One Piece 1166: Garp Breaks Ranks for Dragon — So Why Not for Ace?

Spoiler warning: One Piece chapter 1166 leaks ahead. If you are trying to stay clean till the official drop, bail now.

Alright, the latest leaks just lit a match under one of the series biggest family dramas. The big swing this week: Garp allegedly went against the Marines back in the day to save his own son, Monkey D. Dragon. Yes, the same Dragon who is enemy-of-the-state number one to the World Government. If true, that is a massive character beat for Garp and a neat bit of history rewiring.

So what do the leaks actually say?

According to the chapter 1166 leaks, Garp helped Dragon break out of prison years ago. The leaks frame it like it is essentially confirmed within the flashback context. Naturally, fans are already flipping the scenario: if Garp ends up imprisoned now, does Dragon pay that debt back and bust him out?

'Damn Garp broke dragon out of prison? How comes he's never been punished for insubordination'

That question is fair. Helping a wanted man escape is not a slap-on-the-wrist offense in Marine world. It is the kind of thing that usually earns you a trip to the gallows. But Garp is not a normal Marine, and that matters.

Why Garp got away with it

• Optics, optics, optics: The World Government cares a lot about its image. Garp is the Hero of the Marines. You do not publicly gut your folk hero unless you absolutely have to.
• God Valley clout: In the era right after God Valley, Garp was the guy who stood with Roger to stop Rocks. That kind of myth-making buys you leeway.
• Power over rank: On raw strength alone, Garp was basically the strongest Marine in his prime. You cannot force a guy like that to do much. Admirals included.
• Quiet discipline at best: At most, the Government could keep it internal - a pay cut, a stern warning - because no one could actually stop him.

But why save Dragon and not Ace?

This is the part that always stings. If Garp could bend the rules for Dragon, why not for Ace at Marineford? The leaks push a few angles that actually track with who Garp is.

First, there is the God Valley trauma. The flashback material keeps underlining how catastrophic that event was. The leaks even suggest that Rocks, as terrifying as he was, lost control under Imu's influence. Whether you buy every detail or not, the takeaway is clear: crossing the World Government without total control is a death sentence. Garp learned that the hard way.

So at Marineford, Garp freezes. Not because he does not love Ace, but because saving him in that moment would be choosing for him. Ace had made his adult choice to be a pirate and challenge the system. Garp tried to steer that kid away from this life when he was young; by the war, he defaults to his uniform and to Ace's agency, as messed up as that looks in the moment.

There is also the very practical factor: time and age. Garp was still a monster, but not the unstoppable force he used to be. A quiet jailbreak in the past? Different equation. A full-on public execution in the middle of a war with the entire world watching? That is a line even he could not cross without triggering something worse.

The messy, interesting fallout

If these leaks hold, they add a sharp wrinkle to Garp: a father who broke the law for his son once, then chose duty and consequence when the stakes got cosmic. Hypocrite, realist, or both? That is the conversation.

Also, the speculation loop is fun: if Garp is ever locked up now, does Dragon return the favor? That would be a wild symmetry move.

What do you think? Does Garp skate on the hypocrite label, or did he make the only call he could in each era?

If you want to catch up, One Piece is streaming on Crunchyroll, and the manga is available digitally via Viz Media.