Greetings, One Piece fans!
Do you remember how we were shocked when Monkey D. Luffy, the protagonist of the series, violently punched a Celestial Dragon, one of the highest-ranking members of the World Government, at the auction house in Sabaody? This act had severe consequences and led to the eventual separation of the Strawhats at the hands of Bartholomew Kuma. But why, exactly, did Luffy do it?
In this blog post, we will answer the question : Why did Luffy punch a celestial dragon? In delving into the reasons behind Luffy’s actions and explore the impact they had on the One Piece world.
I have been following and analyzing One Piece since 2008, and I will be your guide today!
So, take a seat, and let’s sail!
Overview on Celestial Dragons
Before going any further, we need to establish who the Celestial Dragons actually are and what their power and influence means in the world of One Piece. To put it simply, the Celestial Dragons are the equivalent of gods in One Piece. They are the most powerful political figures, even more, powerful than kings or marines.
We do not know much about their history, but the Celestial Dragons are descendants of the first twenty royal families that came together to form the world government, with the exception of the Nefertari family of Alabasta. The Celestial Dragons are treated as better than ordinary humans.
They are extremely corrupt and malicious, committing acts like the slave trade and murder at will. Due to their political significance, their transgressions are overlooked, and they have the complete support of the navy at their home in the holy land of Marijose.
In fact, it is often stated that the admirals themselves are direct subordinates of the Celestial Dragon, the reason why Garp refuses to become an admiral. As such, in the event that a Celestial Dragon is harmed, an admiral will immediately be deployed, as we saw with Kizaru coming to Sabaody when Luffy punched one.
Luffy’s Encounter with a Celestial Dragon
Luffy and the Strawhats came across a family of Celestial Dragons at the Sabaody auction house, where they were trying to save Caime. The Celestial Dragon in question wanted to buy Caime and put her in the same tank as piranhas, which is reason enough to punch him. But Luffy was held back by Hanchi, who did not want to cause trouble.
However, Luffy was pushed into punching him when he shot Hanchi multiple times for no other reason than the fact that he could. The Celestial Dragon called Hanchi less than human and laughed at the wounded Fishman. We all know what kind of person Luffy is, he is a true friend, and he hates cruelty.
Given all of that, it’s no mystery why Luffy punched him. Even though Luffy was warned about the consequences, he is not the kind of person to be cautious or afraid. He does what he thinks is right. And at that moment, he knew that the Celestial Dragon needed to be humbled.
So, we are well aware as to why Luffy punched the Celestial dragon, but what did that do? What were the consequences of that punch? Both on the Strawhats and on their story.
Consequences of Luffy’s Actions
As a result of Luffy punching the Celestial dragon, the navy headquarters immediately sent admiral Kizaru and the equivalent of a buster call to Sabaody. This had consequences for more than just the Strawhats, as the crews of all eleven supernovas were present at the Archipelago at the time, and they all had to face Kizaru and the Pacifistas he had brought along.
All of the supernovas put together were incapable of damaging Kizaru, and all came close to being captured. The only way the Strawhats managed to get away was with the help of Rayleigh, who stalled Kizaru, and Kuma, who, under the guise of separating the Strawhats, saved them all.
In other words, we can justifiably say that the Strawhats were separated for the two-year time skip because of Luffy punching the Celestial Dragon. It was because of that punch that Zoro trained with Mihawk, Luffy went to marine-ford and trained with Rayleigh, Sanji trained with Ivankov, and each of the other Strawhats grew stronger as well.
The catalyst for this to happen was Luffy punching the Celestial Dragon. So, not only did this incident lead to the growth and development of the Strawhats as a crew and as individuals, but it also led to the formation of the plot as a whole.
Significance of Luffy’s Actions
We can state that as a leader, Luffy’s actions were irrational and put his entire crew at risk, but they explain his personality and what kind of person he is to the audience, but it also led to the evolution of Luffy as a character. Luffy punched the Celestial Dragon because he was too confident in his power, and as his encounter with Aokiji had before, his counter with Kizaru inspired him to become a better leader and a stronger fighter.
As a result of punching the Celestial Dragon, Luffy realized that he and his crew needed to be stronger to survive in the new world.
Luffy’s actions at Sabaody remain significant because they shaped the plot after that point. They lead to a level of realization and maturity within Luffy that can only be identified as character development.
Conclusion
So, we have successfully identified that it was due to the Celestial Dragons’ actions, his cruelty, and his shooting of Hanchi that Luffy punched him. But beyond that, it was because Luffy does not care what the status of his opponent is. If someone deserves to get punched, Luffy will punch them (and we all know the Celestial Dragons deserve to be more than just punched). In my own opinion, Luffy does not care about how the world works. He is simple and wants to be free of everything. That’s why he wants to be Pirate King. He punched the Celestial Dragon to exercise his freedom, and though that had consequences for his crew, we know that all of them stood by his actions, letting us know that they support Luffy’s moral compass.
However, do you think, keeping in mind all it led to, that Luffy punching the Celestial dragon was justified? Please let us know what you think about that incident.
