The Straw Hat Pirates are some of the most beloved characters in One Piece, with many of them following Luffy on his journey since the beginning. The crew, with only five members including Luffy, set out for the Grand Line, and it continued to grow as the journey continued. Now Luffy has nine pirates sailing the treacherous sea with him, who not only follow their own dreams but also make sure to have Luffy’s back when he needs them the most. Each member of the Straw Hat Pirates has a unique role to play in the crew, and they’re the very best at what they do. While not all of them are conventionally powerful like Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji, they all make up for each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
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This kind of teamwork and undisputable faith in one another is what makes them undefeatable, as they are able to rise up to any challenge once they make up their minds. Even when the crew faced a setback, as it did in Sabaody, it only served as a springboard from which they bounced back even stronger than ever. One Piece is an incredibly compelling story with deep emotional and character depth. This is why not every best Straw Hat moment is related to their fights, but is more about their resolve, mental fortitude, and their determination to never give up despite the odds.
10) Jinbe Stands Against Big Mom in Whole Cake Island
While Jinbe officially joined the crew in Wano, he was still considered a member during Whole Cake Island. Having served under Big Mom to protect his people, he finally decided to leave her crew and join Luffy’s journey. Big Mom often used her powers against people who planned to desert her, and Jinbe was no exception. She used her target’s fear of death and manifested their life essence as a tangible substance.
This way, she could take years or decades off of someone’s life, often killing them in the process. However, Jinbe was not ready to be intimidated by one of the Four Emperors of the Sea. He boldly declared that as a member of the future Pirate King’s crew, he couldn’t be scared of a mere Emperor before leaving her crew. The intensity of the moment, all because of a few words from Jinbe, became one of the most hyped moments in the series.
9) Brook Copies Big Mom’s Poneglyph
Brook isn’t the most powerful Straw Hat pirate by any means, but he would never back down from a challenge, even if the one standing in front of him is one of the Four Emperors of the Sea. Big Mom had long gotten her hands on one of the Four Road Poneglyphs, the key to reaching Laugh Tale. Knowing that many want to claim the legendary treasure, she placed the Poneglyph in a secret location where it was impossible for someone to steal it.
Although Brook only needed to print a copy of the Poneglyph for Robin to decipher it, getting his hands on one was a lot easier said than done. He directly clashed with Big Mom and evaded all watchful eyes to steal the Poneglyph, helping Luffy get one step closer to achieving his dream of becoming the Pirate King.
8) Usopp Saves Dressrosa All By Himself
Sugar, an officer of the Donquixote Pirates, was one of the biggest challenges the crew members faced during their mission to save Dressrosa. She turned countless people into toys and erased their existence from everyone’s memories. Most of the toys were living in misery for as long as 10 years, forced to follow orders against their will. This is why Usopp and the others tried their best to find creative ways to knock Sugar out, which would undo the power of her Devil Fruit.
All hope seemed lost when the crew’s sniper, Usopp, was forced to swallow an unimaginably spicy berry that was meant for Sugar. His scary face made her collapse and saved her puppets from even more misery. Sugar again became a threat after a few episodes, when it was all up to Usopp again to stop her from turning Luffy and Trafalgar Law into toys again. He used Observation Haki for the first and only time in the series, knocking her out again before she could hurt any more people.
7) Franky Delivers One of The Most Powerful Quotes in One Piece
During the Enies Lobby Arc, Robin had all but given up on any hope of living. Persecuted her entire life for merely existing, she thought she would only keep putting the Straw Hats at risk if she stayed, which is why she decided to sacrifice herself so her crew members could escape. However, Franky, who had seen a different world than her, didn’t believe she was in the wrong.
He declares that existing is not a crime, perhaps after realizing that those were the words she needed to hear the most. The scene is still one of the most powerful ones in the series, as Franky shakes her resolve through just a few words. His words also heavily resonate with the theme of the story that everyone, including Robin, should have the right to pursue their dream without oppression from the World Government.
6) Chopper Cures The Ice Oni Virus
The raid on Onigashima quickly took a drastic turn due to a bio-weapon created by Queen, a high-ranking member of the Beast Pirates. The deadly and contagious virus turned the victims into ice-covered demonic monsters that had no control over their actions. Not only that, but the Oni Virus granted strength enhancement to the victims before killing them in an hour. In such a dire situation, when everyone was struggling against their opponents, the Straw Hats’ doctor made the impossible possible by finding a cure to the virus and saving hundreds of lives.
Thanks to his medical expertise, Chopper always comes through in dire situations, but the Oni Virus was something much more dangerous than he had ever seen. The little reindeer was already in a race against time, but that wouldn’t stop him from doing everything he could to save those in need.
5) Robin Declares Her Will to Live in Enies Lobby
After barely surviving the massacre of her people at the age of eight, Robin was forced to live in fear of being captured, especially after the World Government placed a hefty bounty on her head. From that day, she never truly lived a single moment, spending every waking day merely surviving in hopes of finding people who would one day care about her, just as her dear friend, Jaguar D. Saul, had promised. After two decades of suffering, she finally found a warm home aboard the Going Merry with the Straw Hat Pirates.
Unfortunately, she was forced to leave everything behind and forsake her life just to save them. Even when she was ready to die, Luffy krpt asking Robin to declare her wish out loud was his way of helping her break free from her shackles, and it worked. For the first time, Robin abandoned the idea of dying and instead wished for her friends to help save her from that hell.
4) Nami’s Faith in Luffy Can’t Be Broken
Nami is often scared in front of powerful opponents, but even she has moments where backing down just isn’t an option. As the crew’s navigator, she is responsible for taking her friends on the right route across the treacherous seas. Additionally, while she does wield a powerful weapon, fighting isn’t her best forte. This is why, when faced against Ulti of the Beast Pirates, the best option for her was to escape, but that was easier said than done.
To make things worse, Ulti forced Nami to say that Luffy won’t become the Pirate King. The villain kept headbutting Nami to force her into saying the words she didn’t mean. However, despite being overwhelmed by Ulti’s powers, Nami refused to say something so completely against her faith in Luffy. Just like all the Straw Hat Pirates, she had unwavering faith that Luffy would become the Pirate King, and she couldn’t bear to say otherwise.
3) Sanji Saves Everyone in Alabasta
Sanji has had many moments over the years when he rescued his crew, but his genius strategy during the Alabasta Arc easily takes the cake. Thanks to his Mr. Prince bit, which was a genius foreshadowing done by Eiichiro Oda, he managed to distract Crocodile long enough to save his friends who were imprisoned by the villain. For the longest time, the Warlord was even unaware that Sanji was a member of the crew, which gave the Straw Hats’ chef an edge in his strategic planning.
Crocodile planned to kill Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Vivi, and Usopp after capturing them and throwing dangerous monsters known as banana gators in front of them. Just when Vivi was about to be attacked by such a powerful monster, Sanji arrived in the nick of time, making one of the most heroic entrances in the series.
2) Zoro Takes Luffy’s Pain in Thriller Bark
As Luffy’s first mate, Zoro has been with him since the beginning. He was also the first crew member to declare that Luffy would become the Pirate King. Zoro strived to become a stronger swordsman, not just for the sake of the dream he shared with his childhood friend, but also because he believed that the Pirate King deserves nothing less than the World’s Strongest Swordsman in his crew.
However, even though Zoro was rushing full speed ahead toward his goal, he didn’t think for a second before deciding to sacrifice himself for Luffy’s sake. In front of Bartholomew Kuma, who wanted to test his mettle, Zoro stood tall even after taking all of Luffy’s pain, which he suffered during the battle in Thriller Bark. Once it was over, he delivered one of his most iconic quotes, “Nothing happened,” which became one of the most iconic moments in Shonen history.
1) Luffy Reached His Peak After His Gear 5 Transformation
Luffy represents one of the central themes of the story, freedom and liberation, as he has been saving countless people since his journey began. For someone like him, no other power suits him more than Gear 5, the awakened form of his Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika, a mythical Zoan that was removed from the annals of history. His Gear 5 form is more than just a simple power-up; it goes beyond almost all other Shonen transformations, further solidifying the fact that Luffy is one of a kind.
Luffy’s whimsical comedy and his laughter help maintain the true nature of the show regardless of how many powerful opponents he fights. His Devil Fruit awakening and his connection to Joyboy were featured all at once, shaking the entire fandom when the manga chapter and the episode were released.
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