The marines are structured with admirals at the very top, followed by vice admirals, rear admirals, commodores, captains, and so on. 8 garp feels that the perks of being a vice admiral (mainly the high level of freedom) is worth more than being an admiral, who are often used to guard the tenryuubito (who i could imagine garp would despise) He's probably stronger than the current admirals though Remember in marineford when sengoku personally had to restrain him? Garp himself refused several promotions to admiral, presumably because the position of admiral meant more responsibilities and less freedom (consider 3 admirals only compared to about 20 vice admirals the marines currently have). Garp still a vice admiral in the marines
Here’s why he refuses to get a promotion in the navy in one piece. With all his deeds and accolades, it seems only natural to wonder why garp remains a vice admiral In one piece chapter 957, the former fleet admiral sengoku detailed garp's heroic past to the other marine officers He told them of the god valley incident, where garp teamed up with roger to stop the infamous rocks pirates. Practical fixes/tips understanding the implications of rank in the marines helps appreciate garp’s unique position An admiral typically answers directly to the world government and the celestial dragons, which can limit personal discretion
