Unlike the vast majority of pirates in One Piece, Luffy is well known for his kindness and compassion.
No matter the situation, the Straw Hat will always return the favor and protect his friends. One Piece fans will greatly appreciate these moments, since friendship is a central theme of the series. Anytime somebody is badly hurt, Luffy isn't going to take it lying down.
Some of the best moments in One Piece involve Luffy saving his friends. When their lives are on the line, Luffy is willing to put his up just for them. Regardless of how powerful his enemies are, the Straw Hat never backs down in his beliefs.
10 times Luffy saved his friends from dire situations in One Piece
10) Teaching Holdem a lesson
At the beginning of the Wano Country arc, a little girl named Tama was kidnapped by Holdem, a Headliner for the Beasts Pirates. Her Devil Fruit allows her to pull dango from her cheeks and tame animals with them. Due to her abilities, Holdem tried forcing her to do so with the use of pincers.
When Luffy found out about what happened, he swiftly knocked Holdem out with his Red Hawk punch.
9) Saving Bentham from a wolf attack
The former Mr. 2 is among the few One Piece villains that eventually became heroes. During the events of Impel Down, Luffy was heavily poisoned by the warden Magellan. In search of a doctor, Bentham risked his life to save the Straw Hat by taking him to Level Five, the Freezing Hell.
When a pack of wolves mercilessly attacked Bentham, Luffy had just enough energy to knock them out with Conqueror's Haki. He is rarely one to hold grudges in One Piece, given Bentham's involvement with Baroque Works.
8) Staying behind to protect Sanji
The story of Whole Cake Island revolves around Sanji's forced marriage to Pudding, a member of the powerful Charlotte family. Luffy and his friends spent the majority of the arc trying to rescue him. He even managed to starve himself until his fellow cook gave him some food.
Despite taking an earlier beating from Sanji, Luffy knew why he did what he did. Sanji didn't want the Straw Hats to become victims of Big Mom, so he tried to force them away. Nonetheless, Luffy made it clear that he is willing to sacrifice his dream of finding One Piece, just so Sanji can rejoin the Straw Hats.
7) Luffy defeats Enel and rings the golden bell
Many One Piece characters doubted the existence of a golden city. The Shandorian Golden Belfry Bell is among the very few living artifacts.
During the Skypeia arc, the tyrannical Enel had been terrorizing citizens for several years. After a hard struggle, Luffy defeated him by punching him into the golden bell, ringing it in the process. By doing so, he also proved to the citizens below that the golden city did exist.
6) Arlong goes down for making Nami cry
Many One Piece fans were sold with the series during Arlong Park. Nami was forced into captivity by the fish-man, who was responsible for murdering her mother several years ago. At one point, she repeatedly injures herself due to her feeling of hopelessness.
Luffy didn't know her complete backstory, but he didn't need to. After giving Nami his signature Straw Hat (which he never does for anyone), Luffy made his intentions clear. He was going to make Arlong pay for what he did.
5) Ending Doflamingo’s reign of terror over Dressrosa
Doflamingo ruled over the Dressrosa kingdom like a crazed dictator. With the help of Sugar, he turned many citizens into living toys. Many dwarves were also forced into labor for his SMILE factory, which created artificial Devil Fruits.
Thankfully, the Straw Hats put an end to his operations. When Luffy finally engaged with the Heavenly Yaksha, he used his Birdcage technique to trap the citizens. Had Luffy not resorted to his Gear Fourth abilities, the battle would've been lost (along with many lives).
4) Finally defeating Crocodile and saving Alabasta
During the Alabasta saga, Crocodile planned on ruling over the kingdom of Alabasta. He intentionally tried to stir up a civil war just so he could take over. Luffy and his pirate crew eventually figured out what he was up to.
Crocodile remains one of Luffy's most difficult fights in One Piece. The Straw Hat lost twice before their final encounter in the Tomb of the Kings. However, after Luffy improved his skills, Gomu Gomu no Storm was more than enough to bring down the Warlord.
3) Breaking into Impel Down to save Ace
Ace had a very difficult life in One Piece. The World Government saw him as a major threat, given that he was the son of Gol D. Roger. Ace was eventually captured, with his execution date set for Marineford.
While he was imprisoned in Impel Down, Luffy decided to take matters into his own hands. The Straw Hat broke into the prison with the sole intent of freeing his brother. It didn't matter that Luffy was going up against the strongest that One Piece had to offer.
2) The Straw Hats rescue Robin and defy the World Government
One Piece fans will forever remember when Luffy declared war on the World Government. During the Enies Lobby arc, the Straw Hats intended to rescue Nico Robin. She was captured by Cipher Pol Number 9, a ridiculously strong group of fighters and assassins.
Just to show the world he meant business, Luffy ordered Usopp to shoot down a government flag. He would rather fight their entire forces than let his crewmates get captured.
1) Punching a Celestial Dragon
Attacking a World Noble usually means instant death in One Piece. With the ability to call upon Admirals, they go around doing as they please. This is exactly what Charlos did when he shot Hatchan in Sabaody Archipelago.
Disgusted by this cruel display, Luffy decided to walk up to Charloss and punch him right in the face. The consequences didn't matter because Luffy did what he thought was right.
Note: This article reflects the writer's personal views.