While fans expected to spend their time exploring the homeland of the Giants in the ongoing Elbaf arc, Prince Loki’s flashback is revealing some unexpected secrets in the story, including the origins of the Rocks Pirates, Kuja Pirates, and many more. We have always dreamed of witnessing more of the clashes between Monkey D. Garp and Gol D. Roger, and it became a reality in One Piece chapter 1156. Moreover, a vital piece of information was shared during their battle, which heavily highlights the fact that Koby is destined to be the next Garp, and he has an important role to play in the final war.
Spoilers Warning: This article contains spoilers about Koby and Garp from the One Piece manga. Proceed with caution.
One may notice that Koby is often left out in the fan discussions about the strongest characters in One Piece in the new era. I can understand why, though, as our Marine captain’s impressive feats happened off-screen, such as earning the hero epithet after the Rocky Port Incident.
While fans continue to prefer characters such as Kid, Law, and others over Koby, the author has made it clear that Koby is one of the major contenders for One Piece in chapter 1121, where the other fan-favorite characters didn’t appear.
Coming back to the present, Oda once again hinted at Koby’s future role in One Piece chapter 1156. When Roger Pirates were trying to capture Shakky, Monkey D. Garp intervened in this incident, and it quickly turned into a battlefield where these two titans clashed. During this legendary duel in their youth, the One Piece narrator stated that “Roger, Garp, and Rocks were the three characters who would go on as the legends in the Great Pirate era.”
History, as we have seen time and time again, tends to repeat itself in One Piece. Thus, if you look at the current era, the parallels to Roger, Rocks, and Garp would be Monkey D. Luffy, Blackbeard, and finally, Koby, respectively. These three are bound to shape history just like the legends used to do it back then.
Many fans believe Luffy and Koby may team up in the future to defeat Blackbeard, just like Roger and Garp collaborated to take down Rocks D. Xebec, who is revealed to be Blackbeard’s father in the manga, during the God Valley Incident.
Koby may not have achieved any legendary feats so far, but he is on the right path. He is the star protege of Garp, and his training with the legend has slowly turned him into one of the strongest Marines right now. Koby has come a long way from just a scaredy cabin boy to the admired captain of the Marines. Do not undermine Koby’s strength, as the captain proved his might recently in the Egghead arc with his Honesty Impact.
Moreover, you can also make an estimate of his strength based on the Cross Guild‘s bounty system. While typical Marine captains have a 1-star bounty grade, Koby has five stars equal to that of a vice-admiral. Koby has repeatedly emphasized that he wouldn’t hold back against Luffy and is actively working to stop Luffy from achieving his dream. Now, don’t assume these actions as Koby’s evil intentions. Koby may have been inspired by Luffy to become a Marine, but he has to put his badge before anything.
Besides, we are sure that Luffy and Koby will share a deep bond with mutual respect similar to Roger and Garp. It is clear that Koby carries the flame of his mentor, Garp, in the new era. Koby may live in the shadows right now, but he is a work-in-progress, and his stellar moment is coming soon in the story.
Therefore, don’t sleep on Koby and let us know if you think Koby will live up to the levels of Luffy and Blackbeard in the comments below.
