Luffy said and did many outstanding things during his Alabasta journey to prove why he’s the world’s #1 pirate captain and shonen hero.

One Piece is split up into several sagas, each saga, in turn, being a large storyline broken up into several story arcs. Arguably, the best One Piece saga is the Alabasta saga, especially before the New World storyline began. The Alabasta saga was the Straw Hats crew’s first taste of the Grand Line.

All throughout the Alabasta saga, all of One Piece‘s best characters of the time took turns shining as true heroes, from Zoro cutting Mr. 1’s steel skin to princess Vivi rallying her people in her homeland. As expected, protagonist Monkey D. Luffy also shone as the saga’s single best character with his words, his heartfelt sympathy for others, and definitely his hard-hitting action scenes.

10/10 Luffy Made Himself Laboon’s New Friendly Rival

The Alabasta saga launched with Reverse Mountain, where the Going Merry sailed up a mountainside and down the other side to reach the Grand Line. There, a massive, scarred whale named Laboon intercepted the Straw Hats and, minus Luffy, swallowed them up.

Eventually, Luffy learned that Laboon was miserable, waiting decades in vain for his friends to return from their adventures elsewhere. So, Luffy attacked Laboon to make himself that whale’s new rival, promising to return someday, a promise that he, unlike the other crew, would keep.

9/10 Luffy Used Sheer Instinct To Dispatch Mr. 3

Luffy’s crew fought their way through Whisky Peak and invited princess Vivi aboard their ship. Then they visited the primordial island Little Garden, where the burly giants Brogy and Dorry fought endlessly. Next, Mr. 3 and his partner, Ms. Golden Week, made their move.

Mr. 3 and Ms. Golden Week wreaked havoc with their wax creations and convincing decoys, but Luffy wasn’t afraid of them. By sheer instinct, Luffy punched the real Mr. 3 in the forest, ignoring all the lifelike wax decoys and surprising everyone. It’s just like Luffy to be clever and score a victory by not thinking at all.

8/10 When Luffy Climbed A Sheer Cliff To Reach Dr. Kureha’s Castle

Luffy was a great hero all throughout the Drum Island story arc, even when he was just trying to get his crewmates to safety. In that wintery island kingdom, Luffy and Sanji tried getting Nami to Dr. Kureha, only for Sanji to get knocked out.

Luffy bravely carried both crewmates, and even scaled a sheer cliff to bring them both to Dr. Kureha’s castle, which had once been Wapol’s as well. It was agonizing for Luffy to carry his two crewmates alone in winter conditions on the freezing-cold rock wall, but he managed it.

7/10 Luffy Defended Hiriluk’s Blossom Jolly Roger

Eventually, the petty tyrant Wapol of Tin returned and tried to reclaim Drum Island by force, and not even Dalton and his men could stop Wapol’s rampage. Luffy led the counterattack, and he used more than rubber fists – he also used symbolism to inspire his new reindeer friend, Tony Tony Chopper.

Luffy proudly defended and raised Hiriluk’s unique jolly roger, a design inspired by Hiriluk’s desire to see the blossoms bloom all over this cold island. Wapol was outraged and insulted by the mere sight of Hiriluk’s own jolly roger, but Luffy wielded it like a fine weapon all the same.

6/10 Luffy Defeated Wapol Of Tin

Even if Luffy’s battle against Wapol was pretty easy compared to his fights against Sir Crocodile and Rob Lucci later on, Luffy’s triumph against Wapol was a cathartic moment in the Alabasta saga. Wapol kept eating things to gain new powers, but Luffy only needed his rubbery body to prevail.

Wapol even tried blasting Luffy away with a fearsome cannon, only for a snow bird nest to stall the attack. Luffy retaliated with extreme force, blasting the despotic Wapol high into the sky with his Gum-Gum Bazooka to preserve Drum Kingdom’s freedom for all time.

5/10 Luffy Convinced Vivi To Not Visit The Rebel Camp

Luffy didn’t need to strike princess Vivi to make his message clear in Alabasta’s deserts, but he did have a point to make. Vivi and the Straw Hats were racing against time all over Alabasta to prevent the civil war that Crocodile had instigated, but Vivi and Luffy disagreed on what to do next.

Vivi wanted to visit the rebel camp and speak to her old friend Koza, but that wouldn’t work. Luffy wisely, and emphatically, suggested that they should go straight to Baroque Works’ headquarters and defeat them. After all, Koza’s rebel faction wasn’t the true enemy – Crocodile and his agents were.

4/10 Luffy Countered Crocodile’s Sand With Water

Luffy’s first fight against Crocodile was a disaster, and he was lucky that Nico Robin, then known as Ms. All-Sunday, rescued him. Then Luffy confronted Crocodile in Alubarna, this time armed with a barrel of water, complete with a hose and nozzle.

Luffy became the first One Piece character to effectively nullify a Logia-type Devil Fruit, using the water to harden Crocodile’s body and thus hit him. Luffy did lose that fight, but he was making progress, and he soon recovered to chase after Crocodile for round 3.

3/10 Luffy Defeated Sir Crocodile For Good

Luffy faced Crocodile yet again in the underground tombs and fought him while Nico Robin and king Nefeltari Cobra watched. This time, it was a fair fight, and Luffy pushed Crocodile like never before, especially when he hardened Crocodile’s sand with blood.

Luffy nearly lost, but he stubbornly refused to yield. He was fighting not for his survival, but for the future of Vivi’s beloved kingdom, and even Vivi’s personal happiness. In the end, not even Crocodile’s special poison hook could save him from Luffy’s righteous wrath, and Luffy won.

2/10 Luffy Offered To Welcome Vivi Aboard As Crew

As the Alabasta saga drew to a close, Luffy was inspired to ask Vivi to actually join his crew. Princess Vivi had grown close to the Straw Hats during their time together, and she enjoyed exploring the world with them. But she also had her duty as Alabasta’s princess.

In the end, Vivi declined to board the Going Merry, but she and Karoo each showed off their “X” arm marks, making them honorary Straw Hats. It was kind of Luffy to make that offer and give Vivi her sole chance to break free of her stuffy royal life to see the world.

1/10 Luffy Accepted Nico Robin Aboard The Going Merry

Just when everyone thought the Alabasta saga was over, one last plot twist took place aboard the Going Merry. Ms. All-Sunday was now a free woman, and she boarded Luffy’s ship simply as Nico Robin the archeologist. There, she requested a place among the Straw Hats.

Luffy’s crewmates were shocked and alarmed, but the open-minded, generous Luffy immediately accepted Robin’s request to join the crew. It seemed reckless, but Luffy’s decision was proven right when Nico became a loyal, skilled, and quite intelligent crew member in the Skypiea saga and beyond.

Src: cbr.com