Despite saving thousands of lives across the sea, Monkey D Luffy doesn’t consider himself a hero. Luffy acknowledges right and wrong, yet, he knows that life isn’t as simple as a person being good or bad. This way of thinking allows him to connect with anyone he encounters. Regardless of a pirate’s reputation, Luffy liberates islands from tyrants or takes down those who harm the innocent.
Since his first day as a pirate, Luffy’s accumulated several wins. From Sea Kings to Warlords, he’s defeated the mightiest pirates and creatures that The Grand Line offers. When he finally reached the second half of The Grand Line, The New World, Luffy continued to save lives in abundance despite the increasing difficulties.
10 Luffy Defeated A Pacifista In One Blow
After losing his brother, Ace, during the Marineford War, Luffy promised to get strong enough to protect everyone he cherished. Following his two-year absence from the pirate world, Luffy trained under the former 1st commander of Gol D Roger’s crew, Silvers Rayleigh.
When he returned to the island where he lost everything, he demonstrated his new power level. With his recently developed strength, he defeated a Pacifista with one blow. This was a big deal at the time, as two years prior, it took Luffy’s entire crew to beat one.
9 Luffy Defeated Caesar Clown
Caesar Clown was the first to encounter Luffy when he decided to go to war with Kaido. A scientist who worked under Doflamingo, Caesar’s depravity nearly matched his employer’s. On the island of Punk Hazard, he was conducting experiments on children and keeping them under his control with addictive drugs.
Paired with the fact that he tried to kill his subordinates, Luffy’s blood boiled. Upon his first meeting with him, he delivered a well-deserved punch to Caesar’s face. After delivering his new move, Grizzly Magnum, Luffy defeated Caesar and gave the kids to the Navy for safekeeping.
8 Luffy Defeated Hody Jones
While Arlong was the first Fish-Man to display his species’ disdain for humans, Hody Jones was the first to show how far they were willing to go to make their hatred known. Hody turned on his people and tried to kill his nation’s king to prove a point, which Luffy took issue with. Luffy effortlessly dominated Hody to prove all humans aren’t evil.
Through Luffy’s victory, he gained something even more significant: respect from the Fish-Men. Although he told them he didn’t want recognition as a hero, they still recognized him as someone who fought for the liberation of any race.
7 Luffy Defeated Charlotte Katakuri
The Whole Cake Island arc was a significant part of the story, where many heavy-hitting pirates from The New World surrounded Luffy and his crew. Outside Big Mom, Charlotte Katakuri pushed Luffy like no other. His Devil Fruit, the Mochi-Mochi Fruit, allowed him to manipulate mochi. His prowess with his Devil Fruit and his physical abilities easily outclassed Luffy’s.
Katakuri’s power cemented that The New World was unlike anything Luffy experienced on The Grand Line. After a hard-fought battle, Luffy barely managed to beat Katakuri. This win proved that Luffy could stand his ground with The New World’s most formidable pirates.
6 Luffy Saved Fish-Man Island
During his final bout with Hody Jones, Luffy had to prevent the destruction of Fish-Man Island at the hands of Vander Decken. Using his Devil Fruit, Decken sent a massive ship toward Fish-Man Island to destroy it out of spite. To prevent this, Luffy used all his power to try to demolish the ship before it could fall on the island.
Despite Luffy failing to destroy the ship, he managed to stall it long enough for the Princess to stop it from decimating the island. His victory against Hody would have lost its value if the ship destroyed the island immediately after.
5 Luffy Escaped Whole Cake Island
Recognized for her unreal defense and brute strength, All pirates saw Big Mom as an equal to Kaido. Nonetheless, Luffy and his crew escaped her wrath on Whole Cake Island. After Sanji eloped to marry Big Mom’s daughter Pudding, Luffy made his way to Big Mom’s island to take him back. At the time, this was Luffy’s most dangerous mission.
In the end, with help from Sanji, Luffy managed to escape with his crew to set sail. Moreover, they made a copy of Big Mom’s Poneglyph, which people thought was a suicide mission to try to accomplish.
4 Luffy Liberated Dressrosa
The Kingdom of Dressrosa was initially seen as a bustling island full of wonders and entertainment. It would soon reveal itself as a Kingdom built on lies and deceit due to Doflamingo’s influence. Doflamingo usurped the throne from the former King by force and took control of the island overnight. The island of horrors came to an end after Luffy’s arrival.
With Doflamingo’s reign of terror over, the citizens of Dressrosa rejoiced as their city thrived again. The thousands of families that forgot about their loved ones beneath the island could once again live freely without being controlled.
3 Luffy Allowed Wano To Open Its Borders
Luffy made good on his promise to make Wano a land where everyone could eat whenever they wanted. After Luffy defeated Kaido in chapter 1049, Wano gained the choice to open its borders for the first time in many years. The Straw Hat Pirates toppled Kaido’s empire that he built off betrayal and murder.
With Kaido and The Beast Pirates gone, the citizens of Wano now enjoy themselves as much as they want. After years of people being executed or worked to death, Wano is a free country again.
2 Luffy Defeated Donquioxte Doflamingo
One could argue that Doflamingo committed worse crimes than Kaido did. Known as the most influential broker in the Underworld, Doflamingo presumably funded everything from wars to human trafficking. In addition, he tried to murder his subjects when they rebelled, killed his family, and left people abandoned underneath the country for years. When Luffy confronted him, he needed assistance from everyone in Dressrosa.
Doflamingo’s way of life opposed Luffy’s. Unlike Luffy, he’s all about control and manipulation, whereas Luffy’s all about liberation and expression. With Doflamingo’s defeat, his manipulation came to an end.
1 Luffy Claimed Kaido’s Former Position As A Yonko
Defeating Kaido sent a ripple effect throughout the pirate world. Due to being known as the world’s strongest being, his defeat seemed impossible. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates defied the odds, beating Kaido by taking advantage of his low stamina. When the World Government learned of Kaido’s defeat, they gave Luffy his former position because of his landing the final blow.
This may be a victory for Luffy now, but he now has a target on his back that’s bigger than ever. With such status, the World Government’s even more eager to capture him.
