A Small Detail in One Piece Just Proved Its New Villain Is the Real Deal: Here's How

Out of all the villains in the One Piece series, the Five Elders are among the most powerful and despicable. The leaders of the World Government are a group of cruel and corrupted individuals who only care for the well-being and happiness of Im, their master. Fans are quite aware of how dangerous these individuals are, as they have proven several times to be a threat to the world.

Yet, the newest member of the Five Elders, Figarland Garling, has already shown that he is far more awful than his peers, despite having been properly introduced recently. His relationship and reaction to learning his lost son, Shanks, was still alive is proof he does not hold any sort of affection for anyone but himself. He might soon become the biggest threat to the heroes due to his ruthless personality.

Figarland’s Uncaring Attitude Proves He Is a True Danger

The Man Did Not Care About the Life of His Child

One of the few things One Piece fans know about the beloved Red Hair Pirates captain, Shanks, is that he was found by Gol D. Roger and his crew when he was a baby. During one of the darkest moments of the series, the God Valley incident, the King of the Pirates recovered a treasure chest where a small infant had been placed. For many years, fans were left to wonder who could have abandoned their baby like that and what were the reasons behind this choice. Although the reason why has not been revealed yet, the series did introduce the man responsible: Figarland Garling.

In chapter #1096, readers saw the Supreme Commander of the Holy Knights participating in a competition to prove his worth, achievable only by killing the civilians of God Valley. At some point during the attack, the man called out to his children, one of the first clues about Shanks being his son and the identity of the captain’s missing twin. This implies that, while he was still a baby, the future Emperor of the Sea was taken to the island and placed inside a chest for some unknown reason.

Luffy and Shanks manga version in One Piece

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Whether intentionally or not, Figarland lost his son during the God Valley incident, not knowing if the child had survived the battle. Years later, once Shanks revealed himself as one of the most famous emerging pirates, Figarland must have realized his son was alive. This might have been cause for celebration for any regular parent but not for the commander. Figarland has never once shown any happiness about his lost son being alive, nor remorse about losing him. While this detail might seem small, it is clear evidence of how cruel and uncaring the man is.

Figarland Cares Only About Glory and Power

He Is Willing To Do Anything To Prove Himself

Garling killing innocents to win a competition.

The fact that Figarland did not feel anything about learning that his long-lost son was still alive serves to prove much more than just how dangerous as a person he is. During chapter #1096, despite knowing that his family was around, the man was not shown to care about the safety of anyone but himself. Not even when Rocks D. Xebec, captain of the strongest pirate crew ever, attacked the island did Figarland ever stop to protect his children. The fact that Shanks was lost inside a treasure chest is a confirmation that he did not try to look for him.

The series has done an amazing job presenting the newest member of the Five Elders as someone who cares about power, fame, and admiration more than anything else in his life. He is willing to risk the integrity of his children just to prove himself as a strong fighter. As a member of one of the most powerful and monstrous groups in the franchise, Figarland has become a threat to the safety of the world.

Shanks Might Have To Face His Father Soon

Only a Person as Powerful as Him Could Defeat the Commander

One Piece fans are quite aware that Shanks is by far one of the strongest characters in the entire franchise. His strength, combat abilities, and Haki surpass almost all other pirates and marines in the world. Eiichiro Oda, the author of the manga, has hinted at the importance of Luffy’s mentor during the Elbaph Arc. It might be possible that he is setting the stage for Shanks to defeat his father, giving him the closure he has been seeking since he was little, seeing that only someone as powerful as him could defeat the new Elder.