Summary
Ever since the Blackbeard Pirates invaded Amazon Lily, they have only grown in influence and power. Not only did they make their destructive designs known to the world, but they also captured Koby and took him to Hachinosu to use as a bargaining chip against the Navy, marking them as one ofOne Piece’sbiggest threats. This is where Garp and the rest of SWORD made their appearance.
This led to one of the best showings in all ofOne Piece, as the legendary Marine Hero showed exactly why he wasconsidered an equal to Roger in his prime. However, despite taking on the entirety of the Blackbeard Pirates on his own, the pirates used Koby as bait and managed to subdue Garp, leading to his capture. For many fans, this means that Garp is headed for execution, which could officially start the Final War, so let’s see why this is.
Most Recent Appearance
One Piece, Chapter 1126, “Settling the Score”
The events of what transpired at Hachinosu remain some of the most important for the future of theOne Piecestory. Upon his capture,Garp and the rest of SWORDinvaded the island to rescue Koby, which unfortunately ended with the capture of Garp himself, coming as a massive blow to the forces of the Marines. However, this opens many possibilities for the future.
At this point, Garp’s eventual fate remains uncertain, with three possibilities looming overhead as to what is going to happen to the legendary Marine Hero. The first is that Garp will somehow survive this ordeal by being saved by external forces, while another possibility is far more grim, since it could mean his execution. The third has fans up in arms about its feasibility, since it claims that Garp will break out of his imprisonment somehow, though this is admittedly the least likely of the three.
Our experiences don’t define us. It’s what we gain from them that matters.
Many believe that SWORD is on the move and is planning to rescue Garp from the clutches of the Blackbeard Pirates, which is something that Koby would realistically want to do over anything else. The two share a special bond, with Garp taking the young Navy aspirant under his wing and training him fiercely, which has led Koby to have massive jumps in strength and rank, becoming a Captain in a very short amount of time. However, as was made clear by the events of what happened at Hachinosu,the strength of the Blackbeard Piratesis too great for SWORD to challenge without the backing of Garp.
This has led to many fans thinking that the Revolutionary Army will come in to save Garp, since Dragon would want to save his father. If this happens, it would lead to a massive confrontation and battle with the Blackbeard Pirates on their home base, and, seeing how both would be preoccupied with one another, could prompt the World Government to send a detachment to the island to take advantage of the situation by defeating two of their strongest enemies in the skirmish. As such, this event could easily bleed into the Final War.
The same is possible with the Straw Hats going to save Garp after the events of the Elbaf arc. Luffy isn’t particularly close to his grandfather, but they’re family, andLuffy has proven to go to any lengthsto save those he considers part of his family. Seeing how much of a threat he poses to the World Government, they would choose to act against him here at a moment where he’s preoccupied with other things.
Alternatively, some fans believe that Garp will be executed, or, at the very least, an execution for him may be held by the Blackbeard Pirates. Seeing as how they plan to do such a thing, it may yet again prompt the Straw Hats and Revolutionary Army to storm Hachinosu to save him, which is strikingly similar to the events of Marineford. If Garp is executed, then the battle between Luffy and Blackbeard, which has been hinted at since the beginning of the story, will finally take place.
The world’s gonna turn on its head. Sounds fun, huh?
This is confirmed to be one of the biggest fights in the franchise, and would mark the beginning of the Final War for the same reasons as listed previously. WhetherGarp actually dies in this executionor not remains to be seen, but the event of seeing this happen would be exceptionally important for the overall world ofOne Pieceand could lead to the Final War.
The Final War of the franchise is said to be the most significant event in the history of the world, and has even been prophesied to be as such by Joyboy hundreds of years ago. Because of this, it makes sense that when it finally kicks off, it should be because of a significant event that pushes the major powers of the world to act in a way that brings them all together. While this could happen in a number of ways, Garp’s execution would make perfect sense here, since he is connected to some of the biggest players in the setting who all either want to save him or kill him.
Garp May Break Out Of His Imprisonment On Hachinosu
The Third Option
The last option regarding Garp’s fate has to do with the possibility of him somehow escaping the clutches of the Blackbeard Pirates. Though unlikely, it can still happen. The last fans saw of Garp was in Chapter 1126, where he was being kept in chains on Hachinosu, looking incredibly weak and battered, but alive. Although far past his prime, he wasknown as a rival of Gol D. Rogerand one of the strongest Marines in history, whose power came purely from his mastery of Haki.
It seems that he is kept in Seastone chains, but this shouldn’t be a problem for him since he doesn’t even have a Devil Fruit power. Sure, he is still reeling from the damage he sustained from his battle with Kuzan and the other Blackbeard Pirates, but, if given enough time, he may be able to recuperate enough to gain back the strength he needs to break free of his shackles.
On the other hand, one of the most popular theories floating about right now is that Kuzan is a double-agent for the World Government. Ever since he joined the Blackbeard Pirates, fans haven’t been able to reconcile with his decision to do so, since it seems to completely go against the kind of character he is, leading to the popular theory that he is either tasked withinfiltrating Blackbeard’s crew by Akainu, or he is secretly a member of SWORD, although the former theory is more likely.
If he were a member of SWORD, Garp would’ve likely known about it, but their battle on Hachinosu strongly implies that he didn’t. So, it’s possible that after being ‘defeated’ by Akainu, he was given a special job by the new Fleet Admiral, which means that he may eventually help Garp escape once his objective has been completed, seeing as how the two are inextricably linked and extremely close. For now, fans just have to wait and see what happens, though the prospect of Kuzan and Garp escaping together is becoming increasingly possible.
One Piececan be streamed onCrunchyroll.
One Piece
One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates' ultimate treasure, the One Piece, in order to become the next king. The manga’s popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.
