Garp

Biodata

Power Progression

Background

Garp is a veteran Marine whose reputation rests on his fists rather than a Devil Fruit. He is credited with defeating Rocks, and his influence can be seen behind the arrests of many of Impel Down’s major prisoners. His standing makes him a symbol of justice—and an object of faith—for many Marine soldiers 101 106 150 184.

He raised Bai Yu alongside the younger boys and wanted his grandsons to become Marines. Ace’s departure as a pirate disappoints him, while Bai Yu’s eventual enlistment gives him renewed hope that someone in the family will carry on his justice 6 120 287.

Personality

Garp is boisterous, informal, and openly fond of food and leisure. He celebrates Bai Yu’s enlistment by paying for drinks, repeatedly boasts about his grandson’s talent, and snacks on rice crackers even during serious discussions. He considers the Fleet Admiral’s position a thankless job that demands too much concern for appearances 6 54 120 518.

His affection is often expressed through rough discipline. He uses his Fist of Love on Luffy, insists that the boy become a Marine, and initially proposes beating Bai Yu when he mistakenly thinks Bai Yu has refused instruction. Threats to his family can turn his usual cheerfulness into murderous anger within moments 6 8 28.

Despite his reckless reputation, Garp is not politically oblivious. Sengoku recognizes that his deliberately headlong manner helps prevent the World Government from viewing him as a rival power within the Marines. His loyalty nevertheless has limits: he repeatedly threatens to abandon the organization rather than allow Bai Yu or other Marines to be sacrificed 150 181 494.

Abilities & Skills

Physical Strength and Unarmed Combat

Garp is a pure taijutsu specialist whose physical training makes his strength difficult to reproduce through cloning 594.

• Effortlessly swings an iron ball as large as a warship 5.
• Punches through the Marine Headquarters building when attempting to strike a CP0 agent 106.
• Destroys numerous Sea Kings and punches a clear path through ten thousand meters of sea with an Armament Haki- and Ryuo-coated fist 537.
• Retains his full fighting ability after the Marines’ Devil Fruit powers are lost, leaving him their only fighter unaffected in that respect 518.
• Is identified by Sengoku as the strongest member of their four-man group during a later mission, with responsibility for covering the others and exploiting decisive openings 555.

Haki

Garp demonstrates all three types of Haki, as well as Ryuo 9 106 537.

• Armament Haki: Coats his fists for powerful strikes and can rapidly spread the coating across his body when intercepting an attack 9 555.
• Observation Haki: Locates Bai Yu among the coastal rocks before testing him with a surprise punch 9.
• Conqueror’s Haki: Releases a surge that shakes the headquarters office and building during his confrontation with CP0 106.
• Ryuo: Combines it with Armament Haki in the punch that clears the Sea Kings from his path 537.

Eight Gates Released

Garp pursues the Eight Gates Released as a way to break through what he considers the limits of his existing taijutsu. His interest is both personal and institutional: he wants to protect Bai Yu and give the Marines an advantage through systematic instruction 231.

• Reaches the Fifth Gate after one night and later demonstrates the Sixth Gate 238 336.
• Regards further mastery as a way to overcome the helplessness associated with an unspecified incident more than a decade earlier 238.
• Helps Sengoku seek access to the technique through Dorry and Brogy, unaware that Bai Yu taught it to them 231.

Movement, Swimming, and Endurance

• Geppo: Uses aerial steps to rush from a warship to Shimotsuki Island 28.
• Swimming: Crosses more than ten nautical miles of dangerous New World waters at extraordinary speed. Whitebeard recalls that the younger Garp could swim across the Calm Belt 280.
• Durability: A Sea King’s teeth shatter when it bites him while he is dozing 537.
• Endurance: Continues defending Marine Headquarters after five days without rest, remaining in better condition than Sengoku 654.

His strength does not eliminate every tactical disadvantage. Golden Lion’s floating islands and Kaido’s flight make pursuit difficult, while prolonged siege warfare can eventually exhaust even him 68 172 654.

Named Attacks

Instruction and Combat Assessment

• Participates in studying and spreading the Six Powers alongside Sengoku 218.
• Helps test Bai Yu’s newly awakened Haki and recognizes his extraordinary rate of development 9.
• Teaches Aokiji the importance of taijutsu and Haki, which Aokiji later credits as an advantage in prolonged combat 471.
• Recognizes the Eight Gates Released as a technique capable of raising an entire faction’s strength rather than empowering only one individual 218 231.

Equipment / Items

• Dog-Head Warship — His regular vessel, used during the East Blue recruitment and the search for Bai Yu 4 54 68.
• Extra-large chained iron ball — A warship-sized projectile used in Fist Bone Meteor 5.
• Coat of justice — Worn during his attempted rescue of Bai Yu at the dungeon tower 467.
• Rice crackers — His habitual snack; he also offers a packet to Tornado as a first-meeting gift 120 537.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Recruiting Bai Yu

Garp initially pursues Ace’s departing ship, but Bai Yu’s interception of his iron ball changes his priorities. He allows Ace to leave and works with Bogard to recruit Bai Yu into Marine Headquarters. Bai Yu agrees to join for his younger brothers’ sake, much to Garp’s delight 5 6.

After witnessing Bai Yu’s rapid Haki development, Garp promotes his grandson’s potential to Sengoku. When Bai Yu later kills Treasure, Garp proposes recommending him for Vice Admiral or Admiral Candidate 9 13 28.

Golden Lion and the Search

• Demands an immediate return to the East Blue after learning that Bai Yu left Loguetown with Golden Lion to protect its inhabitants 55.
• Brings Bai Yu’s companions back to Marineford and promises to mobilize headquarters resources to find him 68.
• Confronts Akainu for recalling Kizaru from the search, then challenges Akainu again when he questions the returning Bai Yu’s background and achievements 68 69 70.

Impel Down and the Five Elders

• Attempts to kill the CP0 messenger who implicates Bai Yu in the Impel Down riot; Sengoku diverts the attack and accompanies him to investigate 106.
• Wants to confront the Five Elders directly after their involvement in the scheme becomes clear, but Sengoku persuades him to leave the response to him 112.
• Begins taking a more active role in Bai Yu’s protection because he feels responsible for bringing him into an organization whose leaders have endangered him 120.

Confrontation with the Beasts Pirates

• Stations himself outside Wano and threatens to attack Beasts Pirates bases if Jack continues targeting Marine branches to draw Bai Yu out 149.
• Declares that he will give up being a Marine if necessary when Kaido and King threaten Bai Yu’s life 150.
• Pursues Kaido after learning that Bai Yu has killed Jack and is drawing the Emperor away from an evacuation 151.
• Forces Kaido and King to withdraw after Bai Yu disappears into the sea, threatening war if they attack the remaining Marines 180 181.
• Continues searching for Bai Yu and celebrates when his survival is confirmed 202 204.

Eight Gates and Bai Yu’s Retirement

Garp and Sengoku try to obtain the Eight Gates Released from Dorry and Brogy. Garp quickly advances in the technique, hoping greater strength will prevent him from being helpless when Bai Yu next faces danger 231 238.

He later swims to Bai Yu’s position following the Totto Land fighting, adding enough pressure to help make Kaido withdraw. Although unhappy about asking Bai Yu to retire at his peak, he supports retirement as a means of countering the Five Elders’ plot and strongly opposes Whitebeard’s attempts to recruit him 280 281 287.

Before Bai Yu goes to Mary Geoise, Garp tells Dragon that he is willing to give his life to open another path for his grandson 316.

Weakened Marine Headquarters

• Protests Sengoku’s forced resignation, arguing that removing experienced fighters during several simultaneous crises endangers the Marines 347.
• Remains involved despite receiving an idle post, including rushing to rescue Bai Yu from a dungeon tower he mistakes for an enemy trap 467.
• Supports Bai Yu’s refusal of the Fleet Admiral position after the loss of the Marines’ Devil Fruit powers 518.
• Agrees to join a four-person expedition to another world to obtain new powers 537.
• Saves Kizaru from a sudden attack and accepts a covering role while Sengoku and Akainu lead the assault 555.

Siege of Marineford

Garp holds the line during the prolonged siege of Marine Headquarters, destroying monsters hidden among the Sea Kings and saving Sengoku from an attack aimed at his heart. He also watches over the weakened Whitebeard while recognizing that the defenders cannot endure attrition indefinitely 654 655.

When the Five Elders arrive with resurrected Devil Fruit users and two hundred Pacifistas, Garp joins the defenders in preparing to fight to the death. He subsequently competes with the others for a suit of armor, loudly volunteering to be beaten within an inch of his life to obtain one 656 659.

Relationships

• Bai Yu — Grandson in name and Garp’s hope for carrying on Marine justice. Garp recruits him, champions his achievements, and repeatedly places his safety above rank or orders 6 120 280 316.
• Luffy — Biological grandson. Garp wants him to become a Marine and uses the Fist of Love to discipline him 6 77.
• Ace — Grandson who becomes a pirate despite Garp’s wishes. Garp initially tries to stop his departure and later resents his place aboard Whitebeard’s ship 5 287.
• Bogard — Trusted adjutant and shipboard instructor who has followed him for decades. His calm judgment frequently restrains Garp’s impulsive decisions 5 13 150.
• Sengoku — Longtime comrade who understands both Garp’s temper and his political position. They argue, trade insults, and repeatedly protect one another 106 347 494 654.
• Dragon — Shares Garp’s determination to protect Bai Yu; Garp privately tells him he will sacrifice himself if another escape route is needed 316.
• Aokiji — Credits following Garp with teaching him the importance of physical combat and Haki 471.
• Whitebeard — Both enemy and friend. Garp opposes his efforts to recruit Bai Yu but later fights alongside him and looks out for his weakened condition 287 655.
• Kaido — An adversary repeatedly confronted over threats to Bai Yu and the Marines. Garp uses both personal strength and the threat of wider war to deter him 149 180 181.
• Five Elders — Increasingly hostile superiors whose schemes against Bai Yu provoke Garp’s open defiance 112 202 292.

Notable Quotes

“My grandson has the makings of an Admiral!” 13

“So this time, if Kaido dares to act out of line, he'll have to step over my corpse first!” 120

“None of you fight me for it! Bai Yu, please beat me within an inch of my life! I just want a suit of armor!” 659