Luffy’s life has been filled with challenges, but he’s met them all on his path to becoming King of the Pirates.

SUMMARY

 Luffy, the protagonist of One Piece , has a fascinating backstory and has accomplished a great deal in a short time.
 Luffy’s early life involved being entrusted to his grandfather, enduring intense training, and developing a dream of becoming King of the Pirates.
 Luffy formed the Straw Hat Pirates, assembled a strong crew, and embarked on various adventures and battles to achieve his goals.

Monkey D. Luffy is the main protagonist of One Piece and is not only among the most famous and beloved anime characters but also one of the most popular fictional characters of all time. Beginning the series as a 17-year-old rubber boy in a barrel with no clear backstory, over the last 27 years, Luffy’s past has been explored in depth, and his growth into a 19-year-old man and Emperor of the Sea has been witnessed and loved by millions.

The son of Monkey D. Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionary Army, and the grandson of Monkey D. Garp, one of the strongest Marines in the world, the amount Luffy has accomplished in such a short time is no surprise at all. Throughout his travels across the East Blue, Grand Line and New World, Luffy has assembled one of the strongest pirate crews in the world, the Straw Hat Pirates, declared war on the World Government, personally defeated three Warlords, as well as Kaido, an Emperor of the Sea, become an Emperor himself, and is now a front-runner to find the One Piece and become King of the Pirates.

Birth and Early Life

Luffy was born 17 years prior to the start of One Piece and is the son of Monkey D. Dragon and an unknown woman. Dragon entrusted Luffy to his father, Garp, to raise him. Wanting Luffy to grow up to be strong, Garp forced his grandson to endure intense training. When he was 6, Luffy met Shanks and the Red Hair Pirates. Luffy looked up to Shanks and wanted to join him, even stabbing his own face to prove he was tough. Shanks laughed him off, but one day at a bar, while Shanks wasn’t looking, Luffy ate the Devil Fruit that Shanks had with him, the Gomu Gomu no Mi (formerly known as the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika), turning his body into rubber.

Luffy was kidnapped by another group of pirates, with Shanks and his crew coming to his rescue. However, while the enemy pirates were no match for the Red Hair Pirates, their leader was able to drop Luffy in the ocean. Because of his new Devil Fruit, Luffy couldn’t swim. Shanks saved him from an incoming Sea King at the cost of his arm. Shanks gave Luffy his straw hat and told him to give it back to him when he became a great pirate. Luffy not only planned on becoming a great pirate but also on finding the One Piece and becoming King of the Pirates.

Growing Up With Ace and Sabo

Following Luffy’s encounter with the Red Hair Pirates in Foosha Village, Garp took Luffy to live with a group of mountain bandits led by his friend Dadan, whom he’d already entrusted with another child, Portgas D. Ace. Ace initially hated Luffy, bullying him and preferring to spend his time with his friend Sabo, a rebellious young noble. Luffy wasn’t discouraged and continued to attempt to befriend the other boys. When Luffy was kidnapped by pirates who were looking for Ace and Sabo and refused to sell them out, Ace and Sabo rescued him, and the three became inseparable. The three shared saki and declared themselves brothers.

As word spread that a Celestial Dragon would be visiting the island and the nobles planned on burning down the Gray Terminal, where their poorest citizens lived, the brothers enjoyed their lives together, dreaming of and training to become great pirates. Sabo’s noble family found him and captured the three, but Sabo abandoned his brothers to save them. Luffy and Ace survived the burning of the Gray Terminal, but Sabo was seemingly killed by the Celestial Dragon. Luffy and Ace mourned him and continued to grow up together until Ace left to start his journey as a pirate. Three years later, Luffy began his own journey.

Forming the Straw Hat Pirates

Luffy has a strong pirate crew in One Piece, and sometimes this means he doesn’t get the chance to take on powerful foes.

Shortly after setting sail, Luffy is forced to abandon ship after getting caught in a whirlpool, continuing his travels in a barrel. Luffy winds up on a ship being raided by the Alivda Pirates. Befriending a young boy being forced to work for Alvida, Koby, Luffy defeats the enemy pirate and her crew to save him. Luffy and Koby travel to a village being cruelly dominated by the Marine Captain Axe-Hand Morgan. Luffy rescues the bounty hunter being tortured by Morgan, Roronoa Zoro, recruits him to be his first mate, and the two defeat Morgan. With Koby choosing to stay behind to enlist in the Marines, Luffy and Zoro set sail without him.

In Orange Village, Luffy and Zoro meet Nami, a thief being pursued by Buggy the Clown and his crew. Luffy and Zoro fight the Buggy Pirates, with Luffy learning that Buffy is old friends with Shanks, and defeat them. Nami agrees to travel with them and be their navigator. Stopping next in Syrup Village, Luffy befriends the town pariah, Usopp, who Luffy is excited to learn is the son of Yasopp, a member of Shanks’ crew. To protect Usopp’s only friend, Kaya, from her traitorous butler, Captain Kuro of the Black Cat Pirates, Luffy defeats him. As thanks for saving her, Kaya gifts Luffy a ship, the Going Merry. Luffy recruits Usopp to join him.

Searching for a chef, Luffy and his crew travel to Baratie. Luffy accidentally causes damage to the highly-regarded restaurant and is forced to work as a chore boy. When the restaurant is attacked by Don Krieg and his fleet of pirates, Luffy fights alongside one of Baratie’s chefs, Sanji, to defeat them. Sanji joins the Straw Hat Pirates. With Nami having stolen the Going Merry and run off with it, the boys chase after her to Arlong Park. Luffy discovers that Nami betrayed him because she’s spent her life working for the fish-man, Arlong, and is trying to buy back her village from him. When Nami breaks down and asks Luffy to help her, he defeats Arlong and welcomes her back into the crew. The Straw Hats make one last stop in Loguetown, where Luffy has his first fight with Smoker before heading to the Grand Line.

Defeating Baroque Works

Entering the Grand Line, Luffy encounters the whale Laboon, who swallows the Going Merry. After getting out of his stomach and saving him from two hunters, Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9, Luffy and Laboon become friends. The Straw Hats take pity on the hunters and agree to take them back to their home in Whiskey Peak. Luffy enjoys a party thrown by the locals and passes out. When he wakes up to discover Zoro has beaten up most of the town, he attacks him, not realizing that the townspeople are all bounty hunters. Through their fight, Luffy and Zoro accidentally defeat the Baroque Works agents aiming to kill Miss Wednesday, who is actually Princess Vivi Nefertari of Arabasta. Luffy agrees to help Vivi save her country from Baroque Works’ leader, the Warlord Crocodile.

On Little Garden, Luffy meets the giants Dorry and Brogy and is attacked by the Baroque Works agents Mr. 5, Mr. 3, Miss Valentine, and Miss Goldenweek. When Nami gets sick, Luffy takes her to Drum Island in search of a doctor. Luffy gets Nami the medical treatment she needs, stops the evil former king, Wapol, from reconquering the island, and recruits Tony Tony Chopper, the apprentice of Drum Island’s only physician, to be the Straw Hats’ doctor.

The Straw Hats arrive in Arabasta. Luffy encounters Ace and enjoys a reunion with him. Ace departs after saving Luffy from Smoker, who came to Arabasta to chase him. After a trek through the desert, Luffy convinces Vivi that her original plan of speaking to the rebels being fired up by Crocodile won’t work if they don’t also take down Baroque Works. Crocodile captures the Straw Hats, Vivi, and Smoker and reveals his plans before everyone is saved by Sanji. Luffy fights Crocodile but loses, only surviving with the aid of Miss All Sunday. As Miss All Sunday, real name Nico Robin, goes with Crocodile to decipher the Poneglyph that will lead him to an ancient weapon, Luffy arrives for a rematch, but he loses again and barely survives. Robin betrays Crocodile, but before he can kill her, Luffy arrives for a final battle. As Luffy defeats Crocodile, Vivi convinces her people to stop fighting and ends the war. After saying goodbye to Vivi, Robin appears on the Going Merry, and Luffy lets her join the crew.

Saving Skypeia

The Straw Hats discover the existence of Skypeia, a floating island in the sky, and Luffy decides he wants to go there. The crew travels to Jaya to get more information on Skypeia, only to find it being terrorized by Bellemy, a rookie pirate who mocks the idea of Skypeia being real. Luffy meets Blackbeard for the first time in a bar. After letting himself be beaten by Bellemy, not seeing him as worth fighting, Luffy visits Cricket, who tells him the story of Noland the Liar. Luffy takes out Bellemy with one punch for stealing Cricket’s gold. As they depart Jaya, the Blackbeard Pirates attack the Straw Hats, but they’re saved as the water launches them into the sky, up to Skypeia.

In Skypeia, the Straw Hats enjoy exploring until Nami gets lost, winding up in the Upper Yard. Luffy goes to retrieve her despite the warnings that the Upper Yard is forbidden and home to their god, Enel. Enel declares the Straw Hat Pirates criminals, but Luffy easily dispatches Skypeia’s normal law enforcement, prompting the god to deploy his priests. Luffy battles the priests and survives the traps they’ve set for them. He then learns of the nation’s history from Gan Fall and how the native Shandia were invaded by the Skypeians, who stole their land.

After Enel defeats Zoro, Robin, Gan Fall and Wyper the Shandian, Luffy arrives to fight him. Enel is confident that Luffy is no match for his lightning powers, but because Luffy is made of rubber, his attacks don’t work on him. Luffy defeats Enel and rings the Shandorian Golden Belfry Bell to inform Cricket that Skypeia is real. With Enel defeated, the Skypeians and Shandians make peace, and Gan Fall retakes his place as “God” of Skypeia, while Luffy steals bags of their gold.

Declaring War on the World Government

One Piece’s Eiichiro Oda has confirmed that Monkey D. Luffy can stretch literally every part of his body (even that) following a question from an SBS.

The Straw Hats arrive at Long Ring Long Land, where everything is a bizarre length or height. Foxy the Silver Fox challenges Luffy to a Davy Back Fight, where their crews will compete in games to steal each other’s crewmates and flags. Angered by Foxy shooting an innocent horse, Luffy accepts and defeats him. After the competition is won, the Straw Hats encounter a man who, to Robin’s horror, is Marine Admiral Aokiji. Aokiji helps the Straw Hats aid a tribe of nomads before attacking them. Luffy is no match for Aokiji but is inspired to get stronger by the experience. Aokiji lets them live as thanks for defeating Crocodile.

Luffy and his friends then travel to Water 7, a city of shipwrights, to get the Going Merry repaired. Luffy exchanges his Skypeian gold for money and meets Iceburg, along with several other shipwrights, who inform him that the Merry cannot be fixed and needs to be replaced. When the Franky family beat up Usopp and steal the Straw Hats’ money, Luffy, Zoro, Sanji and Chopper go to avenge him and get their money back, only to find Franky ran off with all of it. Luffy’s decision to replace the Merry enrages Usopp, but Zoro reminds Luffy that, as captain, he can’t give in to his friend. Usopp leaves the crew and challenges Luffy to a duel for the Merry, which he loses, but Luffy lets him keep the Merry anyway.

Luffy is framed for shooting Iceburg, but the true culprits are CP9, the World Government’s elite assassins, and Robin. Luffy refuses to believe Robin would do this and that she must be working with them against her will. The Straw Hats try to fight CP9 but are defeated, with CP9 leaving to take Robin to her execution. Luffy and the Straw Hats ride the sea train to pursue CP9 to the site of Robin’s execution, Enies Lobby. Luffy has a rematch against one of the CP9 agents, Blueno, who he easily defeats by revealing his new Gear 2 ability. Standing atop the Gates of Justice, Luffy calls out to Robin that he’s here for her, but she has to tell him she wants to live. After learning of Robin’s past, Luffy orders Usopp, under the persona of Sogeking, to shoot down the World Government’s flag, declaring war on the world for his friend.

Luffy fights and defeats the leader of CP9, Rob Lucci, using Gear 3, while Usopp gets the key to Robin’s handcuffs and frees her. The Straw Hats barely escape Enies Lobby as a Buster Call arrives, thanks to the Going Merry somehow coming to save them on its own. Although the ship’s spirit is able to rescue them, the ship itself still cannot go on, and the Straw Hats give it a proper funeral. Two days later, Garp shows up to tell Luffy about the four Yonko, reuniting his grandson with Koby, who’s become Garp’s apprentice. Luffy’s father is revealed to be Monkey D. Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionary Army and the most wanted man in the world, and Koby informs Luffy about the second half of the Grand Line: the New World. Franky gifts Luffy a new ship, the Thousand Sunny. Luffy invites Franky to join his crew, and after he’s apologized, Luffy welcomes Usopp back with open arms.

Surviving Thriller Bark

The Straw Hats enter the mysterious Florian Triangle, where they quickly meet Brook, a living skeleton. Luffy, thinking Brook being a living skeleton is awesome, invites him to join his crew. When Brook says he’d love to, but he cannot leave the Triangle because his shadow was stolen, Luffy decides to help him. Exploring Thriller Bark, the Straw Hats find the man who stole Brook’s shadow, Gecko Moria, a Warlord of the Sea. Moria wants to steal the Straw Hats’ shadows to further build his zombie army, but Luffy defeats him by absorbing all of his stolen shadows to become Nightmare Luffy and then finishing him off with Gear 2 and Gear 3 after releasing everyone’s shadows.

Bartholomew Kuma arrives and blows up Thriller Bark, having been sent to kill Luffy. With Luffy exhausted and unconscious, Zoro volunteers to take Luffy’s place and endures all the pain Luffy took in his fight with Moria being pushed into him. Later, Luffy is ecstatic to have Brook join the crew before learning that Ace has been captured and imprisoned in Impel Down. Luffy doesn’t stress, though, sure that Ace will save himself.

Separated From the Straw Hats

The Straw Hats head to Sabaody Archipelago to prepare for the New World. Luffy learns of the existence of the Celestial Dragons, promising his new friends Camie and Hatchan that he won’t start trouble with them but he is horrified when he learns they enslave people. Hatchan introduces everyone to Shakky, a friend of the mechanic Rayleigh, who informs Luffy about the Supernovas, of which he and Zoro are members. When Camie is kidnapped to be sold at a slave auction, it falls to Luffy to save her by punching out a Celestial Dragon. Luffy fights off the responding Marines with Eustass Kidd and Trafalgar Law, but when Admiral Kizaru, his nephew Sentomaru, Kuma, and a group of Pacifistas arrive, Luffy is overwhelmed, and the Straw Hats are defeated, transported by Kuma to different locations around the world.

Luffy wakes up on the all-women island of Amazon Lily, where he has been imprisoned for being a man. Luffy escapes the Amazons chasing after him and is aided by Marguerite, who teaches him about Haki and informs him that the island’s empress is Boa Hancock, a Warlord. After Hancock returns to her home, Luffy accidentally drops into her bath. Hancock’s ability to turn all those attracted to her to stone does not work on Luffy, but after he sees her tattoo, she chooses to execute him. Luffy defeats Hancock’s sisters and earns the trust of the Amazons through his kind actions; his attitude also makes Hancock fall in love with him. Hancock gives Luffy a ship, but upon learning Ace hasn’t saved himself and is going to be executed, he prioritizes saving him over reuniting the Straw Hats.

With Hancock’s aid, Luffy infiltrates Impel Down to rescue Ace ahead of his execution. Luffy travels down the six levels of the prison to reach Ace; along the way, he breaks out and recruits a makeshift crew consisting of old villains, new allies, and an old friend, Bentham. Luffy and his temporary team take on wild beasts, a razor-sharp forest, extreme heat, extreme cold, the prison warden Magellan and his traitorous assistant, Hannyabal. However, Luffy is too slow to save Ace and is unable to reach him before he’s transferred from the prison to the site of his execution, Marineford. The team works to escape the prison and reach Marineford, all with their own motivations for going. When Blackbeard arrives to free and recruit prisoners, Luffy fights him but is defeated. Luffy and the rest of his team only escape thanks to Bentham sacrificing himself.

Luffy and his crew from Impel Down crash into the middle of the Summit War taking place between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Marines. Luffy rushes to save Ace from execution, with Whitebeard’s forces doing their best to protect him from the many opponents present who are far stronger than him. Luffy takes down Koby, Garp refuses to fight Luffy and takes a dive, and Luffy activates his Conquerer’s Haki for the first time, knocking out all the weaker pirates and Marines. Whitebeard enters the battle himself, and Ace is freed from his handcuffs. Luffy frees Ace, but Admiral Akainu still kills him, giving Luffy a new scar on his chest with the same attack. Luffy is saved by his allies but is nearly broken by the loss of his brother. It takes his new friend Jinbe to encourage him to keep living. Luffy agrees to spend the next two years training with Rayleigh and returns to Marineford to send a message to his crew to spend that time training as well.

Training With Rayleigh

To truly appreciate Luffy, it’s essential to know who his first friends are and to understand them.

Luffy spends two years training with Rayleigh in Haki on Rusukaina. In doing so, he develops Gear 4, which allows him to subdue the wild beasts that inhabit the island. As an additional part of his training, Rayleigh informs Luffy that his Haki will continue to grow stronger as he faces increasingly more powerful opponents and that there are opponents out in the world who can see into the future, whom he’ll need to be ready for.

Claiming Fish-Man Island

After two years have passed, Luffy reunites with the Straw Hats at Sabaody Archipelago. They discuss the training they’ve been doing as the Marines receive word that the Straw Hats have returned. Sentomaru and his Pacifistas attempt to capture them, but Luffy, Zoro,and Sanji show that they’re no longer a threat, and with some help from Perona and Hancock, the Straw Hats escape into the New World. On their way to Fish-Man island, Luffy learns that Kuma is a member of the Revolutionary Army and was saving their lives by splitting them up, but now he’s a mindless slave of the Celestial Dragons. Luffy fights off an attacking pirate, Caribou, as well as various undersea monsters, and blows past the members of the New Fish-Man Pirates who try to stop him from entering Fish-Man Island.

Luffy reunites with Camie, while Hody Jones, the leader of the New Fish-Man Pirates who seeks to conquer the island and spread his anti-human philosophy, is informed of the Straw Hats’ arrival. King Neptune invites Luffy and the others to the royal palace, where they meet Princess Shirahoshi. Luffy becomes Shirahoshi’s bodyguard and reunites with Jinbe. Luffy defeats Hody Jones, while his crew and Jinbe defeat the rest of his forces, showing off what they learned during the timeskip. Luffy wants Jinbe to join his crew, but Jinbe tells him that will have to wait. To protect Fish-Man Island, Luffy calls the Yonko Big Mom and tells her that he’s claiming the island as his territory.

Overthrowing Doflamingo

The Straw Hats arrive at Punk Hazard, an island that used to be home to Dr. Vegapunk’s research facility but is now a land of fire and ice. Luffy befriends Kin’emon, a samurai from Wano who’s been separated from his two traveling companions. While helping Kin’emon search for his son, Momonoskue, Luffy discovers that Ceaser Clown, an evil scientist working for the Warlord Donquixote Doflamingo, is experimenting on children and decides to stop him. Trafalgar Law, who’d been working with Ceaser, betrays him and forms an alliance with Luffy to take down Doflamingo and his boss, the Yonko Kaido. Luffy defeats Ceaser, saves the kids, and hands them over to Smoker, and reunites Kin’emon with Momonoskue. The new alliance sets sail for Dressrosa, where Doflamingo rules as king.

Law schemes to get the Straw Hats into Dressrosa so they can destroy the SMILE factory, using returning Ceaser to Doflamingo as their “in,” but when Luffy learns of a combat tournament being held in the Colosseum, with the prize being the Mera Mera no Mi, he leaves everything to the others so he can compete. Luffy battles fearsome opponents and meets Rebecca, the granddaughter of the legendary warrior Kyros.

As things go awry for his friends, Luffy leaves the tournament. Still, before he does, he shares a tearful reunion with Sabo, who’s alive, the second-in-command of the Revolutionary Army, and here to take Luffy’s place in the tournament. Led by Luffy, the Straw Hats, gladiators, and Tontatta take the fight to Doflamingo and the Donquixote Pirates. Enraged, Doflamingo attempts to destroy Dressrosa. Luffy and Law fight Doflamingo, with Luffy using Gear 4 to defeat him. Afterward, Luffy invites the gladiators and Tontatta he fought alongside to join him, forming the Straw Hat Grand Fleet.

Warring Against Emperors

Anime powerhouses like Muzan Kibutsuji from Demon Slayer and MHA’s Kai Chisaki can make light work of Gear 5 Luffy.

Luffy and his team sail to Zou to meet with Sanji and the others who had to flee Dressrosa. The Straw Hats meet the Mink people, including Carrot, who leads everyone to the rest of their alliance and informs them how their country has been under attack by Jack, one of Kaido’s All-Stars. Luffy is concerned about Sanji being missing and learns that he agreed to be married off by his family to one of Big Mom’s daughters to form an alliance between the Big Mom Pirates and Germa 66. Luffy is then told the details of Momonoskue’s tragic past. With everyone in agreement about what needs to be done, he forms the Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance to defeat Kaido and put Momonoskue on the throne in Wano. Luffy leaves with a handful of allies to rescue Sanji, ordering everyone else to meet them in Wano.

Luffy and his team arrive at Whole Cake Island, where Luffy quickly runs into and defeats one of Big Mom’s commanders, Cracker. He then finds Sanji, wanting to take him home, but Sanji attacks him, wanting Luffy to go away for his own good. Luffy refuses to fight back and tells Sanji he isn’t moving or eating until Sanji cooks for him again. It takes some time and some painful revelations, but Sanji eventually returns to feed his captain. Luffy and Sanji form an alliance with Capone Bege to assassinate Big Mom, but when this fails, Luffy fights Charlotte Katakuri, Big Mom’s strongest commander, while everyone else prepares for their escape. By learning to see into the future like Katakuri, Luffy defeats him, and the Straw Hats and Carrot escape the wrath of Big Mom.

Arriving in Wano, Luffy meets O-Tama and discovers how Kaido oppresses the people of Wano. Luffy reunites with Zoro and makes a new friend, O-Kiku, later learning that, just like Kin’emon, Kanjuro and Raizo, she is a former retainer of Kozuki Oden, having been sent to the future by his wife to avenge him. Luffy attempts to fight Kaido but loses and gets imprisoned. In the prison, Luffy receives Haki training from another inmate. Luffy finds Kidd has also been imprisoned and convinces him to join the Alliance. Together with his new mentor, Kidd, and Oden’s retainers, Luffy liberates the prison camp.

As the Alliance launches their raid on Onigashima, Kanjuro betrays Luffy, and Jinbe arrives to accept his offer and join the Straw Hats at last. Luffy fights one of the Tobi Roppo, Ulti, and is surprised when he’s aided by Kaido’s son, Yamato. Yamato allies himself with Luffy, and together with Zoro, Law, Kidd, Killer and Momonoskue, they head to the roof to fight Kaido and Big Mom. By unlocking Gear 5, Luffy discovers that his true power isn’t to be a rubber man but to become the sun god, Nika, enabling him to fight with unlimited freedom. With this power, Luffy defeats Kaido and liberates Wano. For both the strength of his alliance and his toppling of two Yonko, Luffy is officially declared to be a Yonko himself.

Exploring Egghead

Luffy and the Straw Hats arrive at the futuristic Egghead Island. There, they run into Bonney, who reveals to them this is the home of Dr. Vegapunk. After fighting a Pacifista, Bonney tearfully reveals that Kuma is her father. Luffy meets Dr. Vegapunk, who has split his mind into six other bodies to get more work done. CP-0, led by Rob Lucci, arrives to kill Vegapunk, utilizing the Seraphim, their new living weapons, but they’re defeated by the Straw Hats and one of their own, Stussy. Luffy and Lucci work together to defeat the Seraphim when they go rogue.

Kizaru and Sentomaru arrive with a fleet and attack, with Luffy fighting Kizaru, who is now more powerful than the Admiral. Saturn, one of the Five Elders, attacks next, making the Straw Hats struggle. While Kuma arrives to save his daughter from their longtime nemesis, Luffy eats to replenish his health before heading back into action. Luffy activates Gear 5 and lays waste to the Marines’ Buster Call.