With over 1000 chapters, One Piece is one of the longest-running manga series in the world. It began serializing in 1997 and has since been part of the Weekly Shonen Jump. During its run, many other manga series have tried to push ahead of One Piece, but almost all of them have failed.
There are many reasons why One Piece is highly successful, Monkey D. Luffy being one of them. As the lead character, Luffy has been at the center of all things important. He has won over the audience with his humor, kindness, and, obviously, philosophy. While Luffy is still very young, he adheres to a set of principles no matter what. One of the more interesting choices that Luffy makes in One Piece is not killing his enemies. Finally, Oda revealed why Luffy spares his enemies.
1The Reason Behind Luffy’s Behavior
Eiichiro Oda Explains Why Luffy Is The Way He Is
According to Oda, the logic behind Luffy’s behavior is that he believes beating an enemy and watching their dreams being crushed is the worst thing that can happen to them. It can be considered equal to killing them.
I Am Going To Be The Pirate King. —Monkey D. Luffy
Oda also stated how victory and defeat matter most to pirates. The reasoning is simple, yet it makes a lot of sense. Most of the villains that Luffy fought in One Piece all had big dreams they wanted to achieve at all costs. So, when Luffy defeats them, they have no choice but to give up on it.
Luffy’s Victories And Their Effects
Savior Of Multiple Countries
Kaido was the latest victim of Luffy’s unrelenting spirit. The Yonko wanted to wage the greatest war in history and build the most powerful army. To achieve this goal, Kaido employed Donquixote Doflamingo to create SMILEs that would give his army the power needed to overwhelm their enemies. Kaido’s plan was hit a major hit when the factory in Punk Hazard was destroyed.
Next, it was Doflamingo’s turn. Luffy defeated the Shichibukai, and the SMILE factory in Dressrosa was obliterated. This stopped Kaido’s supply of Devil Fruits, but the Yonko was more or less unbothered. When Luffy arrived in Wano, he challenged Kaido multiple times. The young pirate was unsuccessful in the first few attempts, but he was finally able to do it with the help of Gear 5. Kaido’s fate remains unknown, but if he did survive, he watched all his dreams being shattered by a goofy white-haired kid.
Aside from Kaido, there have been many other casualties, including those suffered at the hands of Luffy.
- Alabasta arc: Crocodile’s plan to take over the country and destroy it came to a screeching halt when Luffy intervened.
- Enies 7: Luffy defeated Rob Lucci, thus forcing CP9 to return without Nico Robin and the blueprints of Pluton.
- Skypiea: The pirate ended Enel’s tyranny over the Sky Island’s natives.
- Thriller Bark: The stretchy hero brought an end to Gecko Moria’s plans to make a strong crew out of zombies.
- Arlong Park: Luffy took down Arlong and saved the people of Cocoyashi Village from his abuse. Moreover, he freed Nami from an abusive relationship.
- Punk Hazard: He brought an end to Caesar’s inhumane experimentation that he carried out on kids.
- Fish-Man Island: Luffy vanquished Hody Jones and stopped the racist from achieving what he wanted.
These are some of the main villains beaten by Luffy. With his actions, Luffy has saved more people than any other known person in One Piece.
Should Luffy Kill His Enemies?
Luffy’s Decisions Give His Enemies A Second Chance
In some cases where Luffy faces a malicious individual, fans might think that it would be better for him to just kill them as they might return in the future, causing more harm. But this would go against Luffy’s moral code. The decision not to kill his enemies is not just limited to Luffy. In fact, most of the Straw Hats do not obliterate their enemies. Even Roronoa Zoro, a swordsman who can easily cut his enemies, doesn’t go out of his way to eradicate them.
As one ruminates about the ideology of Monkey D. Luffy, it makes more and more sense. Fans have already seen notable pirates losing a fight and surrendering their dreams forever. Shanks vs. Eustass Kid is an example of how losing a fight could potentially spell the end of a person’s dreams. Both the characters wanted to claim the One Piece, but it was obvious that only one of them could move forward. Kid had tried to fight Shanks previously, but it ended in a complete disaster. So, he was hoping to change things this time around.
Kid tried using Damned Punk, but the Yonko stopped the Supernova before he could fire it. Kid suffered a crushing loss, and Shanks took all his Road Poneglyphs, thus undoing all the hard work of years. Using this sample, it becomes clear that Luffy’s decision to crush the dreams of his enemies is just as effective as killing them, if not more.
