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Join Monkey D. Luffy on his journey to become the King of Pirates. Discover ten unforgettable moments from his epic adventures.
He is going to be the King of Pirates—Monkey D. Luffy, the captain of the Straw Hat Crew. He is overpowered, and we know he is amazing in battles. But we also know how spontaneous and fun he is. Here is a list of 10 memorable moments of Luffy in One Piece, which we have given in chronological order.
1) Luffy Getting Devil Fruit Power
The whole story starts with his obsession with becoming a pirate and joining Shanks’ crew. As a child, he used to throw tantrums about wanting to join. Shanks and his Red-Haired Pirate crew loved his enthusiasm and took it lightly since he was a child. One day, after being rejected by Shanks again, out of frustration, he found a fruit lying around and ate it. Turns out, it was the Gomu Gomu no Mi. He gained the power of rubber and could stretch.
This was hilarious because when they asked him if he ate the fruit, he honestly said yes, adding that it tasted bad, yet he still finished it. The best part of this scene is that Shanks does not get angry. Instead, he was concerned that Luffy had lost his ability to swim, showing that they did take his dream of being a pirate seriously.
2) Luffy Getting His First Crewmate
After he arrives in Shells Town with Koby, they find Zoro tied up and captured. He decides that he wants Zoro in his crew, walks up to him, and offers him the position outright. Zoro did not want to be a pirate at first, but given his situation, he agreed to take help from Luffy.
Luffy retrieved Zoro’s swords and told him that if he joined, Zoro could continue striving to become the world’s strongest swordsman. So, he saved Zoro from execution, and in turn, Zoro became the most loyal crewmate the Straw Hat crew has had. (Spoiler—Zoro later took Luffy’s pain from Kuma, showing his dedication toward his captain.)
3) Luffy Gives His Hat to Nami
Another unforgettable moment in One Piece was just after getting Zoro in his crew. Nami had been betrayed by Arlong. She had saved 100 million berries to buy her town’s freedom, only for Arlong to steal it from her. Nami had lost everything and the hope of ever saving her hometown.
In this scene, Nami breaks down, crying while stabbing her arm where the Arlong Pirates’ symbol was tattooed. When he arrives, she finally asks for help. This is when he puts his precious Straw Hat (a gift from Shanks) on her head, symbolizing his trust and asking her to do the same. It was his way of assuring her that he would take care of everything.
This was one of the beginning arcs of One Piece, and we got to witness Luffy’s coolness and compassion when he saw injustice. Just him placing his hat on Nami’s head is so iconic that fans can never forget it.
4) Luffy vs Usopp
This is another moment that the majority of fans cannot forget. It happened during the Water 7 Arc, where Usopp felt insecure about his role in the crew and had too much pride to let go of the Going Merry. Luffy understood his feelings and tried to acknowledge them. But when Usopp challenged Luffy to a duel, both of them fought it out. It was an emotional battle, showing how both expressed their attachment to the ship differently.
It was their first ship, and as fans, we too felt that sadness. Many did not like Usopp’s actions and called him a traitor. But Luffy did not see it that way. Neither did he underestimate Usopp. He fought him seriously, allowing Usopp to stand by his principles. After the duel, Luffy let Usopp leave the crew. (Don’t worry—he came back and apologized later.)
5) Luffy Punches a Celestial Dragon
Luffy can tolerate losing food. He can tolerate teasing. But when someone hurts the people he cares about, that person is going to get punched. During the Sabaody Archipelago Arc, Hacchi (a former Arlong Pirate, now running a takoyaki shop) was shot by a Celestial Dragon, who then mocked him and even talked about enslaving him.
Wrong move. Without skipping a beat, Luffy lands one of the most satisfying punches in anime history, knocking the Celestial Dragon unconscious. Fans felt the same relief and satisfaction, seeing an arrogant, entitled villain finally getting what he deserved.
6) Marineford War / Losing Ace
This moment is mentioned here with utmost respect and emotion. This is one of the best arcs for battles and the saddest, as Luffy loses his brother, Ace. (Not biological brothers—Ace was Gol D. Roger’s son, but he and Luffy were sworn brothers.)
When Luffy held Ace’s lifeless body and cried, fans felt chills. Luffy had come to Marineford to stop Ace’s execution, where he unintentionally used Conqueror’s Haki, knocking out several soldiers. But when Admiral Akainu aimed to kill Luffy with a magma punch, Ace shielded him. And lost his life.
We cannot measure Luffy’s emotional state as Ace’s last words to him were: “Thank you for loving me.” This moment broke everyone. But it also strengthened Luffy’s resolve to become stronger.
7) Luffy Meeting Boa Hancock
Boa Hancock, who is super infatuated with Luffy, acts kinder only in front of him. But Luffy is immune to Boa’s charm, which makes her fall for him because no other man has resisted her before.
After Marineford, she made sure that Luffy was taken care of, providing him with food and shelter in Amazon Lily. She even let him stay there for two years to train. Later, she helped him reunite with his crew.
Every interaction between them was hilarious, as Boa would blush uncontrollably, misunderstanding even simple gestures—like Luffy hugging her, which she interpreted as a marriage proposal. This created one of the funniest ongoing dynamics in One Piece.
8) Luffy Reunites With Sabo
After Ace’s death, his Devil Fruit resurfaced. So during the Colosseum Arc in One Piece, they kept the Mera Mera no Mi as the prize for the winner. Luffy wanted to make sure that no bad person got that fruit. Thinking that he had already lost Ace and Sabo, he went ahead with his plan. It turned out that Sabo walked in and revealed himself.
Luffy (we mean Lucy) could not believe his eyes and got so overwhelmed and emotional that he did not believe it at first. Then he ran toward Sabo, hugged him, and started sobbing (like a lot). It was a bittersweet moment for us. Sabo reassures him that he will get the fruit and later on goes to destroy the arena ring himself with his immense strength and retrieve the Mera Mera no Mi.
9) Luffy Beats Doflamingo
Doflamingo was a great enemy for Luffy. In this fight, we see a clash between him and Luffy, where Luffy ends up using Gear 4, a combination of his rubber powers and Haki. It was an intense fight.
Doflamingo’s overconfidence—even after being Awakened—was no match for Gear 4 Luffy. The two-year training that Luffy received came through. Something had changed in him. In this particular scene, Doffy was about to step on Trafalgar Law. Stopping Doflamingo made fans go wild, as it was such a power move.
10) Luffy Gear 5
It was time that fans had been anticipating this to be animated during Luffy’s fight with Kaido. Luffy attains Gear 5—something that had never been seen before. He awakened the form of the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, which strengthens the user’s rubbery body, and he had the power to manipulate the environment. In this form, everything looks like a cartoon, and Luffy has attained true freedom. We can hear the “Drums of Liberation” being played, and he looks different than usual. People claim that he is untouchable in this form.
Fans speculate that his form is different and fun because it matches his personality—it is filled with laughter and whimsy. Even the opponent does not know what to expect. (Also, lots of us missed that Oda had foreshadowed this during the Skypiea Arc, where a panel shows Luffy dancing by a fire, resembling the silhouette of Sun God Nika. Oda is truly a genius.)
Conclusion
These were some of the times when Luffy was memorable, but as fans, everything he does is captivating. He comes across as a carefree person but has so many layers to him. In every arc, everyone he comes across ends up loving him. Most of them see him as a hero. But we know that is what he does not want to become. He will be the King of Pirates one day, and as fans, we cannot wait for it.
Oda is amazing, and this has been serialized for over a decade. Everyone in One Piece has a great screen presence, and who knows, they might have importance to the main story too. Only time will tell us what awesomeness he has planned for us in the future.
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