User blog comment:IamJakuhoRaikoben/Chapter 447: Escape Battle, Review./@comment-26451407-20150805081453/@comment-24546844-20150806132048

Maybe a bit late but i'd like to point something. The last time we saw Gildarts outside of his special chapters, he was being named the next guild master of FT by Makarov, in front of Lumen Histoire. What does that mean? From the way I see it he knows all the implications of having LH in the basement and the impending threat that Alvarez represents to the guild and the continent, I'm sure Makarov would inform him of all of this when turning him into the new master.

Now, knowing the guild/continent maybe be in danger, would someone like Gildarts just slack off and neglect training? I doubt. If people like Natsu, Laxus and Gray became so much stronger for reasons like, revenge and protecting his friends, in a series moved by the "power of friendship" Gildarts has a pretty good reason to train and get stronger, especially after being handicaped by Acnologia. I'm almost sure he's still the strongest mage in the guild.