Summary
Monkey D. Luffy’s innate ability toimprove the lives of pretty much any noble soul he meetsand befriends during his journeys is one of the many reasons he’s such a likable and endearing protagonist. This applies to the nine members of his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, more than anybody else, seeing as their lives were completely changed for the better after they met him and voluntarily decided to join his crew.
However, sometimesOne Piecefans can’t help but wonder: what would have happened to all the Straw Hats if they had never met Luffy in the first place? Considering how unfair and gruesome the fictional world of this series can be, this question has multiple answers that are surprisingly dark and tragic.
1Roronoa Zoro
Would Have Been Executed In Shells Town
WhenLuffy metRoronoa Zoro, he had been captured in Shells Town for killing the dangerous pet wolf of Helmeppo, the son of Marine Captain “Axe-Hand” Morgan. As a result of his actions, he was going to be executed in three days, which would have put an end to his lifelong dream offinding Dracule Mihawk, defeating him in combat, and becoming the world’s greatest swordsman.
Needless to say, Zoro was extremely lucky to have met Luffy right before that deadline, since the young pirate retrieved his katanas for him, freed him, and helped him defeat Morgan. If this fateful meeting had never transpired, Zoro would have been executed by the Marines after those three days, since he apparently had no way of escaping without assistance.
2Nami
Would Still Be Working For Along
Namiis well-known for her tragic backstory, as her village was invaded by the deadly Arlong Pirates, who killed her adoptive mother, Bell-mère, and forced her to draw maps for them from a very young age. When Luffy and Zoro met her in Orange Town, she was collecting treasure to gain enough money to buy her village back from Arlong. Unbeknownst to her, however,the Fish-Man pirate captain would eventually betray her and give her treasure to the Marines, forever sealing her fate in the process.
If Nami hadn’t met Luffy, she would surely have managed to collect all the money she needed to achieve her goal anyway, but Arlong would still have ended up betraying her. To make things even worse, if she or the rest of Cocoyasi Village tried to fight back without the assistance of a powerful pirate crew like the Straw Hats, they would have all been defeated and/or killed in battle.
3Usopp
Would Have Been Killed By Kuro
Sometimes, it feels like the Straw Hats arrive at a location precisely when they are needed, because that’s exactly what happened during their time at Syrup Village. They met and befriended the town’s infamous liar,Usopp, just a few days beforeKlahadore (who was actually Captain Kuro of the Black Cat Pirates)initiated his plan to assassinate Kaya and take over the village with his crew.
One of the most important moments of the Syrup Village Arc is when the Straw Hats believe Usopp when he tries to tell everybody that Klahadore is going to kill them, so if Luffy, Zoro and Nami were not there, nobody else would have believed him and they would have all suffered by the hands of the Black Cat Pirates, with Usopp himself most likely being assassinated first. Curiously enough, if Luffy had never met Usopp, he would never have obtained his first ship, the Going Merry.
4Sanji
Would Still Be Working At The Baratie
By the time Luffy and the other Straw Hats metSanji, he was one of the most talented (albeit problematic) chefs working at the Baratie restaurant. While the straw-hat-wearing pirate obviously inspired him to set sail and follow his dream to find the All Blue, his hypothetical fate wouldn’t have been as bad otherwise, especially when compared to other members of the crew.
If Sanji had never met Luffy, he would most likely still be working at the Baratie as a regular chef/waiter, clashing with Zeff on a daily basis. Of course, he would still have to deal with dangerous pirates who attempt to take advantage of the restaurant (like Don Krieg), but it’s highly unlikely that he would have died at some point. Curiously enough, Germa 66 only discovered he was alive due to his public reputation as a pirate, meaning that they would most likely have never found him if he hadn’t joined the Straw Hats in the first place.
5Tony Tony Chopper
Would Still Be Working With Kureha
Tony Tony Chopperisone of the most distinctive members of the Straw Hat Pirates, not only because he’s the crew’s resident doctor, but also because he’s a sentient reindeer who ate the Hito Hito no Mi. When he met Luffy and the others, his father figure and mentor, Doctor Hiriluk, had already died a long time ago, so he was currently working with Doctor Kureha and learning about medicine from her.
Of course, Wapol returned to Drum Island around the same time the Straw Hats arrived, so he would definitely still be its cruel king if they weren’t there to stop him. Furthermore, Chopper was not strong enough to defeat Wapol by himself if he tried to fight him at that point, meaning that he would most likely still be living as a reclusive doctor alongside Kureha.
6Nico Robin
Would Have Been Killed By Crocodile
Nico Robinis, without a doubt, the one person in the series whose life was improved the most by the influence of Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates.After her home country of Ohara was annihilated in a gruesome Buster Call, she was forced to fend for herself for many years, going from one criminal organization to another, which eventually landed her at Baroque Works, where she became one of its strongest members and Sir Crocodile’s right-hand woman.
Robin tolerated Crocodile’s actions during the Arabasta Arc just because she was searching for the Poneglyph that was hidden within the country, but she didn’t expect him to suddenly betray and try to kill her. Regardless of the Straw Hats’ involvement during the war on Arabasta, she would most likely have been killed by Crocodile anyway, because the Warlord of the Sea was strong enough to overpower her. And even if Robin managed to survive his attack and joined another criminal organization, she would have been killed or delivered to the World Government at some point.
7Franky
Would Still Be A Criminal Hiding In Water 7
When Luffy first metFranky, the cyborg was the leader of the Franky Family, a criminal group of bounty hunters that terrorized the streets of Water 7. In reality - and unbeknownst to the Straw Hats – he was actually Cutty Flam, a former student of the famous shipwright Tom, who had intentionally become a criminal to hide his identity and the Pluton blueprints his teacher and father figure had passed down to him.
Since Franky was ordered to do so by his adoptive brother, Iceburg (who’s also the mayor of Water 7), he would have chosen to stick with this plan if the Straw Hats had never arrived in his hometown. While Cipher Pol 9’s devious plan to attack Iceburg and obtain the Pluton blueprints from him was set into motion the moment Nico Robin arrived at Water 7 with the Straw Hats, Rob Lucci, Kalifa and Kaku were still working undercover at Galley-La Company,so it’s very possible Franky would have had to fight them at some point anyway.
8Brook
Would Still Be Navigating The Ocean Alone, And Without A Shadow
Brookwas in a really unfortunate state when the Straw Hat Pirates first found him, ashe was still drifting in the waters of the Florian Triangle on the ship where he and all the other Rumbar Pirates had died, was slowly losing his sanity and feeling heartbroken over the fact that he was most likely never going to see his friend Laboon ever again. To make things even worse, he had recently encountered the Thriller Bark Pirates and their captain, Gecko Moria, who used his Devil Fruit to steal Brook’s shadow and put it on a zombie.
Needless to say, Brook was extremely lucky to have encountered the Straw Hats, because not only did they help him defeat Gecko Moria and recover his shadow, but they also told him that Laboon was still alive and waiting for him, which gave him a noble reason to keep on living. If he had never met Luffy and the others, Brook would still be all alone in the middle of the sea, and he may have even disintegrated if he ever came in contact with sunlight, due to his lack of a shadow.
9Jinbe
Would Still Be Imprisoned On Level 6 Of Impel Down
Unlike all the other members of the Straw Hat Pirates (with the only exception arguably being Brook),Jinbeactually had quite a successful and fruitful career as a pirate, seeing as he not only managed to become the captain of the Sun Pirates after Fisher Tiger’s tragic death, but he was also named a Warlord of the Sea by the World Government, which helped him fight for the rights of Fish-Men and Merfolk around the world. However, since he refused to join the war against the Whitebeard Pirates, Jinbe was imprisoned in Level 6 of Impel Down.
Curiously enough, Jinbe’s life was heavily changed by Luffy years before he joined his crew, seeing as the young pirate helped him escape his unjust imprisonment. Of course,he still did a lot of things before officially joining the Straw Hat Pirates in Wano, like going back to Fish-Man Island and allying himself with Big Mom, but he would most likely still be trapped in Impel Down if Luffy had never found him there. On top of that, considering the unfair treatment Fish-Men often receive from the World Government, he would definitely have been killed at some point.
