Monkey D. Luffy: The man who will become king of the pirates 

Back in January, I started on a journey to start and catch up with all of “One Piece,” both anime and manga. As of five weeks ago, I managed to catch up with the entirety of “One Piece” and I have to say, never have I enjoyed a show as much as it before. I could go on and on about all the things I love about it, but I shall save that for a later time. Instead, I would like to talk about the show’s main character, Monkey D. Luffy. 

I can confidently say that Luffy has been my favorite character the whole way through. His personality, ideals and drive are so amazing and even admirable. 

Warning, this article will contain major spoilers for “One Piece”, so if you would like to avoid spoilers, do not continue. 

First off, Luffy is the most straight-forward and idiotic character I’ve ever seen. The most dangerous person on the planet could be asking him who he is, and he will give out his full name and declare that he will be king of the pirates. 

This even goes towards those he cares about. One example is when Nami’s sister told the group how her and Nami lost their mother as kids to Arlong and how he had been forcing Nami to make sea maps for him for years. During this, Luffy said he didn’t care. He did this as he didn’t care about how she was hurt, only that she was hurt. 

When Nami was at her lowest, stabbing the tattoo on her arm that bared the jolly roger of the man who ruined her life, Luffy came and grabbed her arm, stopping her. 

She told Luffy to leave, saying he didn’t know anything that has happened to her and her town the past eight years, Luffy agreed, saying that he doesn’t know. Still, she turned and asked him to help with tears in her eyes, so he grabbed his most prized possession, his straw hat, and put it on her head and walked towards Arlong’s base shouting that he will help her. 

This also demonstrates another reason I love Luffy. He is willing to do anything to help his crew and those who help him. He has overthrown tyrannical rulers just because someone who gave him food was hurt. 

There is still one more aspect about Luffy that I love even more than the previous ones. This aspect is Luffy’s desire for freedom. 

Through his actions and even his goals, this desire for freedom is visible throughout. For example, despite saving so many people and kingdom’s, Luffy has adamantly declared that he doesn’t want to be called a hero. The reason being he doesn’t want to feel expected to help people or follow some moral code. 

Then there is his desire to be the king of the pirates. At one point, he declared that he doesn’t want to rule over the pirates or to even be a dangerous enemy of the government, rather he wants to be king of the pirates so that he can obtain the ultimate freedom. 

Lastly there is his devil fruit. During a battle against Kaido, an Emperor of the Sea, Luffy dies. Somehow, his heartbeat returns in the form of drum beats, later revealed to be called the Drums of Liberation. His hair and outfit turns a bright white as a smile emerges upon his face. It is then revealed that his devil fruit was not the “Gum Gum Fruit”, but rather the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika. 

This fruit has been known to evade the hands of the government who has been trying to capture it for 800 years. It gives the user the abilities of the Sun God Nika, a god known for bringing joy and laughter to others, and is seen as a god of liberation to the enslaved. 

It is said that those who eat it have the freedom to battle whatever way their heart desires and can bring joy and laughter to those who witness them. 

Luffy, then, starts to jump on the ground laughing with the utmost joy in the world as the ground below him becomes like rubber. He starts doing some “Looney Tunes” type stuff, grabbing the ground to launch back Kaido’s fire blast, using Kaido’s dragon form like jump rope and even grabbing lightning directly from the sky like it’s string. 

When I witnessed this scene, I was left awestruck and overjoyed. Throughout my life, one of the main things I have always dreamed of is living in a world with no rules, where there are no constant arguments or fighting and people can just be free to be themselves and live with no worry. 

This form was a literal embodiment of what I wish for. The ability to just fight freely and laugh the whole way through it is something so incredibly beautiful to me. 

Usually, most final forms in anime occur through anger, but this was different. A form accomplished through nothing but belief and joy. 

The form only becomes more impactful when you consider the darkness that lies within “One Piece’s” world. The World Government allows those with higher power to kidnap and enslave others. 

They allow these same people to kill others with no repercussions and anyone who tries to fight back is killed. They’ve been trying to hide the existence of Luffy’s fruit for centuries, and now it has finally awakened. The one who will free them has finally arrived. 

Later on in the manga, it shows the reactions of some who have been waiting for Nika to free them and it is such a heartfelt and joyful thing watching them overcome with joy as they see this figure they’ve been praying to finally appear. The best part is Luffy doesn’t even know it.

I love this character with all my heart and I look forward to seeing as he gets closer and closer to becoming the king of the pirates.