Monkey D. Luffy/Relationships/Emperors and Groups

Overview
Even when he was a child, Luffy's life, drive and dreams were directly influenced by Emperors old and new and would continue to do so even as he joins and makes his way up the sea hierarchy in the world of piracy. In time, they and their crews would all come to see his potential as a powerful opponent/rival for the title "King of the Pirates", as he and his own crew draws closer to their level and unofficially becoming "Fifth Emperor of the Sea".

Shanks


Shanks is an Emperor, the captain of the Red Hair Pirates, and a former member of the Roger Pirates. Luffy first met Shanks in his hometown of Foosha Village when he was seven years old. The two get on extremely well and have equal intrigue and admiration for one another. They both made a promise to each other that they would meet again once Luffy has formed a crew and become a great pirate that has surpassed Shanks. Whilst on Foosha Village, Shanks found Luffy to be an incredible and endearing kid, so much so that he gave him his precious straw hat as a sign of his faith that he will become a great pirate. Luffy looks up to Shanks as a personal hero, believing him to be the ultimate pirate and a great person, and has remained devoted to the promise he made to him back on his home village.

The two share a somewhat comedic relationship, with Luffy always getting frustrated by Shanks' refusal to let him join his crew and for pulling small pranks on him, such as tricking him into drinking juice to prove he is not actually a man. Shanks regularly teases Luffy and likes to joke about some of his claims, rarely taking him seriously. Behind all this, however, lies deep admiration and respect for one another that has survived the test of time, having not met for over ten years but still standing by the commitment they made all the way back on Foosha Village. Shanks is the one that is indirectly responsible for Luffy gaining the powers of the Gomu Gomu no Mi after he left it unattended next to Luffy who unwittingly ate the Devil Fruit. However, this ultimately proved to be a boon for Luffy as his fighting style became much more dynamic and formidable thanks to eating the Devil Fruit.

Shanks has become extremely intrigued by Luffy and believes him to be destined for greatness. Before leaving Foosha Village, Shanks was greatly impressed after hearing Luffy's resounding statement that he would become a pirate on his own, form his own crew, and surpass them all to become the Pirate King. He thus decided to leave Luffy his straw hat as a sign of his faith in him to fulfill this dream. This was a monumental gesture on Shanks' part as the straw hat is of high sentimental value to him having originally been worn by Gol D. Roger, his former captain. His first mate, Benn Beckman, commented to him that Luffy is going to make it big one day with Shanks agreeing. It appears that Shanks is betting everything on Luffy becoming the future of piracy and when talking to his fellow Emperor, and former adversary, Whitebeard, he took pride in having given up his left arm for Luffy, simply telling him that he bet it on a new age. Although never outwardly stated, its apparent that Shanks sees a lot of his old captain, Gol D. Roger, in Luffy and has gone around spreading Luffy's name to various major figures in the world, such as Dracule Mihawk and Silvers Rayleigh. He was overjoyed when Mihawk delivered Luffy's first wanted poster to him and celebrated Luffy's success. He appeared somewhat disappointed that he could not meet Luffy when he arrived at the Battle of Marineford but acknowledged that it was still too soon. He keeps track of Luffy's progress and could not help but give a big smile when reading that Luffy was now considered the fifth Emperor of the seas.

He has connections with Red-Haired Shanks?



Shanks cares very much for Luffy's well-being. When Luffy stabbed himself in the eye he panicked and got him some immediate medical help. He became distress when he realized Luffy had eaten the Gomu Gomu no Mi and tried to force him to spit it out as it would take away his ability to swim. When Luffy was taken captive by Higuma he confronted the bandit and quickly defeated underlings, but became frantic when he suddenly disappeared with Luffy. When Luffy was about to be eaten by Lord of the Coast he dived in to save him at the cost of his left arm but was not at all upset, simply stating that it was just an arm and that it is more important that he is alive. When he arrived at the Battle of Marineford he thanked Koby for his speech that managed to bring everybody on the battlefield to a standstill long enough for him to arrive and allow Luffy to escape. He also found his former straw hat and bribed Buggy to return it to Luffy. Following the Battle of Marineford, he acknowledged the pain that Luffy must be going through at the loss of his brother, Ace.

Luffy has extremely high admiration for Shanks and, more so than anybody else, he is responsible for Luffy's dream to become the Pirate King. His admiration for Shanks began when he first met him as a kid, eagerly wanting to join his crew and even stabbed himself underneath his eye just to prove he is tough enough to become a pirate which got him his first notable scar. After Higuma assaulted Shanks he became upset with him for just laughing it off instead of fighting back and somewhat lost his admiration for the pirate captain. However, when Higuma returned to the bar he ridiculed the bandit for insulting Shanks despite the risk to his own life. When his grandfather, Monkey D. Garp, insulted Shanks he came to his defense in spite of the fear he has for him. Luffy is very fond of Shanks and, by extension, is very fond of the straw hat he gave him, referring to it as his one and only treasure. He often becomes angry when someone damages his hat, such as when Buggy sliced through it, and rarely likes other people holding on to it save for Nami and occasionally one or two others. He is determined to return the straw hat Shanks gave him when he becomes a great pirate and has held on to it for this reason. He was glad to hear some news about Shanks from his grandfather when he met him on Water 7 and was amazed to find out that he used to be a member of the Roger Pirates.

Despite his admiration for him, Luffy has clearly stated that he wishes to fight Shanks one day when he told Trafalgar Law that he will defeat every Emperor, knowing full well that includes Shanks. However, when he formed his alliance with Law to take down an Emperor, he was only willing to do so as long as the target was not Shanks as he wishes to save him for last.

It appears that Luffy has sought to emulate Shanks' style as a captain. He is just as laid back as Shanks and enjoys partying as much as he does. Shanks' statement about not taking offence to trivial incidents like spilling drinks or being spat on also influenced Luffy, as when Ace spat on him the first time they met he simply brushed it off after he reminded himself of what Shanks once said. It also appears this was the mindset he had when dealing with Bellamy on Jaya, as he chose not to fight back against him as he believed it was not worth the effort. Shanks' belief that you must protect your friends at all costs clearly resonated with Luffy, as he has gone above and beyond to protect everyone who he considers a friend and prioritises them before anything else. He once repeated a quote Shanks made, back when he saved him from a group of bandits, to Usopp when they first met on Syrup Village after he tried to intimidate him. When he recruited Brook into his crew he was very fond of his rendition of Binks' Sake because it was a song Shanks and his crew would always sing. After arriving on Sabaody Archipelago, and meeting Rayliegh, he became unusually embarrassed when he found out Shanks spoke highly of him.

Crew


The Red Hair Pirates are an extremely infamous and powerful crew led by the Emperor, Red Hair Shanks. The crew met a young Luffy in his hometown of Foosha Village where they befriended him. Like their captain, they found Luffy to be endearing, impressive and fun, all sharing the opinion that he will become a great pirate. Luffy is very fond of the Red Hair Pirates, especially their captain, Shanks. He made friends with numerous members of the crew and enjoyed partying with them at Partys Bar.

During Luffy's childhood, the Red Hair Pirates arrived on Foosha Village and started attending the local bar where Luffy would spend his days. Throughout their time there they grew close to Luffy and partied with the young boy almost everyday. One day, when Luffy was kidnapped by the bandit, Higuma, they followed their captain's lead to rescue him, managing to succeed. They were impressed when Luffy stated his intention to form his own crew and become a great pirate that would be stronger than all of them. They all watched gleefully as their captain gave Luffy his precious straw hat as a sign of that promise before sailing away.

The Red Hair Pirates have come to enjoy Luffy's company, some often joking with him about his desire to join their crew, whilst others indulge him, and at one point joined him in his pleas towards Shanks to let him join. However, they dropped their support when Shanks threatened to let Luffy take over one of their spots. Some members would talk to Luffy about their previous life, such as Yasopp, who would talk to Luffy about his own son, Usopp, back on Syrup Village, who would eventually join Luffy's crew. Despite rarely taking him seriously, they all acknowledged his claim to become a great pirate, with the first mate of the crew, Benn Beckman, telling Shanks that Luffy will make it big some day. They all panicked when they realized Luffy ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi, a Devil Fruit they had found. They all care for Luffy and came to his aid when they found he had been kidnapped by Higuma and searched for him when the bandit managed to escape with Luffy. They all appear to share the same belief as their captain that Luffy will bring a new age of piracy. When they received Luffy's first bounty they all partied in his honor. When they arrived at the Battle of Marineford, one of the crew's officers, Lucky Roux, asked Shanks if he wanted to see Luffy after ten years, as he was nearby.

Luffy is fond of the Red Hair Pirates like he is with Shanks. He would enjoy being with them in the bar and partied along with all of them. He would occasionally get annoyed when they laughed at him whenever Shanks played a trick on him or when he made an outlandish claim. Nonetheless, he has nothing but happy memories of the Red Hair Pirates and has come to see them as the crew that his own must surpass. He established a friendship with at least three of the crew members, Ben Beckmann, Yasopp and Lucky Roux. He was happy to know that they, and Shanks, are doing well after all these years when he met his grandfather in Water 7. Despite his fondness for them, he was greatly irritated they did not stand up to Higuma when he assaulted their captain, ridiculing them. However, he later came to understand why they chose not to do anything and began sharing the mentality of not fighting over trivial matters. He is also very fond of the song, Binks' Sake, as the Red Hair Pirates would always sing it during their parties.

Benn Beckman


Benn Beckman is the first mate to the Emperor, Shanks, and an officer of the Red Hair Pirates. He, like his captain and crew, is very fond of Luffy after meeting him on Foosha Village. He often tries to reassure Luffy whenever he gets upset with Shanks and reminds him of what his actual intentions are. Luffy respects Beckman and will listen to what he has to say even though he can disagree with him.

When the Red Hair Pirates landed on Foosha Village they all quickly befriended Luffy, including Beckman. They would spend their time drinking inside Partys Bar and have a good time with Luffy. He came to Luffy’s aid, alongside his captain, when he had been taken captive by the bandit, Higuma. He watched on with a smile when, before they left, Luffy proudly declared his goal of becoming the Pirate King.

Much like his captain, Shanks, he has a lot of faith and belief in Luffy becoming a great pirate. When Luffy declared his goal to Shanks, and the rest of the crew, he commented to his captain that Luffy will make it big some day. He also cares for Luffy and would take the time to reassure him that Shanks is only looking out for his well-being when he rejects him from his crew. When Luffy was taken by Higuma, he joined his captain in fighting against them and easily defeated the majority of Higuma’s bandit group. At the Battle of Marineford, Beckman held Admiral Kizaru at gun point before he could try and attack Luffy as he escaped in Trafalgar Law’s submarine.

Luffy respects Benn Beckman highly and appreciates his sobering explanation of why Shanks rejects him when he wants to join his crew, and for not taking him seriously, despite disagreeing with him and still getting frustrated when Shanks mocks him. He tends to complain about Shanks to Beckman whenever his captain taunts him. After he was saved by Beckman, and the rest of the Red Hair Pirates, he was appreciative of what he had done. He said his goodbyes to Beckman, as well as Shanks and the crew, in tears after he declared his intention of becoming the Pirate King.

Yasopp
Yasopp is the sniper of the Red Hair Pirates. He, like his captain and crew, is very fond of Luffy after meeting him at Foosha Village. Yasopp's shooting skills often amazed Luffy and the latter would be the subject to Yasopp's tales of his son who was Luffy's age.

It was from these stories that Luffy had no problem identifying Usopp as Yasopp's son in their first meeting and became friends with him.

Edward Newgate


Edward Newgate, otherwise known as Whitebeard, was the captain of the Whitebeard Pirates, an Emperor, and a former member of the Rocks Pirates. The two met during the Battle of Marineford and, although their time was short, had come to respect each other. Whitebeard was impressed by Luffy's performance and sheer determination to save Ace and went so far as to order his entire crew to follow his lead. Despite an initial, intense, confrontation, Luffy understood the extreme power Whitebeard possessed and how important he was to Ace. He was very appreciative of him, and his crew’s, efforts to help him save Ace.

During the Battle of Marineford, the two came into contact with each other after Luffy stopped Crocodile's attempt to kill Whitebeard. After noticing Luffy, Whitebeard asked him about his straw hat, recognizing that it once belonged to Shanks, and tried to discourage Luffy from partaking in the conflict but was won over by his defiant attitude towards him. The two then formed an impromptu alliance and decided to compete to save Ace. Throughout the battle, Luffy indirectly led the charge to save Ace whilst Whitebeard offered up as much support as he could muster from his crew to help the Straw Hat captain.

Whitebeard had heard of Luffy well before the events at Marineford after Ace informed him that Luffy is his brother after he got his first bounty. Luffy piqued Whitebeard's curiosity when he noticed the straw hat he was wearing and recalled the conversation he had with Shanks about how he lost his left arm, realizing that Shanks gave it up for Luffy. It appears that he was determined not to have Luffy fight in the battle, possibly to protect him for Ace's sake, and thus tried to bluntly discourage him. However, he accepted him as an ally after he was impressed by his bravery to back talk him and fully state his intention to become the Pirate King.

Throughout the Battle of Marineford, Whitebeard was continuously impressed by Luffy's determination to save Ace. He told his First Division Commander, Marco, not to let Luffy die and that he would not forgive him if he failed. When Luffy had managed to clear the barrier and land into the plaza before anyone else he smiled at Luffy's success and enacted the next stage of his plan to follow his lead. He, at one point, commented with delight that he is just as reckless as his brother. When Admiral Kizaru overwhelmed Luffy in their fight, he caught the Straw Hat captain, who was now exhausted, and put him down to get medical attention. He witnessed Luffy unleash his Haoshoku Haki just as Ace was about to be executed and was left in complete disbelief. He then ordered his own crew to follow Luffy's lead and personally aided his attempt to reach Ace's platform by frustrating Admiral Kizaru's efforts to stop him. He was pleased when he saw Luffy had managed to free Ace. Before the end of his life, in his final words to Blackbeard and Sengoku, it is implied that he believes Luffy is the person Gol D. Roger has been waiting for and that he will be the one to find One Piece.

Luffy had first heard of Whitebeard back in Arabasta when he reunited with Ace, who was now a high ranking member of his crew, and offered him to join but Luffy immediately refused. When he first met him he wished to protect Whitebeard from Crocodile as he was an important person to Ace, however, he was not happy when Whitebeard talked down to him and angrily told the Emperor to shut up whilst boldly telling him that he would be the one to become the Pirate King. Having earned Whitebeard's respect he worked alongside him to save Ace and informed him about the execution time being moved forward. He was grateful to Whitebeard for aiding him throughout the Battle of Marineford as a few of his crew members saved him numerous times. Although, he did tell Ivankov that he has no desire to impress Whtiebeard or live up to his expectations as he only wishes to save Ace. Luffy did not witness Whitebeard's last moments, as he had fallen unconscious from the shock of Ace's death, but he remembers the Whitebeard Pirates and their captain fondly.

Crew


The Whitebeard Pirates were an extremely infamous and powerful crew led by the late Emperor, Whitebeard. They all met Luffy for the first time during the Battle of Marineford and allied with him to save his brother, and their Second Division Comamnder, Ace. They were universally impressed by Luffy's tenacity and determination and offered their aid as best they could. Luffy holds the Whitebeard Pirates in high regard for their help during the Battle of Marineford and wishes to thank them for it.

When Luffy arrived at the Battle of Marineford he quickly won over their captain, Whitebeard, who recognized him as an ally to save Ace. Throughout the battle the Whitebeard Pirates saved Luffy from powerful foes and followed his lead across the battlefield. Following Ace's death, their top priority was to save Luffy from Admiral Akainu, as ordered by their captain, Whitebeard.

The Whitebeard Pirates came to respect Luffy highly. Their First Division Commander, Marco, praised Luffy after he intercepted Crocodile's attack on Whitebeard. Jozu, the Third Division Commander, was impressed by Luffy's defiant response to Ace's pleas. The Fifth Division Commander, Flower Sword Vista, saved Luffy from Dracule Mihawk and sliced two cannon balls that were aimed at him. Near the end of the battle, the entire crew (including Whitebeard) was shocked to learn Luffy is able to use Haoshoku haki. The entire crew followed their captain's order to follow Luffy across the battlefield and allowed him to lead their attack. By the end of the battle, whilst still distraught over Ace's death, they rallied together under Marco to protect Luffy from Admiral Akainu, recognizing him as all that remains of Ace's spirit and wanting to make sure Ace's sacrifice was not in vain.

Luffy was very grateful for the aid the Whitebeard Pirates offered him, but was dominantly preoccupied with trying to reach Ace to acknowledge many of them at the time. Following the time skip, he was shocked and saddened at the revelation that they were defeated by the Blackbeard Pirates and wished to thank them for saving him when he fell unconscious after Ace's death.

Marco


Marco is the former First Division Commander of the now disbanded Whitebeard Pirates and the former right hand man of the late Emperor, Whitebeard. Marco and Luffy met for the first time at the Battle of Marineford and became allies. Like his captain, he took a shinning to Luffy, finding him to be a very impressive pirate and soon came to respect him. Luffy, although rarely interacting with him, was able to remember Marco from the Battle of Marineford and recognized him as a friendly guy and a helpful ally when he tried to save Ace.

When Luffy arrived at Marineford he immediately intercepted Crocodile's attempt to kill Whitebeard, with Marco taking note of this, praising Luffy that he is not half bad. Marco was ordered by Whitebeard to make sure Luffy does not die, with Marco gladly accepting the order. He did his upmost to make sure Luffy survived the battle and managed to succeed once he and his crew mates held off Admiral Akainu long enough. Following his failed attempt to defeat the Blackbeard Pirates, he has been working as a doctor on Sphinx, the home village of his late captain, Whitebeard. However, he has sent out a message for Luffy to receive.

Marco had first heard of Luffy, like many of the Whitebeard Pirates, from Ace who would talk about him frequently and was very impressed with Luffy's performance throughout the Battle of Marineford. His first impressions of the Straw Hat captain were positive when he took note at how quickly and effectively Luffy deflected Crocodile's attack that was aiming for his captain. He was later issued an order from Whitebeard to protect Luffy throughout the battle, something he was more than happy to accept as he shared the same sentiment that his captain had for Luffy. From then on he ordered his fellow Division Commanders to defend Luffy, such as Flower Sword Vista who intercepted Mihawk's attacks on Luffy. He, himself, came to the aid of Luffy when Admiral Aokiji attempted to attack Luffy. Marco, like many others, was left stunned when Luffy unintentionally used Haoshoku Haki to stop the attempted execution of Ace. Following Ace's death, he composed himself in order to rally the Whitebeard Pirates to save Luffy, reminding them that Ace sacrificed himself for Luffy. He firmly told Admiral Akainu that he would not let him kill Luffy. Following the time skip, Marco was visited by Nekomamushi, who had allied with Luffy as part of the Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai alliance, and asked him to pass on a message to the Straw Hat captain.

Luffy rarely interacted with Marco during the Battle of Marineford. However, he was grateful for his help and briefly thanked him when Marco saved him from Admiral Aokiji. Following the time skip, he had forgotten Marco's name and had to be reminded by Robin who he was by remembering that he looks like a pineapple. Nonetheless, he acknowledged how strong he was during the war and is well aware what Marco had done for him. He wants to meet him again and thank the former First Division Commander for all he had done for him during the battle, and ultimately saving his life from Admiral Akainu after he had fallen unconscious.

Marshall D. Teach


Marshall D. Teach, otherwise known as Blackbeard, is the Admiral of the Blackbeard Pirates, an Emperor, a former Shichibukai, a former member of the Whitebeard Pirates and one of Luffy's sworn archenemies besides Akainu. Luffy and Blackbeard first met each other during the Jaya Arc when they had a disagreement over cherry pie, and have since gone on to become enemies. Blackbeard seems to hold a lot of respect for Luffy and recognizes him for his fierce determination to achieve his dream, whilst also having an openly antagonistic relationship with him. Luffy loathes Blackbeard and puts a large portion of blame on him for Ace's death. His hatred grew when he attacked his father, Monkey D. Dragon, and brother, Sabo.

The two met on Jaya, inside the Wild Cherry, where they had a comedic disagreement over the quality of the cherry pie there and almost got into a fight before Blackbeard decided to leave. After Luffy's confrontation with Bellamy over following one's dreams, he was dragged out of the bar by Nami. Blackbeard was sat outside, whilst eating his cherry pies, and gave a speech to Luffy about people following their dreams. Blackbeard would later try and apprehend Luffy as he sailed off to Skypiea after finding his bounty, but failed. The two would not meet again until the Impel Down Arc where Blackbeard revealed he was the one behind Ace's arrest and, after a brief skirmish, they parted ways. The two have not crossed paths since but have somewhat kept up to date on each other's activities.

Blackbeard has a very curious view of Luffy and seemingly respects him highly. He praised Luffy's decision not to fight back against Bellamy back on Jaya, informing Nami that Luffy had actually won that fight. He then gave a an impassioned speech to Luffy about dreams never dying, knowing full well Luffy understood his sentiment. When he read the newspapers that Luffy was now the fifth Emperor of the seas, he grinned with delight but stated it was still too soon for him to be called that yet. Despite his respect, he has underestimated Luffy, as when he fought the Straw Hat captain in Impel Down he was surprised at just how strong he actually is. Even though he acknowledges Luffy as a fellow dreamer, he still believes that piracy is a dog eat dog world and fully intended to capture Luffy once he had discovered his bounty back on Jaya. When confronted by Ace, he informed his former Division Commander of his intention to capture Luffy as a gift to the World Government but was surprised when Ace told him that he and Luffy are sworn brothers. When he met Luffy in Impel Down, he taunted him about Ace’s predicament and goaded Luffy into a fight. He taunted Luffy again over a Den Den Mushi, two years later, when his crew member, Burgess, was competing alongside him to win the Mera Mera no Mi whilst in Dressrosa, telling him that he would not win his late brother's Devil Fruit.

Luffy has complete contempt for Blackbeard. Although when they first met they only had a minor dispute about cherry pies, and later indulged Blackbeard's speech about dreams, his hatred for Blackbeard has since escalated rather high. Once he found out that Blackbeard was responsible for Ace's capture, and after being taunted by him, he flew into a rage and attacked Blackbeard but was stopped by Jinbe who reminded him that they do not have time to fight Blackbeard and his crew, with Luffy reluctantly agreeing. He talked to Blackbeard whilst in Dressrosa over a Den Den Mushi where he grew irritated by his taunts over who would win the Mera Mera no Mi. Whilst on his way to Totto Land, he was angry to read that Blackbeard and his crew had attacked the headquarters of the Revolutionary Army, and worried for his father's and Sabo's safety.

Crew


The Blackbeard Pirates are an extremely notorious and powerful crew led by the Emperor, Blackbeard. They share an antagonistic relationship with Luffy but the two have yet to truly clash. However, it is apparent that Blackbeard and his crew view Luffy as their enemy, with Luffy sharing the sentiment. Although the Blackbeard Pirates do not seem to harbor any serious hatred or dislike towards Luffy, they will antagonize the Straw Hat captain whenever they cross paths. Luffy strongly dislikes the Blackbeard Pirates for their role in Ace's death, for defeating the Whitebeard Pirates during the time skip and for their attack on the Revolutionary Army.

Whilst on Jaya, Luffy unknowingly met a member of the Blackbeard Pirates, Doc Q, who he helped get back on his horse, Stronger. Doc Q then fed Luffy an explosive apple but it proved to be a dud and rode off. Luffy then witnessed Jesus Burgess, another member of the Blackbeard Pirates, stand atop a building and shout for a decent challenge. He finally met their captain, Blackbeard, inside the Wild Cherry and got into a dispute with him over cherry pie. After being on the receiving end of Blackbeard's impassioned speech about dreams, he sailed off to try and reach Skypiea, not knowing the Blackbeard Pirates were now after him after they had discovered his bounty. They would cross paths again inside Impel Down, with Luffy now being fully aware of who they are, and briefly fought Blackbeard before they went their separate ways. Luffy met Burgess again whilst in Dressrosa when he was competing for the Mera Mera no Mi and briefly talked with Blackbeard over a Den Den Mushi.

What the Blackbeard Pirates, as a whole, think of Luffy has never been fully revealed due to the few interactions they have had with Luffy and his crew, however, they have shown themselves to be quite antagonistic towards him like they are with most people they meet. Originally, the Blackbeard Pirates chose Luffy as their target to hand over to the World Government in order for their captain to become a member of the Shichibukai, but settled on Ace. They seem to acknowledge Luffy and the Straw Hats as a rival crew as a lot of them have kept up to date with their exploits. Like their captain, they seem to share the opinion that Luffy is "fated", noting that he was lucky that Ace unwittingly took his place as their prize for the World Government. On their first meeting, Doc Q openly tried to kill Luffy with his explosive apples but noted that Luffy is a very fortuitous person and believes Luffy to be guided by fate. Burgess was excited to find out that Luffy was competing with him to win the Mera Mera no Mi and laughed at his claim that he would stop them winning Ace's Devil Fruit. He later tried to kill Luffy when he was exhausted from his use of Gear Fourth against Doflamingo, not out of malice, but out of the desire to collect his Devil Fruit, the Gomu Gomu no Mi. Fortunately, Sabo intervenes on behalf of his brother.

Luffy strongly dislikes the Blackbeard Pirates, especially their captain, Blackbeard. He puts a lot of blame on Blackbeard for his role in Ace's death, having captured him and handed him over to the World Government and has fought against Blackbeard directly, whilst in Impel Down, due to what he did. He cursed them when he discovered that the Blackbeard Pirates had defeated the Whitebeard Pirates in the Payback War. He was irritated when he discovered that Burgess was competing for his late brother's Devil Fruit, and grew more irritated at his and Blackbeard's taunts. His hatred for them grew when he discovered they had attacked the Revolutionary Army's headquarters, Baltigo, where his father and sworn brother, Sabo, are based.

Kuzan


Kuzan, otherwise known as Aokiji, is a former Admiral of the Marines and an ally to the Blackbeard Pirates. He is a minor antagonist to Luffy during the Long Ring Long Land Arc and a major antagonist during the Battle of Marineford. Aokiji seems to have a begrudging respect for Luffy and is impressed by his leadership qualities and fighting abilities, as well as his tenacity. Luffy seems to respect Aokiji's strength but is often hostile around him due to him being a Marine Admiral and for trying to take Nico Robin from him and his crew.

The two first meet on Long Ring Long Land and start off rather cordial. However, Aokiji's mood changes at the sight of Robin and ultimately decides to fight the Straw Hats. Luffy was able to save his crew but was completely frozen by Aokiji, but was spared by the Admiral. He would encounter him again during the Battle of Marineford and got into a brief fight with Aokiji before being saved by Marco. Aokiji attempted to stop Jinbe and Trafalgar Law carrying Luffy away from the battlefield but ultimately failed.

Aokiji seems to respect Luffy the most out of all the Admirals. He acknowledges his tenacity and leadership skills, praising him for his decision to challenge him to a one-on-one duel instead of risking his entire crew against him. When he defeated him he chose to spare his life as a way to thank the Straw Hat captain for defeating Crocodile back on Arabasta, but also because he owed a favor to Luffy's grandfather, Garp. However, during the Battle of Marineford, he was more than prepared to kill Luffy despite his debt to his grandfather. He aggressively pursued Luffy when he was being carried by Jinbe to safety and continued his pursuit to Trafalgar Law's submarine, but ultimately failed to stop him getting away.

He seems to have a desire to test Luffy's determination to protect Robin, who he has a history with. He was impressed by Luffy's infiltration of Enies Lobby to rescue Robin and ultimately defeating CP9, commenting that he, and his crew, have passed his test and accepted the devastation Luffy had caused as a complete and utter defeat for the Marines. He was greatly amused when he watched Luffy escape Garp on his new ship, the Thousand Sunny, by launching into the sky from Water 7. He next witnessed Luffy fall from the sky during the Battle of Marineford and marveled at the makeshift crew he had managed to put together after escaping Impel Down. When Luffy managed to clear the wall and land right in front of him and his fellow Admirals, he was impressed but bluntly informed Luffy that he was not ready for this stage yet. He was left completely stunned, and appeared to be sweating, at the sight of Luffy unleashing his Haoshoku Haki. He was amused by Luffy ringing the Ox Bell at Marineford and speculated what his intentions were.

Luffy has only known Aokiji as a formidable threat that he must be wary of. Despite their initial, positive, start he became hostile once he realized who Aokiji was and his intentions against his crew mate, Robin. He was startled when the Admiral revealed to him that he knows his grandfather. He is well aware of Aokiji's incredible power and decided to take the full brunt of his attacks whilst his crew escape, earning Aokiji's praise. Luffy's fight with Aokiji was a watershed experience for Luffy, having taken the defeat as a sign of things to come and thus worked to push his body to its limits and ultimately become stronger, this eventually led to him attaining Gear Second and Gear Third. When he cleared the wall during the Battle of Marineford he remained unfazed when he was confronted by Aokiji and his fellow Admirals, instead he tried to take full advantage of him freezing the ship mast he had thrown at them by smashing it up to create a thick mist to then try and jump right past him. When Jinbe informed him of Aokiji leaving the Marines after he lost his fight to his fellow Admiral, Akainu, for the position of Fleet Admiral, he was visibly surprised.

Charlotte Linlin


Charlotte Linlin, otherwise known as Big Mom, is the captain of the Big Mom Pirates, an Emperor, the matriarch of the Charlotte Family, and a former member of the Rocks Pirates. Big Mom and Luffy first encountered each other via a Den Den Mushi when he was on Fish-Man Island and later met in person when he had infiltrated her territory during the Whole Cake Island Arc. Big Mom loathes Luffy and finds him to be incredibly irritating. She initially brushed his threats aside but now despises him for his actions against her. Luffy hates Big Mom for trying to take Sanji away from him and believes her to be an extremely cruel and petty person.

At the end of the Fish-Man Island Arc, Luffy came across members of the Big Mom Pirates and got into a dispute with them over their threat to the people of Fish-Man Island, eventually coming into contact with Big Mom herself via a Den Den Mushi. He states to Big Mom his intention to defeat her in the New World and claimed Fish-Man Island from her as his territory. Since then, Big Mom has pursued Luffy and his crew and managed to separate them whilst they were in Dressrosa. She then arranged a wedding between her daughter, Charlotte Pudding, and a child of the Vinsmoke Family, and a member of the Straw Hats, Sanji. The Big Mom pirates kidnapped Sanji which resulted in Luffy traveling to Big Mom's territory to get him back. He fought, and lost, to Big Mom but succeeded in taking Sanji back. She has since followed Luffy to Wano with the intent of working with Kaido to kill him. When Big Mom saw him again in Onigashima, after Big Mom mocked Luffy and his allies attempt to bring down Kaido, Luffy countered this statement, by pointing out this was an all-out war against all hostile forces in Wano, including Big Mom herself.

Big Mom has immense hatred for Luffy. She originally brushed him off as another rookie who just talked big and promised that she would crush him in the New World. Despite having convincingly defeated him in a brief fight, she was left frustrated, and angry, by Luffy's actions. Not only did he sabotage her attempt to assassinate the Vinsmoke Family and take their kingdom, but he destroyed her Chateau, the wedding cake, smashed her only portrait of Mother Caramel, defeated two of her Sweet Commanders, took away Jinbe as an ally, and embarrassed her to the world at large after the newspapers reported the events on Whole Cake Island. This has left her with an obsession to kill Luffy and is willing to travel all the way to Wano, into an opposing Emperor's territory, just to do so. She even tried to ally with her fellow Emperor, Kaido. Big Mom was furthered enraged that her festivities with the Beast Pirates were ruined because of the raid on Onigashima, to which she admitted she had gotten tired of Luffy ruining the festivities she was trying to enjoy. Despite looking down on Luffy, some of her actions appear to show that she acknowledges his abilities, having sent one of her strongest crew members, Charlotte Cracker, as well as Charlotte Brûlée, to defeat him and his group. Later in the arc, after coming back to her senses, she planned to take Luffy's soul as she acknowledge him to be powerful and thus could make strong homies out of him. When she was told that Cracker's victory looked certain she expressed a certain degree of disappointment.

She became furious when it was revealed Luffy had defeated Cracker and sent the Enraged Army after him in response. Once she had captured Luffy, she falsely stated she would be willing to spare his life, as per Sanji's request, when in reality she intends to kill him no matter what due to her hatred for him. Her anger grew when Luffy gatecrashed the wedding and destroyed the cake she wanted to eat so badly. She was also shocked that Luffy had somehow managed to escape the prison she had him in. When Luffy revealed himself to her she was ready to fight him and was left annoyed when her son, Charlotte Katakuri, intercepted Luffy, however she calmed down when he informed her of his true intentions. She was still eager to face Luffy and taunted him into a fight by calling him a coward. Having won their brief battle, she mocked his claim that he would come and defeat her after he has defeated Kaido. During her hunger pangs, she became delirious and pursued Luffy and his crew to the edge of Whole Cake Island and tried to destroy his ship whilst under the false impression that Luffy had another cake. When Luffy escaped her territory she was completely furious and vented her anger by stabbing his wanted poster.

Luffy had initially believed that Big Mom was a nice person as she took over Fish-Man Island's protection duties after Whitebeard died. However, his opinion changed when he first encountered some of her crew members on Fish-Man Island and realized just how much of a danger she is. This compelled him to take the blame for the island's lack of candy and have Big Mom focus her anger onto him. He then claimed Fish-Man Island as his territory, stating he cannot allow someone who would destroy the island on a whim to continue protecting it. His anger with Big Mom grew when she forced his crew to separate after arriving in Dressrosa and blackmailed Sanji to leave his crew in order to have him married into her family. Luffy thus decided to infiltrate her territory to recover Sanji and became even more incensed when Charlotte Pudding revealed Big Mom's plan to kill Sanji. He dislikes Big Mom to such a degree that he was willing to work with Capone Bege, someone he also disliked, in order to defeat her.

Despite his hatred for Big Mom, he did not infiltrate her territory with the intention of trying to defeat her, instead he wished to just save Sanji. He has also shown signs of pity towards her and believes her to be a failure, finding her complaints over others to be pathetic. He has ridiculed her on more than one occasion and has openly defied her despite her status as an Emperor. He is not at all fazed by her strength and unabashedly states he will defeat her, along with every other Emperor, in the New World. He also declared to her that he would be the one to become the Pirate King, not her.

Crew


The Big Mom Pirates are an extremely infamous and powerful crew led by the Emperor, Big Mom. Both Luffy and the Big Mom Pirates dislike each other a lot and have clashed with each other numerous times. The Big Mom Pirates dislike Luffy for his defiance towards their captain, Big Mom, and for the chaos he caused on Whole Cake Island. Luffy dislikes the Big Mom Pirates, dominantly their captain, for trying to take away Sanji from his crew and for being prone to violence against people he cares for, such as the people of Fish-Man Island.

Luffy and the Big Mom Pirates had their first encounter on Fish-Man Island when Pekoms and Tamago threatened the island after it could not offer up candy for Big Mom. Luffy confronted them and had his first interaction with Big Mom, who he threatened and proceeded to claim Fish-Man Island from. Big Mom and her crew were vexed by Luffy and pursued him as soon as he entered the New World, forcing his crew to separate whilst they were on Dressrosa. Big Mom then had Capone Bege blackmail Sanji, a member of the Vinsmoke Family, into becoming a pawn in her Vinsmoke assasination plan to steal the Germa cloning technology. This led to Luffy infiltrating their territory, Totto Land, where he wreaked havoc and retrieved Sanji. Embarrassed, the Big Mom Pirates have pursued Luffy to Wano with the intent to kill him.

The Big Mom Pirates despise Luffy for varying reasons. Foremost is because he defied Big Mom who they obediently serve. But also for causing pandemonium on Whole Cake Island when he gate crashed the wedding of Sanji and Charlotte Pudding to foil Big Mom's Vinsmoke and attempted to assassinate Big Mom. Their hatred for him grew when, after defeating Charlotte Cracker, he also defeated Charlotte Katakuri, who they idolize and worship as the center piece of their family, besides Big Mom. This has incurred the absolute wrath of notable officers of the Big Mom Pirates, such as Charlotte Oven, who is Katakuri's triplet brother, who desired to personally kill Luffy for what he did. Such is this immense hatred, many of them willingly chose to accompany their captain to Wano despite it being a rival Emperor's territory.

Due to being led by an Emperor, they are extremely arrogant and egotistical, and because of this they find Luffy's defiance insulting. They look down on Luffy and his crew as nothing more than rookie pirates from the Worst Generation. Its because of this attitude they found it inconceivable that Luffy was not only able to cause so much mayhem for them, but also defeat their most prized member, Katakuri, leaving almost every major member of the Big Mom Pirates completely stunned. Many of them outright denied the possibility he had defeated Katakuri, and instead tried to claim he cheated, somehow, despite their sister, Charlotte Brûlée, confirming that Luffy had indeed won. Some members of the Big Mom Pirates have come to acknowledge Luffy's abilities whilst others have made friends with him, such as Charlotte Pudding and Pekoms. In the case of Charlotte Katakuri, he views Luffy as a respected adversary and was pleased when he heard that Luffy had escaped.

Luffy dislikes the Big Mom Pirates and believes them to be a cruel and vicious crew. He particularly dislikes Big Mom and does not have a shred of respect for her, believing her to be a failure that cannot acknowledge her own shortcomings and instead tries to blame everyone else. He claimed Fish-Man Island as his territory from the Big Mom Pirates as he believed they were too dangerous to the inhabitants of the island. When he found out that Sanji had been forcibly taken by the Big Mom Pirates he was furious and ventured into Totto Land just to get him back. He was frustrated by the Big Mom Pirates for how persistent they were in getting in his way, and grew to hate them more when he found out they were going to try and assassinate Sanji.

However, despite his general dislike towards the Big Mom Pirates, he is more than willing to make friends some of them. He made an ally out of Pekoms, who was the first member of the Big Mom Pirates he had met, and came to see him as a friend, having gotten extremely angry when he heard Capone Bege had shot him close to death. He started working with Bege, himself in order to assassinate Big Mom, and came to see him as a trusted ally. He also accepted Charlotte Pudding's help during his, and his crew's, escape from Whole Cake Island and trusted her enough to allow Sanji to join her to enact her plan. He came to have massive respect for Charlotte Katakuri after his fight and parted on much more positive terms with him than when they met.

Charlotte Pudding


Charlotte Pudding is an officer of the Big Mom Pirates and the 35th daughter of Big Mom. She met Luffy during the Whole Cake Island Arc and was initially his enemy but later became an ally to him. They share a chaotic relationship due to Pudding's split personality disorder and deceptiveness. Pudding disliked Luffy and saw him as her enemy because of her loyalty to Big Mom, but later, due to her feelings for Sanji, decided to aid him in his and Sanji's escape. Luffy disliked Pudding due to her sinister side and her attempt to kill Sanji, however, even though he was confused by her desire to aid him, he came to accept her as an ally.

They first met when Luffy arrived on Cacao Island and was about to be arrested after he ate her cafe but was saved thanks to Pudding's intervention. She then invited him and his group inside her home and was "shocked" to find out they were here to rescue Sanji, whilst Luffy was also shocked to find out she is Sanji's betrothed. Pudding feigned her desire to help Luffy and showed him a map to Whole Cake Island and promised to bring him Sanji the next day before sending him and his group towards the Seducing Woods. After Nami and Luffy were captured, Pudding turned up at their cell and revealed her true nature to the pair whilst taunting them. Following Luffy's sabotage of the wedding, and being won over by Sanji, Pudding decided to work with Sanji to produce a new wedding cake for Big Mom to eat so she would stop pursuing Luffy and his crew. She then said her goodbyes to Sanji with a kiss as he returned to Luffy and escaped Totto Land.

Pudding does not seem to hate Luffy in particular, in fact, it seems her animosity towards the Straw Hats all together is a result of her belief that she must obey Big Mom. Because of this, she intentionally misled Luffy and his crew throughout the early parts of the arc. She pretended to not know who Luffy and his group were during their first encounter and pretended to offer aid in his mission to retrieve Sanji, but instead lured them into the Seducing Woods so they could be captured. After he and Nami had been captured, she gleefully revealed her true nature to both of them and reveled her intention to kill his crew mate, Sanji. She showed no remorse or regret over her deception and genuinely seemed to revel in deceiving Luffy and his group.

However, she had a change of heart once she developed a genuine love for Sanji and thus desired to help him escape with Luffy and his crew. She came up with the plan to bake a cake with Sanji for Big Mom to eat in order to stop her going after Luffy and the Straw Hats. Before leaving with Sanji to enact this plan, she chose to help Luffy and his group by confusing all the homies of the Seducing Woods to create a direct path so that he could reach the Thousand Sunny. She was worried for Luffy and his crew when she saw her brothers aboard his ship. Whilst baking the cake, she discovered that Luffy was in a one-on-one fight with her older brother, and Sweet Commander, Charlotte Katakuri, and was worried for his well-being because of the sheer strength of Katakuri, but was reassured by Sanji that Luffy will win.

Luffy implicitly trusted her when they first met and was shocked to find out she was Sanji's bride. He believed her when she expressed her desire to help them retrieve Sanji and followed her directions that took his group into the Seducing Woods that led to him having to fight the Sweet Commander, Charlotte Cracker. He was very angry when she arrived outside of his jail cell and revealed her true nature, and became even more angry when she expressed her intentions to kill Sanji. When he met her again, whilst escaping from Big Mom, he was very hostile towards her and held a grudge for what she did, but was confused by her flip-flopping personality between wanting to help him and wanting him to die. However, he trusted her enough to allow Sanji to join her to enact her plan to lure Big Mom away from him and his crew.

Charlotte Brûlée


Charlotte Brûlée is an officer of the Big Mom Pirates, the eighth daughter of Big Mom, and an antagonist, as well as a forced ally, to Luffy and the Straw Hats. Although the two are nothing but enemies, their relationship is comedic. Brûlée despises Luffy just like the rest of the Big Mom Pirates and is irritated with all the things he makes her do whilst she is his captive. Luffy finds Brûlée annoying and does not like her for trying to harm his friends, however, he comes to tolerate her presence and acts jovial with her.

They met inside the Seducing Woods after Charlotte Pudding sent Luffy and his team in that direction. She captured members of his crew and used her Devil Fruit abilities to trick them all. She was eventually defeated and captured by Carrot and was forced to aid Luffy and his team's efforts to sabotage Sanji and Pudding’s wedding. She later managed to escape and was with Charlotte Katakuri and Luffy inside the Mirro-World where she attempted to burn down the Thousand Sunny with Luffy’s crew on board. She then proved useful for Luffy as she allowed him to escape the Mirro-World to get some vital respite from his fight with Katakuri. He returned with her to the Mirro-World to continue his battle. By the end of his fight she had escaped her binds but was captured by Pekoms, who then used her to carry Luffy out of the Mirro-World. It was Brûlée who then informed the rest of her family about Luffy’s victory over Katakuri.

Brûlée has nothing but hatred for Luffy due to her loyalty to Big Mom and her family. She was infuriated with Luffy’s actions regarding the sabotage of the wedding and was distressed when being used by him and his crew to help him achieve his goals. She was distraught and filled with rage when she discovered Luffy had defeated Katakuri and told her siblings not to allow him to live. Brûlée also finds Luffy irritating, as he constantly mispronounces her name and carried her around on his back when hopping in and out of the Mirro-World whilst also putting her life at risk. She was terrified when he carried her through Nuts Island whilst being pursued by a delirious Big Mom. She desperately called for her sibling’s help but Luffy managed to escape them all. She looks down on Luffy and constantly belittled him when he was facing Katakuri, bragging to him about the immense power her older brother possesses. Throughout her captivity with Luffy and his crew she would state to them that Big Mom would kill them all. Following his victory over Katakuri, she tells her older brother that she will never forgive Luffy for what he did to him.

Luffy was greatly irritated by Brûlée, finding her to be a pest whilst in the Seducing Woods and was extremely annoyed by her antagonising comments to him when she was bragging about Katakuri and attempted to strike her. However, he is dominantly calm in her company and does not take her seriously as an enemy when he held her captive. It was also Luffy’s idea to use her powers to help sabotage Sanji’s wedding. He was happy when she arrived on his ship through a mirror as it allowed him to drag Katakuri to the Mirro-World and off the Thousand Sunny. He became extremely grateful when he was frantically trying to escape the Mirro-World after using Gear Fourth and found Brûlée sat idly by and used her to escape Katakuri. He was briefly worried when, after his victory over Katakuri, she escaped her binds but was relieved to see she had been caught by Pekoms. He has the habit of mispronouncing her name, instead of “Brûlée”, he calls her “Branch”.

Charlotte Cracker


Charlotte Cracker is a Sweet Commander of the Big Mom Pirates and is the tenth son of Big Mom. Cracker and Luffy met during the Whole Cake Island Arc as enemies and fought each other with Luffy emerging the victor. Cracker looked down on Luffy and belittled him throughout their fight, both for his rescue effort of Sanji and his career as a pirate. Luffy found Cracker to be greatly irritating because of his Devil Fruit power and strongly disliked him for his insults of his crew, especially the comments about Sanji.

Whilst on Whole Cake Island, Luffy was sent to the Seducing Woods by Charlotte Pudding and was eventually attacked by Cracker who was ordered by Big Mom to kill Luffy. The two fought each other in a long fight that spanned eleven hours, with their battle becoming a war of attrition. Eventually, Luffy won out and was able to defeat Cracker with his improvised Gear Fourth Tankman, sending him flying back towards Sweet City.

Similar to most of the Big Mom Pirates, Cracker loathed Luffy out of the sake of following Big Mom's orders. Throughout his battle with the Straw Hat captain he constantly ridiculed and patronized him, believing him to be a completely inferior pirate to anyone in the Big Mom Pirates. He chose to make false assumptions about Sanji's opinions of Luffy and his crew as a way to antagonize Luffy. Nonetheless, he found the Straw Hat captain to be an exhausting opponent due to his insatiable hunger and being able to eat all his biscuit soldiers. He offered a little bit of praise for having broken his biscuit armor and forced him to show his true self to Luffy. He panicked when he tried to stab Luffy in his Gear Fourth Tankman form and soon realized he could not do any damage. Cracker was then quickly swallowed up and sent crashing into Sweet City, defeated.

Luffy found Charlotte Cracker to be irritating because of the insane amount of biscuit soldiers he could produce with his Devil Fruit powers, and was only able to deal with them via eating thanks to Nami's help. He became enraged at his comments about Sanji and took offence to them, becoming much more aggressive to the Sweet Commander. He managed to defeat Cracker with Gear Fourth Tankman, violently sending him back to Sweet City, however, this victory eventually led to Luffy's capture by the Big Mom's army.

Charlotte Katakuri


Charlotte Katakuri is a Sweet Commander of the Big Mom Pirates, the second son of Big Mom and is a major antagonist to Luffy during the Whole Cake Island Arc. The two shared a sense of hostility and thoroughly saw each other as enemies, however, by the end of their fight they had grown to immensely respect each other. Originally, Katakuri looked down on Luffy as inferior but now sees him as an equal and acknowledges his claim to become the Pirate King. To Luffy, Katakuri was an incredibly frustrating, and overwhelmingly tough, enemy. However, he also developed great respect for him and sees him as someone he must surpass.

The two met during the sabotage of Sanji and Pudding's wedding. Luffy, with the goal of destroying Mother Caramel's portrait, was intercepted by Katakuri and got stuck to his leg that was made of mochi. He later encountered Katakuri on the Thousand Sunny and tried to get him off so his crew could set sail and succeeded by dragging him to the Mirro-World. They spent the next twelve hours fighting each other in a grueling battle that ended with Luffy's victory.

They both had a monumental impact on each other. Katakuri was by far Luffy's toughest opponent since he arrived in the New World, having been completely outmatched against the Sweet Commander. This difference in strength compelled Luffy to keep fighting him as he desired to reach his level. Luffy was the first person Katakuri had met that broke his prestiege as the perfect being, having never lost a fight or lied down on his back, and ultimately ended his burden of maintaining such a reputation. He was confused, but amazed, by Luffy's refusal to stay down no matter how hard he beat him to the ground.

Katakuri thought little of Luffy and saw him as nothing more than a nuisance. Throughout their fight, he patronized the Straw Hat captain and would mimic his techniques with greater superiority, either doing them bigger or more efficiently. He thought so little of Luffy that he refused to believe his claim that he had figured out how he utilises his Kenbunshoku Haki with his Devil Fruit powers, even though he was being pushed back by Luffy's Gear Fourth form. He grew frustrated by Luffy's stubbornness and openly admitted to him that he was feeling stressed because of how long it was taking to defeat him. His dislike for Luffy grew when he went to try and attack his sister, Charlotte Brûlée, and threw him into a wall. Eventually, his frustration peaked and he relucantly used his awakened Devil Fruit powers to suffocate Luffy to death, but apologized to the Straw Hat captain for having to end the fight this way. Whilst enjoying his snack break he became enraged once he realised Luffy had exposed his pelican eel-like mouth and sloppy eating manners. He killed the nearby chefs for seeing him this way and continued his fight with Luffy whilst being filled with anger, however, this rage allowed Luffy to finally land a hit on him and momentarily overwhelm him.

Despite his attitude towards Luffy, he recognizes his potential and understands the threat he poses to his mother and family further down the line. He was thus adamant to his siblings that he needed to dispose of Luffy now before he becomes a future threat. He expressed admiration for Luffy's determination to protect his crew and to fight him head on, recognizing his will power and bravery. He complimented the Straw Hat captain for constraining him, instead of trying to fight him, whilst he was on the Thousand Sunny, as his crew could set sail this way. He was surprised when, after he had escaped the Mirro-World, Luffy choose to return and continue fighting him, acknowledging his bravery. Having initially been in-denial, he was ultimately impressed when Luffy proved he had figured out how he utilises his Devil Fruit abilities with his heavily advanced Kenbunshoku Haki, complimenting the Straw Hat captain and admitting he now understands how his younger brother, and fellow Sweet Commander, Charlotte Cracker, lost to him. Once he noticed that Luffy was on course to attaining the same advanced Kenbunshoku Haki as him, he expressed his shock and became determined to defeat Luffy before he becomes too dangerous.



However, despite his concern for Luffy's progress, he became extremely angry on his behalf when he realized his younger sister, Charlotte Flampe, had interferred in their fight and was the reason why he was able to impale Luffy. He ridiculed his younger sister and decided to impale himself so he could fight Luffy evenly. It was also here that he removed his scarf and fully exposed his mouth to everyone present. He apologized to Luffy for not noticing what she had done and unleashed his Haoshoku Haki, along with Luffy's, to knock out Flampe and her followers. It was here that Katakuri fully stated to Luffy that he no longer thinks he is below his level. From then on, Katakuri began to fight Luffy, not out of obligation to Big Mom as a member of her crew, but out of respect for the Straw Hat captain. He expressed his desire for Luffy to continue fighting him and was eager when he foresaw some of Luffy's unique attacks, telling him to bring it on with a smile. He was surprised by Luffy's Snakeman form and found the speed of his attacks impressive, pushing him to his limits. At the climax of their fight, he asked Luffy if he would come back one day to defeat Big Mom and after hearing his resounding response he smiled and acknowledge his claim to become the Pirate King before falling on his back, defeated, for the first time in his life. When he woke up, as Brûlée tended to his wounds, he asked about Luffy and was pleased to find out he had escaped.

For Luffy, Katakuri was the first real taste of the power of an elite member of a Emperor's crew. He found him to be an absurdly tough, and difficult, enemy. For most of the fight, he was completely outmatched and had to rely on his will power, speed and stamina just to survive his onslaught. This soon led him to recognize just how powerful Katakuri is which fueled his desire to surpass him. Despite how much of a hindrance he was, Luffy never showed any real hatred towards Katakuri and gave him the utmost respect throughout their battle, although he was still enraged when he saw Katakuri subuding Carrot. Unlike most of his opponents, Luffy never called Katakuri by anything but his actual name, instead of a nickname or shortening it, which symbolises his respect for him. He was not at all fazed by his appearance when he saw his mouth for the first time, not even acknowledging it, instead just wanting to continue their fight. After he managed to escape the Mirro-World he resolved to go back and face Katakuri, telling himself that he wants to surpass him as he understood that Katakuri was on a whole different level to him. Throughout their fight, Luffy tried to learn from Katakuri and replicate his future sight ability with gradual success. He was happy to hear Katakuri tell him that he no longer believed he was below his level. When Katakuri asked him if he would come back to defeat Big Mom one day he proudly told him that he will because he will become the Pirate King and was left surprised by his words of encouragement as he fell onto his back for the first time in his life. He placed his fedora over Katakuri's mouth, knowing how much he does not like others seeing it, as a sign of respect.

Pekoms


Pekoms is a member of the Big Mom Pirates and a former member of the Nox Pirates. Originally, the two were enemies but eventually became allies and friends following the events of the Zou and Whole Cake Island Arcs. Pekoms found Luffy to be a rude and frustrating person but soon came to see him as an ally he wished to help for the sake of honoring his brother's sacrifice. Luffy did not necessarily think much of Pekoms when he first met him, but viewed him as a friend when he met him again on Zou and had gotten to know him better.

The two first met on Fish-Man Island after he, and his partner, Tamago, were trying to take the monthly candy from the island for Big Mom. He got into a dispute with the Straw Hat captain and was shocked when Luffy antagonized Big Mom through a Den Den Mushi. During the Dressrosa Arc, he was part of the team that chased half of the Straw Hats away from the kingdom and towards Zou. Once he arrived on Zou he discovered that the Straw Hats had saved his fellow Minks and was greatly indebted to them, but was betrayed by Capone Bege because he was willing to forgo his mission to repay his debt to them. It was here he reunited with Luffy and explained the situation to him. He was forcibly taken as part of the Sanji Retrieval Team where he aided Luffy and the Straw Hats, especially during their escape.

Pekoms is often stunned by Luffy's chaotic and forthright determination. When he first met him he was stunned to see Luffy would openly threaten an Emperor of the sea and found him to be a frustrating person to deal with, ultimately leaving Fish-Man Island viewing him as an enemy. He was left even more stunned when Luffy declared his intention to go to Big Mom's territory to retrieve Sanji. Following the events on Zou he felt deep gratitude for what Luffy's crew did for the Mink Tribe but still saw him as an enemy. He was reluctant to aid Luffy in his mission to retrieve Sanji and was forcibly taken by the Straw Hat captain. His reluctancy changed when he discovered that his brother, Pedro, had sacrificed his own life to aid Luffy and his crew. This led to him becoming a vital aid in Luffy's escape following his fight with Charlotte Katakuri, carrying the Straw Hat captain out of the Mirro-World after having first captured Charlotte Brûlée, and proceeded to activate his Sulong form to fight off the Big Mom Pirates who were waiting for Luffy to escape.

Luffy mostly saw Pekoms as a friend after they had met again on Zou. He showed concern for his well-being when Jack, of the Beasts Pirates, attacked Zou for a second time and was thankful for his aid when travelling to Big Mom's territory, having forcibly tied him to the back of his backpack in order for him to come with them. He was absolutely furious when he found out Capone Bege had shot him, thinking he had died, and was prepared to attack his fellow Super Rookie for doing this. He was relieved to be saved by Pekoms and was happy too see he was alive, easily seeing through his disguise.

Kaido


Kaido is the Governor-General of the Beasts Pirates, an Emperor, and a former member of the Rocks Pirates. The two knew about each other well before they met, with Kaido discovering that Luffy was behind the destruction of SMILEs and the defeat of Doflamingo, whilst Luffy heard of Kaido through his alliance with Trafalgar Law. They both have a great disdain for each other. Kaido finds Luffy to be a weak, but irritating, pirate who keeps disrupting his business. Luffy completely hates Kaido for the atrocities he has committed against his friends and crew, as well as to the people of Wano.

On Punk Hazard, Luffy reunited with Trafalgar Law and joined him in an alliance with the express goal of taking down Kaido. From then on he began disrupting Kaido’s businesses since entering the New World, from Punk Hazard, where he captured Caesar Clown and destroyed his production of SMILEs, to Dressrosa where he defeated Kaido’s business partner, Doflamingo. Luffy then travelled to Zou where he strengthened his alliance against Kaido and, after a brief stop in Totto Land, arrived in Wano and began his assault on Kaido’s territory before clashing with Kaido himself where he suffered a crushing defeat. On the day of the Fire Festival Luffy arrived on Onigashima to attack Kaido with his allies and remove him from Wano. It was here that Luffy befriended and allied with Kaido's daughter, Yamato.

Kaido had heard of Luffy as a member of the Worst Generation well before his transgressions against him. He did not think much of Luffy but quickly grew to hate the Straw Hat captain for his actions against him. When Luffy had destroyed his source of SMILEs, he wept and cursed his name. He became even more angry after Luffy defeated his business partner, Doflamingo. He sometimes vents his anger by having his subordinates hold up Luffy's wanted poster and punches them. Such is his hatred, he was annoyed to discover that Luffy had gone to Big Mom’s territory instead of his, and bluntly refused Big Mom’s request to kill Luffy as he wished to do so himself.

He has a very low opinion of Luffy and believes himself to be far stronger than he could ever be. After defeating Luffy in their brief fight, he derided the Straw Hat captain for how weak he is and mocked his claim to be the Pirate King. However, when Luffy used Haoshoku Haki whilst unconscious he was both impressed and extremely annoyed. Nonetheless, he clearly has some level of acknowledgement for Luffy’s abilities, as instead of killing the Straw Hat captain he decided to capture him and “break his spirit” with the intent of making him fight for his crew. He has since demanded that Queen convince Luffy to join the Beasts Pirates and is willing to wait until he agrees.

Luffy hates Kaido and believes him to be a cruel person. When he allied with Trafalgar Law to take down the Emperor he had no actual opinion of him, but that changed once he landed on Zou and discovered not only what his subordinate, and a member of the All-Stars, Jack, had done to the Mink Tribe, but also learned what Kaido had done to the Kozuki Family. When he arrived in Wano he discovered just how badly the people are mistreated there because of Kaido’s rule and became even more determined to defeat him. Luffy’s anger with Kaido exploded when he watched him destroy Oden’s Castle whilst his crew were hiding there. Under the impression he had killed his friends, he attacked the Emperor in a fit of rage. When he discovered that he had assaulted, and possibly killed, Tama, he chose to continue fighting Kaido, instead of retreating, in order to avenge her. Such is his hatred for Kaido that, after he had defeated him, the Emperor noted that Luffy was still glaring at him with anger despite being unconscious. Luffy has turned down numerous offers from Queen to join Kaido’s crew and continuously ridicules the Emperor and openly professes his intent to defeat him.

Despite the overwhelming power difference, Luffy is not the least bit deterred. When Law informed him that their alliance had only a 30% chance of succeeding he was not at all fazed and remained enthusiastict to face him. He proudly declared to Big Mom that he would defeat Kaido and was not at all scared in his brief fight against him. Following his defeat, his spirit has not at all been dampened and still thoroughly believes that he will defeat the Emperor, using the forced prison labour as an opportunity to train in order to become stronger. After liberating Udon Prison, Luffy devoted the remainder of his time before the Fire Festival to train non stop, under Hyogoro's supervision, in order to develop his Busoshoku Haki to an advanced enough level to take down Kaido as Oden had nearly done in the past.

Crew


The Beasts Pirates are an extremely notorious and powerful crew led by the Emperor, Kaido. They faithfully follow their captain and thus despise Luffy and the Straw Hats like he does. Once he was in Wano, members of the Beasts Pirates tried to frustrate Luffy's efforts there and got into numerous clashes with the Straw Hat captain, with Luffy repeatedly emerging the victor until he fought Kaido. Luffy dominantly dislikes their captain, Kaido, but also views the rest of the Beasts Pirates as his enemies.

Luffy made himself an enemy of the Beasts Pirates for destroying their supply of SMILEs and defeating Doflamingo, a business partner of theirs. He had not encountered a single member of the Beasts Pirates up until he entered Wano, Kaido's territory. Upon arrival he got into a multiple fights with members of the Beasts Pirates, such as some kidnappers that were after Tama, his fellow Supernova, and newest Shinuchi of the Beasts Pirates, Basil Hawkins, another Shinuchi, Holdem, and eventually their captain, Kaido. He lost his fight to Kaido and was quickly thrown into Udon Prison by the Beasts Pirates. However, Luffy has maintained his animosity towards the crew, having defeated a third Shinuchi, and Vice-Warden of Udon Prison, Dobon and fought two more, Daifugo and Babanuki. After meeting Queen, he has continued to defeat more members of the Beasts Pirates, including members of the Numbers and Gifters. Eventually, he was able to defeat Babanuki and end the Beasts Pirates' control over Udon Prison. During the attack on the day of the Fire Festival, he clashed with the Tobiroppo, Ulti and Page One.

The Beasts Pirates do not seem to particularly hate Luffy for any reason other than for angering their captain by destroying their supply of SMILEs. Every member of the Beasts Pirates have been hostile and antagonistic to Luffy but are often left amazed by how powerful he is. Members of the Beasts Pirates were shocked that Luffy was so willing to attack their captain, Kaido, despite his power, but soon mocked him for his defeat after they had him in chains. However, whilst he was in their prison they soon realised that they cannot possibly contain Luffy as he was still incredibly strong despite having Seastone cuffs attached to him. One of the All-Stars, Queen, seems to have a lot of respect for Luffy and desires for him to join the Beasts Pirates, even offering to convince Kaido to pardon Luffy if he agrees to do so. Furthermore, Ulti and Page One acknowledged Luffy's strength when they encountered him.

Initially, Luffy had no personal grudge against the crew or even their captain, as he simply wished to defeat them as part of his alliance with Trafalgar Law. However, he now greatly despises the Beasts Pirates after discovering their atrocities, not just against the Kozuki Family, but against the Mink Tribe by one of the All-Stars, Jack. He was also infuriated by the way the Beasts Pirates, and Kaido, have treated Wano, allowing people to starve and for polluting the natural resources of the land, and has vowed to Tama to remove The Beasts Pirates from Wano. He was incredibly angry with one of the Shinuchi of the Beasts Pirates, Holdem, after he discovered what he had done to Tama's cheek when he held her captive. He proceeded to defeat Holdem with a powerful Red-Hawk punch. He was furious with another member of the Beasts Pirates, Dobon, for harming his fellow inmate, Hyogoro and once more became angry when Daifugo also harmed him. Whilst he was in Udon Prison, Luffy showed a complete disregard for the authority of the Beasts Pirates there. However, he is willing to make friends with members of the Beasts Pirates, such as Speed, who was tamed by Tama, and trusted her to carry Tama back to her home safely.

Queen
Queen is one of the All-Stars of the Beasts Pirates, is in charge of Udon Prison where Luffy was held and is one of the antagonsits of the Wano Country Arc. Despite viewing him as weak, he has come to respect Luffy whilst still remaining antagonistic towards him. Luffy, himself, views Queen as his enemy but does not hold any notable contempt for him, nor is intimidated by his power as a member of the All-Stars, as he openly challenged him for a fight.

Following his defeat at the hands of Kaido, Luffy was taken to Udon Prison where he eventually recovered and began to cause mayhem. During his attempted escape, Queen arrived on the scene and commanded his subordiantes to stop Luffy. He then forced Luffy, along with Hyogoro, to participate in a theatre fight called the Sumo Inferno. The following day, the emperor, Big Mom, broke into Udon Prison, suffering from amnesia, and was captured by Queen but this allowed Luffy to escape him.

Although he is his enemy, Queen is greatly amused by Luffy and is seen enjoying the show he put on during his Sumo Inferno. At one point, he openly disagreed with his own men that Luffy and Hygoro would die, as he sees Luffy as a genuinely capable fighter. When the Straw Hat captain used his Haoshoku Haki he is visibly impressed. He is also a fair person, as he decided to remove Luffy's seastone handcuffs so he could fight at his best in his Sumo Inferno. Kaido had tasked Queen with the job of having Luffy join his crew and thus would occasionally offer the chance to the Straw Hat captain desptie his rebellious nature. Nonetheless, he still put a collar on Luffy that would kill him if he left his Sumo Inferno ring, showing that he was more than ready to have him killed. He also laughed at Luffy's request to fight him and even enabled Luffy to escape as he valued capturing the Big Mom over the security of his prison. Queen also seemed to get offended when Luffy would refer to him as "Balloon" and when he attempted to punch him.

Luffy does not like Queen but nor does he hold any particular contempt for him. He was more than happy to participate in his Sumo Inferno game and used it as an opportunity to further strengthen his Busoshoku Haki. He is also not the least bit intimidated by Queen, as he refers to him as "Balloon" and demanded a fight from him. At one point he openly attacks him but Queen effortlessly deflects his punch. Furthermore, Luffy openly disrespects Kaido to him and refuses all his offers to join the Beasts Pirates. When Queen tried to ridicule and threaten him he simply told him to shut up and that he would be the one to decide when and where he dies. On the night after his first day in the Sumo Inferno game he also ate all of Queen's oshiruko.

Ulti
Ulti is a member of the Beast Pirates, one of the Tobiroppo and an antagonist of the Wano Country Arc. They briefly met when Luffy stormed Onigashima and fought for a short amount of time. Both Luffy and Ulti acknowledged each other's strength before they were interupted by Yamato.

The two stumbled on each other by chance after Ulti and Page One slid down a set of stairs and landed at Luffy's feet. The two immediately began fighting and although she did not know who he was she quickly acknowledged him. When subordinates of the Beast Pirates questioned Ulti's decision to transform she simply admitted to them that Luffy is formidable.

She is very protective of Page One and thus was furious when Luffy attacked him. She prepared to retaliate but their fight was interrupted by Yamato, 'son' of Kaido. Her care for Page One is such that, after hurting him when they fell down the stairs, she immediately berated Luffy as she believed he was reponsible. Furthermore, her loyalty to Kaido caused her to become angry by Luffy's open declaration that he will be the Pirate King. This anger by Luffy's claim prompted her to later brutally attack both of Luffy's crew mates, Nami and Usopp, and tried to force Nami to claim her captain would never become Pirate King. However, she became more angry when Nami instead stated Luffy would become king.

Holdem


Holdem is a Shinuchi of the Beasts Pirates and is a minor antagonist to Luffy during the Wano Country Arc. The two crossed paths after Holdem kidnapped Tama, who Luffy had befriended, and eventually clashed with Luffy comfortably winning. Holdem viewed Luffy as an enemy for causing trouble in Bakura Town, although he was not aware of who he actually was because of the isolation of Wano. Luffy despised Holdem for kidnapping and harming Tama.

After Tama had been kidnapped by Batman and Gazelleman she was taken to Holdem because of her unique Devil Fruit abilities to tame animals. Luffy, having witnessed the kidnapping of his friend, stormed Bakura Town looking for her. Luffy defeated Urashima and sent the sumo wrestler flying into Holdem’s home, crushing him. He got up and immediately confronted the Straw Hat captain whilst threatening Tama with the lion on his stomach. The two soon fought and he was soundly defeated by Luffy.

Holdem was not aware of who Luffy was and so had no predisposition towards him. Nonetheless, due to his narcissism, he was very angry with the chaos he was causing in his town and accused him of being in cahoots with Shutenmaru. He intentionally antagonised Luffy and threatened to have Tama chewed up by his lion. He also tried to threaten Luffy with the All-Stars, Jack, who he warned is the ruler of Kuri. He grossly underestimated Luffy and was shocked to see how quickly he had snatched Tama away from his lion’s mouth. He attempted to fight the Straw Hat captain but was quickly defeated by him.

Luffy loathes Holdem for taking Tama away and grew irritated and more angry at his continuous threats of killing her with his lion. Despite the request of Kikunojo not to make Holdem anymore angry, Luffy chose to rescue Tama and soon fought him after his anger with Holdem escalated when Tama informed him that he had bruised her cheek with some pliers. Luffy proceeded to turn around and delivered a powerful Red-Hawk punch on the Shinuchi, defeating him immediately.

Speed


Speed is a Shinuchi of the Beasts Pirates and a supporting ally to Luffy after very briefly being his enemy. The two met following Luffy’s victory over Holdem during the Wano Country Arc when she was tamed by Tama. For the brief moment they were enemies, Speed was extremely hostile to Luffy and was annoyed by him, however, after Tama tamed her with her Devil Fruit powers, she becomes tolerable of Luffy but is still rude and disrespectful towards him.

Immediately following Luffy’s victory against Holdem he tried to escape Bakura Town with Tama and decided to jump on Speed, assuming her to fully be a horse, but was shocked to find out she is actually a person. Luffy told Tama to tame her with her Devil Fruit powers and, once it worked, rode out of town on her back. Once they had arrived at Okobore Town, Luffy had Speed return Tama back to her home. He ends up meeting Speed again after she was attacked by Kaido and was carried back to Bakura Town where, whilst extremely injured, informed Luffy of what happened to her and Tama.

Speed watched as her fellow Shinuchi, Holdem, was soundly defeated by Luffy and was shocked that he was defeated with a single blow, pondering who Luffy is. When Luffy hopped onto her she was momentarily flustered as he grabbed her waist but soon became angry that he was on her back and tried to push hm off. Her attitude towards Luffy lightened after she was tamed by Tama, as she was willing to carry him alongside her new master, Tama, to safety. She continuously chastises Luffy and reminds him that she does not serve him as he is not her master. However, she felt some level of guilt for failing to keep Tama safe and sadly informed Luffy of her failure.

Luffy was shocked to discover that the horse he had jumped onto was actually a person. It was his idea to have her tamed by Tama so she could be an ally. He does not seem bothered by her backtalk towards him and trusted her enough to care for Tama and take her back home, although he later regretted not going with them after he discovered what Kaido did to them. When he found Speed injured he held her whilst she informed him of what happened to Tama and before fighting Kaido. He moved her to safety before the Emperor's Bolo Breath engulfed her.

Basil Hawkins


Basil Hawkins is a Shinuchi of the Beasts Pirates, the captain of the Hawkins Pirates, and a fellow member of the Worst Generation. The two have little relationship, instead just seeing each other as natural enemies due to their respective allegiances. Hawkins sees Luffy as a serious troublemaker and felt the need to try and stop his rampage on Wano. Luffy does not think much of Hawkins, having only encountered him briefly to fight some of his men before escaping.

Like Luffy, Basil Hawkins is a member of the Worst Generation and thus landed on Sabaody Archipelago with at least a 100,000,000 at the same time the Straw Hat captain did. Unlike many others, he did not panic when it was revealed that Luffy had assaulted a World Noble and decided to act in accordance with his Tarot Cards. He watched Luffy partake in the Battle of Marineford and predicted his chances of surviving. He would not encounter Luffy until after he arrived in Wano, where he is now a member of the Beasts Pirates. He tried to stop Luffy, as well as Zoro, but chose not to pursue them as his chances were slim. He continues to try and hinder Luffy and his allies attempts to remove Kaido from Wano.

Hawkins seems to take a certain level of interest in Luffy. During the Battle of Marineford he repeatedly tried to predict Luffy’s survival chances with his Tarot Cards but no matter how hard he tried, his chances would never reach zero. Unlike a lot of the people Luffy has met, Hawkins seems to take Luffy’s actions in stride rather than becoming unnerved, such as on Sabaody when he did not panic when the arrival of a Marine Admiral was imminent because Luffy had punched a World Noble. He also did not seem fazed by his arrival in Wano, instead treating him as another pirate he must defeat. Due to Hawkins’ cautious nature, he is more than willing to let Luffy go free if he has had a bad reading on his Tarot Cards. Ultimately, however, he sees Luffy as his enemy and will try to see him captured, as he intervened in Trafalgar Law’s rescue attempt of Luffy after he had been defeated by Kaido.

Luffy is mostly oblivious to who Basil Hawkins is, as he is with most members of the Worst Generation. However, when he met him for the first time in Wano, he seemed to be slightly aware of who he is. Nonetheless, he was eager to start fighting him and his men, despite Kin'emon’s warning to not cause any trouble whilst on Wano. He is confused by Hawkins’ abilities, as he witnessed him using his unusual sword on the lizard he had thrown at him, and became more confused when he saw Zoro had slashed him but the damage transferred to one of his subordinates instead. Luffy chose to end his battle with Hawkins and fled as Tama’s health began to worsen.

Dobon


Dobon is a Shinuchi of the Beasts Pirates, the vice-warden of the Prisoner Mine and a minor antagonist to Luffy during the Wano Country Arc. He has a hostile relationship with Luffy, something that is reciprocated by the Straw Hat captain. Dobon was furious with Luffy, as well as Eustass Kid, for claiming all the dumplings, as well as for his discourteous attitude towards him. Luffy did not care very much about Dobon but was greatly angered for what he had done to Hyogoro.

After being defeated and imprisoned by Kaido and the Beast Pirates, Luffy managed to recover from his injuries and was able to work at an absurd rate inside the Prisoner Mine, allowing him to claim a large quantity of dumplings as payment. When Dobon arrived, he was furious to see that all but three dumplings were available for him and thus tried to attack Luffy and Kid. However, he was easily defeated by the pair and was knocked out.

Dobon was perhaps unaware of who Luffy actually is, due to the isolation of Wano Country, and thus grossly underestimated him. Due to his position as vice-warden of the prison, he was incredibly antagonistic as he saw Luffy as just another prisoner. This helped fuel his anger when he discovered all the dumplings had been gone because, Luffy, a prisoner, claimed them all, alongside Kid. When he confronted Luffy, he was both flabbergasted, and annoyed, by Luffy’s nonchalant attitude towards him. He was stunned when he first saw Luffy as he was incredibly fat, from eating all the dumplings, and was even more stunned when he quickly digested the food to return to his normal build. Nonetheless, he tried to attack Luffy and Kid but was quickly defeated.

Luffy did not care who Dobon was, as he cares very little about the actual authority of the Prisoner Mine. He paid little attention to his complaints about him and Kid eating all the dumplings. However, he was notably angry when he saw Hyogoro laid helplessly below Dobon’s feet, injured. Deducing that Dobon was the one responsible for his injuries, he worked with Kid to quickly, and effortlessly, defeat the vice warden whilst inside his “Slaughter Room”.