More importantly, where are Luffy’s child support payments? Luffy’s mom is a no show, Luffy’s dad could at least step up and take care of his son. Sure, Luffy is one of the most powerful characters in all of One Piece, but even he needs emotional support once in a while.
Put it this way: Luffy’s daddy might be a deadbeat when it comes to parenting, but he’s far from a schmuck in all other avenues of life. Luffy’s father is Monkey D. Dragon, the man who currently leads the Revolutionary Army. The Revolutionary Army? What’s that? Glad you asked! The Revolutionary Army is one of the most powerful paramilitary organizations in the world, and the only one that is in direct opposition to the World Government. Unlike the Seven Warlords of the Sea who are loosely allied with the World Government and the Four Emperors who couldn’t care about the Celestial Dragons one way or another, the Revolutionary Army is actively attempting to bring the WG down. As the leader of the Revolutionary Army, The World Nobles of Mary Geoise have christened Monkey D. Dragon as the “World’s Worst Criminal.” And he’s not even that bad!
Monkey D. Dragon: A Biography
Monkey D. Dragon is the son of Monkey D. Garp, grandaddy of Monkey D. Luffy. Little is known about his early life except that he was born 55 years ago in the Goa Kingdom. Looks damn good for his age. Taking after his father, Monkey D. Dragon joined the Marines in his younger years. His tenure in the Marines was short lived, as their definition of justice (i.e. exterminate enemies of the state with no regard for the lives of innocent bystanders) didn’t fly with his own. At thirty, Dragon was the captain of a small band of seafaring guerrillas called The Freedom Fighters. Despite the group’s small size and struggles with funding, Dragon managed to make a name for himself as a feared paramilitary leader.
After the Ohara Incident—the mass destruction of the island of Ohara by the World Government as punishment for illegal Poneglyph research—Monkey D. Dragon made a vow to create a military force capable of resisting such an attack. In the spirit of regime toppling, Dragon and his comrade Emporio Ivanko would soon mount a rescue mission of Bartholomew Kuma and Ginny, overthrowing the corrupt King Bekori of Sorbet Kingdom in the process. Their success caused the group to officially found the Revolutionary Army. Soon, Monkey D. Dragon’s anti-establishment views began to spread, causing countless recruits to join the Revolutionary Army, and plunged a number of countries into political revolution. Dragon’s status-quo shaking actions at this time would cause the World Government to grant him his “World’s Worst Criminal” epithet.
At the age of 36, Dragon and an unknown woman conceived a child—not just any child, an anime protagonist. Monkey D. Luffy was born! Rather than take care of his son, Dragon handed baby Luffy off to his own father, Garp. He didn’t tell a soul about his child, not even his closest friend and Revolutionary Army cofounder Emporio Ivanko. Dragon wouldn’t see his son again until Luffy’s teenage years. During the East Blue Saga, Dragon found a wanted poster of his son that said he was in Loguetown. There, Dragon saved Luffy from an attack from the Marine Captain Smoker, though he hid is identity from his son. Luffy eventually learned of his father’s identity after being told by Garp while at Water 7. In typical Luffy fashion, the Straw Hat captain didn’t care about his father’s identity one way or another.
While Dragon’s personal fighting abilities are largely unexplored, his true power comes from the vast amount of resources that he commands. He and the Revolutionary Army are without a doubt one of the most significant threats that the World Government has yet to face. His greatest ability is perhaps his ability to just walk out of people’s lives unnoticed. The World Government has yet to be able to catch him, and Monkey D. Luffy sure as hell didn’t know who he was. When it comes to being an absent father, it’s practically Monkey D. Dragon’s superpower.
(featured image: Toei Animation)
