not capture the full truth, including the most influential characters in this story's complex past. Oden was no foolish showman dancing through the streets of Wano Country; he behaved out of duty and principle. Kuma was not a ruthless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, Davy Jones meant more than a buccaneer's game in pursuit of flags and crews.
In installment #1164 of One Piece, we witness the peak of this theme. The entire Divine Isle narrative serves as a cautionary tale, instructing audiences not to judge the characters too hastily.
Myths frequently do not convey the complete reality, including the most powerful characters.
One Piece's most recent look back, detailing the Divine Isle incident, represents one of the series' finest arcs to date. Beyond the excitement of witnessing legends in their peak, it's compelling to see them before they became symbols — when their reputation had still not outgrow their humanity. The past, as written by the World Government and recounted through hearsay stories, shaped our understanding of individuals like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Garp. But both the regime's records and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be untrustworthy, showing only pieces of who these men truly were.
The future Pirate King may have been driven by mission and the daring spirit that ignited a fresh era of buccaneering, but prior to he was known as the Pirate King, he was a youth ruled by emotion and the desire to explore. When individuals discuss his legend, they typically mean his later journey, the epic quest in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to the final island. Yet little is known about his first journey, the one that shaped him before glory discovered him.
Back then, Gol D. Roger knew little of the globe's hidden history. His affection for Shakky guided him to God Valley, where he discovered the Global Authority's most sinister truths: the extermination "contests," the monstrous appearances of the Five Elders, and including the existence of the world's hidden sovereign, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's thoughts about everything occurring in the Divine Isle, but maybe finding the son of a God's Knight on his ship will make him realize his place in the world and seek the reality he glimpsed from Xebec's predicament.
Prior to this flashback, what we were aware of of Xebec was derived mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's account, both to the viewers and to young Navy recruits. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man determined to achieve global control, someone so threatening that Roger and Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it transpires, the strategist wasn't even there at the Divine Isle; he was merely repeating the World Government's sanctioned version of occurrences, the very story the sovereign authorized to conceal the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.
In reality, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to topple the ruler and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We are unsure if he was motivated by ambition, revenge for his family, or a desire for justice, but when he found out the regime's plan to annihilate the land where his kin resided, he gave up his dreams of conquest to save them.
This love for his family proved to be his downfall. Upon facing Imu, he lost his will and freedom, turning into a puppet enslaved to their power. Now, with what little consciousness remains, he begs with Roger and Garp to end his life — believing that death would be a kindness in contrast to the living hell he endures. The truth of Rocks is thus far from the tale narrated by Sengoku, and the manga shows him in a positive light during the Divine Isle incidents.
But did Rocks actually meet his end? An intriguing idea is that he is even now a servant to the ruler in the present day, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the World Government's only remaining Poneglyph in constant transit to keep the One Piece from being discovered.
A further protagonist of the Divine Isle event is Garp, who has faced backlash from fans for years for doing nothing as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment only grew stronger after the time jump, when he endangered everything to rescue the young Marine at Hachinosu, leading many to wonder why he was unable to do the identical for his own grandson. Comparable doubts have now reemerged with the God Valley recollection: how could Garp serve the Marines, knowing the World Government treats mass murder and slavery as sport for the upper class?
The reality reveals something different. The moment Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Elders' monstrous forms, he attacked without hesitation. His partnership with Gol D. Roger was not meant to vanquish some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an effort to halt the sovereign, who was using Xebec as a pawn to eliminate everyone in God Valley, even it seems, including the World Nobles themselves. This incident is probably the cause Garp despises the World Nobles in the present day and why he not once wanted to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, answering directly to them.
Even though the audience are seeing the Divine Isle incident through a recollection narrated by Loki, covering perspectives and occurrences he obviously was absent for, I believe we can consider this version as completely truthful. The series may provide an reason later, maybe linked to the giant's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the God Valley incident excellently embodies the idea that the past is written by the victors. This attitude is {
