User blog comment:Staw-p/Luffy should have a weapon./@comment-77.98.91.192-20120102172846

The marines would love that. Look at it this way; what sounds scarier? 'He beat his enemies gruesomely with a large sword' or 'he beat his enemies gruesomely with his BARE HANDS'? The fact he's achieved what he has - and is stronger than Zoro, who was famous for years before Luffy had even left home, with /three/ weapons - is probably also attributable to the size of his bounty. Just a thought!

If you were walking down the street, and you glanced back and saw Alvida (pre-slimming :D) casually strolling, twirling her mace, you would probably pretend not to have seen her, cross over, and start marathon training. If, however, you saw a scrawny kid in a button vest and furry shorts, you wouldn't give him a second thought. He's like a poisonous kitten; unassumingly deadly, and therefore an unmeasurable threat to the Marines and world Government. This is what makes him so dangerous to them.

You've got to take his intelligence into consideration, too. Remember when they arrived at Baratie? He smashed the roof in, and that was just deflecting a weapon. He would probably destroy half the Sunny within seconds of receiving so much as a straight razor.

Finally, it would be pretty detrimental to Luffy's image, not to mention his ideals, if he were to use a weapon. Luffy has strength and courage without having to adorn himself with weapons and armour, and the entirety of his fight with Don Krieg was proof of that.

Just my thoughts on the matter :)