Chapter 1080 finally showed fans what it looks like when Luffy’s grandfather fights seriously, and he’s just as strong as everyone says he is.

Now that One Piece is in its final saga, it’s time for all the big players to make some moves. This means fans will finally get to see what it’s like when these characters, who have remained in the background for much of the series, are finally going to show what they’re like in a serious battle. This was recently done with Red-Haired Shanks, but now it’s time to see what Monkey D. Garp can do.

Chapter 1080, “The Hero of Legend,” saw the Vice Admiral throw his first serious punch of the series with devastating results. The power of this single attack confirms just about everything that’s been said about the Hero of the Marines to date. It was one thing to hear about how strong he was, but seeing him in action makes it feel all the more believable.

What Does Knowing About Garp’s Power Change About the Story?

Garp’s display of strength was showcased as a splash panel at the end of Chapter 1080. After some SWORD agents successfully corralled several low-ranking Blackbeard Pirates into one place. Garp attacked them from high overhead with a single Galaxy Impact. punch. The Haki-imbued shockwaves of this technique created an explosion powerful enough to blow away the surrounding buildings; depending on whether the rest of this confrontation is shown, the damage could turn out to be even greater than that. This is all to say nothing of what that punch must have been like back in his heyday when he was chasing Gold Roger. This is by far the biggest feat of strength he’s shown in the series thus far.

One of the big things this and, presumably, the rest of his time on Hachinosu will confirm is his Admiral-level strength. As it’s been stated before, he remained a Vice Admiral not because he wasn’t strong enough to move up, but because he didn’t want to have to answer directly to the World Nobles. This also probably means that when he said he wanted to kill Admiral Akainu for impaling Ace, he probably could have.

This display of power also shows just how much Garp has been holding back against Luffy. Besides how he held back when raising the boy, he was more than strong enough to stand in his way at Marineford. Learning how strong he is adds much more meaning to the fact that he let his grandson push past him. Such is the difference between Garp’s Fists of Love and his Galaxy Impact.

In all likelihood, Garp will continue to show how truly powerful he is as the series progresses. This one punch, while impressive enough to earn a splash panel, was only a sample of what he’s capable of. The Hero of the Marines is everything he was built up to be.

Src: cbr.com