One Piece is an incredible story of a young pirate named Luffy who sets out on a quest to acquire Roger’s treasure, the One Piece. This story is full of grand adventures and life as a pirate, which is intrinsically linked to freedom. The story of One Piece generally wouldn’t work if Luffy was not a pirate. However, fans know that Luffy’s grandpa, Garp, tried incredibly hard to make him a Marine.

In an alternate reality, if Luffy had become a Marine, the story would have been starkly different, and while it would have been very difficult to make it work, there is certainly a way in which One Piece would still have been exciting.

Garp’s Apprentice

Luffy Would’ve Followed Into The Footsteps Of Garp

If Luffy was never a pirate, then one can say for sure that Garp’s influence would have gotten to him. However, by the time Garp started to influence Luffy, he already had the power of the Gomu Gomu no Mi. This means that in this alternate reality, Luffy would still have had the power of the Nika fruit. Of course, fans know that Zoan type of devil fruits have a will of their own, and, as such, the Nika fruit would likely have not been in possession of someone who would go on to become a Marine. However, if Luffy held to his core ideals, then this alternate reality could potentially have worked. Assuming that Luffy ate his devil fruit and Garp then got through to him and made him a Marine, then, Luffy would have been this type of Marine who still valued his freedom above all.

I love heroes, but I don’t want to be one . Do you even know what a hero is!?

This is simply down to the fact that Luffy, as Nika, is the one who upholds freedom for not just himself but the entire world. This would mean that Luffy would still go on from place to place saving people and liberating their countries. In a sense, this would make Luffy an incredibly exciting Marine, who would follow in the footsteps of Garp. Fans already know that Garp is like a wildcard within the ranks of the Navy. He doesn’t adhere to common rules, like all the others do. And, at the same time, fans know that Garp is given a free hand by those at the top simply because he possesses tremendous amounts of strength. As such, if Luffy managed to reach a similar level of strength, then one can say that he would not be forced to adhere to the rules of the Navy. Luffy would go on to become an incredibly powerful Marine, and reach very high ranks.

Luffy, just like Garp, however, would reject the position of Admiral, since that would place him directly under the Celestial Dragons. Luffy would most likely become a powerful Vice Admiral, and stop his promotions right there. This would give Luffy enough freedom to do what he wants, but, at the same time, remain free from the control of the celestial dragons and those above.

Ushering In A New Age Of Marines

Luffy Would Become The Face Of The New Marines

While being a Vice Admiral would certainly give Luffy a level of freedom, it would still place a lot of restrictions on him. He would certainly not like that, especially as Nika. This is precisely why Luffy would usher in a new age of Marines. Fans know that Garp has very radical ideas, when compared to the rest of the Marines, but he never acted on them and never tried to bring in a new age. Instead, Garp decided to raise the next generation of Navy, and he counts on them to usher in a new age. If Luffy was the face of this new age, then Garp would entrust everything to his grandson, Luffy, and hope that he would change the Navy one day. His son, Dragon, was also a part of the Navy, but seeing the atrocities and the dark pasts of this organization, he decided to leave it and create the Revolutionary Army.

Luffy, in this particular scenario, wouldn’t leave the Marines but instead stay as a part of this organization and try to change it from the inside. Luffy would be the type of Marine who wouldn’t care about pirates being criminals and Marines being good. In his eyes, any person who does good would be good, and any person who does evil things would be evil.

This means that Luffy wouldn’t necessarily look at things in black and white. Any pirate crew who saves people would be good in his eyes, and he would be grateful to them. In fact, he wouldn’t think twice when it comes to aiding pirates. At the same time, he wouldn’t think twice before putting the corrupt Marines in their place, as that is his own moral compass. Luffy wouldn’t want to be a hero, just like he doesn’t want to be one as a pirate, and above all, he would want to liberate people from their miseries.

To do all this, Luffy would have to change the Marines from the inside out, and that means that he would eventually go on to lead a coup from within. This coup would see Luffy overthrow not only the Celestial Dragons, but all the corrupt Marines from the inside out. Essentially, he would have to work against the organization to see this future come to pass, and it would certainly make for an exciting scenario in One Piece.

The One To Redefine The Order

Luffy Would Dismantle The Marines As Fans Know It

If Luffy were to become a Marine, then one would certainly expect great things from him, and knowing that the most corrupt people in the world of One Piece are the celestial dragons, specifically the Five Elders and Imu, he would work towards overthrowing them and then reestablishing what being a Marine truly means. Luffy would essentially lead a powerful revolution, by gathering his own team, similar to the Straw Hat Pirates, and then deciding to take down those who bring tears to the eyes of the common folk. Luffy would absolutely demolish the celestial dragons for having slaves, bringing misery to people, and all the other practices, such as human trafficking, slave trade, and many other things that they openly push.

I don’t wanna conquer anything. It’s just that the person with the most freedom on the sea is the pirate king.

Luffy’s team would certainly be very powerful, and when the moment would be right, he would be joined by all his allies in an attempt to take down the World Government order. Being the character that he is, Luffy would not want any credit for it. He’d ensure that the organization that is the Marines, as fans know it, would be dissolved. Luffy would be the one to end the order of Marines in One Piece, even if he was a Marine. A new world order would be installed, and given that Luffy values freedom above all, he would ensure that everyone who worked in this organization would be free to follow their own moral compass.

Above all, at the end of things, Luffy would most likely retire from the position of being a Marine. He would want to live the life of an explorer on the seas, where he would simply go from island to island, doing what he does best, and that is saving people. Essentially, even if Luffy was a Marine, the concept of Nika would work in One Piece, only this time, Luffy would work from inside the Navy to dismantle it, and lead a coup when the time would have been right.