Straw Hat Pirates

The Straw Hat Pirates (麦わら海賊団, Mugiwara Kaizokudan) are the main focus and heroes of the anime and manga One Piece, and are led by the main protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy. They are called the "Straw Hats" after Luffy's signature straw hat, given to him by Red-Haired Shanks, and are sometimes referred to as the "Luffy Pirates" on merchandise and earlier in the series. The crew sailed on the Going Merry, their first official Straw Hat ship, up until the Water 7 arc. After the Enies Lobby arc, they obtained a new ship called the Thousand Sunny. The Straw Hats currently consist of 9 members whose total combined bounties equal 700,000,050. Following events on the Sabaody Archipelago, all nine members have been separated from one another; it is currently unknown how they will reunite, but they are determined to return to Sabaody Archipelago after 2 years of training.

Crew Members
As a result of Luffy's choice in who joins the crew, the Straw Hats are notable for being one of the most varied, if not bizarre, pirate crews in the One Piece world. Their ranks have members so vastly different from one another that it almost seems random in retrospect. These include a doctor who is a shape shifting reindeer who can be mistaken for something else depending on his form, such as a gorilla when full human, or a tanuki when in his usual mid-form, a cyborg for a shipwright who has very eccentric behavior and wears almost nothing except for shirts and speedoes, and a lively, undead, skeletal musician. Amongst them they have four Devil Fruit users which includes Luffy himself. The majority of them are also fairly young, with only three members being adults past their early twenties, although the two oldest members are just as childish as the others. Another thing is that they consider their ships to be crew members as much as the others.

Crew Strength
Despite only having a small number of members, the Straw Hats are a very powerful crew. In fact, after the incident that occurred at Enies Lobby, the World Government has labeled them as a very dangerous crew. All of them have at least one talent at which they are virtually perfect at and each crew member is more or less a formidable fighter in their own right. While most of them have amazing strength in one way or another, three of them, the captain, the first swordsman, and the chef, have such astonishingly inhuman strength that the rest of the crew have dubbed them the "Monster Trio". Each crew member in the beginning has some fairly high fighting abilities, but as they progressed each crew member has had to become stronger due to each opponent they encounter either being significantly stronger than the last or has required them to develop new skills or techniques to combat new opponents.

On our journey across the islands, all of us became stronger without even noticing.

While each crew member can hold their own by themselves, what makes the Straw Hats truly strong is their teamwork, which has become more important as the series has progressed. When one of them is incapable of doing a task, another can help out in their place instead. This helps the crew very much in facing odds that may be too much for them if they work separately.

I'll do whatever you cannot do. And you do whatever I cannot do!!!

Profession and Capabilities

 * Monkey D. Luffy: Captain; Gomu Gomu no Mi, Super-Human Strength, Super-Human Speed, Haoushoku Haki.
 * Roronoa Zoro: Swordsman; Santōryū, Super-Human Strength.
 * Nami: Navigator; High Level Navigating Skills, Cartography Prodigy, Thieving Expert, Clima-Tact.
 * Usopp: Sniper; Cannoneer; Skilled Inventor, Artist, Versatile Arsenal.
 * Sanji: Chef; High Level Culinary Skills, Super-Human Strength, Black Leg Style, Tactical Wit.
 * Tony Tony Chopper: Doctor; High Level Medical Knowledge, Hito Hito no Mi, Rumble Ball, Ability To Talk To Other Animals.
 * Nico Robin: Archaeologist; Assassination Skill; Historian, Hana Hana no Mi.
 * Franky: Shipwright; Highly Skilled Engineer And Carpenter, Cyborg Modifications, Super-Human Strength, Versatile Arsenal.
 * Brook: Musician; Highly Skilled Musician, Yomi Yomi no Mi, Fencing Style.

Bounties
Though they are pirates, the Straw Hats aren't bad people. In fact, before the Enies Lobby arc, when CP9 initiated the conflict by blackmailing Nico Robin and detaining her, the Straw Hats mostly fought only other pirates (with the exception of Luffy and Zoro, who took down the dreaded Axe Hand Morgan and several of his unwilling subordinates, and Sanji, who beat up Fullbody and possibly some other unfortunate Marines prior to becoming an official Straw Hat ) - it seems they were considered dangerous to the World Government and given bounties simply because they called themselves pirates. They are considered villains by the World Government and the general public who aren't familiar with them. While this is a hassle for them, like most other pirates, the majority of the Straw Hats see their bounties as a form of achievement, a sign of how much fame and recognition their actions have produced. Nami notes that, as pirates, they are used to taking blame and being portrayed as the villains. Their current bounties total up to 700,000,050.

Relationships amongst the Crew


Each member of the crew values their friendships above all else. Despite their comic annoyance with each other from time to time, they very much love being together as well as being a member of the crew. One of the major themes of the series is how committed they are to each other, to the point where they are willing to give up what is important and personal to them, such as their lives and even their dreams, for the well-being of any one of them who has lost their way. If one single member is hurt by an outside force (physically or emotionally), the other members will become enraged and take drastic action to avenge their brethren, as well as those they befriend on their journey. Also, during their fight with Bartholomew Kuma, Sanji, Zoro and Brook threw themselves in front of their friends to keep Kuma from getting to them, but eventually everyone was attacked. After Luffy was immersed in sadness due to Ace´s death, not only was he able to overtake (in part) his pain by remembering that he still has his dear friends, when the rest of the crew realized how hurt Luffy would be, they struggled to return to him for support.

Recruitment
In the beginning of the manga, Luffy claimed that he wanted at least 10 people to join his crew before entering the Grand Line (not counting himself). This was changed after Usopp told Luffy that after "the chef" joined them, they would rescue Nami and go to the Grand Line. Although this is long past the expiring date, it can still serve as evidence that there will be 10 or more Straw Hats at one point of the manga (excluding Luffy himself). Luffy also claimed in the beginning of the manga, that he would gather a crew strong enough to surpass his childhood hero Red-Haired Shanks.

Invitation
Usually when he asks someone to join, Luffy is turned down completely; the way of which he is turned down varies. Luffy has enough morals not to force the person to join against their will. When Luffy asked Brook during the Thriller Bark saga, Brook said yes immediately. Luffy didn't directly ask Usopp to join the Straw Hats, however when both Luffy and Usopp were about to sail off, Luffy assumed that Usopp would join them as they had just fought off Kuro. The only exception was Franky who was stated to be too stubborn to ever accept joining Luffy willingly (his speedo had to be stolen just to lead him back to the Straw Hat Pirates), but ends up joining willingly anyway after being moved by Iceburg's words. However if the person really interests Luffy, he will still try to get them to join anyway regardless of their initial decision. While most people turn down Luffy's offer regardless of how hard he tries, only those convinced enough will join for reasons of their own. However, even if he is rejected, Luffy will treat the person as if they were already a crew member, much to their annoyance. He'll sometimes act as if it is his decision and not theirs whether they join or not.

The major exceptions to this rule are Usopp, who was thrilled to be asked to join and accepted immediately, and Nico Robin, who invited herself into the crew and had to convince the crew to let her stay. Also notable is the Gentleman Skeleton Brook, who actually accepted Luffy's initial invitation to join the crew but later claimed that he couldn't honor it due to his lack of a shadow, which would result in his death should he step into sunlight, as well as unfinished business with the zombies of Thriller Bark. However, after the Straw Hats and Brook finally defeated the zombies, Brook later asked if they would honor his initial acceptance; Luffy gladly welcomed him into the crew.

Luffy doesn't seem to mind if someone he wants to recruit has a profession or not. He allows Usopp to join, and later on names him the team's sniper, and considered Vivi a member even though her only "profession" would be princess. He also did not know that Chopper was a doctor and wanted him to join for his seven transformation abilities. He also offered Gaimon and several Thriller Bark Zombie the chance to join his crew, when they had no apparent usefulness to the crew aside from experience. Also, when a crew member finally joins, they are often run out of their home by loved ones.

Recruiting Process
Though most adventures in One Piece are random, there seems to be a 'process' for recruitment. First, a situation arises where someone new is needed. The crew comes across someone who fulfills the criteria (i.e. Chopper the doctor, Nami the navigator). Luffy offers the person a position, and is usually turned down initially (which usually causes Luffy to comically "refuse this refusal"). Meanwhile, a situation arises where, some way or another, Luffy ends up battling a 'boss' character, and the would-be crew mate battles an underling (i.e. Luffy vs Don Krieg after Sanji battles Gin and Pearl). The would-be crewmate typically defeats one of the villain's henchmen, or otherwise plays a crucial role in the Straw Hats' victory (for example, Brook defeats Talleran and reveals the zombies' weakness, despite losing to Ryuuma). During the arc in which the new crewmate is introduced their backstory and dreams are revealed, thus convincing them to join the Straw Hat Crew. Meanwhile, Luffy's current crew would assist him in battling various enemies generally in rank of abilities and overall strength which is matched by whoever they are battling (i.e. Zoro vs Kaku, Sanji vs Jyabura, Chopper vs Kumadori, Nami vs Kalifa), the enemies fought also have similar fighting styles (Zoro vs Hachi who are both swordsman, Sanji vs Kuroobi who are both melee fighting experts, and Usopp vs Chew who are both ranged weaponry experts), this is more consistent when it concerns Sanji and Zoro. This process also led many fans to think Vivi would become a permanent crew member.

The only crew members not to follow this process were the women of the crew, Nami and Robin, both of whom never helped fight an enemy during their joining and had their backstories fully revealed later on, despite initially being hinted at. Nami's official recruitment was when Luffy, Zoro, Usopp and Sanji defeated Arlong and his pirates. Robin was the first to initially willingly join, and officially joined after Luffy's crew came to her rescue from CP9.

As a side note to this process, Luffy has several times stated the need for a musician, because he believes that "pirates love music" due to him being influenced by Shanks the captain of the Red-Haired Pirates whom are mostly seen singing and partying. As a result, whenever the need for a new crew member arises, Luffy would usually bring up the musician position despite it being completely unrelated to the problem at hand. While Franky plays the guitar in addition of being a shipwright, Luffy's plea was finally fulfilled when Brook joined the crew.

Crew Numbers
Excluding Luffy, as he founded the crew, the numbers given to each crew member are:
 * 1) Roronoa Zoro
 * 2) Nami
 * 3) Usopp
 * 4) Sanji
 * 5) Tony Tony Chopper
 * 6) Nico Robin
 * 7) Franky
 * 8) Brook

Usually when numbering the crew on colour spreads however, Oda will include Luffy as #1 thus the crew members get +1 added onto their numbers. For most of the crew members, Oda designates their number in the title of the chapter in which they join. For some like Nami and Usopp, their numbers were designated after they returned to the crew for previously leaving it. Only Chopper and Robin so far have no chapters whose titles designate them. In the case of Robin, though she has yet to have a number chapter, she however was numbered as the 7th one in the anime. This however refers to her being the 7th character in the crew which includes Luffy.

Returning to the Crew
If a Straw Hat crew member leaves the crew without Luffy's permission, Luffy usually does his best to recruit them back. So far Nami, Robin and Usopp have all left the crew, and all of them have returned. Nami rejoined after Arlong got defeated, who blackmailed her into betraying the crew, while Robin rejoined the crew after they convinced her that they would stand by her even if it meant declaring war on the entire world, and save her from Enies Lobby.

While Robin and Nami were never on bad terms with the crew when they left, any suspicion that they had betrayed the Straw Hats was soon proven false. Usopp was a different case though. He had officially left the Straw Hat crew, over a dispute concerning the Going Merry (yet returned to the crew in his alias "Sogeking" to help in the rescue of Nico Robin) and his own insecurities about his strength. Afterward, Usopp originally planned to make the crew beg for him to return, but Zoro had given the crew a stern speech about him rejoining them on their terms, not his, and would accept him only if Usopp begged them after a thorough apology. After being ignored while they were fighting off Garp, Usopp finally capitulated, and Luffy happily and tearfully accepted him back into the crew.

Dreams
Each member of the Straw Hats has a dream they want to achieve. These dreams are their reasons for joining Luffy's crew, and essentially the driving force behind their lives. Each Straw Hat's dream was inspired by tragedies (often deaths) in their childhoods that involved at least one person they idolized and cared for deeply. Some, like Chopper, Nami, Franky, and Usopp are fulfilling their dreams by accumulating knowledge and/or achieving a certain task while sailing the Grand Line. Others, like Robin, Zoro, Luffy, Brook, and Sanji are searching for a person, place or thing that can only be found on the Grand Line. Whatever the reason, each of the Straw Hat's dreams involve traveling the Grand Line, and each Straw Hat member refuses to die before achieving their dreams. However, their determination doesn't extend to sacrificing nor abandoning their comrades for the fulfillment of their dreams.

Members' Dreams

 * Luffy's dream is to become the Pirate King and gather his own pirate crew to back him up. To become the Pirate King, he must find Gol D. Roger's famed treasure, One Piece, which is implied to be on Raftel. As for a crew, he has brought together so far eight people who have caught his attention. Luffy is also looking to meet up with Shanks again and return his straw hat to him, but will do this after his crew has surpassed Shank's crew in strength.


 * Zoro's dream, shared with Kuina, is to become the world's greatest swordsman. To fulfill this dream, he must surpass every swordsman in the world, including the world's current greatest swordsman, Mihawk. Very recently Zoro nearly gave up his dream in an attempt to convince the Shichibukai Bartholomew Kuma to refrain from killing Luffy despite the first time they met Zoro threatened to kill Luffy if he got in the way of his dream, proving his loyalty towards his Captain as well as the rest of the crew, as he believes that he cannot be the world's strongest swordsman if he cannot protect his captain's dream (Luffy, likewise, believes that the Pirate King should have the best swordsman on his side).


 * Nami's dream is to draw a map of the entire world. She has already mapped all the areas that she has traveled, and it can be assumed that she will create a world map once the story is over. Also at the beginning of the story she was also trying to get 100,000,000 in order to buy and save her hometown, Cocoyashi Village, from the clutches of the Fishman pirate Arlong; while her savings were confiscated after stealing 93,000,000, in the process of stealing from pirates, she met Luffy, who defeated Arlong and freed the village.


 * Usopp's dream is to become a brave warrior of the sea like his father, Yasopp. Although he has implied that he has accomplished this dream (before he leaves the crew), Usopp has a second dream. After the Little Garden arc, he also developed a secondary dream to visit Elbaf and see the warrior giants he idolizes. During the Post-War arc Usopp develops another dream, to be the true King of the Snipers after he got Luffy's message to get stronger in 2 years.


 * Sanji's dream, shared with Zeff, is to find All Blue, a legendary ocean. It is assumed to be in the Grand Line, a place where all waters from all over the four seas gather, bringing fish from all over the globe. He also wished to consume the Suke Suke no Mi but unfortunately, Absalom destroyed that dream as he had already eaten it. However, Sanji, upon seeing Absalom's detestable actions, changed his mind about his desire to consume it.


 * Chopper's dream is to become a great doctor that can cure any disease, much like his father figure Dr. Hiluluk's ambition, as well as to travel across the world, exploring with his friends, and expanding his horizons.


 * Robin's dream is to find the Rio Poneglyph which tells the True History, continuing the research of her mother Nico Olivia and her old mentor Clover.


 * The Going Merry's dream as the crew's ship was to sail with the Straw Hats forever which it revealed to the crew upon its demise. In the end it was a dream it could not achieve, it was last seen as it was given a Viking funeral (because the "bottom of the sea is dark and lonely"). However, Merry's spirit supposedly inhabits the Straw Hats' new ship, the Thousand Sunny, and therefore its dream may live on.


 * Franky's dream is to create and travel with a dream ship which would experience countless battles, can overcome extreme hardships and can reach the end of the Grand Line. He has created the ship which the Straw Hats are riding and it's his task to keep it in good condition. Previously, one of his dreams was to beat Spandam to pieces, but this was fulfilled toward the end of the Enies Lobby arc.


 * Brook's dream is to return to his crewmate Laboon, whom his former crew, the Rumbar Pirates, had left behind at Reverse Mountain for his safety, with the promise to return after crossing the Grand Line. He wishes to fulfill that promise to Laboon, as well as that of his former crewmates, who died at their journey, to deliver their final song recorded in a Tone Dial before their death.

The X Mark
The X Mark is something the first 6 Straw Hats (Luffy through Chopper), as well as Nefertari Vivi and Carue, have on their left forearms.

During their Arabasta adventure, they had to face a very tricky opponent, Mr. 2 Bon Kurei, with his Devil Fruit Power, which can make him look like anyone of them. Zoro came up with an idea to counteract this power. They made a black X mark on their left arms, as a symbol of their belonging to the Straw Hats.

The X Mark came into play several times.
 * When Vivi is heading toward Alubarna, the capital city of Arabasta Kingdom, she met Usopp but she wasn't sure if he was him or not. As she asked him to show their recognizing symbol, he showed a bandage, but without uncovering the X mark. Vivi understood that he was Bon Kurei disguised as Usopp and ran away.
 * When the Straw Hats were leaving Arabasta, they could not say good bye to Vivi in a proper way, to avoid the princess being recognized by the marines as their crewmate. So, they stand with their backs facing Vivi, raising their left hands and showing their X. Vivi and Carue replied in the same way too, as a symbol of their unbreakable friendship tie.

Miscellaneous Information
Over the course of the manga, Oda was often asked certain questions about the Straw Hats via the SBS sections. These questions were often about subtle stuff such as what colors represent the Straw Hats and other similar stuff. The following are Oda's answers to such questions.

Animal Resemblances
In a SBS question, a fan asked what animals would they best resemble. When this question was first asked, the Straw Hats had 6 members. At a later SBS, Oda provided the other animals for the remaining crew members.

Specific Numbers
In relation to a SBS question about a shirt Nami wore with the number 3 on it, Oda showed the specific numbers that he uses to represent the Straw Hats. The majority of these numbers are different from the order Luffy's crew joined him. They are instead numbers representing the order of the Straw Hats as a whole. When this question was first asked, the Straw Hats only had 6 members. At a later SBS, Oda provided the other numbers for the remaining crew members. Note that the title of the chapter where a member joins is the ordinal number one less than the personal number; for example Zoro joins in Chapter 6, The First.

Specific Colors
In a SBS question, a fan asked if each of the Straw Hats have specific colors. Oda replied and revealed the specific colors for each member. When this question was first asked, the Straw Hats only had 6 members. At a later SBS, Oda provided the other colors for the remaining crew members.

Specific Smells
In a SBS question, a fan asked Oda that since Chopper had such an amazing blue nose that allows him to identify his fellow crewmates, what do they all smell like. When this question was first asked, the Straw Hats only had 6 members. At a later SBS, Oda provided the other smells for the remaining crew members. All but Chopper's smell were identified as Chopper can't tell what he himself smells like.

Favorite Type of Island and Season
In a SBS question, a fan asked which type of island do each of the Straw Hats like among the different seasonal types of islands in the Grand Line. It was also asked which season of that island do the Straw Hats like. When this question was first asked, the Straw Hats only had 7 members. At a later SBS, Oda provided the other islands and seasons for the remaining crew members.

Favorite Food
In a SBS question, a fan asked what each of the Straw Hats' favorite foods were. Oda gave the following as a reply.

As a Family
In a SBS question, a fan asked if the Straw Hats were a family, what family member would each one be. When this question was first asked, Brook wasn't a member at the time. At a later SBS, Oda provided the answer to which family member would Brook be.

Nationalities
In a SBS question, a fan asked if the Straw Hats were real, what nationality would they be of. Based on their appearances, Oda gave the following as a reply.

Individuals
Through the series there have been people who have either traveled with the Straw Hat Pirates for a short period of time or aided them in one way or another. Many of these individuals would be considered temporary pirates in a way. The most notable of these people is Vivi, as she traveled with them for almost the entire Baroque Works Saga, and even considered permanently joining them but due to her promise it seems that she is always welcome back.

Groups
Along with individuals mentioned above, there has also been various groups that have assisted the Straw Hats in their adventures. These organizations have helped the Straw Hats either to reach a certain goal or to defeat a common enemy. One of the most notable of these is the Franky Family who, along with several other characters, formed an army of sorts in order to fight against a common foe.

Anime Only
In the anime adaptation, the Straw Hats have also had their share of allies and traveling companions. These individuals too have either traveled with them or aided them in some sort of way.

Locations Visited
While traveling, the Straw Hat Pirates have mostly visited islands in a formula-like pattern; the crew would travel from one island to another in order without backtracking or getting scattered by certain situations or forced to go off course - unless someone is taken away, the crew's visiting the island delays their voyage (i.e. partying on Commi Island or the national celebration in Arabasta), or leaving the Grand Line. It is not until Water 7 that things begin to shift from this 'formula'; the crew had to leave Water 7 to Enies Lobby to rescue Robin.

Before chapter 514, the Straw Hats had visited 20 islands in a straightforward pattern, with the entire crew together. In each saga, the Straw Hats mostly visited 5 - 10 or less islands, 8 islands in the East Blue Saga, 5 islands in the Baroque Works Saga, 2 Islands in the Skypiea Saga, 3 islands in the CP9 Saga, and 13 islands so far in the Whitebeard War Saga.

By chapter 514, One Piece took a different twist not seen before - and possibly not in any other manga/anime combo with a storyline like this; the entire Straw Hat crew was scattered, to 9 different islands (12 Due to Luffy going to Impel Down and Marineford). Since entering the Grand Line, no Straw Hat Pirate had left the Grand Line. Now, Chopper is in South Blue, Robin is in East Blue, and the rest of the crew is scattered on the Grand Line, presumably far enough apart and on different Log Pose routes that they cannot reunite easily or by normal travel means (if you can call traveling on the Grand Line normal!). Most of the islands the crew visited were in one season and had one climate (i.e. spring or summer; perpetual snowing, canals, or being made of clouds) when examined in the order they were visited in, like Drum being snowy or Arabasta being sandy. Until now, the story has only used an island's specific theme one time and abandoned it to introduce the next one; this is no more, since Nami was sent to the sky island Weatheria, Franky was sent to another Winter island (despite having the mechanical theme of Karakuri from the seventh One Piece movie), and Luffy being sent to another jungle-themed island - Amazon Lily.

Currently, the crew has visited 34 locations.

East Blue

 * 1) Dawn Island
 * 2) Goat island
 * 3) Shells Town
 * 4) Organ Island
 * 5) Island of Rare Animals
 * 6) Gecko Island
 * 7) Baratie
 * 8) Commi Island
 * 9) Loguetown

Grand Line

 * 1) Reverse Mountain (Red Line)
 * 2) Cactus Island
 * 3) Little Garden
 * 4) Drum Island
 * 5) Arabasta
 * 6) Jaya
 * 7) Skypiea (White-White Sea)
 * 8) Long Ring Long Land
 * 9) Water 7
 * 10) Enies Lobby
 * 11) Thriller Bark (Florian Triangle)
 * 12) Sabaody Archipelago

Locations Visited By Each During Crew Separation

 * 1) Luffy: Amazon Lily (Calm Belt) → Impel Down (Calm Belt) → Marineford (Grand Line) → Rusukaina (Calm Belt)
 * 2) Nami: Weatheria (Sky Island)
 * 3) Franky: Karakuri Island - Barjimoa (Grand Line)
 * 4) Sanji: Momoiro Island - Kamabakka Kingdom (Grand Line)
 * 5) Usopp: Boin Archipelago - Greenstone (Grand Line)
 * 6) Brook: Namakura Island - Harahetternia (Grand Line) → Kenzan Island - Teena Geena Kingdom (Grand Line)
 * 7) Robin: Tequila Wolf (East Blue) → Baltigo (Grand Line)
 * 8) Chopper: Torino Kingdom (South Blue)
 * 9) Zoro: Kuraigana Island - Ruins of the Shikkearu Kingdom (Grand Line)

Actions
Because the series focus on the Straw Hat Pirates, they were responsible for many actions throughout the 590+ chapters of their adventures. These actions can be considered either a blessing or curse depending on whose point of view it is taken from. Though the Straw Hat Pirates are an inner-circle group and don't care about worldly affairs, they become involved in many peoples' wars, usually bigger than themselves because they befriend the people involved. Most of these are people with a great amount of political power and authority behind them in some form. Their actions are often reported differently by the newspapers or the full details left unknown.

All actions done by the Straw Hats can be done by one member or the entire crew.
 * Responsible for freeing Coby from Alvida.
 * Freed Shells Town by defeating Morgan, this was due to Luffy saving Zoro and Coby.
 * Freed Orange Town by defeating Buggy. This was done because Buggy was bothering Luffy, Zoro, and Nami.
 * Helped Gaimon realize for good that the treasure chests are empty.
 * Stopped Kuro's plans of killing Kaya and destroying Syrup Village. This was because they were doing Usopp a favor.
 * Involved in defending the Baratie, Luffy only wanted to help Sanji and to free himself from being a Baratie choreboy by defeating Krieg.
 * Defeated Arlong so they would have Nami back and ended up freeing Commi Island.
 * Escaped from the marines in Loguetown.
 * Made a promise with Laboon.
 * Saved Vivi and Carue from the Mr. 5 team and ended up responsible for escorting Vivi to Arabasta.
 * Saved Dorry and Brogy from the Mr. 3 team after they befriended them.
 * Defeated Wapol and saved Drum Kingdom. This was because Nami was sick and needed a doctor and Luffy was interested in Chopper joining the crew.
 * Saved Arabasta and defeated Crocodile. This was because Vivi was their friend and they decided to help her. This also caused the world government [and the world itself] to fully take notice of the Straw Hats.
 * Defeated Bellamy because he attacked and stole gold from their friend Montblanc Cricket.
 * Was involved in stopping a 400 year old war and defeated Enel. This was because they were searching for gold and Enel attacked some of the Straw Hats and took Nami. So Luffy, who did not want anyone hurting his friends, decided to fight Enel.
 * Defeated Foxy in The Davy Back Fight in order to avenge Shelly and fought Aokiji to stop him from hurting Robin.
 * Was caught in a crossfire between CP9 and the Galley-La. Iceburg was shot by Robin and all Straw Hat Pirates (except Usopp) were to blame. Luffy, Zoro, Nami and Chopper wanting to know why Robin done this, invaded the HQ that was under attack by CP9 and saved Iceburg and Paulie
 * Raided Enies Lobby to save Robin and Franky, declared war on the World Government as a means to convice Robin to come back and defeated CP9. The destruction of Enies Lobby was Spandam's fault (he triggered the Buster Call by mistake). As a result, CP9 are now scapegoats, the blueprints were burned, which destroyed the WG's attempt to raise an ancient weapon to end the pirate age, and they needed Robin so they can get her to tell them where the ancient weapon is but failed to retrieve her.
 * Defeated Gecko Moria and freed all the shadows he stole from many people. This was because the old man begged them to help while Luffy, Franky, Robin, Zoro and Sanji were originally searching for Usopp, Chopper and Nami, because Luffy wanted Brook to join and to retrieve Luffy's, Zoro's, Sanji's and Robin's stolen shadows.


 * Defeated Shiki and the Golden Lion Pirates in order to save and retrieve Nami from them, who wanted to use her in their plan to destroy East Blue.
 * Saved Keimi and Pappug from the Sea King, saved Hatchan, defeated the Macro Pirates and dealt with Duval. This was because they needed information on how to get to Fishman Island and Keimi, who has the information, found out Hatchan was in trouble. Originally, they did not want to save Hatchan but changed their minds because Luffy wanted takoyaki and Nami had already promised Keimi.
 * Attacked a World Noble, ended up freeing the slaves in the Auction House, and sent the entire island in a panic. As a result, Admiral Kizaru arrived, the Straw Hats were scattered, and 500 pirates were captured. This was because they were trying to save Keimi from being sold into slavery and Hatchan was shot by Charloss, which angered Luffy since he considered Hatchan as a friend.

After Separation by Bartholomew Kuma

 * Monkey D. Luffy
 * Managed to prevent Hancock from killing 3 of her warriors (Sweet Pea, Marguerite, and Aphelandra), and covering her sister Sandersonia's back to prevent her slave mark from being exposed. Wanting to save Ace from execution, Luffy convinced Hancock (who has fallen in love with him) to comply to the World Government's demand she originally ignored to go to war against Whitebeard; by doing so, he prevented her from losing her Shichibukai title and the treaty to protect Amazon Lily that goes with it. This also saved Boa Hancock's life.
 * Invaded Impel Down and created a massive breakout that brought disgrace to Impel Down.
 * Invaded Marineford and got involved in the Whitebeard War, succeeded in releasing Ace but failed to save his life, falling into a mental collapse.
 * Recovered and remembered the desire to reunite with his crew thanks to Jinbei, reunited with Rayleigh on Kuja Island.
 * Snuck into Marineford a second time and rang the Ox Bell 16 times. This was, however, a diversion to the real message- a tattoo on his arm which informed his crew to met up in 2 years, not 3 days as was originally planned. He then began training to understand and control Haki with Rayleigh on the island of Rusukaina, near Amazon Lily.


 * Usopp
 * He has gotten fat by overeating the food he found on the island, and after news came out about the death of Ace, he had gotten brave. He's even risking his own life to get off Boin Archipelago. After being saved a couple of times by his protector Heracles, he had let him know that he wants to see Luffy through his pain. After receiving Luffy's message, Usopp runs off, deciding that he needs to lose weight, gain muscle, and grow stronger so that he didn't have to stand around watching anymore, and to help Luffy out. He becomes Heracles's apprentice, and begins learning about aspects of the forest, such as the Pop Greens, which are seeds of the hostile plants of the forest that have many uses.


 * Tony Tony Chopper
 * When he landed in Torino Kingdom, he fell in the war between the gigantic birds and natives. Chopper communicated in a way with the natives and birds and explained to the feathered beasts that the natives don't want to eat their eggs, just the plants next to their nests. Chopper bravely flew off to Sabaody. After receiving Luffy's message, he returned back to Torino Kingdom, with the intent of growing stronger and developing new medicines by studying the plants there.


 * Nami
 * When she landed on Weatheria, she was caught stealing after studying the technology there for a while, and locked up but was able to escape and take the stolen weather equipment and Haredas with her. She is later caught by the scientists, but escapes by crying crocodile tears. Later, when informed of the unusual weather of the New World by Haredas, she tells him that she must learn it all to be able to help Luffy in the future. She also inquires about the weather ball, which, if used improperly, could plunge the world into chaos; however, she only smirks at the possibility of using it as a weapon.


 * Franky
 * When he landed in future land Barujimoa Karakuri, he pressed self-destruct button in Dr. Vegapunk's old home, known as a historical treasure, which would later be known as the "Nightmare of Barujimoa", got the skin blown off of his face, and also ran away from marines. He ends up in a second secret laboratory whose entrance was exposed by the explosion of the first, and becomes interested in the schematics of various weapons and other advanced technology of Vegapunk. He decides to live there, and also dons a tiger rug to hide and disguise his hideous face. However, the rug catches on fire, and Franky runs outside just as the marines catch up to him, scaring them all with his flaming, bestial appearance; this incident would later be known as "The Legend of the Sacred Burning Beast of Barujimoa".


 * Brook
 * He landed in Harahetternia during the middle of a devil-summoning ceremony. He wrote a song to raise the cultists' spirits and helped them fight against the Longarm tribe. After releasing them, the Longarms kidnap him since people would pay a lot of money to see a living skeleton. He is held on display in the Teena Guuna Kingdom, where he tries to adjust his leaning pose against the wall from 45 degrees to 40, but it fails. He decides he needs to try something else to grow stronger for Luffy, and for now releases his new single "Bone to be Wild".


 * Roronoa Zoro
 * He landed in Kuraigana Island, where he met up with Perona. After she tended his wounds, Mihawk returned to the island and gave Zoro a boat to leave the island after bringing the results of the war, but Zoro encountered the Humandrills. Upon finally defeating them, he returned to Mihawk and begged for an apprenticeship. Discerning that Zoro was throwing away his pride for someone else's sake, he agreed.


 * Nico Robin
 * She landed in Tequila Wolf, where she was forced to build a bridge on the orders of the World Nobles. She was eventually freed by the Revolutionaries, and to be brought to Dragon. She was also given a newspaper on Luffy's current standings. The ship sets sail and Robin and the Revolutionaries discuss Dragon wanting to meet her, and the Revolutionaries invite her inside, to which she refuses due to suspicion, to which the Revolutionaries decide to bring food and blankets outside to her instead. Robin ponders the possibility of growing stronger after being turned over to Luffy's father, Dragon, and admits she had never thought of growing stronger for someone else before.


 * Sanji
 * He landed on Momoiro Island, and was chased by the okama, and converted into one temporarily. He eventually returned to normal, and met with Ivankov, who refused to give him any information on Luffy due to Sanji having trouble giving evidence that he is a Straw Hat Pirate from the poorly drawn Wanted Poster. However, he did receive a newspaper on how Luffy was doing. Later, Ivankov informs him that the food eaten in the kingdom is Attack Cuisine, which can enhance the strength of people who eat it. Sanji wants to learn the recipe, but Ivankov states that it can only be learned by those who master Newkama Kenpo and develop the heart of a maiden. Sanji angrily refuses and affirms his woman-loving nature and Ivankov decides to allow him to learn the 99 recipes if he can defeat the 99 Newkama Kenpos of the island, who each have one recipe. He even offers him a ship if he succeeds. But he also may lose himself along the way. Sanji accepts the challenge.

After 2 years
As promised, every Straw Hat has returned to Sabaody Archipelago, Zoro was the first to arrive, and after him was Franky, then Nami, Usopp, Chopper, Sanji, Brook, and finally Luffy, it's unknown yet when Robin had arrived.

Some of them have changed in many ways: Zoro has gained a scar over his right eye similar to Rayleigh; Luffy, has also gained a crossed-scar on the chest and seems to have mastered the three forms of Haki. Nami was noted by Usopp to have gained a more "developed" body, she has also let her hair grow and obtained technology of Weatheria. Franky has used the technology from Dr. Vegapunk's research to develop a bigger and more adavanced body (adding a "37" tattoo to symbolize the latest and greatest model), and gotten a shorter, buzz style haircut. Usopp has developed a strong body and grown his and a faint goatee, using plants as weapons and claims himself that he has become a stronger, braver warrior (but still get scared of some things).

Others remained primarily unchanged. Robin has put her hair backwards, but remains virtually the same. Sanji also has grown a goatee and revealed his left eye (which also has a curly eyebrow, but in the direction of the right eye, resembling waves), while Chopper is practically unchanged as well as Brook who has just taken to wearing more expensive clothing, having become a rockstar of music, gaining fame around the world as "Soul King", since he is nothing but bones.

Trivia

 * In the manga series "Rurouni Kenshin", the Straw Hats flag design was used on a bomb to start a vengeance hit on the main character of the series. Before writing "One Piece", Oda worked as an assistant to Nobuhiro Watsuki, the creator of "Rurouni Kenshin".
 * For every member that Luffy had recruited, they had all lost someone who they loved in the past: Zoro lost his rival and friend, Nami lost her adoptive mother, Usopp lost his mother, Sanji lost his old family at the cruise ship, Chopper lost his father figure, Robin lost her mother and her civilization, Franky lost his mentor, Brook lost his captain and later on, his crew, and Luffy lost his "brothers".
 * After the timeskip, technically the Straw Hat Pirates have been away from each other longer than they have been a crew.
 * The crew seems to be taking the same route as the Roger Pirates (i.e Skypiea, Water 7) and have the same end goal.

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