The Hero of the Marines and the grandfather of the protagonist of the series, Garp is quite an important character in One Piece and has been from the very beginning. That said, given that he belonged to the old generation, Oda did not focus on him as much early on. Another contributing factor to that is it being way too early for his involvement in the plot.

That is why the Final Saga changes the equation altogether for this incredibly important character, and has thrown quite a lot of focus on him. Garp has always been incredibly important in One Piece and the fans have already seen him play a major role in the Egghead Island arc. While his role might be considered done by many, there is more to come.

Is Garp Dead In One Piece?

Garp’s End Might Not Be Set In Stone

The first thing that fans might wonder at this point in time is if Garp is dead. The fans know Garp to be the Hero of the Marines and one of the strongest individuals in the One Piece world. This is down to the fact that he was strong enough to fight against the likes of Roger back in the day. Roger himself acknowledged the fact that Garp and he almost killed each other on numerous occasions, and it just goes to show that he was an individual at least worthy of holding his own against the Pirate King.

Listen up, Kuzan! Only weaklings lose their way!

As such, his strength was always going to be put on display whenever he got proper screen time. As Oda decided to integrate Garp into the story in the Egghead Island arc, fans got a proper glimpse of what he was capable of. On the Pirate Island, he fought the entirety of the Blackbeard Pirates and did incredibly well. Up until the point where he was tricked by the Blackbeard Pirates into receiving a deadly wound, Garp actually held his own very well. Even after being injured, he was able to perform feats at a magnificent level. Even against powerful individuals such as Aokiji and others, Garp was a monster in combat and that just goes to show that his level was incredibly high.

However, towards the end, Garp was not able to make it out of the island. His goal was to free Koby and while he did accomplish that, he ended up staying behind in order to cover for his students. Garp was stabbed right through the chest with a giant icicle created by Aokiji and frozen, seemingly to death. Fans might wonder as to whether Garp was alive or dead. However, one thing they need to consider is that without Blackbeard’s presence, he will most likely not be killed. Blackbeard might have a very interesting use for Garp and it is something that Oda has hinted at in his story already.

Blackbeard’s Big Garp Gamble

Blackbeard Could Potentially End Up Trading Garp

Blackbeard is a very powerful individual, but strength is not his only asset. He is also a very cunning individual and one who seemingly loves to gamble. He has gambled on many occasions in One Piece and it can be argued that everything that he has ever done is a gamble. Be it him killing Thatch and stealing the Yami Yami no Mi, or trying to fight Ace and turning him over to the Government. His infiltration of Impel Down, all the way to attempting to eat a second Devil Fruit were all a gamble and all of them successfully paid off.

I got a plan to turn Pirate Island here into its own country!! One that’s a member of the World Government!

Recently, Blackbeard was trying to test his luck once again when he wanted to trade Koby with the government for an official country status for the Pirate Island. Essentially, Blackbeard wanted the Pirate Island to be recognized as a country led by a pirate, which would make him an official ruler in the eyes of the world. In exchange, the Government would get their precious Hero back again. Blackbeard believed that since Koby is a hero of the Navy and is respected and loved worldwide, the Navy would bend and make this concession. However, Kuzan immediately made it clear to Blackbeard that Koby is a member of SWORD and there is absolutely no way that the Government would make such a concession for him.

But, that was before Garp entered the equation. Now, Blackbeard has Garp at his disposal, who is an even bigger hero than Koby. Garp is the face of the Navy and a legend who has, for many years, protected countless people against powerful pirates. This is an individual that the Government might be willing to trade for and that is precisely what Blackbeard is currently going to be gambling on.

Garp’s Role In One Piece’s Endgame

Garp Is Far From Done In One Piece

Garp’s role in the endgame of One Piece is going to be spectacular. He’s likely going to begin his final role as a pawn in Blackbeard’s game. Blackbeard will ask the Government to trade Garp for official country status and it is highly likely that the Government will instead launch an attack on Blackbeard. Of course, against all odds, Oda can always shock the fans and see the Government agree to this term in order to save face in the world. However, it is highly unlikely that Garp’s compatriots, Sengoku and Tsuru, among others, will attack the Pirate Island with full force, forcing Blackbeard to enter an all-out war. To the Navy, Garp’s survival is of utmost importance and at the same time, pirates cannot be allowed to roam the seas and rule over islands with such impunity. All things considered, the Blackbeard Pirates will likely be facing a massive war very soon and when that happens, Garp will likely be freed from his shackles and out once again.

It is likely that Blackbeard will abandon this combat because he is known to flee when he knows that the tides of the battle could shift against him. In fact, recently, even when he was to fight against Rayleigh, he decided not to do that and this was even when Rayleigh admitted that he could not defeat Blackbeard. He is a man who likes to avoid unnecessary confrontation, and a battle against the Navy right now would not suit him. Blackbeard could abandon this battle, give up Garp, and move on to the next objective. This would free up Garp for something more important later down the line, which is the battle against the World Government.

Fans know that Garp absolutely despises the Celestial Dragons. If there is an insurgency within the ranks of the Navy led by the good guys against those of the Celestial Dragons, especially when the evils of the organization are made public, thanks to people such as Vegapunk, then Garp would not hesitate to fight back against them. Essentially, Garp could end up joining the massive revolution taking place against the Celestial Dragons and fighting against the oppressors of the world.