User blog:Kaido King of the Beasts/A Toast to Luffy

Today marks a very special day for one of the most important characters in this series...that's right, it's Demalo Black's birthday! Nah, kidding. Today, Mr. Monkey D. Luffy celebrates his 19th birthday...for the fourth year in a row...ah well. Technically less than a day has passed in the manga from his last birthday, but nobody cares! (If Luffy aged in real time, he'd be 33 years old and nobody'd want that).

Anyways, Luffy is a very special character to One Piece. Anyone who has the slightest inkling of what One Piece is about knows this. He sets the mood for the series: When he's happy, the tone is happy, and when he's not, run and hide. Another testament to his staying power is the fact that in every Shonen Jump One Piece character popularity poll, Luffy always stays at the top, unlike many main characters from other series. One Piece has had a lot of "Boba Fett"-esque show stealers that often take first in many other series, but Luffy makes sure to let everyone know that he is the main person to root for.

I'm sure Luffy would be having quite the birthday party if he wasn't trapped in a giant cage, but we can celebrate his birthday as well. Tell about a One Piece moment starring Luffy that you liked, and why it means so much to you.

I'll start off. One of my favorite Luffy moments was when he came to Sabaody after the timeskip. He was quickly confronted by Demalo Black who, not knowing who Luffy was, loudly claimed to be Luffy. Most normal people would be quick to reveal themselves and loudly declare their true identity in front of everyone, but Luffy doesn't do that. All he does is use a little Haoskoku Haki to make his impersonator look like a fool and ruin the disguise himself. That's what makes Luffy cool.

Oh, and happy birthday Demalo Black, even though nobody cares about you.