This article contains spoilers for the One Piece manga
Chapter 1160 of the One Piece manga will no doubt go down as one of the darkest manga chapters in the entire series, showcasing the devastating brutality of the Celestial Dragons as they wreak havoc across God Valley as part of one big sick and twisted game. Amidst all the pain and suffering, one Marine who valiantly decides to stand against his orders in order to help everyone he can is Monkey D Dragon, the man who is well known for being the leader of the Revolutionary Army in the current One Piece story.
However, while Dragon may be the one every freedom fighter looks up to nowadays, this chapter reveals that there was actually another Revolutionary member who ultimately deserves more credit for kickstarting this army in the first place. While this individual may be seen as little more than a side character by many fans, Oda has been putting a lot of focus on them in recent chapters to emphasize their importance within the story, and though Dragon definitely deserves a lot of respect for how much he has been willing to fight back against the World Government, this also needs to be applied to another particular character.
Dragon Was Desperately Seeking Hope
The Horrors He Witnessed At God Valley Shook Him To His Core
The Celestial Dragons have been going on a killing spree
Dragon is trying to resist his orders to save everyone he can
Most of the villains in One Piece will at least have some kind of reason why they act like such monsters within the story, but this certainly doesn’t apply to the Celestial Dragons. The latest chapter shows the Celestial Dragons going on a full-blown killing spree as they gleefully run around God Valley, murdering any of the innocent civilians they find along the way, but since the Marines essentially act as loyal lapdogs to these highly influential figures, it means they too are forced to partake in the barbarism to prove their worth.
Dragon, however, has been sneakily trying to rescue as many people as possible, since it’s become clear that the young Marine has been shaken to the core by everything he’s witnessed. This was especially apparent when he stumbled upon a group of dead bodies, which was enough to almost make him throw up on the spot. While he did manage to grab Shanks and Shamrock to prevent them from being caught up in all the chaos at the end of the chapter, at the end of the day, it seemed as though there would be no chance to escape, especially with Rocks and Roger landing on the island just moments later.
“I don’t know who you are, but I want to save your kids. If I don’t do something, I’m going to collapse under the weight of it all” – Dragon
Any ordinary Marine would probably give up at this point, considering everything Dragon had already been through, but since we know that he would go on to lead the Revolutionaries to success in the future, it was clear Dragon wasn’t going to meet his end just yet. Just as he is about to make his grand escape, he catches sight of another familiar face who inspires Dragon to keep going despite it all, and that character turns out to be none other than Ivankov.
Ivankov Sparked The Fire In The Revolutionary Army
Dragon Took Notice Of The Young And Courageous Freedom Fighter
Up to this point, all Dragon had seen was bloody corpses strung across the land and civilians begging for their lives, but finally, he managed to witness something which filled him with hope and inspiration, just when he was losing his will to go on. In the distance, Dragon was able to spot a young Ivankov giving a rallying speech to Kuma, as he desperately tried to convince the Buccaneer that the two can still escape God Valley with their lives intact, as long as they play it smart. Without even realizing that there was actually a Celestial Dragon who was aiming at them with a rifle the entire time, though, in an act of heroism, Dragon makes the bold decision to tranquilize the sniper to ensure Ivankov and Kuma wouldn’t end up like all the other civilians on the island.
What’s important here is that Dragon actually has a bit of dialogue where he acknowledges that Ivankov and Kuma are refusing to give up, even though they are still just kids who barely managed to break out from slavery. With a bewildered look on his face and his eyes growing wide, it became clear that Ivankov was the character who sparked the fire in Dragon that convinced him that giving up was out of the question, which goes a long way in explaining why Ivankov specifically would become one of the highest ranking officers in the Revolutionary Army.
Therefore, while Dragon may technically be the leader of the army, the heart and spirit of the Revolutionaries all started with Ivankov, who has always been known for being very rebellious and courageous in their actions. Still, it does beg the question of why Ivankov wouldn’t end up becoming the official leader of the group, considering they were the one who encouraged Dragon to rebel against his post in the first place.
Why Isn’t Ivankov The Revolutionary Leader?
Age And Status Probably Has A Lot To Do With It
Dragon is an ex-Marine who is more infamous than Ivankov
His mysterious Devil Fruit probably makes him much stronger
He would have been older enough to act as an authority figure
There are a few main reasons why Ivankov wouldn’t have become the de-facto leader of the Revolutionaries when the group was formed, and the first is a pretty obvious one. Ivankov was still only an infant when the God Valley Incident occurred, which is why it’s so surprising that they were so full of hope and inspirational messages at such a young age. Dragon, on the other hand, was already old enough to be enrolled into the Marines, meaning he would be a much more suitable figure to play the leading role once the Revolutionaries had finally come together and established their primary goals.
“Anything that can get the flames of revolution burning” – Sabo
There’s also the fact that, unlike Ivankov, Dragon was actually a member of the Marines, and having someone who was once affiliated with the World Government being the leader of a massive rebellious force only makes the group all the more infamous and noticeable. It makes a grand statement that a man who witnessed what the Marines and Celestial Dragons are capable of first-hand decided to rebel against them as he grew older, and it’s unlikely that the message would have carried the same weight if Ivankov was the one spearheading their campaign.
Finally, there’s a good chance that Dragon’s overwhelming power is also a big reason why he assumed his position at the top of the pecking order. It’s still unclear how Dragon got his Devil Fruit, or what the ability even is, but Oda has been indicating that it’s something extremely strong that would go on to make its user a very formidable fighter. Ivankov’s Hormone Devil Fruit is definitely useful, but it does feel like more of a supportive ability rather than an offensive one, making it more suitable for a second in command rather than a captain or leader.
