Monkey D. Garp, the Hero of the Marines and Luffy’s grandfather, is one of the most beloved characters in the series. From his debut early on in the manga, through Marineford, and up to the recent Egghead Island arc, Garp has stayed in fans’ minds for a few reasons.
From the very beginning, we have known Garp was powerful, ranking high amongst the Marines and being an elder amongst the ranks. Over time we learned about his past, his relationships with Gol D. Roger and Sengoku, as well as his strength. Garp is easily one of the most vital members of the Marines and possibly in the entire series, but this was mainly speculation.
We had seen Garp do a few things in the series, but most of this logic came from the God Valley incident, something we know little about, and his job at Marineford. Things changed in the most recent chapters, as we finally saw Garp in action, but under some dire circumstances.
Monkey D. Garp showed up on Hachinosu Island to rescue Koby and others from the hands of Marshall D. Teach after they were captured by the Blackbeard Pirates. Garp took Helmeppo and a few other marines with him and set off to rescue Koby and ensure that the next generation would continue.
After a hard-fought battle against the Blackbeard Pirates, Oda left us with quite the cliffhanger, and fans are still wondering exactly what happened in the fight’s aftermath. Is Garp dead in One Piece? Or did something else happen off-screen?
Garp vs. The Blackbeard Pirates
Before we get into what happened to Garp, it’s best to understand the circumstances surrounding the battle. Sometime before Garp landed on Hachinosu Island, Koby had offered himself to Blackbeard instead of the 800 marines he planned on taking into his custody. Blackbeard accepted for some unknown reason and took Koby captive.
When Garp heard of this, he gathered some of his most-trusted marines and headed to Hachinosu Island to rescue Captain Koby and secure the next generation of marines.
Garp landed on Hachinosu island and immediately made his presence felt. Not only did he show us why he’s called “Garp the Fist,” but he started making quick work of not just the low-level pirates but even the Titanic Captains of the Blackbeard Pirates. He fought several high-ranking members of the Blackbeard Pirates, beating them down without much effort.
In doing so, he angered many of the Titanic Captains, including the former Admiral Aokiji. But they didn’t really pose much threat to this battle-experienced veteran, as he made quick work of most of them.
However, Garp did face trouble fighting his former protégé, Aokiji, who proved to be a challenge, but not so much as Garp still had the upper hand most of the time!
How Did Garp Get Injured?
Garp was destroying some of the most powerful members of the Blackbeard Pirates with relative ease and was having a lot of fun, even without having eaten a devil fruit. You can see where Luffy gets his confidence and high battle IQ from; Garp loves to battle strong opponents too!
Garp was showcasing his insane powers until Shiryu targeted Koby with a powerful sneak attack, which Koby didn’t see coming.
Rather than telling Koby to move, Garp jumped in front of the attack, taking a sword through his body and saving the young Captain!
Many fans were confused about this part of the battle, like how Garp got impaled so easily and why Koby did not see the attack coming. The thing is, Shiryu has the Clear-Clear fruit, a Paramecia-type devil fruit, allowing him to be invisible. Some fans think this ability can avoid Observation Haki, but I don’t think that’s true; otherwise, Garp wouldn’t have noticed Shiryu’s attack on Koby.
Garp was the one to spot Shiryu, and he immediately jumped in to save Koby, as there wasn’t much time to do anything else. This deadly strike intended for Koby pierces Garp in the side of his torso and does some damage. However, Garp wasn’t down after this attack, showing his intense will! He still had a lot of strength left to give his comrades a chance to flee the island.
Does Monkey D. Garp Die on Hachinosu Island?
After taking that tough blow from Shiryu, Garp knocked him to the ground in a single attack and took him out of the fight for the moment. Garp was injured but still had enough energy to fight. Kuzan then showed up to battle Garp again, hoping to take him down now that he was injured.
Since Garp was injured, he took a vital blow from Kuzan, dropping to the floor, but he also did some damage to Kuzan.
Though everyone in the manga community assumed Garp was out of the battle when this chapter was released, that wasn’t the case. The Marines were still in danger, and Koby and the others still had to flee the island. And this is why Garp came up with a simple but brilliant plan which would allow Koby and the others to leave.
He planned to create a distraction with the rest of his strength so Koby could defeat Alvaro Pizzaro’s Island-Island powers and allow the Marines to escape. Garp skyrocketed past Kuzan, zooming past everyone on the island, and attacked the face of Pizzaro with one huge “Galaxy Divide” attack.
This created an opening for Koby to destroy Pizzaro’s hand that was about to hit the Marines, saving the day. Garp then ordered the rest of the marines to depart Hachinosu, leaving him behind. The Marines could escape because of this, but at what cost?
The last time we saw Garp, he was surrounded by the remaining Blackbeard Pirates and Kuzan, lying on the floor with an icicle in the same place where Shiryu attacked him. But like most people bearing the name of “D,” Garp too was laughing in what seemed like his final moments!
This manga panel made it out like Kuzan had killed Garp, but that might not be the case. At the end of that chapter, Garp was very much alive, and we later saw that the world thought Garp had gone “missing.” Newspapers around the One Piece world have stated that Garp has been missing in action, not killed, so that’s a good sign.
So no, until there’s an official confirmation that Garp is dead, it’s safe to assume he was not killed on Hachinosu Island!
What is Garp’s Fate in One Piece?
Garp’s supposed death in One Piece will likely serve as massive character development for Koby, the rest of the Marines, and even Monkey D. Luffy, but it’s most likely not going to happen at the moment.
If Garp were going to die, it would have been in this battle. Oda was setting up the death of Garp but pulled the rug out from under us with this reveal.
Garp will serve as some plot development shortly, as fans assume a Marineford-type situation will go down where the Blackbeard pirates announce the execution of Garp the Hero to gather as many marines and pirates as possible. Their reason for doing this is somewhat unknown, but it would make sense in the grand scheme of Oda’s story.
Blackbeard could also end up using Garp as a trump card against Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates in the future, as they both want to claim the One Piece treasure. Garp’s death might not happen, but the entire series will change forever if it does.
If Garp is killed in front of everyone the same way Ace was, Luffy, Sabo, Koby, the SWORD members, and the rest of the Marines aren’t going to let it slide. The death of Garp the Hero might cause a massive war in the entire world. Blackbeard would become the main villain of the series for sure, and we might enter one colossal fight!
This is all mere speculation, though, as Oda’s plans seem to be heading towards Elbaf right now. The Egghead Island arc is nearing its end as the Marines have finally landed on Egghead in the latest chapter. We will then most likely end up on Elbaf and see that long-awaited story play out.
In What Chapter Did Garp Fight Blackbeard Pirates?
Being a detour from the Egghead Island arc meant that this mini-arc had a lot of eyes on it. People loved Egghead Island, and throwing this in was a weird choice from Oda. Luckily, fans enjoyed it, as this arc showed just how powerful Monkey D. Garp is!
Oda started the Garp vs. Blackbeard Pirates fight in chapter 1080, and with a little detour in the following chapters, the fight was concluded in chapter 1088. It was a pretty short fight but an eventful one for sure!
Conclusion
So, is Garp dead in One Piece? The answer to this question is NO! But will Garp die in the future? There’s no answer to that question at the moment, as we are not sure about that!
We know that Garp’s battle here was crucial as it will push characters like Koby, Helmeppo, and the rest of SWORD to try and get stronger to save Garp. It will also enrage Sabo and Luffy when they hear the news of Garp’s disappearance. They don’t want another Ace situation, so it will surely force them to go to his rescue.
Garp’s status is currently “missing” in the One Piece story, but we might see more of him shortly. At this point, there’s no reason to assume anything, as Oda-sensei has a way of throwing us off, so let’s just read the manga and enjoy the story!
Also Read: How to Watch One Piece in Order?
