Does Garp die in ‘One Piece’?

One Piece’s Monkey D. Garp is a legend among both Marines and pirates alike. Not only is he Luffy’s grandfather (and the man who raised him since Luffy’s dad was out of the picture), he’s also a respected Marine Vice Admiral capable of great feats like throwing cannonballs with his hands. Since his first appearance in Water 7, Luffy’s grandpa has become one of our favorite supporting characters.

It’s hard to imagine a One Piece without Garp but the man’s getting on in years. And while One Piece is known for not killing characters — Pell famously “sacrificed” himself only to survive what was essentially a nuclear explosion — characters do die. Is Garp one of them? 

Garp’s fate in One Piece

The short answer is: we don’t know. Garp was last seen during a conflict with the Blackbeard Pirates and things definitely didn’t look good for the guy. 

You want the long answer? After Koby was kidnapped by the Blackbeard Pirates, Garp led the charge to recover him and the mission started off well at first. Though no longer as strong as he was in his glory days, Garp was able to break off a chunk of the island with his fist (not as impressive as crushing mountains, but it’ll do). Unfortunately, Garp didn’t plan on running into a hostile Kuzan. 

Surrounded by enemies, Garp directly took a blow through the chest in order to protect Koby. Garp then ordered Koby and the rest of the marines to escape to safety. As they left the island, Garp was once again stabbed in the chest, this time by Kuzan’s ice. The last panel we see with Garp shows him covered in ice and laughing with the ice spear sticking out of his chest. 

It’s not a reach to believe Garp died of his wounds, considering they should be fatal, but the fact remains that we don’t know his current condition. I have to admit, it didn’t look good for him when we last saw him; aside from two stab wounds, people who inherited the Will of D die laughing. It did look as if Kuzan’s ice was potentially spreading up Garp in that last panel so it’s possible Kuzan actually saved Garp’s life by preserving him in ice. Kuzan sounded pretty convincing when he started arguing with Garp but maybe even this is all part of some bigger plan.

Until we get another update, it looks like we have to declare Garp missing in action for now. Here’s hoping he sticks around!