Who is Kong in ‘One Piece’ and how did he become Commander-in-Chief of the World Government?

As One Piece continues into its Final Saga, Eiichiro Oda is finally revealing the answers to mysteries fans have long speculated about, from the true nature of Luffy’s devil fruit to the entity ruling over the World Government. Imu and the Five Elders might be the ones pulling the strings but there’s one other high-ranking government official who could soon appear and shake up the world of One Piece.

I’m of course talking about Kong, the current commander-in-chief of the World Government. His position means he’s only under Imu and the Five Elders in rank and like them, he remains mostly a mystery.

Who is Kong in One Piece?

Kong was first introduced in One Piece chapter 0, a special chapter showing a battle between the Roger Pirates and the Golden Lion Pirates some three years before Roger would become the Pirate King. His next (and so far, last) appearance would be in chapter 594 when he has a meeting with Sengoku about his and Garp’s resignations.

Little is known about Kong but given his place in the World Government’s hierarchy, we can assume he’s incredibly strong. All marines above the rank of Vice Admiral are said to have Haki but it’s unknown which type(s) Kong possesses or whether he has a Devil Fruit power. Considering his rank, it’s honestly a bit shocking how little we’ve seen Kong in the series, but now that the World Government’s major players are appearing more frequently, Kong may have a bigger part to play in the Final Saga.

How did Kong become the World Government’s commander-in-chief?

When Kong was first introduced during Roger’s Era, he was the Fleet Admiral of the Marines which made him the most powerful person in the entire organization. Sometime after Roger’s piracy, Kong was promoted to the position of commander-in-chief of the World Government and he left his position to Sengoku after Garp refused. Although no longer a Marine, Kong shows he is proud of the organization and respects Sengoku and Garp, asking them to train the new generation of recruits.

There is a theory that Garp and Kong have more in common than just working together; some fans believe Kong is actually Garp’s dad, which would make him Dragon’s grandfather and Luffy’s great-grandfather. The main reasoning behind the theory is that Kong has a scar under his eye much like all the other members of Luffy’s family we’ve met. If this theory is true, it also means Kong’s full name would be Monkey D. Kong which would be a) hilarious and b) exactly the kind of silly wordplay Oda likes to use in One Piece. Until we see Kong again, it all remains a theory, but it’s likely the commander-in-chief will make an appearance now that the Straw Hats are so close to their goal.