Garp has always been an incredibly important character in One Piece, and while the fans did not get to see him play a major role in terms of combat for the vast majority of the story, he was still relevant as a character, especially throughout the Paramount War Saga. In the post-timeskip of One Piece, Garp was present here and there, mostly to give exposition to various events surrounding the Yonko and, of course, the legendary figures, such as Rocks.

However, the Final Saga of One Piece saw Garp take action for the first time and show everyone what a monster he truly was in combat. Fans certainly remember Garp for attacking the Pirate Island in the Final Saga, and there, facing defeat at the hands of the Commanders of the Blackbeard Pirates. Garp’s fate was unknown, and Oda has finally confirmed it now.

Garp’s Fall On The Pirate Island To Save Koby

Garp Rescued Koby

Garp Was Captured In The Process

In the Final Saga of One Piece, Oda has been focusing on more than just the Straw Hat Pirates. This didn’t come as a surprise to any fan, given that Oda had clearly mentioned that in this segment, his plan is to focus on the Straw Hat Pirates, and characters other than them. This means that there are multiple protagonists of the Final Saga at different locations, and of course, Luffy being the main protagonist of the series. For instance, in the Pirate Island segment of the Egghead arc, Garp was the protagonist that fans followed. His reason for doing this was simple. Essentially, Garp wanted to free his protege, Koby, who was captured by Blackbeard on Amazon Lily. Given how much value Garp placed on his life, he did not waste even a single second to try to rescue Koby, and immediately attacked the vicious pirates responsible for this.

Koby is the future of the Marines! – Garp

Garp showcased a terrific performance there, and it is safe to say that he even managed to rescue Koby from the island. Koby, along with all the Marines, were successfully saved, but the price to pay for this was absolutely huge. It is safe to say that Garp had to sacrifice himself in order to secure the escape of Koby, and the one to take him down was his own student, Kuzan. Of course, Garp was utterly dominant in battle, even though he was fighting around 5 or 6 members of the Blackbeard Pirates.

The fact that Kuzan was one of them just went to show that it was never going to be an easy battle for Garp. At the end of things, Garp fell, largely due to the dirty tactics used by the Blackbeard Pirates, but that is irrelevant. The fact of the matter is that Garp did indeed end up falling at the hands of Kuzan, and was left reeling in a pool of his own blood. Garp had a giant icicle sticking from his chest, which implied to many fans that he had truly died. Still, given that his fate was never explicitly confirmed in the Final Saga, fans knew that there was a big possibility that Garp ended up surviving this ordeal as well.

Oda Confirms That Garp Is Alive

Garp Is In Chains On Hachinosu Right Now

One Piece chapter 1126 finally went on to confirm Garp’s fate. This happened after Blackbeard, the ruler of Hachinosu, finally returned from his mission, only to see the chaos that had taken place on the island. Blackbeard saw what had happened, and was absolutely furious after realizing that Koby had managed to escape. However, when he realized that in exchange for Koby, they now had Garp, he was delighted. Essentially, this means that Garp is well and truly alive, and that Kuzan did not kill him. However, that actually works in Blackbeard’s favor. An alive Garp would be of much more value to Blackbeard than a dead one. To make sense of that, fans simply need to look back at what Blackbeard’s plan is right now.

To be clear, I intended to kill him. But, he survived. – Kuzan

For those who do not remember, Blackbeard wants to be King of Hachinosu, Or, in other words, he wants Hachinosu to be recognized as an official pirate country. In order for that to happen, he would have to get authorization from the World Government, and of course, the Government would never approve something like this. This is where Koby came in. Blackbeard essentially planned on asking the Government to trade Koby, the Hero of the Marines, for country status for Hachinosu.

Of course, Kuzan rejected the idea quickly, stating that Koby was a part of SWORD, and that the Navy would never make such a sacrifice for him. This was disappointing for Blackbeard, but now, he has an even bigger pawn at hand. This time around, he has the greatest Marine of all time in his hands, and he might try to trade him in exchange for Hachinosu receiving country status.

Garp’s Role In The Future Of One Piece

Garp Will Be A Trigger For A Major War In One Piece

It is safe to say that Garp is well and truly alive in One Piece, and even though he lost his battle to the Blackbeard Pirates, he still has more to offer. Garp’s role from here onwards is to be a trigger for an even bigger war. Blackbeard is likely going to contact the World Government, asking them to recognize Hachinosu as a country. In exchange, he would give them Garp. However, if the World Government simply bows down to the wishes and requests of pirates, then, their image would greatly suffer. This is something that the Government absolutely cannot stand. This is even more so the case because the one in captivity right now is the greatest of all time, Garp.

Garp is a symbol of the Navy, and harming him means throwing dirt at the flag of the Navy itself. This is precisely one of the reasons why the Navy is forced to act. Essentially, Garp’s captivity will lead to a war between the Navy and the Blackbeard Pirates. The Marines are likely going to invade the Pirates Island to free Garp, and, in their eyes, this is going to be a battle to stomp their superiority and show the world that they would never bow down to any pirate or their wishes.

This war, which is likely going to be led by Sengoku, will most likely result in Blackbeard retreating, and potentially Garp being saved as well. If that were to happen, then Garp will once again be a free Marine, and, at the same time, will be looking to join the Great War, when it is fought against the true corrupt and evil Celestial Dragons. Of course, all these events will take time to be written into the story, and it might as well never happen. However, fans know that Garp has more to offer to the story either way, and that he has an exciting role to play in the future.