第208回：‘If you see it there, Garling, then it’s there.’

Garling is an interesting one, that’s for sure. He represents an idea that I’ve been mulling over for some time and although it’s not impervious to criticism, it holds up well enough to warrant discussion.

Garling is one of the few uncontrovertibly evil villains of the series. By uncontrovertibly I mean that there are no known extenuating circumstances that might account for his horrific actions. While this is a tough subject to touch on since everyone probably weighs villains’ heinous acts differently, we can probably find common ground in agreeing that because the majority of Oda’s villains are so well fleshed out, they typically have a ‘reason’ for their actions. And while just having a ‘reason’ doesn’t excuse them, we can usually identify why they act how they do.

Let’s take a look at Enel for example.

Enel is likely a malignant narcissist who believes that -due to a dangerous mixture of power (his fruit) and knowledge (his loose understanding of the moon civilization)- he was truly destined to forge a new civilization. Dangerous and vile? Yes, but his lack of experience with anyone that could pose a threat to him, his hackneyed knowledge of the ancient world, and his narcissism made him believe that his actions would lead to a new society. Does that give him a pass for what he did? Nope. But at least we can see the unfortunate events that coalesced, taking him down that path.

Examining many of ONE PIECE’s villains in the same way and will unveil some sort of ‘source’ for their actions. Mjosgard was an excellent example of how even Celestial Dragons commit heinous crimes against humanity largely because of how they’ve been raised. They’ve been told they are the top of the world and -literally living above it- have little reason to discover how wrong they are because of their sheltered and pampered lives.

But just look what happened to Mjosgard when he received a dose of reality. Not only did he disregard standard conduct within Mary Geoise to defend Shirahoshi, he did so at the expense of his life.

But Garling…this guy is on a whole other level from your standard Celestial Dragon. While we can argue that many of the Celestial Dragon families are ignorant to the ways of the world, even when they venture out into it, Garling has a knowing aura about him. What’s more, having been accepted as one of the “Elders” , it’s not a stretch to believe he knows more about the history of the world than your standard Celestial Dragon. In other words, not only is he no different than Mjosgard -cognizant of the hardships and value of life- but he also may know the secrets of the history of the world. In other words, we can blame deep-seeded ignorance and manipulation for how many of the Celestial Dragons act, but Garling is not only a part of the manipulation, he also appears to know better. And yet, he takes pleasure in his grim acts.

Murdering humans for sport, making an example of Mjosgard, and who knows what other kinds of crimes he’s committed, but to what end? Other Celestial Dragons do the same thing in blissful ignorance, but Garling’s face is almost always stone cold when committing acts of violence.

His only grin thus far seems to have been when pondering how his infant sons could benefit from witnessing his actions at God Valley. In essence, Garling seems focused on one thing:

The glorification of his bloodline at any cost.

We have not seen even a hint of empathy from Garling toward not only non-Celestials, but even his fellow Celestial Dragons. Even Doflamingo, arguably one of the vilest individuals in the series, was given a hint of humanity in a brief but poignant scene where he was seen drowning his childhood trauma in alcohol. Thus far we’ve seen no sign of humanity from Garling as he steamrolls through anyone he considers in his path. And what’s even more frightening, is that this creep seems to be patient. He didn’t seem in any rush to take an Elder seat, he carried on as a Knight of God and then when it opened, he went straight in with no bravado as if it had been owed him the entire time.

But here’s the million berry question… Where does Garling go from here?

In the world of ONE PIECE as we know it, Garling has ascended as far as any human can. He is one of only four other individuals who serve a god-ruler of sorts. So what position will sate Garling’s thirst for glorification next? Will he be satisfied serving under Imu, or will his desire to strengthen his position cause him to view even Imu’s seat as an attainable goal?

It’s truly bizarre how he assumed Jaygarcia’s position devoid of emotion or satisfaction. What will it take to satisfy Garling? I’m almost afraid to discover the answer… Like Hody Jones, Garling seems to be an ‘empty’ villain. There is no ‘explanation’ for what drives him except the urge to move upward at any cost and even when he does so, there is no sense of accomplishment, only emptiness with a never-ending thirst.

Don’t get me wrong. Imu is probably on a whole other level of evil from Garling. But Imu might not even be ‘human’. Garling on the other hand is certainly flesh and blood and yet he still makes the conscious decisions to murder without care or conscience. Pure human evil.