Summary
Trying to become the King of the Pirates is not without its risks.Monkey D. Luffyhas learned as much during his own journey inOne Piece, which is still ongoing. Many of his enemies have had lethal intent, and some almost succeeded in killing him.
This is due, in part, to Luffy’s own somewhat impulsive nature, which lends itself to attacking opponents no matter how outmatched he seems. Nonetheless, Luffy has successfully bounced back from any serious attempts on his life thus far, and will likely continue to do so. These are some of the villains who almost managed to kill Luffy.
5Buggy
Attempted to Execute Luffy in Loguetown
Buggy has not been a serious villaininOne Piecefor many years. That said, during the East Blue Saga, he arguably came the closest to actually killing Luffy. This was due to Luffy stumbling onto the platform where Buggy’s former captain, Gol D. Roger, was executed.
Here, Buggy had Cabaji pin down Luffy, and then attempted to behead him, before being struck by a freak lightning bolt. This sudden shock allowed Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates to escape, leading to them continuing their journey on the Grand Line. The event also inspired Bartolomeo to become a pirate, forming the Barto Club, which was later aligned with the Straw Hat Grand Fleet.
That said, there is some speculation the event may not have been completely coincidental. Some believe that Dragon caused the lightning bolt through presently unknown means, in addition to his more active efforts to keep Luffy from being hunted by the marines. That said, this remains unconfirmed. Nonetheless, Luffy’s narrow survival of his own execution proves luck is essential to becoming the King of the Pirates.
4Crocodile
Defeated Luffy Twice
Crocodile has been one of a few enemies to have beaten Luffy in a fight more than once. Crocodile was able to dehyrdate Luffy with his Devil Fruit multiple times, as well as impale him. However, by the third time the two fought, Luffy was roughed up badly enough that it actually helped him win the fight.
Crocodile’s Logia Devil Fruit power allowed him to transform into sand, which could allow him to evade most physical attacks. Prior tothe introduction of Haki, the only way to physically attack such an opponent in this state was to effectively counter their designated element. Luffy’s own blood from his wounds functioned as a reservoir which countered Crocodile’s sand power. Crocodile twisted the knife further by using his hook to poison Luffy, but still ended up being defeated. Still, it was possible Luffy could have died from the poison if not forNico Robin’stimely intervention, where she gave him the antidote needed to survive.
3Magellan
Poisoned Luffy Repeatedly
Magellan is the warden of the prisonImpel Down. He has an affinity for poison, even eating poisoned foods despite the severe intestinal problems they give him. During his fight with Luffy, he attacked the pirate with various forms of poison, which resulted in Luffy almost dying and falling unconscious multiple times. Emporio Ivankov discovered Luffy alongside Bentham, an ex-Baroque Works agent who befriended him, and decided to save them both.
Luffy needed intensive hormone therapy to save his life, which resulted in him losing a decade of his lifespan. 20 hours later, Luffy managed to complete the process, eclipsing the estimate of how long the process would take by a third of Inazuma’s estimate. As Magellan’s poisoning did effectively shave years off Luffy’s life, it is perhaps the closest someone has come to killing him outright. That said, his own determination eclipsed his narrow odds of survival. Luffy came away from the incident with a level of poison resistance, being unaffected by Caesar Clown’s poison gas, and falling into a coma after consuming what would have been a fatal meal of armored stonefish.
2Akainu
Almost Killed Luffy During the Summit War
Sakazuki, better known as Akainu, is known for his excessive brutality towards suspected criminals, and those in their immediate vicinity. Shortly after Luffy’s rescue of his sworn brother,Portgas D. Ace, the pair were besieged by attacks from the marine admirals. After dropping Ace’s vivre card, Akainu attacked Luffy, who tried to pick it up. However, Akainu ended up hitting Ace instead, who jumped in to take the hit for his brother.
Ace fell into Luffy’s arms, thanking his sworn brother for loving him before passing away. Luffy was traumatized by the incident, and ended up falling unconscious. He was rescued thanks to a combination of efforts from his various allies during the war, including Jinbe, and ironically, Crocodile and Buggy. They helped transport Luffy to the Polar Tang, where he was rescued by the Heart Pirates.
Luffy was injured by an attack Akainu delivered to him while he was unconscious, and ended up requiring medical treatment aboard the Polar Tang. Luffy recovered in Amazon Lily, and spent the next two years training under Silvers Rayleigh. If Luffy had taken the attack that was intended for him, he would have likely died then and there. Ace made a quick decision to save Luffy’s life, showing that despite them not being related by blood, he did care very much for Luffy as a younger brother.
1St. Jaygarcia Saturn
Tried Attacking Luffy After He Was Exhausted
A siege was launched on Egghead due to Jaygarcia Saturn of the Five Elders ordering aBuster Call. Admiral Borsalino, aka Kizaru, was alongside Saturn for this initial trip, and fought Luffy directly. This long and intense fight involved Luffy transforming into Gear 5, Kizaru making multiple clones of himself, and a supposed stalemate where Luffy and Kizaru both lost energy after the clash. Then, Saturn stepped in to attack Luffy when he was out of energy.
After Franky rescued him, Luffy received help from an unlikely source. Kizaru secretly gave Luffy the meat that re-energized him enough to steal more food from marine reserves and eventually resume fighting himself. This was likely the result of a guilt complex Kizaru had built around having to fight against the likes of his longtime friends, Vegapunk and Sentomaru. This led to him being surprisingly candid in admitting he did not like the orders he was given. This brief decision Kizaru made may have inadvertently led to Saturn’s death. After Emet defeated the forces involved with the Buster Call, Imu executed Saturn for letting Luffy live.
