Monkey D. Luffy has faced many villains over the course of One Piece‘s story and most of them have seriously underestimated him and paid a price for it. Most of these villains were members of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Yonko commanders, or even Yonko themselves. This means Luffy has defeated some of the strongest pirates that the Grand Line and New World offer.

Most of these villains possess Devil Fruits of their own and many of them can also use multiple forms of Haki. In almost every instance, these One Piece villains underestimated Luffy’s strength and resolve and many of them suffered crushing defeats that landed them in prison or left them with mental scars. Even a Celestial Dragon could not escape unscathed after underestimating Luffy.

10

Charlos Believed Luffy Would Never Hurt a Noble and He Was Dead Wrong

First Appears In Season 11, Episode 12, “The Target Is Camie!! The Looming Clutches Of A Professional Kidnapper”

Like most Celestial Dragons, Saint Charlos views himself as a god who can do whatever he wants, whether it be enslaving others or killing people without consequences. Charlos encountered Luffy during the surprisingly dark Saboady Archipeligo Arc. He shot Luffy’s friend, Hachi, and danced at the thought of acquiring a new Fish-Man slave for free. Charlos got annoyed that Hachi was speaking to Luffy and threatened to shoot him again, which caused Luffy to act.

Charlos did not like the look of defiance in Luffy’s eyes and threatened to shoot him, but this did not deter Luffy. Given his status as a World Noble, Charlos expected Luffy to bow and obey him, but he gravely underestimated Luffy’s character, especially regarding his friends being hurt or mistreated. Even as bullets whizzed by his head, Luffy approached Charlos and struck him with an incredible punch that sent him flying. He was left unconscious, bloodied and bruised.

9

Arlong Believed Humans Were Inferior and Luffy Proved Otherwise

First Appears In Season 1, Episode 31, “The Most Wicked Man Of East Blue, Fish-Man Pirate Arlong”

Arlong had the highest bounty in the East Blue when he encountered Luffy, but that was not the main reason he looked down on him. As a Fish-Man, Arlong’s physical strength was ten times that of a normal human’s. He could also breathe underwater and outmaneuver humans in the water. Arlong believed all humans were inferior to Fish-Men and, for that reason, he believed Luffy was no match for him.

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Arlong was in fact stronger than most Fish-Men, making him one of the strongest pirates from Fish-Man Island, so it makes sense that he did not consider Luffy a threat. Luffy wanted to make Arlong pay for all the hurt he caused Nami over the years and could overcome Arlong’s superior strength with his Devil Fruit and determination. Luffy struck Arlong with his Gum-Gum Battle-Axe technique, knocking him out and destroying everything Arlong built. He was then sent to Impel Down.

8

Bellamy Mocked Luffy as Weak Until He Got Knocked Out

First Appears In Season 6, Episode 3, “Stop Dreaming! The City Of Ridicule, Mock Town!”

Bellamy met Luffy in Mock Town, and he enjoyed picking fights with people who he considered weak. Back then, Bellamy was already associated with the Donquixote Pirates, and he had the power of the Spring-Spring Fruit, which turned his limbs into springs, so his sense of superiority was justified. Bellamy actually slammed Luffy’s head through a bar counter during the Jaya Arc to test his strength, but a full-blown fight never happened.

Luffy only entertained a fight after Bellamy attacked and robbed Mont Blanc Cricket. When Bellamy learned about Luffy’s 100 million berry bounty, he assumed it was fake and mocked both him and Cricket while displaying his Devil Fruit power. Not only was Luffy unfazed by the display, he defeated Bellamy with a single punch which sent him crashing into the ground. This unexpected defeat stuck with Bellamy for over two years and drove him to become stronger.

7

Mr. 3 Thought Strategy Would Beat Instinct and Luffy Showed Him Otherwise

First Appears In Season 2, Episode 9, “An Ancient Island! The Shadow Lurking In Little Garden!”

Mr. 3 was the third highest-ranking male officer agent of Crocodile’s Baroque Works organization and served as the main antagonist of the Little Garden Arc. He may not have Haki, but Mr.3 can use the Wax-Wax Fruit to create and manipulate candle wax, and he is a brilliant tactician. Mr. 3used his skills to immobilize Brogy and Dorry, two of the strongest giants in One Piece. He also trapped most of the Straw Hats with his wax.

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In their final showdown, Luffy dealt with Mr.3 and twenty of his wax clones. Mr. 3 believed Luffy’s simple mind would never detect his real body and planned to stab him during the fray. Unfortunately, Mr. 3 underestimated Luffy’s gut feeling. Luffy guessed right off the bat and knocked Mr. 3 out with a single kick to the face. Mr. 3’s tactical mind was no match for Luffy’s incredible instincts.

6

Hancock Underestimated Luffy on Amazon Lily and Fell in Love Instead

First Appears In Season 12, Episode 2, “Hurry! Back To The Crew – Adventure On The Isle Of Women”

Hancock was the only female member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea and is one of the few people in the world capable of using all three types of Haki. She can also turn people to stone with the Love-Love Fruit. Hancock is one of One Piece‘s strongest female characters. Hancock is now madly in love with Luffy, but when they first met, she was a villain who wanted him dead because of seeing the slave mark on her back.

Hancock hated men from the moment she was branded as a slave and believed Luffy was just another greedy man who only cared about himself. While fighting her sisters, Luffy put himself in harm’s way to conceal Sandersonia’s mark, which stunned Hancock. When Hancock gave Luffy the ultimatum to leave Amazon Lilly and rejoin his crew or get turned to stone to free her petrified subjects, she expected him to take the selfish option. However, he agreed to be turned to stone without a moment’s hesitation. Luffy’s caring and selfless nature opened Hancock’s heart, which caused her to fall victim to the love sickness.

5

Hody Thought Luffy Was Too Weak to Stop Him and Lost Everything

First Appears In Season 15, Episode 11, “Landing At Fish-Man Island – The Lovely Mermaids”

Hody is a former member of Neptune’s Army, but he only joined because he wanted to gain experience. He founded the New Fish-Man Pirates and assembled 100,000 followers, hoping to depose Neptune and attack the surface. Like Arlong, Hody considered humans to be inferior and, given his mastery of underwater combat and Energy Steroids, he believed Luffy was too weak to stop his plan.

Hody disregarded Luffy status, bounty, and Devil Fruit, but he was left in complete awe when Luffy knocked out 50,000 of his men with a single burst of Conqueror’s Haki. Even then, Hody still disregarded Luffy’s strength because he had Energy Steroids in his back pocket. Hody critically injured Luffy during their fight, but the Straw Hat Captain pushed forward and flattened him with a giant-sized Haki infused gattling barrage. Hody is now an incredibly weak Fish-Man serving a lengthy prison sentence.

4

Crocodile Saw Luffy as Just Another Rookie Until He Got Defeated

First Appears In Season 2, Episode 15, “Critical Counterattack! Usopp’s Quick Wit And Kaenboshi!”

Crocodile was the main villain of the Arabasta Saga and is one of the few One Piece villains to have defeated Luffy twice. As far as Crocodile was concerned, Luffy was just another upstart rookie pirate who did not know what he was getting into in the Grand Line. Crocodile was an experienced pirate and a Warlord of the Sea, and the Sand-Sand Fruit gave him complete control over sand. He was essentially unbeatable in Arabasta, which was a desert kingdom.

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Their first fight saw Crocodile toy with Luffy because the Straw Hat Captain could not contend with Crocodile’s intangibility. Their second fight was more equal because Luffy discovered the Sand-Sand Fruit’s moisture-related weakness, but he was still left in a near-death mummified state. For this reason, Crocodile expected their final fight to end the same way, but Luffy’s blood-soaked body and Gum-Gum Gatling pulverized Crocodile until he could no longer move. To his surprise, the rookie thwarted his plan, cost him his Warlord title, and had him sent to Impel Down.

3

Cracker Believed Luffy Couldn’t Beat a Yonko Commander and Got Proven Wrong

First Appears In Season 19, Episode 14, “The Land Of Souls – Mom’s Fatal Ability!”

Cracker is Big Mom’s 15th child and served as one of her Three Sweet Commanders. He is a master swordsman with the potent Armament Haki and the Bis-Bis Fruit allowed him to generate and manipulate biscuits. As one of the strongest Yonko Commanders, Cracker believed Luffy was no match for him, especially since he easily defeated Urouge, another member of the Worst Generation, a few weeks earlier.

Cracker’s biscuits were durable enough to withstand blows from Luffy’s Gear 4 transformation and his Haki-imbued sword can cut through Luffy’s Haki imbued, Gear 4 arm. Very few characters have accomplished such feats, so it is not surprising that Cracker taunted Luffy throughout the fight. Unfortunately, Cracker underestimated Luffy’s appetite. Luffy ate all of Cracker’s biscuit soldiers until he got bloated and entered his Tankman form. Cracker accidentally got sucked into Luffy’s body and was propelled into Whole Cake Chateau with enough force to knock him unconscious.

2

Doflamingo Never Believed a Commoner Like Luffy Could Defeat Him

First Appears In Season 6, Episode 8, “The 100,000,000 Man! The World’s Highest Authority And The Pirate Blackbeard”

Doflamingo was the main antagonist of the Dressrosa Arc and could have been considered the strongest Warlord after Dracule Mihawk. He is a Celestial Dragon by birth and can use all three types of Haki. The String-String Fruit allows him to create and control razor-sharp string and Doflamingo has mastered this Devil Fruit to the point he can turn non-living things into string. Thanks to this power, Doflamingo can destroy an entire kingdom singlehandedly.

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Doflamingo lost his World Noble status when he was a child but maintained his arrogant, prideful, and sadistic personality. Doflamingo viewed Luffy as a commoner who was sticking his nose where it did not belong. Luffy annoyed Doflamingo to the point where the veins in his head were going to burst, but Doflamingo believed he had the upperhand throughout their fight. In their final clash, Doflamingo expected his God Thread attack to beat Luffy, but he underestimated Luffy’s determination and the power of Gear 4. After being defeated by a massive punch, Doflamingo was stripped of his title and imprisoned in Impel Down.

1

Kaido Saw Luffy as a Nuisance Until He Became a Real Threat with Gear 5

First Appears In Season 17, Episode 108, “Sending A Shock Wave – The Worst Generation Goes Into Action!”

As a Yonko, Kaido was considered one of the strongest pirates in the world. His Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit allowed him to transform into an azure dragon and he could use all three types of Haki and their advanced applications. Kaido never considered Luffy an actual threat, which is not surprising since he defeated him effortlessly in their first encounter. If he had considered Luffy a threat, he would have destroyed him instead of sending him to Udon Prison.

During the Onigashima Raid, Kaido was amused by Luffy’s attacks rather than concerned because he believed Luffy could never seriously injure his near-indestructible body. Kaido beat Luffy and sent him crashing into the ocean. Luffy returned, but was killed because of CP0’s interference and Kaido declared victory. Unfortunately, Kaido underestimated Luffy’s desire to help Momonosuke free Wano. After awakening Gear 5, Luffy gained the power to overwhelm Kaido. He nailed Kaido with his Gum-Gum Bajrang Gun attack and sent him crashing into lava.

One Piece

Release Date

October 20, 1999

Network

Fuji TV