By Charles Martinez In the world of One Piece, most characters are either pirates or agents working for Imu/The World Government. Yet, Monkey D. Dragon, Luffy’s father and one of the key characters in the story, chose an entirely different path and decided to make a group called the Freedom Fighters, which would later become the Revolutionary Army.
The reason has always been clear: Dragon simply did not align with the values of the World Government. However, he could have easily been a pirate instead. One Piece chapter 1160 finally revealed why Dragon chose a different path altogether.
The God Valley Incident Fueled Dragon’s Hatred of the World Government
One Piece chapter 1160 shows Dragon’s involvement in the God Valley Incident. As a Marine Cadet, he had to be present at God Valley to help in the preparations for the Native Hunting Competition. He quickly realized that his job was actually to capture native civilians and watch them die horrible deaths.
This did not sit right with Dragon. He later discovered the dying mother of Shanks and Shamrock, who begged him to save her children. He ran off with the two infants, but on his way, he came across the sights of innocent people being mercilessly killed just for the sake of the Nobles’ entertainment. He became disgusted at the cruelty but could not do anything since his entire platoon would be beheaded if he tried to protect the natives.
Dragon reached his breaking point when he saw one of the nobles trying to shoot the young Bartholomew Kuma. He could not help but shoot the noble in order to save Kuma’s life. After this, he had no choice but to flee with Shanks and Shamrocks. It is clear that he had internally rebelled against the World Government as soon as the God Valley Incident began. This shaped his later objective of creating the Revolutionary Army.
Monkey D. Dragon Paved His Own Path After Being Wary of Both World Government and Pirates
Now, the question arises, why didn’t Dragon just join the pirates if he was wary of the World Government? The answer is clear: he saw firsthand that the pirates were no better. When Rocks and Roger Pirates made landfall at the island, all of them were focused on saving Shakky. Not a single pirate mentioned the need to save the civilians.
There is a possibility that they actually did not know about the civilians who were being hunted, but Rocks is ultimately a villain and simply did not care about saving some natives. In fact, Rocks’ own child, Teach, was present on the island, but all that he cared about was kidnapping Shakky.
It didn’t take much time for Dragon to realize that the World Government is bad, but the pirates are no better either. He realized that he had to make a change, but could not do so if he joined either of the factions. Rather than choosing between two equally bad options, he decided to create his own group. His decision makes him a true rebel, and one who actually understands the needs of people.
Here is a table with more details about Dragon:
What do you think of Dragon’s journey? Let us know in the comments below.
One Piece manga is available to read on Viz Media, and the anime is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.
