No one could believe their eyes when Oda revealed that Monkey D. Dragon used to be part of the Marines in the past. Ever since this reveal, fans have been eager to see the flashback of Dragon working in the Marines and what made him quit the Marines later on. One arc later, we got to see Dragon donning the Marine outfit in the God Valley incident flashback. Throughout this flashback, we saw the horrors that the World Government was sneakily committing with the help of the Marines through the eyes of Monkey D. Dragon. Now, Oda has showcased the moment Dragon chose to walk away from the Marines in One Piece chapter 1166.
Spoilers Warning: This article contains spoilers about Monkey D. Dragon in One Piece. Proceed with caution.
Why Did Dragon Leave the Marines in One Piece?
We were surprised to see a 17-year-old Monkey D. Dragon starting his career as a Marine during the God Valley incident. Since the start of his mission in God Valley, Dragon couldn’t understand why the Marines were harming and refusing the call for help from the citizens. Dragon began to realize the truth about the Marines that had been hiding in plain sight all the time.
Thus, Dragon decided to abandon his mission and help the citizens. He saved Kuma, Ivankov, and Ginny from their potential death by shooting a Celestial Dragon. Then tried to save the Figarland twins from his father. After he lost the twins on separate occasions, Dragon pointed a gun at his senior officers to let people on board the Marine ships. Dragon threw his Marine badge and chose to do the right thing on the fateful day.
Monkey D. Dragon’s actions on God Valley Island did have repercussions, as he was locked up inside the underground detention cell in Marine Headquarters. Dragon’s father, Monkey D. Garp, visited him in prison, and this was when Dragon made up his mind to quit the Marines. He no longer wanted to be part of an organization that didn’t value people’s lives.
And Dragon also remarked that he was disappointed in his father for still being part of the Marines after everything. While we learned that Garp chose to stay in the Marines to protect the young and future officers, Dragon couldn’t see it at that time. This was a pivotal moment in the One Piece series, as he would go on to form the Revolutionary Army and let the wind of change flow everywhere.
Monkey D. Dragon didn’t form the Revolutionary Army right after this moment, as he was only 17 years old at this point in the story. So we expect him to travel across the world and learn more about the harsh truths of the World Government, which will lead him to form the Revolutionary Army eventually.
