This article contains spoilers for the One Piece series.
One Piece's The Elbaf arc has seen the Straw Hat Pirates continue their grand adventure in the land of giants, and it goes without saying that it's been absolutely incredible so far. Elbaf has been full of surprises and unexpected events. Entering Elbaf, hardly any fans expected Oda to fully delve into the God Valley through the Loki flashback. God Valley spanned a few chapters, and now it reached its conclusion with Rocks D. The death of Xebec and the sinking of the island.
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God Valley was absolutely huge for many characters One Piece the world, and that includes Money D. Dragon as well. The son of Navy Hero Garp, Dragon, played a key role in God Valley and was one of the few Marines who tried to do what was right. God Valley exposed Dragon to the barbarism of the world governmentand even doing the right thing led to his imprisonment. This was the catalyst for his eventual retirement from the Navy and the creation of the Freedom Fighters.
Monkey D. Dragon left the Marines after being imprisoned for saving lives
Almost 3 decades into the One Piece series, Monkey D. Dragon remains one of the most mysterious characters in the series. The only thing fans really know about this man is that he heads the Revolutionary Army and has blood ties to both Garp and Luffy.
Beyond that, not much is known about him, such as his Devil Fruit abilities, his reward, or his early life. Thankfully, God Valley gave great insight into a part of his life. Fans saw how among corrupt marines, Dragon was the only one who really wanted to help the slaves and children in God Valley.
Unfortunately, his selflessness and humanity got him into trouble with the Marines and the World Government, and he paid the price. After the end of the events in God Valley, Monkey D. Dragon was imprisoned. He was held in an underground detention center at Naval Headquarters for insubordination.
But thank God for Dragon, he was soon freed by his father, Monkey D. Garp. After being released, Dragon would go on to leave the Marines.
Monkey D. Dragon's God Valley experience changed him
Monkey D. Dragon was a completely changed person after seeing what happened in God Valley. The World Government, and in turn the Marines, were not the good guys. The World Government hunted slaves and harmed innocents and children.
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Monkey D. Dragon even saw a dying mother begging him to protect her children, and all that definitely affected him. Also, he helped land him in prison for doing the right thing in pushing him out of the Navy.
Dragon's relationship with the Marines, as well as Garp, was broken after these events, and he went on to create a world where true justice and equality exist.
Monkey D. Dragon created Freedom Fighters after God Valley
Exactly what Dragon did after the events of the God Valley Incident is not known. However, it's fair to assume that not long after leaving the Marines, he ended up starting the resistance group famously known to fans as the Freedom Fighters, operating against the World Government. Until 22 years ago in the One Piece story, he was still a Freedom Fighter, as seen through the Vegapunk flashback.
Dragon eventually founded the Revolutionary Army
The Freedom Fighters are the group that would give birth to the Dragon's current organization, the Revolutionary Army. The exact year of its creation is not clear, but it was about 21 years ago, after Dragon met Kuma.
The Revolutionary Army is currently the greatest threat facing the World Government. Recently, they led an attack on Marijoa to free Kuma.
Fans can't wait to see The dragon and the true potential of the revolutionary army in One Piece. It's only a matter of time before Oda shifts his focus to them again, as Marijoa is already under attack, and Dragon is most likely at the center of it all.
Eiichiro Oda's One Piece will be featured in this week's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue. The official release date for One Piece Chapter 1166 is November 23, 2025. In Japan, One Piece is released at 12:00 JST on Monday, which is 11:00 AM EST or 8:00 AM PT. Fans can read the chapter for free on the Manga Plus and Shonen Jump apps.
