Garp letting Dragon leave the Navy in One Piece while forcing Luffy toward the Marines may look contradictory at first, but it isn’t. Here’s why.
According to the latest One Piece chapter 1166 spoilers, we finally get a glimpse of Garp and Dragon’s first conversation. Up until now, this father-son duo, Garp and Dragon, have never had an on-screen conversation, neither in the anime nor the manga.
So, fans were really looking forward to the moment they would finally exchange words. But did it go the way people expected? Not quite. Instead of a warm or meaningful family moment, when Dragon says he wants to quit the Navy, Garp simply nods and says, ‘Yeah.’
This feels pretty contradictory to his later actions with his grandson, our boy Luffy. When Luffy said he wanted to become a pirate, Garp was furious and disappointed; he desperately wanted him to become a Marine. So this whole situation only highlights how fractured and complicated Luffy’s family really is. But why is it like this?
Why Garp Was Okay With Dragon Quitting the Navy
Garp wasn’t fully aware back then of just how dangerous it was to oppose the World Government. To him, Dragon wanting to quit the Navy didn’t immediately signal ‘future revolutionary leader’ or ‘world-level threat’. So he didn’t react harshly.
And when Dragon was imprisoned, Garp even helped him escape, which says a lot. His sense of justice has always been messy and personal. He believed in doing the right thing, but in his own way, and that included protecting his family from within the system.
At the time, he genuinely thought staying in the Navy was the safest option for everyone. If he stayed, he could shield Dragon and eventually Luffy from the World Government’s wrath. Leaving would’ve only made all of them targets, and Garp wasn’t willing to risk that.
But after the God Valley incident, everything changed. Garp saw firsthand what the Government was capable of, and something hardened inside him. That’s why he became such a stoic, frustrating figure not only to Luffy but even to Ace. Fans may hate it, but that cold distance came from fear, fear of losing the only family he has.
Garp Had a Reason for Treating Dragon and Luffy Differently
After seeing how Imu could literally control anyone who dared to oppose him, and watching Rocks go insane, Garp couldn’t stay the same. Those moments shook him. They showed him what kind of power sits at the top of the world, and what it can do to people who stand against it.
So from that point on, he wasn’t willing to let his loved ones walk down that path. That’s why he pushed back so hard against Luffy’s decision to become a pirate. It wasn’t about forcing his dreams on Luffy; it was fear. He knew exactly what kind of enemy Luffy would be making.
When you look at it that way, Garp stops feeling like the villain in Luffy’s story and starts looking more like a scared, protective family member. His actions might seem strict or frustrating, but they came from wanting to keep his family alive in a world ruled by monsters. Wouldn’t you agree?
