Why This Devil Fruit Makes Perfect Sense For Garling

Chapter 1125 of One Piece was among the most important ever released for the franchise. Not only did it show the death of an Elder who had been present for at least 400 years, but it also showed the otherworldly power of Imu. Another notable moment came right after Saturn’s death when the mysterious Saint Figarland Garling was promoted to the status of an Elder, filling in as the new Warrior God of Science and Defense.

Ever since his debut, fans have been debating about this character and just how strong he could be. Present during the infamous God Valley Incident, Garling is already confirmed to be an incredibly powerful fighter, but one whose strength is currently unknown. So, let’s break down his potential Devil Fruit to see why it makes perfect sense for him to have it as One Piece finally enters its Final Saga, where he will play a massive role.

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Who Is St. Figarland Garling?

The Father of An Incredibly Important Character

The current information about Garling is very brief, but it does give an insight into how strong he is as well as how important his contributions to the rule of the Celestial Dragons have been. From the time of the God Valley Incident until very recently in the manga, Garling was the Supreme Commander of the Gods’ Knights; the elite warriors of the World Nobles and the ones who act as a police force in their ranks. As the leader, Garling is the only person who has the authority to execute another Celestial Dragon.

Ever since Saturn’s death at the hands of Imu following his failure on Egghead, Garling has been promoted to an Elder, surely increasing his power from before. Moreover, he is also very likely to be the father of Shanks, one of the Emperors of the Sea, as was explained in One Piece: Red that Shanks belongs to the Figarland family, along with their likeness in Garling’s youth. Because of this, Garling is already in the top tier of strength in One Piece.

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The Perfect Devil Fruit For Garling

A Powerful Mythical Zoan Type Devil Fruit

To explain which Devil Fruit, as well as what category, would be perfect for Garling, one must first look at the rest of the Gorosei to notice a trend. While it’s never outright confirmed that the 5 Elders are Devil Fruit users, their showings on Egghead lend credence to the idea that their powers come from terrifying new Devil Fruit abilities that are somehow controlled by Imu, particularly those of the Mythical Zoan category.

The main reason for this is the fact that each of the 5 transformations shown was a mythical beast from Japanese or other kinds of folklore, which, along with the designs and the ribbon of fire around them that hints at an awakened state, show that these are special kinds of Mythical Zoan Devil Fruits. Because of this, one can surmise that Garling will likely have the power of a fruit from this category as well, which is most probably the Mythical Zoan Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Fenrir.

There are many reasons why this may be the case. Firstly, the powers of the 5 Elders allow them to transform into powerful beasts from myths that all have negative connotations to them, particularly the fact that these transformations are seen as evil or have some relation to the concept of death. In Norse mythology, Fenrir was the great wolf that killed the chief deity, Odin, and started the world-ending events of Ragnarök, which fits into this trend.

Second of all, it makes thematic sense with the Figarland family as well. In Norse mythology, Fenrir had two children by the names of Sköll and Hati, who were responsible for the day and night cycle of the world. Sköll chases the sun while Hati chases the moon, which can also be seen as an allegory for what Garling’s sons may be representative of. In this instance, Shanks would represent Skoll, as he chases Sun God Nika (Luffy) in a bid to shed light on the world, while Hati is represented by his recently revealed twin in Chapter 1134, who seeks to keep the world shrouded in darkness by keeping the rule of the Celestial Dragons.

Moreover, the greatest hint of why this fruit would be perfect for Garling is because of its symbolism, since Oda is famous for taking things from real life and using them in his story. While the rest of the Elders are all named after planets in our Solar System, Garling is a notable exception to this rule. However, through the use of the Fenrir Fruit, he could fit into this trend very well.

This is because Fenrir is the name of a moon of the planet Saturn. Seeing as how the name of Saturn has no further use due to the death of the character, it lines up perfectly to have Garling step in as the Warrior God of Science and Defense, since Fenrir has always orbited Saturn, symbolically showing that his Devil Fruit has given him the power to become the newest member of the 5 Elders.

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One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates’ ultimate treasure, the One Piece, in order to become the next king. The manga’s popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.

Release Date

October 20, 1999

Seasons

20

Creator

Eiichiro Oda

Number of Episodes

1122

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