Will of the D

The "Will of the D.", or "D.'s will" is a mystery surrounding some people who have the middle initial "D." in their names. The initial was first pointed out in Oda's SBS questions and answers corner, when he was asked what the D. in Luffy's name stood for. Oda just replied to read it as a D. for now and that he would reveal the truth behind it in time. This was the first time Luffy's "D." was brought up, as well as Oda's first hint toward a bigger mystery. Kureha was the first to mention the "will of D." when she revealed that the true name of the late Pirate King was Gol D. Roger. She told Dalton that Chopper had joined up with a very dangerous man. The "Will of D." has also been mentioned by Nico Robin three times, the first being when she rescued Luffy from quicksand during the Alabasta arc; she asked Luffy about the meaning of the "D." and why those with the name fight, but he had no idea. The second was when Robin was talking to Gan Fall after they pulled up the ancient belfry. Gan Fall mentioned feeling that Luffy left the same impression on him as Gol D. Roger did. The third time was when Robin tried to ask Silvers Rayleigh about the significance of the "Will of D.", bringing up the Void Century at the same time. He did not reply on what the "D." stood for but stated that they (the Roger Pirates) had discovered the details of the Void Century; however, Robin declined his offer to tell her about it, determined to discover the truth herself.

In contrast to the openness of Luffy and other "D"-bearers, there are some "D." families who seem to know its meaning and try to keep it secret from the public, such as Trafalgar Law's. This implies that almost anyone could secretly have the middle initial "D." but choose not to show it.
Monkey D. Family. So far everyone in the Monkey family has the initial "D.".

One clue about those who carry the "D." was left by Jaguar D. Saul, who specifically said that, while he did not know the meaning of the initial, he did know everyone in his family carried it in their names. This implies that the "D." is passed down between generations. So far, it seems that all characters with the "D." may indeed be related to each other, if not by blood, then at least by fate. An example of the hereditary nature of "D." can be seen in the Monkey family, consisting of Monkey D. Luffy, his biological father Monkey D. Dragon, and his grandfather Monkey D. Garp. This, however, does not necessarily imply that all "D."-bearers are closely related; some of the "D."-bearers have had children together, as seen with Portgas D. Rouge and Gol D. Roger, and some of the "D."-bearers are giants. An apparently unique event within the enigma of "D." was the birth of Portgas D. Ace, whose parents, Portgas D. Rouge and Gol D. Roger, both bore the mysterious middle initial.

During a flashback, Gol D. Roger complains that the World Government is calling him "Gold Roger" instead of his real name. He was then asked by Whitebeard what "D" is. Roger cryptically agreed to explain it, though the scene fades before he actually says anything. However, it is implied that Whitebeard has a clear understanding to its meaning. He later noted during the battle at Marineford that killing someone with a "D." would not extinguish the flames of their will because someone would eventually inherit that will and carry on Roger's wish. Later on, Trafalgar Law wondered aloud that the Will of the D. will would almost certainly call up a storm again. It is still not clear exactly what he meant, but it hints that Silvers Rayleigh had a clear purpose for wanting to find Monkey D. Luffy on Amazon Lily. In the Post-War arc, one of the Gorosei stated that "D." means danger. After the timeskip, Law mentioned the Will of D. once more when Doflamingo asked him why he had so much faith in Luffy.


When Donquixote Rosinante learned that Law is a "D.", he revealed to Law that those with this initial in their name are from the fated "family of D." (Dの一族 Dī no Ichizoku?). In the country where Rosinante came from, children were told that if they misbehaved, they would be be eaten up by "D.". Similarly, elders of that country seemed quite wary of the "storm" that those with "D." were known to cause. Rosinante explained to Law that the "D." has been secretly inherited worldwide and throughout history, and that in a certain land, the "Family of D" was referred to as "God's Natural Enemy" (神の天敵 Kami no Tenteki?). According to Rosinante, the "D."s are considered to be the natural enemy of the Celestial Dragons, as Celestial Dragons are considered to be "Gods". It is not clear what the significance of the shared middle initial is, but it appears that all share a similar faith in their own (and others') dreams and/or destiny. When a "D." appears, the general consensus is that they are going to stir things up on a global scale, for better or for worse. Examples of world-shaking events instigated by "D."s include wars, changes in government, and the dawn of a new era.

The biggest mystery of "D." is that most of those who carry the "D." are themselves unaware of its true meaning. Jaguar D. Saul displayed a lack of knowledge on the subject when Nico Robin asked him what it meant. Similarly, when she asked Monkey D. Luffy why those that carry the "D." fight, he was completely clueless as to what she was talking about.However, it seems that the Marines have some awareness of the initial's significance, as Sengoku showed interest in Ace because of it.

Trafalgar Law's parents also seemed to have some knowledge about what "D." meant, considering that although they passed down the middle initial to their children, they hid it and insisted on using only their surname and given names. Gol D. Roger is the first and, as of yet, only known "D."-bearer in the storyline to have discovered its meaning.

The second thing about the D is the "Inherited Will" which passes down generation from generation according to Roger and Whitebeard. Even if the life of the person is extinguished others will take up their will.
Ace Dies

Ace dies with a smile on his face, a common trait among "D."s faced with their own death.

Those who bear the "D." in their name seem to be able to withstand an incredible degree of punishment in battle and only surrender to death when they know it is truly unavoidable. In the same vein is an unusual behavior that seems to be common to "D.": they are often seen laughing or smiling right before they die (or think they're about to die), as though they have accepted their fate and hold no fear of death. Observers have expressed shock and confusion at this phenomenon, unable to believe that someone could so thoroughly come to terms with the end of their life.

So far this strange habit has been shown 6 times:

- Witnesses claim Gol D. Roger died smiling during his execution.
- Smoker saw Luffy smile in the same way when he was about to be killed by Buggy, though he survived in the end.
- Nico Robin witnessed Saul laughing and smiling as he was frozen to death.
- Portgas D. Rouge is seen both crying and smiling when she named Ace, dying shortly after.
- Portgas D. Ace thanked everyone for loving him and died with a smile on his face.
- Trafalgar D. Water Law smirked at, mocked, and flipped off Donquixote Doflamingo when the latter was pointing a gun at his heart and preparing to shoot him, though he survived in the end.

Blackbeard is unusual among those with the "D." in that he has shown fear of death. When Whitebeard attacked him at Marineford, he started to panic and begged for mercy. Blackbeard, though he did not show fear when fighting Ace, could not accept death when it became a strong possibility.

Trivia
 When Whitebeard was discussing the Will of D., he mentioned One Piece in the same statement, implying that "D." and the One Piece are connected by more than just Roger. This was not the only time that both were mentioned in the same chapter: Usopp and Robin asked Rayleigh about One Piece, the Void Century, and the Will of D., all within one conversation.

Monkey D. Garp

Monkey D. Garp is a Marine vice admiral. He is the father of the infamous Revolutionary Army leader Monkey D. Dragon, the paternal grandfather of Straw Hat Pirates Captain Monkey D. Luffy, and the adoptive grandfather of Portgas D. Ace. He took charge of both Coby and Helmeppo's training. After the war, he became a Marine Instructor to train new recruits, though still retaining the rank of vice admiral. Garp is one of the major figures, along with Sengoku, Shiki, and Whitebeard, from the times when the "Pirate King" was still alive. Garp is a tall, tanned, broad-chested, muscular old man. He has a bearded and a scar over his left eye. In the anime, his eye color is blue, and his hair is gray, whereas in the manga, it is white. Garp and Tsuru are the only two vice admirals to have special shoulder-pads; theirs are black and red whereas the standard color is blue. Garp also sometimes smokes cigars.

The dog mask that Garp initially wore when introduced served to hide his identity as Luffy's grandfather, whose design had appeared in Romance Dawn, Version 2. After their relationship was revealed, Garp has only worn the mask upon making entrances. In his free time, Garp often wears sandals, a tropical shirt and light-colored shorts. He sometimes pairs this shirt with black trousers and boots. Twenty-four years ago, Garp's hair and goatee were still black, with sideburns beginning to whiten. He wore a dark double breasted suit with a white shirt and a red tie. When he was a child and a young Marine, Garp resembled Luffy, though more muscular than his grandson. As a child, he wore a tropical button shirt with shorts and wielded a pipe staff. Garp already had the scar on his left eye in his childhood days. As a former vice admiral of the Marine Headquarters, Garp had command over all lower ranking soldiers. An example of this is when after Morgan escaped, he was able to take away two of Ripper's subordinates (Coby and Helmeppo) and make them his own subordinates instead due to him having the higher rank. Also as a vice admiral, he had the potential to be called upon to be one of five vice admirals leading a fleet of ten battleships during a Buster Call. In terms of combat, Garp has had several decades worth of experience in both combat and navigating the harshest oceans within the volatile "New World". He's also a "hero" of the Marines and as is known for cornering and fighting Gol D. Roger many times. Roger also stated that he and Garp had almost killed each other on numerous occasions. As another true testament of sheer power, Garp defeated and nearly killed Don Chinjao in the past with a single punch, whose bounty was worth over Beli500,000,000 in his prime and was said to be able to split a continent with a headbutt.


Being a Marine vice admiral and the commanding officer of the 153rd Marine Branch, Garp possesses leadership skills and is well respected by many among the Marines, having mentored many other prominent figures in the Marines including former Admiral Kuzan. The extent of Garp's power and fame is evident round the time of the Battle of Edd War, three years before the future Pirate King died. It was revealed that he was offered the rank of admiral more than once, but repeatedly refused the promotion. Garp's subordinate at that time, Kuzan (later promoted to admiral), commented on how cool Garp was for refusing such an irresistible promotion to which he answers by stating that he does not need a higher position, and that it would reduce his liberty to do what he wants. Another example of Garp's strength is when he was shown to easily strike down Marco of the Whitebeard Pirates despite having his Devil Fruit abilities activated at the time, knocking him back which was something that Kizaru and Akainu seemed unable to do. Similarly, when it was revealed worldwide that Luffy is Garp's grandson, Luffy's fame rose based on that fact alone, as Demaro Black attempted to use that as one of the strong points in his impersonation of Luffy, and Charlotte Linlin referenced to Garp when Luffy challenged her. He is a great teacher as he was able to make Coby and Helmeppo capable fighters in a short period of time and he was also selected to be an instructor. He was also the one who trained Luffy and Ace into being strong enough to set sail on their own. Gol D. Roger said he and Garp nearly killed each other many times. The fact that Garp could clash with Gol D. Roger implies he is one of the strongest characters in the series.