Monkey D. Dragon

Monkey D. Dragon, also known as the "Rebellious Dragon", is the infamous Supreme Commander (総司令官) of the Revolutionary Army. He has been attempting to overthrow the World Government and is labelled the "World's Worst Criminal". He is the father of Monkey D. Luffy and the son of Monkey D. Garp, having been born in the Goa Kingdom just like them. He was also responsible for saving Sabo's life after the latter almost drowned from a World Noble attack, eventually turning the boy into his second-in-command.

Dragon was first introduced in the Loguetown Arc, where he helped Luffy escape from Marine captain Smoker's clutches. Since then, Dragon occasionally shows up throughout the series as an important background character.

Appearance
Dragon is a tall middle-aged man with spiky black hair with a widow's peak and a tattoo on the left side of his face, which is colored dark red in the anime and bright red in the manga. He has a bit of stubble on his chin. He is usually dressed in a long green cloak, underneath which he wears the orange garb of a revolutionary. He is most often seen sporting a grin. Only on rare occasions, such as at Roger's execution, has Dragon not been seen smiling.

22 years before the start of the series, at Gol D. Roger's execution, Dragon did not have his tattoo or his stubble on his face.

After the timeskip, Dragon's hair has grown slightly longer - reaching down his back past his shoulders.

Personality
There can be no happiness in a world where those deemed unnecessary are weeded out and eliminated...!! One day, I will change this world... you mark my words. As the leader of the Revolutionary Army, Dragon is dedicated to dismantling the World Government and its corrupt nobility system that allows its World Nobles to oppress lower-class citizens as they please. He considers the corrupt nobility in his homeland of the Goa Kingdom to be the same problem on a smaller scale and was enraged when their self-serving actions caused an innocent noble boy like Sabo to denounce them. When he rescued Sabo the next day from being attacked by a World Noble's ship, Dragon was shown with a powerful glare of anger on his face.

Dragon is typically seen with a serious, business-minded disposition and takes care to stay highly informed about the happenings of the world and educate his subordinates about relevant objects and events in current affairs. Dragon is quick to caution his subordinates against celebrating small victories, reminding them of the war they are in and of the World Government's great power. However, he has been shown smiling when reflecting on the changing course of the world, particularly his son Luffy's role in it as a pirate. Dragon is extremely secretive about his personal life and history, as he did not tell anyone in the Revolutionary Army that he was Garp's son or Luffy's father, and once shut down an attempt by Ivankov to ask if he had family out in the world. When the news of his family ties came out following the Summit War of Marineford, Dragon noted that it would help his subordinates to see him as a human for once.

Dragon has shown himself to be an empathetic person, particularly to those who are oppressed by the World Government's system. He checked to see if a young Sabo was all right after seeing him be thrown to the ground, and did not hesitate to take his denouncement of the Goa Kingdom's nobles extremely seriously. He cares greatly for the plights of people who are oppressed by the World Government and their member islands, and seeks them out to invite them to join his fight for freedom. He also cares about the members and associates of his army, as shown when he asked Koala if Nico Robin was doing well. When he was under the impression that Portgas D. Ace was Dragon's son, Emporio Ivankov expected that Dragon would go to Marineford to save Ace, showing that Dragon holds love and care towards his family and possibly his son, Luffy, despite not being involved in his childhood.

Monkey D. Luffy


Dragon was never a part of his son Luffy's life, giving custody of him to his (Luffy's) grandfather Monkey D. Garp. Luffy never knew or cared who his father was, only finding out it was Dragon two years ago when Garp told him at Water 7, and seeing Dragon's face for the first time after reading the report on Baltigo's destruction. When reading about the Revolutionary Army's peril, Luffy did not pay nearly as much mind to his father as he did to his sworn brother Sabo. In the past, Ivankov noted Dragon to be constantly looking toward the East Blue from their base and wondered if he had family there. Dragon appears to be supportive of Luffy's journey as a pirate, expressing approval of him becoming one when at Loguetown and reflecting at Baltigo that he hoped for Luffy's pirating career to play a role in the world's shifting. To that end, he saved Luffy from being captured by Smoker in Loguetown, and anticipates reuniting with his son in the future.

Revolutionary Army
Dragon seems to maintain a serious and professional interaction with his subordinates most of the time as demonstrated by his warnings they should not be complacent about liberating one nation. He is quick to caution his subordinates against celebrating small victories, reminding them of the war they are in and of the World Government's massive power and resources.Dragon is extremely secretive about his personal life and background, as he did not tell anybody in the Revolutionary Army about his immediate relatives, and once rebuffed an attempt by Ivankov to ask if he had family out in the world. However, when news about his family was released in the aftermath of the Summit War of Marineford, Dragon does not seem to be aggravated as he states the information would help his subordinates to see him as a human for once.

Sabo
Dragon checked on a 10-year-old Sabo 12 years ago after seeing him being thrown to the ground while in the Goa Kingdom. In their brief meeting, Sabo confessed his disgust over the hearts of the residents, and Dragon took his words extremely seriously, becoming angry that even a child was affected by their corruption. Dragon would go on to save Sabo from being killed by a World Noble a day later, and over the next 12 years, Sabo became a trusted member of the Revolutionary Army, rising all the way to the position of Dragon's Chief of Staff and second-in-command. Dragon and Sabo work well together, and Sabo told Dragon a lot about Luffy after reuniting with him in Dressrosa.

Emporio Ivankov


Ivankov is one of Dragon's closest comrades in the Revolutionary Army, and the two of them have been in each other's company often since at least ten years ago, frequently discussing the Revolutionary Army's course of action as well as more personal matters. Despite Dragon tending to talk very little about himself, Ivankov is very perceptive about him and has inquired about Dragon's personal ties and motivations, particularly his connection to Goa Kingdom in the East Blue. Although he and Ivankov are close, Dragon still shares very little personal information with him, and does not like Iva trying to pry into his history. Ivankov has been shown to be extremely loyal to Dragon, to the point that he was compelled to ensure that Dragon's son Luffy escaped from Impel Down alive. After the Summit War of Marineford, Ivankov was amused that Dragon's family ties had been revealed while Dragon was grateful that Iva protected his son during the war.

Koala
Koala has been shown to work directly with Dragon despite only being an assistant Fish-Man Karate instructor. After Koala returned to Baltigo following the mission to Dressrosa, Dragon thanked her for helping them find their lost comrades and her retrieval of the weapons on the island. He also appears to trust her well enough to carry out important tasks such as summoning the other Revolutionary leaders.

Nico Robin
Dragon has been highly interested in Robin for over ten years due to her status as the sole survivor of the Poneglyph scholars on Ohara, and the Revolutionary Army has since started referring to her as the "Light of the Revolution". Dragon wished to meet with Robin, and so ordered his men to protect her from the World Government if they attacked her while she was with them. Robin worked with Dragon and the Revolutionaries in the two years following, and Dragon was shown to be mindful of her after she left to rejoin the Straw Hat Pirates, as he grew concerned upon reading a report that she had been captured on Sabaody Archipelago and asked Koala if she was all right after Koala reunited with her on Dressrosa.

World Government
Dragon wishes to bring down the World Government by overthrowing the World Nobles that run it due to a hatred of their ability to take away people's freedoms and even their lives for nothing other than their own interests. He takes the World Government's powers extremely seriously due to their massive military power, particularly with Cipher Pol. Likewise, Dragon is seen by the World Government as one of, if not the greatest threat in the world currently, being labeled as the "World's Worst Criminal". His threat was first brought up eight years ago during the Levely, when Thalassa Lucas warned the other rulers in attendance that he would be a danger to the world in five to six years. This warning proved to be correct, and Dragon is now an extremely infamous criminal. When the Revolutionary Army's headquarters was discovered by the Blackbeard Pirates, the World Government immediately sent the Marines and Cipher Pol to invade it.

Nobles
You have caused this boy to despise his own kind...Goa Kingdom!! Dragon bears deep scorn towards them. Having learned of their attempt to kill all the people in the Gray Terminal from Sabo, who begged Dragon to not dismiss his plea, Dragon initiated a covert rescue operation to save the people living there and questioned if the victims would be willing to fight tyranny by getting aboard his ship.

Overview
As Supreme Commander of the Revolutionary Army, Dragon has the greatest authority over a powerful, globally active paramilitary that has risen to become a prominent threat to the expansive, centuries-old World Government in only a few years. Dragon's actions have given him the distinction of being the "World's Worst Criminal," yet he has managed to lead a largely secure existence despite the world's greatest powers being after him. While his individual combat abilities are mostly unknown, he is able to command extremely powerful army officials like his chief-of-staff Sabo and the five commanders, who have all been shown battling and defeating notable pirates and Marines in the Grand Line.

Dragon himself was able to grab Smoker's jitte when the Marine captain was preparing to use it on Luffy, quickly stopping him in his tracks, and despite Dragon's great criminal status, Smoker was not seen making the effort to try and apprehend him. Additionally, Ivankov noted that Luffy's inhuman will to live in Impel Down made sense for a son of Dragon, indicating that Dragon has a similar level of tenacity.

While at the Goa Kingdom and Loguetown, strong blasts of wind have occurred in close proximity to Dragon, which have helped him accomplish his objectives in both places. It remains unconfirmed if Dragon was directly responsible for these wind blasts or if he has a power enabling him to create them. Additionally, Dragon was somehow able to reach Sabo's ship as it was sinking far off the coast of Dawn Island and grab him right before he sank without drawing attention from any onlookers.

Past
Very little is known of Dragon's early life, other than he is the son of Monkey D. Garp and was born in the Goa Kingdom 53 years before the start of the story.

Twenty-four years ago, Dragon was shown to have witnessed Roger's execution, but he had not yet acquired his facial tattoo at this point. Sometime after, he became a revolutionary and formed the Revolutionary Army between 24 and 19 years ago, with aim of opposing the World Government. As time passed, his ideals slowly spread throughout the world and one by one, countries slowly began to support him, although sometimes through conflict, causing many countries to fall. Eventually, Dragon would be regarded as the world's worst criminal.

At the age of 36, seventeen years before the start of the story, Dragon and an unknown woman bore a son, Monkey D. Luffy, who was left to be raised by Dragon's father in the East Blue.

Twelve years before the current storyline, Dragon returned to his home in the Goa Kingdom and witnessed the burning of the Gray Terminal. After witnessing the sorrow of its own people by way of Sabo, with the boy begging for help and claiming shame of his heritage, Dragon enacted a plan in order to save the people and embarrass the government by creating a causeway to allow for those on Trash Mountain to escape and join him. Due to his actions, the nobles merely noticed that the charred remains from their burning of the mountain was far less than anticipated.



When Sabo was leaving home to become a pirate, his ship was obliterated by a World Noble. Dragon saved him from the wreckage and brought him to the revolutionaries' ship.

Sometime later, the Revolutionary Army docked in Shimotsuki Village for food and supplies, coincidentally close to where Roronoa Zoro was currently training. There, Dragon was seen on his ship, being scolded by Ivankov for being late.

Dragon asked if they had enough food. When he heard that the local dojo had resupplied them, he nodded before announcing that they would be returning to Baltigo.

After Sabo regained consciousness, he was noted to suffer from memory loss. Dragon explained that he was part of a noble family from Goa, but Sabo insisted on staying with the revolutionaries, not wanting to return to his family. Dragon began directly training Sabo three years later, as Hack had nothing left to teach the boy.

Loguetown Arc


Dragon was walking the streets of Loguetown as a storm broke out and stated that Luffy being the Pirate King was fine with him. When the Marine Captain Smoker had his son Luffy pinned to the ground, Dragon intervened, and a massive gust occurred that blew away the Marines and freed Luffy. As the Straw Hat Pirates sailed off, Dragon watched and told Luffy to go on to make his dream happen before asking Smoker what reason he had to prevent a man from setting sail.

Post-Enies Lobby Arc
On Baltigo, Dragon was looking at Luffy's new bounty when one of his men was about to tell him that Luffy was Vice Admiral Garp's grandson. However, Dragon interrupted him by leaving the room and said he will stay in the wind for a while. He walked out into the castle's balcony where he remarked that the true nature of the world will be answered and that he will meet Luffy again.

Post-War Arc
After Whitebeard's death and the liberation of the slaves at Tequila Wolf, Dragon expressed the desire to see one of the slaves: Nico Robin, the archaeologist of his son's crew and the sole survivor of the Ohara Incident.

Also, after the Summit War of Marineford, some of the revolutionaries questioned Dragon if he is really the father of Monkey D. Luffy just as the recent newspapers said. Dragon casually confirmed that fact, much to the shock of his followers.

In his headquarters, Dragon talked to Ivankov through the Den Den Mushi. Ivankov told Dragon about a newspaper article about Luffy and commented on how much he is like him. In turn, Dragon told the Okama that Luffy's no longer a child that one should keep an eye on but did not expect the boy to be under Ivankov's protection during the war and was somewhat grateful as a result. Dragon informed Ivankov that as Whitebeard had died, they would soon have to gather the Revolutionary leaders spread around the world as the world's balance was beginning to shift. Dragon then went on to tell Ivankov about Kuma.

Zou Arc
After Doflamingo's defeat, Dragon received reports that rebel armies were succeeding all across the world. He then spoke to Koala, who informed him that the weapons they retrieved from Dressrosa contained a special mineral known as Liquor Iron Ore, which could provide a clue on where the weapons were made. After a small conversation concerning Luffy, Sabo, and Robin, Dragon requested Koala to gather all the revolutionary leaders.

From the Decks of the World: The 500,000,000 Man Arc
As the news of the Straw Hats' accomplishment at Dressrosa spread throughout the world, Dragon, Sabo, and Koala read about the pirates' new bounties.

Whole Cake Island Arc
Sometime later, a newspaper explained about Blackbeard's attack on Baltigo. The island was destroyed by the time the Marines and Cipher Pol arrived.

Levely Arc
The Revolutionary Army escaped the destruction of Baltigo and they moved their base to Momoiro Island. While waiting for all the revolutionary commanders to arrive, Dragon spoke to Sabo and discussed their plan to declare war on the World Nobles during the Levely.

Wano Country Arc
After the Levely, the Revolutionaries read some distressing news concerning Sabo. Dragon then told his subordinates that they needed to confirm the news themselves.

Major Battles

 * Revolutionary Army vs. Blackbeard Pirates (unseen)

Filler Battles

 * Monkey D. Dragon vs. Sabo

Support Appearances

 * One Piece: Gear Spirit
 * One Piece: Gigant Battle
 * One Piece: Gigant Battle! 2 New World
 * One Piece: Super Grand Battle! X
 * One Piece: Burning Blood

Non-Playable Appearances

 * Grand Battle! 2
 * One Piece Bon! Bon! Journey!!
 * One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4

Anime and Manga Differences
In the anime, Ivankov asked Dragon where he had been, to which he replied that he had been at the World Noble's reception ceremony on Dawn Island. When Ivankov indignantly asks why he was not invited, Dragon told him that he attracted too much attention.

While the manga has yet to display Dragon's combat abilities, glimpses of Dragon's combat skills was shown in Episode 737 during a flashback when a young Sabo attempted to attack Dragon in a training session.

Translation and Dub Issues
In the 4Kids Entertainment dub, the dialogue between Dragon and Smoker during Episode 53 was significantly changed. Smoker instantly recognizes who Dragon is and identifies him out-loud as one of the most wanted men in the world. When Smoker asks him why he is helping Luffy, Dragon claims "I haven't helped him. At least, not yet!" before the gust of wind saves Luffy. Nami and Sanji also recognize who Dragon is when he is described by Luffy. These changes would have led Luffy to know the identity of his savior much sooner than in canon. Had the 4Kids dub continued, this would have led to several more inconsistencies in the Post-Enies Lobby Arc when Dragon's true nature was revealed to the Strawhat Crew. He is also written as explicitly being there to help Luffy, rather than giving the more cryptic words he delivers in the original version.

Trivia

 * Dragon's seeming connection to wind is referenced in his appearance as a support character in One Piece Gigant Battle and its sequel, where he can help his Leader or blow his opponents away with a gust of wind. Additionally, his ship is named the Wind Granma.
 * There is a mistranslation in the VIZ version of Chapter 100 in which "Wind Blast" is exclaimed (presumably by Dragon) when the Marines in Loguetown are being blown away, giving the impression that the wind was a technique used by Dragon. In reality, what it said was closer to "A squall!!!!" (突風でァ!!!!), an exclamation which is likely to have been made by the Marines.
 * All members of the Monkey family have shown to have a noticeable mark on the left side of their faces. Both Luffy and Garp have a scar while Dragon has a large tattoo.
 * In the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th popularity polls, Dragon was ranked the 73rd, 81st, 85th and 62nd, respectively.
 * Dragon's favorite food is bocaditos, which are Cuban slider-like sandwiches that are typically served on soft rolls.

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