Monkey D. Garp is a legendary hero in the One Piece world and a character almost all fans absolutely adore. He's one of the very few characters within the Navy that fans have come to like over the years and much of that is down to the fact that he is quite like Luffy when it comes to personality. Garp is a character who shaped the lives of Luffy and Dragon at the same time. Even though he is one of the enemies of the protagonist of the story, Garp has a kind heart and has nothing but love and sympathy for his family.
Although he is quite an impeccable character, Garp's life has been marked with tragedy from the get-go. He has lost nearly all his students, other than Koby, and seen his family become criminals in front of him. What's even worse is that one of his grandsons ended up dying in front of his eyes without him being able to do anything about it. This tragedy that has always circled his character might come in a full circle as Garp himself faces death now in the manga.
Garp Vs The Blackbeard Pirates
Garp is one of the oldest characters in One Piece and Oda has previously shown that he can very well dispose of old characters with Whitebeard during the Paramount War. A very similar situation unfolded in front of the eyes of the fans when Captain Koby of the Marines was abducted by the Blackbeard Pirates and taken to the Pirate Island, Hachinosu. Koby is a beloved pupil of Garp and he simply could not just let Blackbeard do whatever he wanted with him. As a result, Garp took as many Navy officers with him as possible and headed to the Pirate Island to take on Blackbeard himself. Thankfully, Blackbeard was not on the island as he was engaging Law on a stretch of the ocean somewhere else entirely.
However, things were not easy for Garp as the Pirate Island was filled with vicious ship captains of the Blackbeard Pirates, including the former Marine Admiral, Aokiji. Things got even more complicated when the relationship between Kuzan and Garp was explored further and it was made clear that these two share a very rich history and that Kuzan was actually the most beloved pupil of Garp, just as Koby is right now. Fighting against Kuzan, a former Marine Admiral, on top of all the Ship Captains of the Blackbeard Pirates was an uphill task for Garp, undoubtedly, however, he was seen putting up quite a good fight regardless, dealing with everything thrown his way effortlessly.
Garp's Injury
While Garp was in control for the vast majority of this fight despite the incredible numbers that the Blackbeard Pirates had on their side, things changed when Koby fell into a very simple trap laid by the Blackbeard Pirates. Having secured every single slave on the island as well as successfully retrieved all the injured Marines, Garp ordered for the Marines to pull back and get to safety. The Pirate Island is full of pirates and they never stop coming, no matter how much one fights. It was a very smart decision by Garp as fighting there would only mean needlessly wasting his energy and eventually, Blackbeard would also return, which would only complicate things even further.
While Garp ordered for an escape, Koby stupidly fell into a trap laid by the Blackbeard Pirates, which opened him up for an attack by Shiryu. Knowing the strength of Shiryu, Koby would most certainly have died had this attack landed, however, Garp decided to intervene and took the brunt of the attack by himself. Consequently, he was pierced right through his gut with a very lethal attack that was fully coated in Haki. This flipped the script quite a bit as it weakened Garp, which was mentioned by Oda in the chapter himself.
Despite receiving this injury, Garp still continued to find an even knocked down Shiryu with ease. What's more, Kuzan returned to fight Garp once again and the two punched each other in their faces with powerful Haki-clad blows, sending the other flying backwards. Clearly, where Garp once held an advantage, he doesn't anymore since he has weakened considerably.
Will Garp Die?
One Piece chapter 1087 ended with Garp lying on the floor and the Fourth Ship Captain, Avalo Pizarro going for the Navy ship that had secured its escape from the Pirate Island previously. Pizarro is going to try to sink the Navy ship and with Garp on the floor, he won't get a better opportunity to do this. However, it must be noted that Garp isn't out of commission just yet and can very well get up and stop Pizarro's advances. Fans should expect that to happen in the next chapter of One Piece, given that Garp did mention to Koby that justice will prevail no matter what. From here onwards, Garp will likely put on a show and send Koby, Gruss, and Helmeppo to safety.
In doing so, he would leave himself behind on the Pirate Island as a decoy, which would mean that his chances of survival will go even lower. Fans have been wondering whether Garp will die or not for quite a while now and this could become a reality at any moment in the future of the story. Garp certainly does have red flags all over him. Especially, when this situation is compared to that of the Paramount War. Whitebeard faced similar injuries and every fan knows that he ended up dying in this war. Garp could end up facing a similar fate, however, looking back at the clues that Oda provided previously, it is likely that the Blackbeard Pirates will keep him as a hostage instead of killing him, for one major reason.
When Blackbeard captured Koby, he planned on using him as a bargaining chip in order to get country status for the Pirate Island from the Government. He believed that since Koby is a Hero, the Government will bend to his will. Now, Blackbeard has lost Koby, however, he will have gained an even bigger Hero of the Marines in return. Garp is much bigger than Koby will ever be and if Koby would not bend the Government to his will, Garp might, which is why he is an invaluable asset for Blackbeard.
The Repercussions Of The Decision
Fans should expect Garp to stay behind on the Pirate Island and fight all the members of the group all by himself. This clash might well be off-screened after the Navy ship is protected by the Vice Admiral, however, at a later point in the story or, perhaps, even in the very next chapter, fans will likely see Garp having been defeated. Blackbeard will eventually return to the island and Garp will be used as a prisoner and a bargaining chip against the Government. Naturally, the Government won't give in to his ridiculous demands and will wage war on the Blackbeard Pirates instead. This is even truer given the current condition of the One Piece world.
The era has not been more turbulent ever and the Government needs to restore balance somehow. The war with the Revolutionary Army has already called the God's Knights into action and Kizaru is already leading a 100 ship fleet to Egghead Island, which also includes one of the Five Elders, Jaygarcia Saturn.
It is very likely that another war will be declared very soon, this time by the Government on the Blackbeard Pirates in order to secure the freedom of Garp. Sengoku and Tsuru will likely be influential characters in this war and fans might even see more powerful characters of the World Government descent from the Marijoa and join this war since their numbers might be lacking. The other Admirals, such as Fujitora and Greenbull might also be involved in this war. After all, Oda did mention that the Final Saga of One Piece will be a free for all battle royale and that is precisely what appears to be going on currently.