Summary
The fight between the Marines and pirates is a rivalry that goes back centuries. Ever since the close of the Void Century, a World Government was formed that sought to police the world by forcing it to abide by their rules, and the way they enforced these rules was through their military arm known as the Navy. Seeing as how pirates are often quite powerful, equally strong Marines were needed inOne Piece.
In the entire history of the institution, there has been no Marine who has reached as great of a level of fame and power as the legendary Monkey D. Garp, who has come to be known asthe ‘Hero of the Marines’. However, despite the adoration that he has received across the globe, the truth is that Garp was complicit in the most corrupt regime inOne Piecehistory and should be held accountable for it, so let’s take a look at why this is.
Story Arc
Arlong Park
Throughout all ofOne Piece, it’s safe to say that Garp has become one of the most beloved peripheral characters in the entire story. This is for good reason too, since he is not only the grandfather of the protagonist of the story, but he is a hilarious and incredibly important figure in the World Government who is implied to havebeen equally powerful as Gol D. Roger. In fact, the two have even been described as rivals.
While he is undoubtedly an amazing character, the true problem lies within his identity as the ‘Hero of the Marines’, a title which he earned after the God Valley Incident. Although he undoubtedly has heroic feats by defeating some of the greatest pirates of the old generation, such as Shiki and Don Chinjao, many fans are quick to label him as complicit in the acts of debauchery, slavery, and evil that the Celestial Dragons have been perpetrating for centuries.
Of course, Garp has always been vocal about his disdain for the World Nobles, which remains the biggest reason why he never took on theroles of Admiral or Fleet Admiralsince both require being directly answerable to them. However, his misplaced sense of justice and willingness to turn a blind eye to the evil acts of the Celestial Dragons are the biggest reasons why many fans say that his title as a hero should be revoked, since he has actively aided in the evil spread by them.
The biggest example of this is the God Valley Incident, the titular island of which was the location chosen for the Celestial Dragon’s Native Hunting Competition 38 years ago. In his earlier years, Garp tried to get Luffy and Ace to join the Marines due to the value he placed on justice and his strong belief that they were on the right side. However, this seems to have been thrown out the window for God Valley, since he only made his appearance there in an attempt to stop Roger.
Garp! We’ve tried to kill each other dozens of times. That’s why I can trust you as I trust my friends.
He conveniently ignored the atrocities committed by the Celestial Dragons, which included slavery and hunting innocent people, just so he could be the oneto capture his greatest rival. Of course, this doesn’t mean that he automatically endorsed what the Celestial Dragons were doing in their Native Hunting Competition, but his unwillingness to stop it not only makes him complicit in their crimes, but also makes him a hypocrite for placing all that value on justice, which he just ignored when it was convenient for him.
This opens up a far greater perspective on the God Valley Incident. Although Rocks D. Xebec is currently viewed as one of the greatest villains in history, it can be argued that he served more of a heroic role on God Valley than Garp or Roger did, since stopping him inadvertently continued the corruption of the Celestial Dragons. Many in the fandom have started to see the Marine Hero and Pirate King in a much more speculative light because of this.
What Does The Future Hold For Garp And The Marines?
The Fate of the Marine Hero
At the current moment, Garp is in the most precarious situation that he has ever been in. Due to Koby being captured by the Blackbeard Pirates on Hachinosu, Garp and the rest of SWORD launched a secret operation in order to free him from their clutches, which they did but at a cost that may have been far too great for the Navy and World Government to pay.
In freeing Koby, Garp was caught off guard when he saved him, leading to an ambush by all of the Titanic Captains whichended up with him being captured. This entire operation was more or less a failure, since although Koby was freed, they took Garp instead, who is a far more valuable asset to the World Government than Koby is. However, this opens up many great possibilities for the future, since many fans believe that Dragon or the Straw Hats may eventually make their way to Hachinosu in order to free the Marine Hero.
