One Piece: Garling’s actions reveal the heartless nature of the Celestial Dragons

Few names in One Piece inspire as much revulsion as the Celestial Dragons. Introduced as the so-called descendants of the creators of the world, their power is absolute, and their cruelty is legendary. For years, Eiichiro Oda has painted them as symbols of corruption, greed, and entitlement.

But in recent chapters, particularly Chapter 1159, Oda has taken that cruelty to chilling new depths through the character of Figarland Garling. One of the most shocking moments in the One Piece chapter comes when a mysterious red-haired woman introduces Garling to two twins: Shamrock and Shanks.

The emotional weight of the scene is palpable; the woman presents the children with pride, almost as if offering Garling a chance at family. For a fleeting moment, readers might wonder if Oda is about to subvert expectations and show a softer side to a Celestial Dragon.

But instead, Garling reveals his true nature. When the woman suggests he live with her in God Valley, Garling coldly refuses, claiming the island will soon disappear. Without hesitation, he draws his sword and stabs her, declaring that his “true wife” has already been decided by status and power.

He even boasts that she has been “ordered” to be captured as part of the tournament, a grotesque arrangement where the outcome is determined by his victory. This betrayal is chilling for multiple reasons:

1. The callous rejection of love and family: Rather than seeing the woman and his children as precious, Garling discards them as obstacles to his ambitions.
2. The casual violence: He doesn’t hesitate to stab her, demonstrating the Celestial Dragons’ utter disregard for human life.
3. The entitlement of ownership: For Garling, even marriage is not a bond of affection but a transaction of status.

This moment in One Piece reframes Garling not simply as a cruel man but as a representative of everything vile about the Celestial Dragons. His bloodline, privilege, and “right” to claim others become weapons of emotional and physical violence.

The Tournament as a mirror of Celestial Dragon ideals in One Piece

The God Valley tournament in One Piece itself is an extension of Garling’s worldview. The very idea of using kidnapped individuals, including Shakuyaku, as prizes highlights the Celestial Dragons’ warped sense of entitlement.

When the master of ceremonies introduces Shakky to the audience, describing her as a prize for marriage or slavery, the Tenryuubito react with excitement rather than horror. Their dialogue, competing over who will claim her, shows that to them, human beings are nothing more than property.

Garling, in particular, declares that Shakky will be his wife, warning others to stay away, even in their dreams. His tone is not one of affection but possession. This chilling language exposes the Celestial Dragons’ core philosophy: relationships, power, and even life itself are about ownership, not connection.

The Celestial Dragons and the denial of humanity

The actions of Garling and the other Tenryuubito in One Piece illustrate a broader truth about Celestial Dragons: they fundamentally deny the humanity of others. In their worldview:

• Slaves are objects - to be captured, traded, and displayed as symbols of wealth.
• Marriage is a transaction - not a union of equals but a power play for status.
• Children are tools - to be controlled, discarded, or leveraged.

Garling embodies all three. He stabs the mother of his children without remorse, treats Shakky as a prize to be claimed, and views even his supposed family as disposable. In doing so, he demonstrates how deeply ingrained this denial of humanity is within the Celestial Dragon hierarchy.

In this way, he is more frightening than even Rocks D. Xebec. Whereas Rocks sought domination and chaos, Garling’s evil is banal, systemic, and rooted in the very structures of the World Government.

He doesn’t need to conquer the world because the world already bends to his status. His heartlessness is not an exception but the norm for the Celestial Dragons. Ultimately, Garling’s actions in One Piece remind us why the Celestial Dragons must fall. Through Garling, Oda has given us a face to their cruelty and a powerful reason to root for their downfall.

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