Why Did Garp Save Koby And Not Ace?

Garp has always been one of the most interesting characters in the entirety of One Piece. Being a relic of the older generation, yet still teeming with massive amounts of strength, Garp always seems to be a fan favorite whenever he manages to find some screen time. Plus, being the protagonist of One Piece, Monkey D. Luffy’s grandfather, as well as one of the strongest Navy soldiers in the series, it seems like Garp will always be relevant in some way to the story overall.

However, being a part of the Navy, the group that actively conflicts with his grandson – a pirate – has left many fans questioning Garp’s true moral compass in One Piece. One specific moral dilemma for Garp’s character that many fans question is his decision to let his adopted grandson, Ace, die at the hands of the future Fleet Admiral, Akainu, when he could have stepped in and rescued him. Although this moment is easily explained on its own, things get a bit more complicated when, later in the series, Garp rescues Koby, going as far as potentially sacrificing his own life to give the young Navy soldier a second chance.

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Garp Decided To Save Koby In One Piece

He Could Have Saved Ace During Marineford As Well

During the war at Marineford in One Piece, Garp had a very interesting emotional storyline throughout the arc. Being the adopted grandfather of Ace, the one being executed, Garp struggled morally with carrying out his duties as a Marine. Due to this conflict, while the Hero of the Navy, Garp, seemed to be on the side of the Navy, he took a far less active role than he normally would have during the Paramount War. However, all in all, Garp supported the Navy’s decision to execute Ace, no matter how much pain it caused him.

However, later on, Koby is captured by the Blackbeard Pirates and taken as a prisoner on the pirate island of Hichinosu. At this point in the series, Koby, being a member of SWORD, isn’t officially a part of the Navy and has resigned. Despite this, Garp still leads a mission to rescue Koby, raiding Blackbeard’s territory. Ultimately, although they were able to rescue Koby, Garp was defeated and captured by Kuzan, where he remains even in the current chapters of the story.

Garp Personally Despises The Idea Of Pirates In One Piece

In Garp’s Mind Ace Has Earned His Execution

• At The End Of The Day Garp Is A Marine
• Garp Also Learned From His Past Mistakes

First off, the easiest explanation as to why Garp saved Koby and not Ace has to do with their allegiances. Ace is a pirate, the sworn enemy of the Navy in One Piece, and something that Garp personally disagrees with. While he loves his grandson, he still views him as a criminal who has done enough wrong to deserve an execution. On the other hand, Koby is a young and promising Marine soldier, as well as being incredibly morally just. While Ace is nice as well, saving a pirate as the Hero of the Navy isn’t the same as saving another member of the Navy.

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At the same time, another reason Garp saved Koby and not Ace in One Piece may come from Garp’s character growth over the time skip. Garp, like many other characters in One Piece, is not a static character. After seeing the death of his grandson, especially since he sat idly by and let it happen, Garp didn’t want to make the same mistake when another person he cared about was in danger. Due to this, Garp was incredibly proactive in saving Koby, simply because he didn’t want to make the same mistake twice.

Garp Tried To Save Ace The Best Way He Could

He Let Both Ace And Luffy Go

Finally, although some fans believe that Garp wasn’t actively trying to save Ace, during One Piece’s Paramount War, Garp actually did a lot to make the rescue mission for Ace a success. Although he didn’t directly attack his superiors, Garp did allow Ace and Luffy to pass, even when he could have easily stopped them. Overall, if Garp really wanted Ace to get executed, he would have stopped them both well before Akainu had the chance.

In the end, while most people view this question as a meme, there are plenty of reasons why Garp would save the Navy Solidier, Koby in One Piece, and not Ace. Mainly, Garp was unable to save Ace due to his position as the Hero of the Navy. However, at the same time, Garp may have also grown as a character, learning to prioritize family over the honor of the Marines in One Piece.

One Piece

Release Date

October 20, 1999

Network

Fuji TV

Directors

Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou

• 

  Mayumi Tanaka

  Monkey D. Luffy (voice)

• 

  Kazuya Nakai

  Roronoa Zoro (voice)