This article explores the connection between Dragon and Garling and why this hints at their inevitable fight in the Final War.

The old-era flashback during One Piece's Elbaf arc has finally given fans an intricate look at the state of the world during the time of characters who are now remembered as legends, such as Roger, Rocks, Whitebeard, and Garp. There have been some incredible details and reveals made during this flashback that not only explain the state of the world from decades ago, but also lay the groundwork for where the story will go in the future.

One of the greatest of these reveals was one that fans actually saw coming, but were happy to see it regardless. This was the inclusion of Monkey D. Dragon in God Valley, which showed the mythical figure in his early days as an upstart recruit in the Navy, where he played a major role against the goals of the Celestial Dragons. However, this may have also just revealed Dragon's ultimate foe in One Piece's Final War.

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Dragon's Role During The God Valley Incident Was Incredibly Important

The Only True Hero

First Appearance	One Piece, Chapter 100, "The Legend Has Begun"
Story Arc	Loguetown

From the very start of the franchise, Dragon's role has always been one of the most intriguing. Despite the obvious reverence he holds in the world and the weight that his name carries, Dragon has been incredibly inactive in the grand scheme of things, leading many fans to make jokes and memes about what he actually does. However, the incredible flashback during the Elbaf arc, which greatly delves into the intricacies of the old era of One Piece, finally sheds some light on Dragon's development.

It was known that he started his career as a Marine, and many fans correctly assumed that he, too, was present at God Valley. This flashback did wonders to confirm Dragon as one of the only true heroes in the entire story, since he went out of his way to disobey the orders of his commanding officers just to protect the ordinary civilians of the island. The most surprising thing here, however, was that Dragon was the one directly responsible for the fates of Shanks and Shamrock.

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Dragon's Fight In The Final War Will Be Against St. Figarland Garling

The Greatest Revolutionary vs. The Greatest Celestial

These two legends are destined to battle.

It has been confirmed ever since One Piece: Red that Shanks is actually a Celestial Dragon, with Garling as his father. The Elbaf flashback went into a lot of detail regarding the world in the past and showed that Garling has proven himself to be the most vile and despicable of all the World Nobles, since he mercilessly killed Shanks' mother upon meeting her again and claiming that he would take his children with him to Marijoa.

After the arrival of the Marines on God Valley, Dragon would finally witness the cruelty, racism, and bigotry of the Celestial Dragons firsthand, where they would carry out the cleansing of entire populations of islands for their own amusement. This completely went against Dragon's values and his inherent code of justice, as he has always been someone who has prioritized the protection of the innocent above all else. Due to this, he abandoned his squad on the island and went out on a mission to save whomever he could.

Where the hell did that Dragon kid go?! Don't tell me he went to meddle with what's happening on the island!

Eventually, he came across Shanks' mother, who, with her final breaths, asked Dragon to protect her children from their father. Because of this, Dragon then carried Shanks and Shamrock in the midst of a destructive battle between the Gods' Knights, Rocks Pirates, Roger Pirates, and a Navy contingent led by Garp in order to protect them. Though fans have to wait for Chapter 1161 to find out how this all played out, it can be surmised that it was Dragon who put Shanks in one of the prize chests. A common theory states that Shamrock was put into a different chest which was unfortunately taken by the Celestial Dragons.

In any case, this entire scene provides the perfect details and context about who Dragon's endgame fight could be, which is none other than St. Figarland Garling. The connections between these two were already quite apparent, but this God Valley flashback has put yet another point to this, as it shows how Dragon went directly against the desires and needs of Garling despite being in a position where he should have been subservient to him.

Garling decides to execute Mjosgard - One Piece

This provides the perfect framework for Garling to hold a personal vendetta against the revolutionary, with Dragon also hating the Celestial due to what he saw on the island. Moreover, both of them enjoy similar positions of power in the world, with Dragon being the leader of the Revolutionary Army, which is the most powerful organization that opposes the World Government directly, and Garling having a similar role as the new Warrior God of Science and Defense within the Five Elders.

It's known that the Final War will have Luffy fight against Imu, so his most powerful allies must also fight against Imu's strongest subordinates. Some connections here are quite clear, such as Zoro being destined to battle St. Nusjuro. Just like that, it's very likely that Garling will go up against Dragon due to their similarities and connections, and while some think it should be Shanks who fights Garling, his most probable matchup is his twin brother Shamrock.

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