Summary
The easiest way for someone to summarize the story ofOne Pieceis to define it as a centuries-long battle between those who control and those who want freedom. Each of these camps has a main force at the forefront of championing their cause, with the World Government sending the Marines to enforce their laws and the pirates being the very epitome of freedom from such oppression.
Naturally, this has led to some intense rivalries in theOne Pieceworld, since these opposing forces have been at arms, presumably for centuries. However, the most iconic rivalry existed between the two greatest pirates in history, beingGol D. Roger and Edward ‘Whitebeard’ Newgate, and the two greatest Marines in history, being Monkey D. Garp and Sengoku. So, let’s break down these characters to see why their rivalry was so legendary.
The King of the Pirates
First Appearance
One Piece, Chapter 1, “Romance Dawn - The Dawn of Adventure”
Story Arc
Romance Dawn
When it comes to the conversation of the most iconic and important characters in the entireOne Pieceworld,no one surpasses Gol D. Roger. He was the first man to find the mythical One Piece treasure in 800 years, becoming the only person to ever hold the title of Pirate King in the process. On his execution platform, Roger’s final words alone were what brought about the Golden Age of Piracy, prompting thousands of aspiring pirates to take up arms and set sail to find his fabled treasure.
My treasure? If you want it, you can have it… Try and find it. I left everything I have there!
Roger is also remembered as one of the most powerful characters inOne Piece, owing his formidable power purely to his proficiency with Haki. As such, he was the biggest name in the world even before he found the One Piece, and throughout his life, fought against the forces of the World Government. Although the pirates don’t have a centralized organization at the top of everything like the Marines do, Roger was definitely at the tip of the spearhead against them.
Arlong Park
Similarly, the man who served as the quintessential Marine counterpart to the Pirate King was another member of the fabled and elusive D. Clan; Monkey D. Garp. Much like Roger, Garp was a revered hero whose strength came purely from his Haki, which was so great thata single punch could level an entire island, as was seen with his appearance on Hachinosu. Garp is a man who has devoted his entire life to capturing pirates, and the one his rivalry went deepest with was none other than Gol D. Roger.
The longer they allude you, the more satisfying the catch!
Although Roger and Whitebeard were always primed as rivals to one another, they were actually on friendly terms and never fought to the death, or even seriously, for that matter. Roger’s true rival, who differed from him in terms of ideology, was Garp, as their connections are pretty clear, with both of them being the most revered heroes of their respective sides, members of the D. Clan, and insanely powerful characters who relied on nothing but their Haki.
Jaya
Arguably the most powerful character on this list, Edward ‘Whitebeard’ Newgate was always considered an equal to Roger, both in terms of strength and status. In fact, thetwo of them shared the spotof the greatest pirate of their time before Roger eventually became the Pirate King, and after Roger’s death, Whitebeard was always considered to be the one closest to the One Piece. However, the only reason he never found it was because he never wanted to.
Nothing to fear! I am Whitebeard!
This shows just how great the man was, and during his prime as one of the two most notable pirates in the world alongside Roger, he became quite familiar with the forces of the World Government. During the Marineford War, both of his Marine rivals, Garp and Sengoku, commented on his strength, stating that no one other than perhaps themselves could ever even hope to take on this legendary character.
Although he’s usually the least talked-about of the four,Sengoku is still seen as an equal to the othersand one of the most powerful characters in thestory. During Oden’s flashback, it was shown that before the Roger and Whitebeard Pirates fought on the island, there was a small contingent of Marines there, whom the Roger Pirates dealt with without any real effort. Here, even Roger himself said that if the Marines wanted to do anything against them, they should have sent Garp or Sengoku, implying that even Roger considered him an equal.
At least bring Garp or Sengoku with you! The rest of you are no fun!
Sengoku is one of the only Marines who has been confirmed to wield the Advanced forms of all 3 Haki types, marking him as the only confirmed Marine with Conqueror’s Haki. On top of this, he has one of the most powerful Devil Fruits in the entire setting, the Hito Hito no Mi, Model; Daibutsu, which allows him to create shockwaves which are, as of now, perhaps the only way to counter or somewhat suppress the destructive power of Whitebeard’s Gura Gura no Mi.
