Despite his accomplishments, Garp always refuses to be an Admiral, and the reason is actually a lot simpler than you might think.

The world of One Piece is filled with people who rule the Oceans through the power of Devil Fruits. With powers like earthquakes or lava, they are literally monsters who roam the sea. However, that doesn’t mean one needs to acquire the power of a devil fruit in order to thrive in the merciless sea of One Piece. As a matter of fact, there are people who never consumed a devil fruit, and yet they can go head-to-head with those monsters.

One of the most famous people from this special group is none other than Luffy’s grandfather, Monkey D. Garp. He is the hero of the Marine and pretty much one of the strongest beings on the planet. Interestingly enough, with such undeniable strength, influence, and achievements, Garp is still a mere Vice Admiral. Why is that?

Monkey D. Garp, The Hero of The Marine

Before we get to his reasons, let’s talk about the man himself for a minute. Monkey D. Garp is one of the most powerful, experienced, and respected Marines. His name is known and admired not only by his fellow Marines, but also by regular people all around the world. After all, he managed to climb to near the summit of the Marine without the aid of a devil fruit’s power.

There are three main weapons that Garp uses in order to help the civilians and punish the pirates. The first one is his inhuman strength. Garp can easily destroy a building just through the sheer power of his muscles alone. The next one is his extreme proficiency in Haki. Similar to masters like Shanks or Rayleigh, the level of Garp’s Haki is so high that he can basically take on any opponent with ease. Last but not least is simply his peerless mental fortitude. Those three are the only weapons that Garp needs in order to be the Hero of the Marine.

The Truth About The God Valley Incident

Speaking of being Hero of the Marine, Garp earned that nickname because of his achievement during the God Valley Incident. That was the day when the world’s most dangerous pirate at the time, the Rocks Pirate, was annihilated. And the one that managed to do that is none other than Monkey D. Garp. Considering Rock Pirate consist of legends-in-the-making such as the young Whitebeard, Kaido, Big Mom, and there’s also their ruthless captain, Rocks D. Xebec, defeating them was certainly an incredibly high achievement. Which was why Garp ended up becoming the Hero of the Marine.

At an island that now no longer appears on the map, the God Valley, the legendary Rocks Pirate clashed with the Marine, led by Garp. It was an intense battle and lots of people lost their lives during that incident, but Garp managed to emerge victorious at the end. At least that is the official version of the story that the World Government announced to the public.

The truth, however, is not as simple as that. For starters, while the real reasons behind that battle is never disclosed, we know that the God Valley Incident has something to do with the Celestial Dragons, the direct descendants of the founding of the World Government. According to former Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Garp entered the battle in order to protect the Celestial Dragon. Garp himself actually couldn’t care less about those pretentious nobles. On the contrary, he hates them very much. However, his position as a Marine’s Vice Admiral demands him to protect them at all costs.

However, the Rocks Pirate was not an enemy that can be tackled alone, no matter how strong you might be. That is why Garp actually joined forces with another superpower, Gol D. Roger, the future Pirate King. This means in order to subdue one pirate, Garp needed the help from another pirate. He may have had a relatively good relationship with Roger, but as a Marine, that was still an unacceptable situation. Which is why despite the Marine and people around the world lauding him as a Hero, Garp himself still considers the God Valley Incident as a shameful chapter in his life.

Why Garp Refuse to Be An Admiral

The God Valley Incident left an eternal mark in Garp’s memory, particularly the parts about Roger and the Celestial Dragons. That being said, while getting help from a pirate is quite a shameful experience, the one that he hates the most is actually the fact that he had to protect the Celestial Dragons.

He hates the fact that so many people have to lose their lives in order to help a group of nobles that always looks down on the common people and treats them like lesser beings.Garp hated them then, and he still hates them now. But he still loves being a Marine so much, which is why he sticks around till this day, as a Vice Admiral. To be fair though, the Marine has repeatedly offered the position of Admiral to Garp, but he always refuses that promotion.

So why did Garp refuse to be an Admiral? Why did he stay as a Vice Admiral despite his countless achievements? After all, with such an illustrious career and countless achievements, Garp more than earned the rights to be an Admiral. It’s not even an exaggeration to say that he should be able to stand on top of the Marine as the Fleet Admiral after Sengoku.

Well, the answer is simply because he doesn’t want to have anything to do with the Celestial Dragons. After all, Admirals of the Marine have to answer directly to the Celestial Dragons, and have to quickly come to their aid whenever they encounter a problem. To Garp, that is the definition of a nightmare. That is why he never wanted to be an Admiral.