Monkey D. Luffy

"I'm gonna be the Pirate King!"

- Monkey D. Luffy

"I don't want to rule anything. Being King of the Pirates means being more free then anyone."

- Luffy explains his reasons why he wants to be king.

"I love heroes, but I don't want to be one. Do you even know what a hero is!? For example, you have some meat. Pirates will feast on the meat, but the hero will distribute it among the people! I want to eat the meat!"

- Monkey D. Luffy.

"In a duel between pirates... There's no such thing as play dirty. Not being able to dodge it was my mistake...!!"

- Luffy to Katakuri when their fight was interrupt by Flampe

Monkey D. Luffy is the main protagonist of One Piece. He is the son of Monkey D. Dragon.

He is the grandson of Monkey D. Garp and also the adoptive brother of the late Portgas D. Ace and the revolutionary Sabo. His main aspiration is to become the King of the Pirates and is searching for the One Piece, a legendary treasure left by the previous Pirate King named Gold Roger. His inspiration comes from a crew of other pirates who used to visit his island when he was little, the captain of which was "Red-Haired" Shanks. During one of this pirate crew's visits, he accidentally ate the Gomu Gomu no mi, a type of Devil Fruit that made his body like rubber. The catch to having these powers is an inability to swim: all those who eat a Devil Fruit will drown if they fall into the ocean. He is the the founder and captain of the Straw Hat Pirates (named for the straw hat Shanks had given him the last time they'd met). The world government views Luffy as a threat, (as he is a pirate, current offender who punched a Celestial Dragon after Fisher Tiger and the son of the Revolutionary Dragon, after all). He is also part of the 12 troublemaking pirates called the Worst Generation. After escaping Big Mom's territory, he was considered by the World Economic Journal as The Fifth Emperor among the Yonko.

At age 7 after the Red Haired Pirates left, Luffy was trained brutally by his grandfather, Garp when he tossed him into the bottomless ravine, left him into the jungle every nights and tying up with balloons to send him flying in the sky as a result to become a strong man despite of young age. Luffy was left to train with his brother, Ace and Sabo. The first pirates they've been fighting is the Bluejam Pirates. After Sabo gone missing due to the World Noble shot him as a result of his hatred toward the World Noble before he punched one of them in Sabaody Archipelago. At age 14 after Ace's departed, he trained for 3 years to control his devil fruit powers before he depart to become a pirate.

His first bounty was 30,000,000 Berries after defeating the three top pirates of East Blue and the marine captain Morgan. His second bounty was 100,000,000 Berries after he defeated the Shichibukai Sir Crocodile. His third bounty was 300,000,000 Berries after defeated Blueno and Rob Lucci and declared a war against the World Government. His fourth bounty was 400,000,000 Berries after he defeated another Shichibukai, Gekko Moriah; punched a Celestial Dragon (and managed escaped from Kizaru from the help of Bartholomew Kuma by sending him flying to Amazon Lily so that the World Government and the Marines will not be able to find him); break into and out of Impel Down; invaded Marineford to rescue his brother Portgas D. Ace with Whitebeard's help, for being publicly revealed as a son of the Revolutionary Dragon; after Ace died, he escape Marineford by the help of Jinbei; and he returned to Marineford to ring the Ox Bell 16 times. Luffy's fifth bounty was 500,000,000 Berries after he defeated another Shichibukai, Donquixote Doflamingo, and formed an alliance with Trafalgar D. Water Law. He take part of the Sanji's Retrieve Team to destroy his arranged wedding with Charlotte Pudding and take Sanji back (until learned that he fall into Big Mom's trap to get himself, his crew (including Sanji) and the entire Vinsmoke Family killed). He formed an alliance with the Fire Tank Pirates Captain and one of his rivals, Capone Bege to overthrow the Yonko, Big Mom and save the Vinsmoke Family but their alliance began to end as they prepare to escape Totto land. He had a fight with the second son of the Charlotte Family and the strongest Sweet Commander Katakuri. However, his fight was interrupted by Katakuri's annoying sister, Flampe when she is using a silent blowgun for breaking his focus, until he and Katakuri used Haoshoku Haki to knock Flampe and her subordinates to resume their fight. After defeating Katakuri, He is prepare to escape Cacao Island surrounded by Charlotte Oven but until Germa 66 arrived just in time to fight off against Oven and his squad. After escape Totto Land, His sixth and current bounty is 1,500,000,000 and considered by the World Economic Journal as the Fifth Emperor. According to his arch-enemy, Blackbeard, it's too soon for Luffy to become a new Yonko. He and the others are heading straight toward Wano Country to face Kaido and his Beast Pirates. Unbeknownst to him, Big Mom and her crew prepared to leave Totto Land and heading straight towards Wano to get her revenge on Luffy despite of Kaido threaten to kill her if she comes.

He has immense healing capabilities and an extremely fast recovery rate. In Impel Down, when his natural healing abilities were boosted by Ivankov's healing hormones and further driven by his will, Luffy was able to not only survive the excessive dose of Magellan's deadly poison but also managed to overcome the poisoning within less than a day, a feat which Ivankov noted to be more than just a miracle. In Whole Cake Island, despite being on the verge of death and being brutally injured by Sanji beforehand, he quickly regain all his lost stamina and energy after eating Sanji's bento and was completely unfazed by the serious injuries he had suffered beforehand. He also regrows a missing tooth instantly after drinking some milk similar to how Brook healed his injuries.

He is voiced by Mayumi Tanaka in the Japanese version of the anime, and Colleen Clinkenbeard in the English version of the anime.

Overview
Luffy's two dominant traits are his apparent lack of intelligence and his utter fearlessness. Luffy can easily be amazed by the simplest things, such as hermit crabs, and can be confused by concepts such as that by digging a hole right next to another he may be unintentionally filling the other hole. In addition, during long and complex explanations of something, he immediately calls it magic. He likes monsters and will ask weird creatures to join his crew (as seen in the Thriller Bark Arc, asking a talking tree to join his crew). He also has no knowledge of medicine: when Nami had a high fever he told her to eat cold food and later tried to make Roronoa Zoro better (after battling Bartholomew Kuma) by pouring sake onto him because Zoro likes sake. When attempting to think up a plan to get off of Amazon Lily, while he managed to make some logical sense of where to look, he is seen to strain himself and notes that he is going to feel sick from too much thinking.[23]  He is rarely disturbed by violence and bloodshed as he has fought his whole life. Even the worst battlefields rarely disturb him except when it involves a friend or relative as in the case of Ace. He is seemingly unphased by the most horrifying sights such as headless men left after Law's attacks or the extreme violence of Kid.

Luffy's personality is like that of a child's, in the sense that he tends to go to the extremes. He can either be extremely greedy, especially in cases of food, who his crew is, and adventure; or extraordinarily selfless, going so far as to virtually sacrifice himself to avenge or protect his friends, crew, and family. This childish mentality of his allows him to get to the root of the problem, and allows him to figure out the most simple way of solving it.

He almost never gets irritated with normal people, though there are a few exceptions, like when they seem to have an opposite taste in food as he, or when they ask if they can take a look at his "privates". Luffy also has no problem with other people stretching and playing with his rubber body, however, he does get a little irritated if they are doing so while he's in the middle of eating.

Luffy calls every mixed-appearance creature he finds by whichever creature is its secondary (non-dominant) part. On Gaimon's island, the dog/chicken was referred to as a chicken when it was mostly a dog, the snake/rabbit a rabbit even though it was mostly snake, and the pig/lion a lion even though it was mostly pig. This becomes a running gag: later when he meets Bananawani, he calls them bananas with crocodiles attached to them. Also, after seeing Pierretransform, he continued to refer to him as a "horse" instead of a bird. And related to this running gag, when on Long Ring Long Land island, he called every animal by what he thought they resembled rather than the actual species they were.

Another interesting personality trait is that during sailing, he likes to sit on the bow of the ship, such as the head of the Going Merry and the Thousand Sunny, the nose of Rocket Man, the head of the right Yuda of the Kuja Pirates' ship or even on top of the front cannon of a captured Marines' ship.

Luffy's interest in women is a complex matter: in an SBS Volume 54, Oda stated that the reason Luffy acted in an aroused manner when Nami stripped, yet remained neutral when Hancock did so, was that he was with Usopp at the time Nami did so, as Usopp is his age and therefore a bad influence on his behavior.[25]  He also hasn't yet displayed any romantic inclinations, having nonchalantly refused to marry Lola and Hancock without a second thought. Luffy also has an indifferent behavior towards marriage. While he knows what marriage is, he doesn't seem to care about that concept as when Sanji was in an arranged marriage with Pudding, he did not care if he got married and only cared more about him returning to the crew. He also didn't object to Absalom trying to marry Nami and only commented on how "brave" he was to want to marry her. Ironically, despite his lack of interest in all things love related, Luffy has earned the affections of many women along his travels (such as Alvida's admiration, the love of Boa Hancock, etc.), quite a few of whom are royalty.

Luffy has shown to admire heroes, though he has stated vehemently that he really does not want to be one, his reasoning more-or-less translating that the definition of a good hero is to be entirely selfless. Ironically, many of Luffy's actions are mostly selfless, with his selfishness mainly revolving around his gluttony and his thirst for adventure. This trait leaves everyone he meets with to think he is some kind of hero, but not by his own design. However, he is easily convinced by Jinbe for his plan of becoming a hero of the Fishman Island with an agreement of meat.

Luffy acquired the reputation of a very dangerous person because of his recklessness and even insanity. However, unlike other pirates who have a reputation as a psycho (like the Killer of the Marines Caribou or Bellamy) for unjust violence against civilians or authorities, Luffy gained his reputation for helping his friends in the face of power, usually passing over beyond the bounds of reasoning.

It is shown that Luffy can get irritated when his crew or people around him constantly whine about the dangers they are in that he caused, which is mostly shown in Zou. He would appreciate if people stayed happy and cheery in these situations, like the rabbit mink Carrot.

When his adoptive older brother Ace was killed at Marineford, the mental strain of watching Ace die in his arms caused him to fall into a catatonic state. After waking from this state, Luffy flew into a rage and went on a destructive rampage to vent his grief and anger. Afterwards, Luffy re-evaluated himself and came to the conclusion that he had been too naïve, and was weak and unworthy of becoming Pirate King, falling into a state of depression and self-pity. Some encouragement from Jinbe and Rayleigh gave Luffy some renewed courage to continue pursuing his dream. After the timeskip, he tells Rayleigh that he will be Pirate King, having regained his confidence to fight for his dream.

Luffy is also a extremely heavy sleeper. During the operation to ruin Sanji and Pudding's wedding ceremony, Jinbe could not wake him up even after smacking him hard several times and yelling directly into his ears. Only after he was presented meat, his favorite food, did he finally woke up. Back at Water 7, Luffy woke up when his grandfather Garp hit him with his "Fist of Love".

Adventurous Spirit
Luffy also has an extreme thirst for adventure, which he has stated is the main reason he wants to become the Pirate King, having the belief that the Pirate King would be the one on the entire ocean with the most freedom for adventuring. In fact, Luffy rejects becoming anyone's ruler or boss, as he wishes to be free to do whatever he wants and does not want to take away other's freedom. Such was the case when the Straw Hat Grand Fleet was formed; from the start, Luffy refused to become the fleet's boss and instead wanted the factions to be equals that come to each others' aid whenever they need each other. Because of this adventurous nature, he tends to avoid taking 'the easy way out' at times, such as when he destroyed the Eternal Pose to Nanimonai Island given to him by Robin (Miss All-Sunday at the time), stating that he did not want an enemy to decide his destination. On Zou when Usopp implied that it may be possible to steal the Road Poneglyphs and get to Raftel without fighting the Yonko at all, Luffy showed a look of extreme disappointment. He also has no intention of trying to learn what or where One Piece actually is until he finds it himself, and once stated he would quit being a pirate if his crew tried to find out, not wanting to 'go on a boring adventure'.[26]  Luffy has no actual sense of caution and in fact, has been known to literally laugh in the face of danger and walk into potentially harmful situations with a massive grin as, for example, when the Straw Hats approached the Knock-Up Stream and when they decided to board the Rumbar Pirates ghost ship and also when entering Thriller Bark and while descending to Fishman Island, Luffy never says goodbye to those he considers friends, in hopes of seeing them again.

Carefree and Optimism
Luffy approaches situations with a carefree attitude, almost never taking anything seriously. In spite of being captain, Luffy doesn't take his duties very seriously, never being harsh or enforcing standards on his crew. While Luffy can be serious when it comes to fighting or personal matters when it comes to loyalty, Luffy would rather have fun or relax such as enjoying banquets. Luffy would even have one even in personal situations, as Luffy cared more about the banquet at Punk Hazard much to Law's irritation. Luffy also doesn't appear to take conflicts with others seriously either, as when Judge regarded Sanji's emotions as a failure, Luffy simply thanked him for helping them escape much to Judge's frustration. This attitude tends to get on his crew's nerves, contrasting on their focus on personal and serious matters, mainly with Nami, Usopp, Zoro, and Sanji.

Luffy is also highly optimistic. He always sees the bright side of situations or anything that goes wrong, and takes matters with a smile and an upbeat nature. He even enjoyed having people join his crew as Luffy was eager to accept Sanji's bride-to-be as part of his crew but only if Sanji returned himself. This attitude also tends to annoy his crew, mainly with Usopp and Zoro, in contrast with their pessimistic and serious attitudes respectively.

Simple-Mindedness
His simple mind actually saved him against Hancock's powers because he mistook it for a "Noro Noro Beam", which was used by Foxy, which brought out a fear of being slowed down (though it is shown later he is simply immune to her powers, because of his pure heart).[27]  If Luffy finds something he does not understand, even if someone explains in detail, he calls it a "mystery thing"; like calling Dance Powder a "mystery powder". One of Luffy's running gags is asking "non-humans" such as Keimi and Brook if they can poop, in which case the answer is usually a yes. Another running gag is Luffy's slow reaction time, especially to freezing temperatures.

Luffy's simple attitude and naïve comments during fights are often mistaken by his opponents as poking fun at them. Due to this, many of his opponents lose their cool and charge at him in anger. While he is goofy and reckless, he gets quite serious when anyone is in serious danger, notably his crew, whom he considers his family. Luffy also has the tendency to unwittingly poke fun at an opponent's most sensitive trait, like calling Buggy "big nose", Alvida "the fat lady", Kureha "old hag", and laughing hysterically at Pica's high-pitched voice. In many cases, the opponents fail to understand whether Luffy is serious or just playing during fights due to his bizarre actions like drinking too much water in his fight with Crocodile or punching out Arlong's teeth and using it as a weapon to bite him. Luffy, however, has maintained that he is always serious during fights. In most cases, once he starts to fight he maintains a serious attitude and is only seen laughing once he defeats the enemy or is certain the enemy will be defeated, like in Buggy's case when he laughed before sending Buggy flying in the air.

Instincts and Ingenuity
It has been stated more than once that Luffy's instinct and behavior is similar to that of a wild animal's, like when he knows who he has to fight before he even gets to the battle. Even his fights show this as he relies on his instincts and counterattacks, which complements the way he views the world. He is most often seen smiling, except in a fight where he is forced to use all his power (and sometimes even then). Luffy also seems to rarely change personality wise, because he views the world in a straightforward and simple manner. He is occasionally the only person who can see past events that have taken place and realize the true goal, yet at other times he can fall into the simplest of traps.

However, he is a genius when it comes to fighting, such as when he figured out how to defeat Crocodile's Devil Fruitpower on the verge of death, how to use Soru from sight, developed a number of effective counters to Enel's "Mantra" ability and, most recently, learning everything Silvers Rayleigh had to teach him about Haki in a year and a half (even though Rayleigh mentioned that two years were too short a time to learn about Haki). He does have a habit of holding a grudge even in dire situations, such as calling Franky a "bastard" in the middle of his fight with Rob Lucci causing Franky to retort "Now's not the time to be mad at me" and refusing to let Crocodile help him escape Impel Down (even when there was no alternative). However, he tries not to hurt civilians, especially the people he likes, even if they intend to do harm to him, preferring to run from them than fight.

In battle, Luffy has shown signs of intelligence, high tactical and innovative skills. He can easily adapt to hindering situations such as Mr. 3's Candle Lock or Enel's Gloam Paddling into an attack. He also used a mirror to reflect Foxy's Noro Noro Beam attack. During the Marineford Arc, Dracule Mihawk mentions that Luffy seems unusually clear-headed by avoiding Mihawk's attacks. Additionally, during his battle against Mihawk, he uses Buggy as a scapegoat shield to help protect him and move forward towards Ace.[28]  Luffy also has a habit of saying things with a lot more weight and (occasionally) wisdom than he realizes without even thinking or meaning to.

Leadership
Luffy also shows significant leadership skills, which at other times he usually lacks and therefore has his captain duties done by another crew member. An example of his leadership is usually present at the most dire and serious times; such as in the Water 7 Arc in which a portion of the Straw Hats, some Galley-La foremen, and the Franky Family are present. Luffy brings the three together by pointing out that they now have a common enemy and should form an alliance to take back what the enemy has taken. Another time could be when he takes on the burden of being a Captain and does not hold back when dueling Usopp, and restrains himself from calling Usopp back afterwards. He also displays this in Dressrosa when Franky voices opposition to Trafalgar Law's plan, getting everyone on the same page by having them assist the Tontatta dwarves in their efforts to overthrow Doflamingo. Crew members also listen to his orders without question when he is serious, all respecting his position. In the Sabaody Archipelago Arc, Jewelry Bonney comments on how not just anyone could order Zoro around, since Zoro seemed to be so independent and ruthless. Yet he respects Luffy's commands when the time calls for it.

Charisma
Despite all his peculiar traits and habits (with his trademark dimwitted behavior), Luffy's most defining part of his personality is the ability to make allies out of absolutely anyone (including former enemies, villains and even Whitebeard himself), which is said by Mihawk to be the most dangerous ability in the world.

When other individuals heard Luffy mention that he, his crew, and the people they meet are friends or comrades, it touched the hearts of others who were later grateful to Luffy and his crew and support them, like Carue, Vivi, Nefeltari Cobra, and Fukaboshi. That also applies to Nami and Chopper who later joined the Straw Hat Pirates.

Loyalty and Selflessness
Luffy is very loyal to his crew-mates and other friends, and can lose his temper quickly if they are harmed in any way (a trait that he apparently shares with the late Pirate King). Luffy is willing to do drastic things to avenge and defend those dear to him, even if it means breaking a promise to his friends, such as striking Bellamy down for attacking Montblanc Cricket's crew, and punching World Noble Saint Charloss in the face for shooting Hatchan, despite promising not to defy the World Nobles. Additionally, Luffy believes that all people should be loyal to their friends, and if Luffy sees anyone betraying their own comrades, he would stand up for the victims (even if they are enemies). Notable examples of this are Captain Kuro killing his own crew, Don Krieg attacking Gin, Boa Hancock petrifying her fellow Kuja tribe members, Caesar Clown using his subordinates as mere guinea pigs, Donquixote Doflamingo treating Bellamy cruelly despite the latter's admiration for the former, and Charlotte Pudding planning to kill Sanji at the wedding and making him believe she loved him. He also wanted to punch Capone Bege for trying to kill Pekoms but put aside this grudge after Jinbe pointed out that they share a common enemy with Big Mom. In fact, on Whole Cake Island, Luffy engaged in a fight against Charlotte Cracker to protect Pound. Luffy also does not tolerate if anyone accuses his friends of being disloyal to him as Cracker claimed Sanji would be happy with marrying Pudding and the "low class pirate" to "get packing" which Luffy found it highly offensive. Sanji even pointed out during his fight with Vergo that he was the type of person Luffy would hate the most due to the vice admiral's betrayal of G-5 and attacking his subordinates despite their admiration for him.

Luffy's apparent selflessness often inspires others to side with him as a result. Notable among these people are Boa Hancock, Jinbe, and Emporio Ivankov, who would not have helped him out otherwise, given their individual beliefs. He also shows respect for things that a person is willing to die for, be it a treasure or a secret, to the point of even fighting to protect that which the person would throw their lives away over. The most noticeable action of this would be when he protected the Gorgon Sisters' secret by using his own body to cover the mark on Boa Sandersonia's back, even though they were trying to kill him. Despite not knowing the story of Dr. Hiluluk, he didn't think twice about throwing himself in front of Wapol's blast in order to defend the integrity of his flag, simply because he knew it meant a lot to Chopper.

Luffy is thus willing to recklessly put his own health and safety at risk to protect those he cares about, even if it means risking death or causing a permanent injury to himself, such as overexerting himself during the Battle of Marineford to save Ace and begging Emporio Ivankov to use tension hormones on him again as he would rather risk his health and try to save Ace, or Luffy will kill himself if he allows Ace to die. Other examples are Luffy repeatedly attacking Noah with Gear Third to save Fishman Island, despite rapid blood loss from the injury Hody Jones inflicted on him, and Luffy willing to risk losing his arms to break free from his restraints in Big Mom's cell to save Sanji, after learning Sanji's wedding is a set-up and the Charlotte Family intends to kill him (along with his family), though this was prior to Jinbe showing up to free him and Nami.

Whenever Luffy is seriously injured, he always requests that his friends or allies get treated first, even when he is the one who needs it the most. Nami fell ill while the crew was on its way to Alabasta, causing Luffy and Sanji to embark on a journey to get her medical attention once they reached Drum Island. However, Sanji ended up injured as well when they fought the Lapahns, and Luffy was forced to carry them both on his back while he climbed an entire mountain chain in freezing conditions. Upon finally reaching the summit, he immediately requested that they be saved with no regard for his own condition. However, the greatest example of this is when in Impel Down, after being severely poisoned by Magellan and getting to Level 5 with an injured Bentham and meeting Ivankov and Inazuma, he begged them to save his friend first even though he was truly suffering the most and in the worst condition (he was actually on the verge of death, and would have certainly died had Inazuma not found them).

Respect
While he desires to be become Pirate King for freedom instead of power, Luffy does have an interest in pirates and is respectful. This was first shown when Kuro loathed the ways of becoming a pirate, which infuriated him and responded that he doesn't have what it takes to be a pirate. Luffy also shows pride of his ship and his flag. During the Long Ring Long Land Arc, his crew spotted a ship without a flag and Luffy was shocked that the ship was "naked". In Water 7 Arcand Enies Lobby Arc, when the Going Merry was beyond repair, Luffy wanted to get a new one and had to break the news to Usopp. When he refused, the two got into a fight, which led to Usopp leaving the crew and only being accepted back if Usopp apologized to him, as Zoro stated that he stepped on Luffy's pride. Luffy is strongly attached to the Going Merry, as while he was giving it a viking funeral, Luffy tearfully apologized on how it fell apart from their lack of care. Luffy values a flag for what it means, not only for his own but for other flags, such as nations. In the Drum Island Arc, when Wapol shot a cannon at the flag that represents Hiluluk, Luffy defended the flag and told Wapol that he and his men were nothing but frauds since they did not know the true meaning of the flag. Luffy is also aware of what action will be taken upon if a flag is destroyed. When he and his crew were at Enies Lobby to get Robin back, Luffy asked Usopp (while he was Sogeking) to burn the World Government's flag, declaring war on the government. Also, Luffy wanted a musician as part of his crew, as his reasoning is that pirates love to sing and a musician is essential to a pirate crew, something that was fulfilled when Brook joined his crew.

The one thing that Luffy does not allow is someone or something getting involved in another person's fight. At these times Luffy shows both remarkable restraint during the battles, and rage when something or someone outside the battle is involved, especially if it is a person he considers a friend. Luffy showed this early in the series when Zoro fought Mihawk, and managed to hold himself (and Johnny and Yosaku) back until Zoro was defeated. Since then he has shown it several times, like when Baroque Works sabotaged the giants' duel on Little Garden; when Crocodile attacked Yubawith a sandstorm in the middle of their fight; when he challenged Aokiji to a 1-on-1 fight; when he fought Lucci and insisted that Franky does not get involved in their battle; when the Boa sisters threatened to break the petrified form of his saviors; and when he was visibly enraged with Hody Jones who attacked some civilians who tried to halt Noah. He even went so far as to cover Sandersonia's back from the citizens of Kuja while it was still burning, even though they were trying to kill him, claiming it has nothing to do with their fight.

Luffy also respects his friends' decision if they choose not to join his crew, even if he asked them more than once, and would prefer not to forcibly take them with him. One example is his declining Zeff's offer to forcibly take Sanji with him, aware of how much the Baratie meant to Sanji, and would only take him if Sanji agreed to do so. One minor exception is the Straw Hats' involvement in using more forcible methods in getting Franky to agree to join only because Iceburg insisted there was no other way due to Franky being too stubborn to listen to reason. This leads to Luffy and most of his crew to help the other members of the Franky Family with their plan, allowing them to succeed in convincing Franky to join the Straw Hats (with some additional help from Iceburg who provided the necessary advice) and seeing the importance to fulfilling his dream. He would also stood up for his friends' decisions, as he defended Lola's choice to run away from an arranged marriage made by Big Mom.

While Luffy prefers to fight his opponents one on one without any interference, he is not above receiving help from others if necessary. On Thriller Bark, he got help from his crew to take down Oars. At the Sabaody Archipelago, he worked together with his crew to take down a Pacifista. At Whole Cake Island, Luffy allowed Nami to assist him in his fight against Cracker. He is also eager to form alliances, as he readily agreed to ally with Law to face Kaido, though as stated by Usopp, Luffy took "alliances" as a sign of friendship. After hearing about Kaido's cruelty towards Kozuki Momonosuke, he formed the Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance to take down Kaido and the Beast Pirates. He also agreed to ally himself with Bege, his crew, and Caesar to take down Big Mom since it would also help with Sanji's goal to save his family from Big Mom's plot.

Luffy also has a sense of appreciation and gratitude, as he saved Nico Robin from the collapsing ruins at Alabasta after she gave him a vial of antidote to Crocodile's poison. When he met with Cavendish, Luffy stated he would defeat Doflamingo as a way to repay Rebecca for buying him food though this changed when remembering Doflamingo's actions on the island and wanting to end it. One of the reasons, Luffy agreed to save Sanji's family was because Vinsmoke Reiju saved him twice, first by sucking the poisons from his body and later helped him evade capture from the Big Mom Pirates at the Whole Cake Chateau. Luffy paid her back by saving her from being killed by Big Mom.

After defeating Charlotte Katakuri, Luffy paid his fallen enemy respect by covering his mouth with an extra hat as he heard of the latter's dislike of insults to his face, despite the latter repeatedly trying to kill him and his friends.

Compassion
Unlike other pirates, Luffy has immense kindness, although he desires to become Pirate King, he is willing to put aside his goal to help others in need. When Helmeppo threw Rika over the wall of the Marine base at Shells Town when she tried to feed onigiri to Zoro, Luffy caught her and then later punched Helmeppo after hearing him brag about going back on his promise to release Zoro. During his fight with Morgan, Luffy viciously punched him for abusing his status as a Marine Captain, saying it was destroying Koby's dream of becoming a Marine. At Orange Town, Luffy defeated Richieand Mohji for destroying Chouchou's master's pet shop that he failed to protect before giving the dog a bag of dog food, the last one from his master's shop. He later battled Buggy to protect the town he was about to destroy. On the Island of Rare Animals, Luffy helped Gaimon to get the treasure chests on the hill, only to learn the chests are all empty. On Gecko Islands, Luffy agreed to help Usopp stop the Black Cat Pirates from destroying the village. On the Baratie, he defeated Krieg in spite of Sanji giving him food. Luffy defeated Arlong for his cruelty towards Nami and his treatment towards Cocoyasi Village. After hearing Nefeltari Vivi's country being tarnished by Crocodile, Luffy agreed to defeat him. On Drum Island, Luffy pulled out a buried lapahn from the snow in spite of them trying to kill him earlier, along with Sanji and Nami. At Jaya, Luffy punched Bellamy for stealing Montblanc Cricket's gold. At Skypiea, Luffy clashed with Enelbecause of his plan to eradicate the island. On Thriller Bark, Luffy defeats Gekko Moriah to return all the shadows he had stolen, including his own and few from his crew. At Marineford, Luffy protected Edward Newgate from Crocodile. At Fishman Island, Luffy protected Shirahoshi from Vander Decken IX and stopped Hody Jones from destroying the island. At Punk Hazard, Luffy agreed with Nami and Chopper to save the kidnapped children and gave Franky permission to help the dwarves with their plans to reveal the dark secret behind Dressrosa. Luffy revealed to Issho that he was being cheated by some of the Donquixote Pirates when they took advantage of his blindness. Due to his kindness, Luffy can be extremely forgiving as he still considers Nami and Robin to his friends, even towards people who had hurt him and his crew such as Bentham, Hachi, and Bellamy. He was also willing to forgive Usopp and let him rejoin the crew, though he was reminded by Zoro that he had to earn his way back and when he did, Luffy instantly took him back. He even already forgave Sanji after he brutalized and insulted him, realizing it was all lies and was forced to do it.

Emotional
Like Sanji and Franky, Luffy is not afraid to show his emotions. When he was a child, he cried when Shanks sacrificed his arm to save him and mourn Sabo's presumed death along with Ace. After his fight with Usopp at Water 7, Luffy shed tears after their duel and cried in joy when Usopp apologetically cried of wanting to join them again. As Luffy and his crew gave the Going Merry a viking funeral after the invasion of Enies Lobby, Luffy tearfully apologizes for how terrible they had taken care of it. When Bartholomew Kuma separated his crew one by one, Luffy went to tears of losing them all. After Ace's death, Luffy had a mental breakdown and grieved greatly after returning to Amazon Lily, where Luffy went on a rampage before deeming himself too weak and unfit to be the Pirate King. At the Corrida Colosseum, he cried and hugged Sabo after finding out he was still alive. When Pudding told him and his party that Sanji refused to marry her, Luffy was shocked before crying in joy to know that he did want to be with them again. Luffy is also known to be hot-headed, but he is able to retain self-control and reserve himself. Main examples are with his fights with Bellamy, Crocodile, Enel, Rob Lucci, Charlos, Hody Jones, Caesar Clown, Donquixote Doflamingo, and Charlotte Cracker.

Righteousness
Luffy is righteous as he completely despise cruelty and wickedness. When he learned of Arlong's abusive emotional torment towards Nami, he was utterly enraged and wasted no time in destroying the room of maps that Arlong forced Nami to work in for years. When Hatchan was sadistically shot by Charloss and tried to shoot Hatchan again despite Hatchan's attempts to protect him, Luffy's anger reached its peak and was perfectly content to invoke an Admiral's attack by punching Charloss in the face without any mercy. On Fishman Island, Luffy fought Hody to protect his friends and the people of Fishman Island as well as to stop his plan to destroy the island. At Punk Hazard, when Luffy learned from Momonosuke about Caesar's evil intentions to sacrifice innocent children just to realize his own scientific ambitions for everlasting glory and success in gigantification, Luffy openly expressed immense fury towards Caesar. When he heard from Caesar about how he exploited Punk Hazard and his connections to Doflamingo to perform all sorts of inhumane experiments, Luffy ruthlessly brutalized Caesar with Haki enhanced punches. When Doflamingo attempt to massacre the people of Dressrossa with his Birdcage, Luffy refused to leave them to die and was fully prepared to personally take down Doflamingo despite Law's warning of invoking Kaido's rage. He was not only angry at Doflamingo for trying to destroy Dressrosa but also angry at how he controlled and manipulated the country saying such things "suffocate" him.

Traits of a D.
As a person with the middle initial [https://onepiece.wikia.com/wiki/Will_of_the_D. D.], Luffy shares the common trait of not fearing death. He will often state that if he reaches his goal, that's fine, but if he dies on the way, that's fine too. He even smiled when he was nearly executed by Buggy in Loguetown, although he did have a look of shock and surprise in his eyes before this happened when Sanji and Zoro tried to rescue him. Throughout the series, several characters have stated similarities between Luffy and other D. carriers, whether in personality, words, actions or presence. So far he is thought to be similar to Jaguar D. Saul by Robin; to Monkey D. Garp by Aokiji, by at least one of the Gorosei, and by his own crew; to Monkey D. Dragon by Emporio Ivankov; and to Gol D. Roger by Smoker,[39]  Crocus, Kureha, Gan Fall, Shanks, Rayleigh, Kokoro, Shakuyaku and the non-canonical Raoul.

Like other D's so far, he is also an immense glutton despite his skinny appearance: he especially loves meat and can eat a fish whole - bones included - and because of this, a running gag of Luffy's is him constantly stealing other peoples' food with his rubber powers, causing them to yell at him and sometimes hit him. It should also be noted that he becomes more gluttonous over the series as there are moments he becomes morbidly obese, though he loses the weight in some way, usually exercise. Also, after the events of Enies Lobby, Luffy seems to have developed narcolepsy, much like his brother Ace, though for only a short time. Due to his gluttony, Luffy can end up losing control in times of dire hunger. When he expended all the crew's food supply while on the way to Whole Cake Island, he was thinking about using Chopper as emergency food ration and in the anime, he tried to devour Chopper alive twice and had to be beaten by Nami.

Running Gags
The author of the manga One Piece named Eiichiro Oda has said: "when drawing Luffy, I try to make him very simple and straightforward about what he wants to be and how he feels, which is why out of all the main characters, he has the least number of thought bubbles, since he acts and says what he wants to do rather than think it". To complement Luffy's naïveté and straightforward attitude, there is a running gag through the series where Luffy can identify similarities on things that have little resemblance (like being able to see the resemblance between Sanji and his Wanted Poster, or being able to see Spoil as an old man with major wounds rather than a zombie), but is unable to see similarities with things with obvious connections (like being unable to tell that Sogeking is Usopp or not seeing through Foxy's pathetic disguises until he was told by the latter). This gag seemed to have remained after the timeskip as he could not identify two people as impostors until Demaro Black's ruse was revealed. However, he was able to identify Caesar Clown in a poor disguise but had second thoughts when Caesar told him otherwise until Nami informed Luffy that he was correct. He was even able to identify Pekoms when he tried to disguise himself as "Nazoms", which surprised the latter.

Luffy also has a tendency of forgetting people or old enemies he has encountered, which was seen on various occasions. In these instances, he is usually met with annoyance by them especially when he belatedly recalls them in a humiliating moment or with a poor description of them.

Another running gag is his habit of being amazed at various abilities of villains, often yelling out "amazing" with stars in his eyes and around his head. Luffy believes that he is at his "coolest" when he is wearing armor. Luffy also seems to have a slight obsession when it comes to outfitting himself with full-body armors, and has a habit of wearing one whenever he gets the chance. But every armor that he manages to find and outfit himself with usually ends up destroyed either in a battle or by some other comedic scenario. He also constantly insults his opponents by giving them degrading nicknames (such as calling Gekko Moriah a "leek" or Enel "earlobes"). Luffy apparently has no skill with insulting people, usually taking either a physical aspect or unique ability and trying to make it degrading (like calling Zoro "three-swords style" when everyone was lamenting Vivi's absence, only to be corrected by Usopp).

Another one of his running gags is that during the battles, Luffy often gets into situations (accidentally or intentionally) in which he can not fight. In such cases, his crew mates fight with other weaker enemies associated with the main antagonist and defeat them. This happened when he fell into a cage in the Orange Town Arc, fell asleep in the Syrup Village Arc, was stuck in stone and thrown into the water during the Arlong Park Arc, and when he entered a snake's stomach in the Skypiea Arc. When all other enemies are defeated, Luffy fights with the strongest, the one whom only he can defeat.

Luffy also has absolutely no talent for lying whatsoever, and cannot hold a straight face or poker face at all when intimidated to confess the truth. This lack of subtlety sometimes manifests as extreme honesty, and Luffy can be very blunt with people. After meeting Koby and Shirahoshi, he called them cowards and flat out told them that he did not like them because of it (though he later befriended them both). In fact, more often than not, Luffy would blurt out, without thinking, what he knows regarding a certain event whenever someone asks something concerning the events that transpired. On Zou, his crewmates beat him up when he casually mentioned the samurai, which the other Straw Hats thought was a taboo topic in light of what the minks had been through after Jack's invasion until they realize their mistake after the samurai appear. In contrast, Luffy has a tendency to suck his lips in and turn his head to the side when an attack or technique fails to affect him, such as Enel's various electrical attacks or Boa Hancock's Mero Mero no Mi.

When talking about money, tells his crew-mates to budget their money, only for them to react in return that it all goes towards feeding him. Another running gag involves Luffy randomly telling someone a secret, such as the identity of his and Ace's fathers, only to casually ask them to keep it a secret afterwards. He shares this trait with his grandfather.

Mercy
Luffy never kills any of his enemies (no matter how cold-hearted they are); instead, he frequently sends the enemy flying, knocking them out or beating them until they have reached the point that they are almost near death. Oda explains that it is not a question of morality so much as a matter of punishing the villains for their crimes - he feels that killing the villains lets them off too easily, whereas he considers letting them live to see their dreams ruined a far more fitting punishment. However, it is evidently clear that Luffy is not against others completing the final act themselves, as seen when Luffy allowed Law to make his attempt to kill Doflamingo, while making sure Trebol did not interfere. This may have been more to do with stopping Doflamingo's birdcage (which would only deactivate if Doflamingo willed it or was dead or unconscious) from killing civilians than actually harboring any desire to see Doflamingo killed.

Despite his passion for fighting, Luffy also generally refuses to fight someone that he does not personally consider an enemy, preferring to either talk it over or run away from the confrontation. Over the series, Luffy has become more mature and levelheaded, though he only shows this part of his personality when he and his friends are in dire situations or someone insults him, calling people like him and their beliefs foolish. Other than that, he still acts the same as he was at the start of the series.

Aggression
There were some instances where Luffy seems to enjoy defeating his opponents. During his fight with Mohji (who immediately began to apologize after Luffy took out his pet lion, Richie), Luffy refused to forgive him and mercilessly punched him as hard as he could without any restraint, despite Mohji being much weaker than him. He also refused to allow his enemies to get away with whatever they have done and will want revenge against them no matter what others say. When Wapol appeared at Drum Castle, Luffy immediately showed anger and dropped what he was doing just for the sole purpose of punching Wapol and showed delight when he told Wapol that he was going to defeat him. When Wapol was stuck in the tower of Drum Castle, Luffy ignored all of Wapol's pleas and gladly sent him flying far away from Drum Island. This attitude extends to anyone affiliated to the enemy. After he, Chopper, and Robin came across Hogback, Luffy learned that he was with Moriah and decided to beat him up just for being one of Moriah's allies. Luffy will also express hatred and the need to beat up a person if they have done anything to one of his friends in the past and will not rest until he has beaten them. After the Franky Family robbed and beaten Usopp, Luffy quickly sought payback against them and stormed their hideout.

Luffy enjoys a decent fight and is eager to fight against strong opponents though he clearly doesn't hunger for battle like Zoro and Rob Lucci do. Notably, Luffy was intrested in Jesus Burgess's challenge in Mocktown. In combat Luffy is highly brutal and ruthless, fighting his opponents without mercy. Though, when faced with weaker fighters, Luffy would hold back to avoid seriously injuring them. However, he will show no remorse if they harm his friends and crew in any way. When facing powerful foes, Luffy goes all out that would pulverize them. Luffy would face his opponents rather than avoiding them as he did not agree with Usopp's plan of copying the Poneglyphs without facing Kaido or Big Mom, stating he would take them down to get to them. Luffy can be reckless and rebellious towards powerful figures, such as the Marines, the World Government, the Shichibukai, the World Nobles, and even the Yonko. Also, Luffy has a habit of cracking his knuckles when he is ready to fight. Like Zoro and Sanji, Luffy will sometimes grin dangerously during a fight. Luffy grinned when he was attacked by two Beasts Pirates's members on the shores of Wano Country.

While Luffy would prefer fighting his opponents, he has no qualms giving anyone else a chance to finish them off as Luffy allowed Law to try to kill Doflamingo. This happened again in Whole Cake Island, as Luffy agreed to partake in Bege's assassination plot against Big Mom as he only did it to save Sanji's family. However, Luffy will resort to fighting them eventually given the respective opponent survived, as Luffy fought and defeated Doflamingo by himself, and declared to Big Mom that he would defeat her after he defeats Kaido.

Every time Luffy defeats an enemy, he smiles shortly afterward. There has been only one exception: after his fight with Usopp in Water 7, Luffy did not smile for a whole day.

Prior to the timeskip, Luffy had displayed a side to himself where he occasionally gets into fights with others over needless issues (i.e. he nearly got into one with Blackbeard in Mock Town over a matter of quality of the pies that the tavern served to their patrons). He still has this trait after the timeskip when he is shown to fight with Momonosuke when he arrives on Dressrosa. However when Luffy is told to keep a low profile or to restrain himself he will resist his urges to pick fights over small matters. There has been only one exception: when Luffy accidentally ran into Demaro Black, he did not want to get involved in the conflict with him and finished it with the least amount of effort, which was evident when he knocked him out and the other Impostor Straw Hat Pirates with the use of Haoshoku Haki. Although, most likely, he did this to prevent deviations in plans.

Humility
Another dominant trait of Luffy is his humble nature: he does not brag about the powerful foes he's defeated in the past, though he's not above about claiming that no one has ever beaten him in the past (which is not true, having been defeated many times by various opponents during his lifetime). He remains humble despite having done outrageous acts like defeating Shichibukai-level pirates and issuing the order to burn down the World Government Flag back at Enies Lobby. When Franky pointed out the latter, Luffy only replied that it was nothing to get worked up over (hinting that he only gave the order on a mere whim), for he and his crew were only there to take back a crew member that was taken from them. When Sengoku reprimanded Bartholomew Kuma for not killing the Straw Hats after Gekko Moriah's defeat, Garp assured Sengoku that Luffy is not the type of person who would brag about his accomplishments.

During combat, Luffy would not fight someone who could not fight properly. After finding out that Smoker and Tashigi switched bodies due to Law's Devil Fruit during the confrontation at Punk Hazard, Luffy told Smoker that they should fight another day since Luffy will not fight him if Smoker cannot use his full strength. Also, Luffy would even attempt to make a fair fight when engaging against someone who is disabled as Luffy announced all of his attacks during his fight with the blind admiral, Issho.

Luffy will also take the blame for something he is not fully or partially responsible. When Charlotte Linlin threatened to destroy Fishman Island for not supplying her with the monthly candy tribute, Luffy took the blame of eating all of the candy to spare the island from Big Mom's wrath.

Stubbornness
Luffy can be very stubborn at times, whether in his desire for adventurous routes, recruiting a desired member into his crew, or upholding a promise. Disregarding how his crew would advise him against taking a more dangerous route for their travels, Luffy would argue nonstop until either they comply or something makes him see the reason for the alternative.

When he found an individual he wishes to recruit, he goes to great lengths to maintain his stance and repeatedly ask them despite being refused (mainly Nami, Sanji, and Franky). Likewise, when certain members leave the crew, he would chase after them and stubbornly refuse to leave despite their demands, cruel words, and even abusive retaliations, having managed to retrieve Nami, Robin, and Sanji when they attempted to depart. He originally wanted to retrieve Usopp right away despite their disagreement, but Zoro's reason made him understand that Usopp must apologize before being re-accepted into the crew. Luffy was nevertheless happy when Usopp finally returned with an apology. However, Luffy does try to understand said crewmate's reason to leave and help them out before returning.

Luffy upholds his promises quite strongly, even when it results in himself being injured. When he promised Nami that he would not cause trouble in Mock Town, he simply allowed the Bellamy Pirates to beat him and Zoro up. That does not mean that he will not break his promises, as he did only at critical points that would otherwise invade his moral compass, such as avenging an offended friend.

Physical Abilities

 * Enhanced Strength: As captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, Monkey D. Luffy has immense physical strength, and is capable of lifting up large boulders, breaking stone, shattering steel with his bare hands, pushing apart large buildings, and shoulder flipping a huge man. Additionally, Luffy has always fought the strongest villain of the story arc (except in the Romance Dawn Arc). Luffy's sheer physical strength and dexterity is a result of his grandfather's unorthodox training methods (such as being thrown into a bottomless ravine, tied to a balloon, thrown into a forest at night, etc.) and he claimed he had a punch as powerful as a pistol even at seven years of age. Overall, Luffy's immense physical power allows him to fight the most powerful and dangerous enemies such as: Arlong and Hody, two fearsome and brutal fishmen; Enel, an extremely powerful Logia user; Rob Lucci, the strongest member of the CP9; three previous members of the Shichibukai: Crocodile, Moriah, and Doflamingo; and even Charlotte Cracker and Katakuri, two of the Three Sweet Commanders of the Big Mom Pirates. He is also shown to increase in strength quite dramatically in a short period of time, most noticeably being the fight against Minotaurus, where the first time it took the combined efforts of Mr. 2, Mr. 3, and Buggy just to beat him, but the next time, Luffy defeated him with a single "Gum Gum Jet Pistol".


 * Enhanced Speed & Reflexes: Luffy also possesses tremendous speed and reflexes to match his strength and endurance. In fact, on more than one occasion, Luffy was able to anticipate moves and counter attacks that would normally be beyond his field of vision due to his sharp reflexes. Early on in the series, Luffy is seen being able to react to foes faster than him, like Kuro, Arlong, Bellamy, and Enel. After learning the CP9's Soru technique to enhance both speed and strength, he became even more so. After the timeskip he has become even faster, being able to dodge attacks even while in Third Gear, and even creating enough friction while running at full speed to set the ground on fire. He could evade a majority of Katakuri's assaults, which the latter noted to be extremely rare.


 * Enhanced Endurance & Durability: His endurance and durability is incredible; taking continuous, deadly assaults from powerful opponents that would have killed a normal person easily in most of his fights, yet still being able to stand up and continue fighting effectively. Over the course of the series, he progressively becomes able to take more and more punishment and fight for longer periods of time without tiring. He could withstand a direct hit from Kaku and Kalifa's combined Rankyaku attacks without any injuries and survived Rob Lucci's extremely destructive Rokuougan twice at point blank range and even manage to muster enough strength to perform a full powered Jet Gatling. At Thriller Bark, Luffy was brutally smashed by the 1000 shadow enhanced Moriah without losing conciousness. By the events of the Whole Cake Island Arc, his endurance and durability have grown to the point that he is able to fight a grueling battle with Charlotte Cracker for 11 straight hours (while activating Gear Fourth at least twice), and after only a brief nap, endured a vicious beating from Sanj's Diable Jambeenhanced kicks only to be back on his feet shortly thereafter and still capable of using Gear Second when attacked by Big Mom's army. Furthermore, he then goes on to rampage through the Whole Cake Chateau, defeating dozens more of Big Mom's underlings even while being badly injured, extremely fatigued, and near-death from starvation. He even managed to survive Katakuri's extremely powerful Haki enhanced attacks. Despite heavy injuries, he shrugged off the damaged to continue the battle.
 * Enhanced Stamina: Luffy's stamina is also outstanding. He was able to fight 12 uninterrupted hours against Katakuri after having only a few hours of sleep in the last three days, sustaining several injuries from Cracker, Sanji, and the Enraged Army, and without eating properly (to near starvation) during that period of time.


 * Enhanced Agility: Luffy is also shown to be extremely agile to the point where he can perform flips, rolls and dodges . Early on in the series, Luffy is seen being able to react to foes faster than him, like Kuro, Arlong,Bellamy, and Enel. After learning the CP9's Soru technique to enhance both speed and strength, he became even more so.
 * Enhanced Healing: He has immense healing capabilities and an extremely fast recovery rate. In Impel Down, when his natural healing abilities were boosted by Ivankov's healing hormones and further driven by his will, Luffy was able to not only survive the excessive dose of Magellan's deadly poison but also managed to overcome the poisoning within less than a day, a feat which Ivankov noted to be more than just a miracle. In Whole Cake Island, despite being on the verge of death and being brutally injured by Sanji beforehand, he quickly regain all his lost stamina and energy after eating Sanji's bento and was completely unfazed by the serious injuries he had suffered beforehand. He also regrows a missing tooth instantly after drinking some milk similar to how Brook healed his injuries.


 * Indomitable Will: His vast strength is only exceeded by his enormous willpower, as demonstrated on several occasions throughout the series, most noted of all in the Thriller Bark Arc when he manages to take in 100 shadows without passing out, compared to normal humans, who can only take in 2 or 3.
 * Supernatural Survivability: This willpower even lets him survive far beyond what normal people are capable of, as demonstrated when he was poisoned very far beyond what a human is capable of surviving, only living on despite his critical condition through sheer willpower. This is also shown when he survives through Emporio Ivankov's "Healing Hormones" ability, which even with a slim chance of surviving had not only survived the endeavor, but made a recovery in twenty hours when the normal time for the healing procedure is two days. This was later shown with Basil Hawkins' "fortune telling" ability, as despite doing it multiple times, he could never get Luffy's chances of survival to reach 0.


 * Enhanced Jaw Strength: He also possesses extraordinary jaw strength, as seen in the Orange Town Arc in the manga, where he had almost chewed through the metal bars of the cage Buggy put him in. In the following arc, he shattered Jango's steel chakram with his teeth alone (anime). He also ate the cage that Gekko Moriah put him in, and managed to give Rob Lucci a small bite wound, as well as break the steel chain used to bind Nami (in Franky's body) after the timeskip. His greatest feat in this area, however, was that he managed to make Jinbe, who is known to have an extremely high tolerance towards pain, yell out in pain when he bit the fishman's arm.

Fighting Style

 * Master in Hand-to-Hand Combat: Luffy's fighting style consists of adept hand-to-hand combat, supplemented with his physical prowess and the abilities of the Gum Gum Fruit. Such skill allows him to hold his own against combat specialists like Rob Lucci. Unlike Zoro or Sanji, Luffy's fighting style is completely improvised; it follows no particular code of honor, and so if necessary, he will attack women or animals, hit below the belt, attack his enemies even if they have their backs turned or are otherwise unprepared or unsuspecting, use enemies as human shields and even bite his opponents. While fighting, Luffy has been shown to be highly adept at improvising, and regularly comes up with creative counterattacks and unusual techniques to use against his enemies. This however leads both enemies and allies alike to wonder if Luffy is taking the fight seriously, especially when he comes up with ridiculous and over the top moves (like Crocodile when Luffy became Water Luffy), which prompts Luffy to respond that he's always serious.


 * Instincts: When Luffy fights, he relies heavily on his instincts, which, interestingly enough, are mostly correct. Even as early as the Arlong Park Arc, after getting bitten he managed to escape with his arm still in one piece by slamming Arlong's head to loosen his jaw to get it out instead of simply pulling it. He picked out the real Mr. 3 from a bunch of wax look-a-likes on a hunch. He also destroyed Enel's "Raigo" using the gold ball as a conductor, but according to Oda he had no real idea what he was doing and was acting out of instinct. Before even learning Kenbunshoku Haki, Luffy could easily dodge any attack by relying on his instinct as shown in his battle against Enel and Rob Lucci.


 * Staff Proficiency: During his childhood, Luffy seems to have at least become competent with a staff, as he is seen using one against a variety of opponents.


 * Intelligence: He also appears to be intelligent enough to at least understand fundamental concepts, such as rubber being a natural insulator, which might be why he did not bother ducking out of the way of Enel's lightning attacks as it would have been pointless because of his immunity. He also was able to develop new techniques such as "Gear Second" and "Gear Third", using logical concepts and knowledge of rubber and its properties. While easily noticeable as the least strategic member of his own crew, largely due to his tendency to simply barge in head-first into battle (often without any kind of battle plan or even any knowledge of his opponent's abilities), Luffy is a highly adaptive combatant. He is constantly coming up with ways to keep ahead of his foes, either by taking advantage of his own strength and Devil Fruit powers or utilizing the opponent's own strengths (along with their weaknesses) against them. This causes even warriors long considered unbeatable to have trouble keeping up. Also, even if most of the time he acts instinctively, in some cases Luffy has shown to be intelligent enough to give some orders to his crewmates in the wake of making a strategy or simply making things go as he prefers. This usually ends up being an advantage for the crew.

Miscellaneous Skills and Weaknesses

 * Hypnosis: He is heavily susceptible to any form of hypnotism and does not have the sense to turn away, such as Jango's powers of hypnosis   or Miss Goldenweek's Colors Trap.


 * Distraction: He is also easily distracted when he sees something that's "just too cool", like seeing Chopper's transformations for the first time, the Thousand Sunny's Gaon Cannon, an energy beam from a Pacifista, his wax armor made from Mr.3's Doru Doru no Mi powers, or the Iron Pirate "Franky Shogun", ignoring everything around him.


 * Sleep Eating: Luffy also has the mysterious and uncanny ability to, while completely asleep, eat as if he were awake, and even knows when more food has been placed on the table. This is probably purely based on muscle memory since what Luffy does best is fighting and eating. It's been shown on several occasions that meat may act as more of a power source than simply a favorite food for Luffy, as whenever he becomes exhausted or tired from a fierce battle, he simply eats some meat and he's back in fighting condition again.


 * Sense of Direction: Even though Luffy is a sailor and the captain of his ship, he has no sense of direction. He believes that if one is to go north, he has to head in a "cold-ish" direction. As a result of this, coupled with his ability to get stuck in certain situations, he tends to arrive barely in time to fight his opponent.


 * Trickster: One of Luffy's greatest advantages is that people actually tend to underestimate him. Either due to his bounty, his actions, or their own arrogance, his opponents usually take him lightly before discovering Luffy's great strength and determination. Because he is underestimated, his opponents (including the Shichibukai) tend to let their guards down, allowing Luffy to gradually learn and adapt his fighting style accordingly.


 * Unpredictability: A second advantage is his unpredictability. Due to his unique, fun-loving, battle-ready personality, and his elastic physique, opponents (and even his allies) are caught off guard by his tactics. This trait has given people the impression of him being reckless, if not insane and keeps people second guessing.


 * Animal Telepathy: Though it's never been stated, Luffy seems to be able to hear the voices of creatures. During the Warship Island Arc he claims to sort of hear the voice of Ryu the dragon (though this is non-canon). It is also mentioned a second time during the Fishman Island Arc when the Sea Kings come to save Noah. One of them thinks Luffy hears their voice, causing them to think back to a young Gol D. Roger, who also heard them in his journey in the depths of the sea.


 * Luck: Though not exactly a skill or ability, Luffy is said to have incredible luck. His luck is so great that people around him, like Smoker, Ivankov, Elder Nyon, and even his own crew think that they were miracles, or even divine intervention, though in most cases it has to do with his incredible willpower. Examples are:
 * Surviving the execution done by Buggy and managing to escape the Marines in Loguetown thanks to a freak storm.
 * Surviving two defeats by Crocodile, the second one being incredibly lucky because one of the water blasts he shot as Mizu Luffy (which Crocodile dodged before drying Luffy's body with his Suna Suna no Mi powers) eventually fell and rehydrated him to save his life.
 * Picking out a dud in a basket full of exploding apples.
 * Defeating Rob Lucci in battle, through both sheer willpower and his unbelievable endurance.
 * Managing to beat Gekko Moriah just before the sun rises, making him cough up all the shadows he stole in time.
 * Accidentally making the man-hating Boa Hancock fall in love with him.
 * Having the willpower to survive Magellan's poison and recover from it through pure strength of will and some hormone enhancement, when it was said there was not even a shred of hope that he would survive, and that even antidotes were out of the question.
 * Participating in the Battle of Marineford and surviving.
 * Being poisoned by Hyouzou only to discover he developed strong resistances to even the deadliest of poisons due to his fight with Magellan.
 * Being poisoned due to eating the skin of an armored stonefish, and is later cured by Vinsmoke Reiju, who sucks the poison out of him.
 * Escaping captivity of the Big Mom Pirates due to the timely arrival of Jinbe.
 * Narrowly avoiding execution by Big Mom as the bomb Minister of Right planted inside of the Tamatebako. which Luffy previously gave to the Big Mom Pirates exploded causing the collapse of Whole Cake Chateau.
 * Enhanced Charisma: According to Dracule Mihawk, Luffy has the most dangerous ability in the world: that of turning anyone around him into his allies, including former enemies. Luffy's powerful charisma has earned him many powerful friends and allies in times of need, allowing him to escape the tightest situations.In a conversation between Ace and Vivi, it is shown that Ace is somewhat aware of this ability, as he mentions that Luffy has a strange charm that causes people to gather around him. In fact, his charm is great enough that he earned the respect of Whitebeard after talking with him for a few seconds and later on he earned his complete faith to save Ace as Whitebeard ordered his crew and allies to back up Luffy, what more is that he acchieve this in one day. Luffy's charisma later earned a large fleet as many of the crew's who join him in the fight against Doflamingo swore their loyalty to him after the conflict on Dressrosa.


 * Fear Inducement: During the two-year absence, with his bounty raised and his family heritage revealed, he earned an infamous reputation which was taken advantage of by Demalo Black to bring fear to the hearts of people in Saboady Archipelago as well as recruit powerful members. His reputation is now high enough to be noted by New World Pirates, as some were shocked when they found out that Caesar had captured him. During the Corrida Colosseum tournament in Dressrosa several contestants express fear over his presence, even Bartolomeo who had casually won the B Block.


 * Self Transcendence: After the timeskip, Luffy has grown immensely in power and skill. He has shown new mastery over his Second Gear  and Third Gear along with his Haki, and easily destroyed a Pacifista with a single punch in conjunction with his Second Gear and Armament Haki (a feat which has been shown to be amazingly difficult), later defeating the Kraken with one hit from Third Gear imbued with Haki in a similar manner, and then managing to defeat Vander Decken IX while tied up. Another testament to his power was shown when he defeated Hody Jones while fighting underwater for the majority of the fight, and only received one bite wound throughout the whole duration. He is strong enough to be able to destroy Noah, a ship half of the size of Fishman Island, while suffering from blood loss and (as noted by the Sea Kings) would have done so if they didn't show up in time, as well as being able to match a punch from Don Chinjao, a pirate worth 500,000,000 Belly or over, who fought against Garp . He has also grown to be much more durable, as the same attack from Caesar Clown that caused heavy damage to Sanji's body did not leave any lasting injuries on Luffy. While initially stunned by the attack, he appeared completely uninjured almost immediately afterwards.While the Straw Hats were on their way to Fishman Island, he showed no discomfort in the range of temperatures given, hot or cold.


 * Poison Resistance: He has also gained powerful antitoxins in his blood stream from his fight with Magellan in Impel Down, which grant him a high resistance against poison. Hyouzou, a poisonous blue-ringed octopus merman of the New Fishman Pirates, poisoned Luffy during their fight and Luffy would not have taken any notice to it if Chopper had not seen the entry point in his arm. The blue-ringed octopus possesses one of the real world's deadliest poisons and the fact that Luffy could shrug it off like it was nothing is a testament to the strength of his immune system. He is also able to counter against Caesar's own poisonous gases.He is able to completely resist the H2S (a gas that petrified people with a touch) enhanced Caesar form without any sign of being poisoned.
 * However, this did not help him against the poison in the skin of an armored stonefish, which left him at the brink of death.


 * Swimming: Like all Devil Fruit users, Luffy cannot swim. However, unlike other Devil Fruit users, he does not avoid water sports, and sometimes will jump into the ocean to save someone from drowning (though will drown himself as well). Luffy could not swim before eating his Devil Fruit so this has made little difference in this capacity. At the time Shanks visited Luffy's hometown, Luffy had decided he would learn how to swim by the time Shanks left so he could leave with them, indicating Luffy was learning how to swim previously. He does seem to know that a person cannot eat more than one Devil Fruit, as shown when he said he couldn't eat the Mera Mera no Mi.

Devil Fruit
Luffy has been gained extraordinary stretching powers from eating the Gomu Gomu no Mi (lit. Rubber Rubber Fruit, Gum-Gum Fruit in the English dub), which is one of the rare and legendary Devil Fruits. After consuming the Gum Gum Fruit, Luffy's body became like rubber, giving him the ability to stretch and attack long distances.

Having undergone intense training for over ten years, Luffy is now able to supplement his stretching powers with immense strength, agility, and creativity in combat. His fighting style is largely improvised, and thus relies heavily on his Devil Fruit powers. It should also be noted that Luffy cannot automatically stretch his limbs out (like superheroes with stretching powers, i.e: Mr. Fantastic or Plastic Man), and since his body acts much like an actual rubber band, he has to throw some force into his punches in order for his limbs to stretch out. It should be noticed that he has somehow managed to do it automatically (much like the aforementioned superheroes) after the timeskip. However, he has been shown to be able to hold his limbs outstretched for a long period of time, as seen when he reaches his arm out about half a mile down to try and retrieve Usopp from falling through the Sea Clouds.

Luffy regularly uses his stretching powers in ingenious and creative ways, as he is able to use the malleable stretchiness of his limbs to gain tremendous velocity, and hit his enemies with devastating impacts and blows. His rubber body is also extremely durable and virtually immune to blunt attacks such as bullets (in One Piece, bullets are still round pellets, except for Don Krieg's), punches, and electricity, more often than not, bouncing off his body harmlessly or canceling out the attack. It has even become a running gag that people find out the hard way that Luffy is made of rubber when they shoot at him, only to have the bullets bounce back at them.

Another running gag is that whenever Luffy's body is in a dangerous situation that would

kill a normal person, he simply states that "he's made of rubber, so it's okay", or acts like it is a small problem despite that person trying to kill him, such as being shot in the heart. However, he is still normally susceptible to sharp objects such as swords and knives as well as nonphysical attacks like heat, cold, dehydration, and poison (though after the timeskip, Luffy has been shown a strong immunity to poison due to his fight against Magellan in Impel Down). Not only can he use his stretchiness to increase the range and strength of his attacks, but on some rare occasions he can also use his stretched limbs to help restrain and even control weaker foes like puppets (to fight for him).

Haki
Shortly before the two year time skip, Luffy had awakened the ability known as "Haki" and is one of the few known people able to use all three types. Luffy was identified to possess this mysterious ability by Blackbeard after their first encounter in Jaya. He first showed the ability to use it when he knocked out Duval's steed, Motobaro, without actually hitting him. Since then, he showed increased but irregular usage of it, with very little to no control, as the series went on. It was only after the Battle of Marineford, when he started training with Silvers Rayleigh, that he actually learned about Haki and how to control it. Though it was stated that 2 years was too short a time to learn the basics of Haki, Luffy has shown a natural affinity for it, learning it in 18 months. Since reuniting with his crew Luffy has been shown to consciously, actively, and easily use Haki in combat.

After Ace was sent away to the Marine Headquarters, Luffy decided to break out of Impel Down and head for Marineford. In the process, he ran into an intruding Blackbeard who noted that Luffy's Haki increased since last time they met (in Jaya). It could be speculated that Blackbeard already noticed Luffy's Haki possession since their first meeting. The fourth time Luffy released his Haki was at Marineford, when he saw Ace about to be executed. It was then that Ace and the Marines learned of his possession of Haki, and of the Haoshoku type to top it off. This made him even more threatening to the government, although he was already threatening enough without it.

After the Marineford War, Luffy decided to train with Rayleigh. Luffy managed to learn the basics of Haki within a year and a half, even though Rayleigh had intended to spend the entire two years teaching him, meaning that he was either a fast learner once he understood the concept, or he has an innate affinity for Haki. Rayleigh departed after a year and a half, leaving Luffy to train by himself for the remaining six months. It should be noted that Luffy possesses what is considered to be a large amount of Haki.

Conqueror Haki
Luffy is able to use Haoshoku Haki, a type of Haki possessed in one in a million people. Luffy used this ability several times in the series, as it was the type of Haki that manifested the earliest. When Luffy displayed at the battle of Marineford, many legendary pirates were surprised such as Whitebeard who decided to have his allies aid Luffy in saving Ace from execution. It was also enough for the marine admirals to decide he must be eliminated due to his potential which was already high due to his status as Revolutionary Dragon's son. After training over two years, it has become Luffy's specialty as he uses it to avoid unnecessary fights with civilians.

Observation Haki
Since training with Silvers Rayleigh, Luffy appears to have gained significant proficiency in Kenbunshoku Haki, allowing him to tell what an opponent intends to do. He was able to effortlessly dodge a bullet shot at point-blank range by Demalo Black as well as laser projectiles fired by a Pacifista, commenting that the second attack was "slow". His proficiency with this skill is truly shown when he was able to completely avoid Hody Jones' Yabusame without effort. Luffy also displayed being able to discern Caribou's presence within the Ryugu Palace, even asking if Zoro and Sanji can sense it too. At Punk Hazard, he was able to sense the Yeti Cool Brothers attacking Chopper and Nami.

Armament Haki
Luffy seems to have also mastered Busoshoku Haki, which has been shown to darken his body (or parts of it) and harden it. This is first shown being used when he easily defeated a Pacifista with a single Haki imbued punch used in conjunction with his Second Gear. He is also able to use his Third Gear in conjunction with his Busoshoku Haki, being capable of knocking out a giant beast such as the Kraken easily, despite the great disadvantage of being under water (where his power was considerably weaker). After he used this, he did not turn into his child-like form.

Another demonstration of Luffy's Busoshoku Haki is during his fight with Hody Jones, where he was able to harden his arm, leg, and forehead for both strong offensive and defensive measures. The defense of his Busoshoku Haki, however, is not absolute as shown in his fight with Hody Jones, where it was revealed that while it is good for reinforcing his near immunity against blunt attacks, it is currently not strong enough to defend against sharp objects, such as Hody Jones' shark teeth.

With this ability, he was able to knock Caribou (a logia devil fruit user) and send him flying a great distance which is something he couldn't originally do prior to the time-skip. He was even able fight against Caesar Clown another logia user.

Shanks and The Straw Hat
Luffy was born in Foosha Village. Seven years after his birth, he meets and befriends a crew of pirates led by an affectionate captain named Red Haired Shanks. Luffy, inspired by them, decided to become a pirate as well. Luffy stabs himself with a knife just under his left eye to prove that he is tough enough to join Shanks' crew.

During a scene with Shanks and Higuma, a local mountain bandit that insulted Shanks and his crew, Luffy accidentally eats a Devil Fruit known as the Gomu Gomu no Mi and unwittingly turns himself into a rubber man/boy. Initially this situation affects Luffy badly as it means he will never be able to swim again, which is a great weakness to anyone who wishes to journey the seas.This, however, does not deter Luffy's dream and he continues aspiring to become a pirate.

Later, Luffy stands up to Higuma on behalf of Shanks. However, he is easily defeated and becomes a hostage.His captors are easily defeated by the Red-Haired Pirates, but the bandit leader Higuma has fled out to sea with Luffy.Shanks loses his left arm while saving Luffy.While out at sea, Higuma throws Luffy in the ocean, only to be attacked by a sea king moments later while he's laughing at Luffy. Higuma is eaten. Though Shanks manages to save Luffy, he pays a high price: his left arm is lost to the sea king.

Shortly after, Shanks sets sail along with his crew, but before leaving, he and Luffy promise each other that one day Luffy will surpass Shanks and become the Pirate King. Shanks then leaves Luffy his straw hat as a parting gift, telling him to return it once he surpasses him.

Luffy's New Family: Bandits and Brothers
Sometime later, Monkey D. Garp takes Luffy into the care of Dadan, which is the first time Luffy meets Portgas D. Ace. Garp took him to Dadan, while Luffy refused. Garp picked him up, knocked on the door and put him down. He then gets spit on by the newly arrived Ace, angrily glaring at each other.

Thinking back about the recent incident with Higuma, he tells Dadan and the rest of the bandits that he hates them. Dadan bitterly scolds the young kid for saying something like that, telling him he should stay there or starve to death. Luffy takes a look at the meat-eating Ace, asking if he can have a piece. He then gets scolded by Dadan, telling him he can do fine with just rice and water, but he sees Ace leave and follows him. Luffy says to Ace that he is not angry at Ace for spitting on him (since it is not something to get worked up about) and wants to be friends. Ace responds by knocking a tree down at Luffy. Luffy then follows Ace across a bridge. Ace notices him and knocks him off of the bridge. Luffy returns to Dadan's house a week later and tells Dadan that he was being chased by wolves and fell off a cliff. Luffy gets sent to bed. The next day, Ace goes out again and Luffy follows wanting to start a friendship only to get shunned by Ace. After three months of persistently trying to follow Ace, Luffy eventually comes across the Gray Terminal. Luffy overhears Ace and Sabo's conversation about buying a pirate ship. Luffy shows up to them and says that he wants to be a pirate too. Ace and Sabo then tie Luffy to a tree and decide that they should kill Luffy to keep their secret safe. While Luffy panics, Ace and Sabo have a hard time deciding who should kill Luffy since both Ace and Sabo have never killed anyone before. They hear someone coming and they untie Luffy and go hide. Porchemy of the Bluejam Pirates arrive searching for stolen money. Luffy then wanders off and gets caught by Porchemy. Luffy yells out Ace's name. Porchemy, recognizing that name, takes Luffy away for interrogation.

Porchemy then drags Luffy into a small house and ties him up. Luffy states that he is not going to say anything. Porchemy then hits Luffy with a giant hammer, but that doesn't harm Luffy due to his Devil Fruit powers. Porchemy then uses spiked gloves and no matter how many times Porchemy beats Luffy, he refuses to yield. Porchemy loses his patience, draws a sword and is about to kill Luffy when Ace and Sabo arrive. They cut Luffy loose and defeat Porchemy. Out in the woods, Ace asks Luffy why he did not tell Porchemy about the whereabouts of Ace and Sabo's treasure. Luffy then tells Ace that he wants a friend, he has no parents with him, and he hates to be alone. After that, Luffy joins Ace and Sabo and the trio start making a name for themselves.

Luffy, Ace, and Sabo sharing sake to become "sworn brothers".Later on, Luffy is shown fighting Ace with the former losing (for the 50th time). After that, along with Sabo, they go to hunt gators, look for trash in the Gray Terminal, and eat and run. However, while they were running from the restaurant, a man calls out Sabo's name, causing Luffy and Ace to question him. Sabo says that the man who called out to him was his dad, a noble. He tells the others about his past and then says that he wants to be free as a pirate and write a book about the world. Everyone soon realizes that they can not agree to be on the same pirate ship as captain, so Ace comes up with an idea, telling Luffy and Sabo that they all can become brothers by exchanging drinks. As long as they have this bond, it will not matter where they are.

The Sabo Incident
But one day, everything changes. Sabo's father hires Captain Bluejam to bring back Sabo and get rid of Luffy and Ace. Sabo begs his dad to tell Bluejam to stop hurting them and he will do whatever his dad commands. Ace tries to stop him from leaving but the poor kid just walks away with his dad with tears rolling down his face.

Luffy and Ace then join the Bluejam Pirates at the request of the captain and carry cargo to marked locations in the Gray Terminal with the other pirates. Later, Bluejam reveals to Luffy and Ace that the cargo that they had carried was oil and gunpowder and that the Gray Terminal will be engulfed with flames. Luffy and Ace react in outrage and are quickly apprehended by the pirates. Bluejam then informs them that they can no longer be left alive and asks them about the location of their hoard of treasure. Later that night, the flames start and Luffy and Ace manage to cut themselves loose after being tied up. Luffy and Ace then run for their lives.

While trying to escape, the two run into Bluejam once more. Bluejam decides that if he is to die, that he will take the two with him; however, he first asks Ace one last time to reveal the location of their treasure. While Luffy is against it, Ace is willing to let the pirates have the treasure to ensure Luffy's safety. However, after Ace tells Bluejam where the treasure is, Bluejam has his crew restrain Ace and Luffy. As Bluejam begins to badmouth Sabo, Ace verbally retaliates, spurring Luffy to bite his captor's arm. The pirate responds by slashing him across the face with his sword; before the pirate can finish Luffy off, though, Ace lets out a scream of rage, unbeknown to everyone there (including himself) that he is wielding Haki. The blast knocks everyone out, aside from Luffy and Bluejam. Bluejam almost kills Ace, but then Dadan appears to rescue the two boys. Although she wants to run back home with them, Ace refuses to run away. Luffy decides to stay and fight as well, but Dadan forbids it, remaining in his place. Luffy is then taken back by the bandits to recover at home.

Luffy awakes the next day, crying that he wants to know if Ace, Dadan, and Sabo are all right. After Dogura goes to check the remaining ashes of Gray Terminal, Luffy is very upset for not being allowed to go look for Ace and Dadan. Suddenly, Ace arrives carrying Dadan on his back, Luffy jumps over to Ace, crying in relief for Ace being alive. He says that Luffy should not worry about him being dead, because he won't die, hitting Luffy on his head. Ace tells how he and Dadan got out of the burning Terminal after beating Bluejam, and Dadan rests while getting healed with the medicines Ace stole from the town. Later that day, while outside playing with two beetles, Luffy sees Dogura coming back from the forest, and tells him that Dadan and Ace were already home. Dogura then tells them that while looking for Ace and Dadan, he went to the city, and saw Sabo setting sail on a boat, and then get shot by a ship. Ace attacks Dogura, accusing him for lying, but he replies he's not lying, nor dreaming, and he saw it with his own eyes. Luffy realizes that Sabo was not happy at all for coming back to the city, and starts to cry, Ace tries to go to the city to avenge him, but is stopped by Dadan, because she is afraid of Ace being killed, blaming the country for killing Sabo, not only the nobles. Since Ace is still too angry, he is tied up to a tree, while Luffy cries the whole night.Luffy punching out the Lord of the Coast with his improved Gum Gum Pistol. A while later, Luffy, still mourning Sabo, asks Ace to never die, to which Ace makes the promise to Luffy that he will not leave his "crybaby brother" alone. Luffy then decides that he wants to be much stronger. After years of training, stealing food from the royal town and growing with Ace, Luffy witnesses Ace's departure at seventeen with Luffy being fourteen.

Waiting three more years, Luffy decides to train some more, finally mastering his Gomu Gomu no Pistol. Ready to depart when he turns seventeen, he thanks Dadan and the bandits, then waves goodbye to the rest of the village, saying he is the third, after Sabo and Ace, to depart.