The epic shonen saga of One piece stars Monkey D. Luffy as he struggles to traverse the East Blue Sea, the Grand Line, and most recently, the terrifying New World. Luffy and his fellow pirates have survived harsh climates, powerful villains, and even entire wars to get this far, which requires more than a little plot armor, especially for Luffy himself.

To author Eiichiro Oda's credit, most of Luffy's victories feel organic and well-earned, which leads to some satisfying adventures and battles throughout. One piece, from the Romance Dawn arc to the current Egghead Island arc. Still, if fans pay close attention, they can find a few moments where Luffy definitely needed some help from the plot itself to avoid certain destruction and survive encounters that would normally have killed him. Perhaps this is part of his destiny as a Joy Boy – for the sake of the world, Luffy simply cannot afford to die until he frees the world from oppression.

10 Shanks saves Luffy from drowning in Windmill Village

Chronologically, one of the first moments of danger in Luffy's entire life came when he was only seven years old. At the time, he had just eaten the Gum-Gum fruit, and then Higuma the Bear terrorized Windmill Village. In the chaos, Higuma grabbed Luffy and threw him into the sea to drown. Higuma was devoured by a sea king, but this did not help Luffy much.

That was when Shanks dove into the water and lost an arm while saving Luffy from destruction. This plot armor took a physical toll on Shanks, but being a caring and fatherly man, Shanks didn't mind too much. He even used Supreme King's Color Haki to scare away the Sea King who had ripped off his left arm.

9 A Storm and Dragon Bail Luffy out of Trouble in Loguetown

Near the end of the East Blue Saga, Luffy's five-man pirate crew arrived in Loguetown. This short arc didn't make it into the live-action version, but it still had some notable developments that all fans should be aware of, such as the introduction of Captain Smoker and Monkey D. Dragon.

Luffy found the execution platform where Gol D. Roger had died a few years earlier, and Buggy the Clown attempted to rip off Luffy's head while he was imprisoned. However, Luffy didn't seem the least bit concerned, and just in time, a storm arrived, freeing Luffy with a convenient gust of wind. This, combined with Dragon's interference, allowed Luffy to escape unharmed into the sea.

8 Nico Robin saves Luffy in the Alabasta desert

In the Alabasta saga, Luffy needs a few instances of plot armor to stand a chance against his next enemy, Sir Crocodile. Being one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Crocodile was too powerful for Luffy, and he easily won their first confrontation in Alabasta. Crocodile left Luffy for dead in the unforgiving desert, but help was on the way.

Of all people, Crocodile's right-hand woman, Miss All-Sunday, arrived to help Luffy survive. This was Luffy's future crewmate in action, with Nico Robin being a much kinder and more heroic person than her involvement in Baroque Works would suggest. This armor helped ensure that Luffy survived to reach Alubarna and fight Crocodile two more times to save Vivi's kingdom.

7 Luffy defeats Sir Crocodile without using Haki or Gears

Luffy's second fight against Sir Crocodile was short and ended badly, but it was not the end. Just moments after Crocodile left the battlefield, Luffy rejuvenated himself with water and then rushed to the underground catacombs where Crocodile had gone. Down below, the two pirate captains fought their final battle, and for the first time, Luffy had a real chance of winning.

In all fairness, Luffy used creative methods, such as his own blood, to partially negate Crocodile's advantage with his Sand-Sand Fruit. Still, looking back, it's obvious that some serious armor was involved, because there was no way Luffy could defeat any Warlord without using Haki or any of his Gears. If Luffy needed Gears 2 and 3 to fight the CP9 members, then he would certainly need the same against Crocodile.

6 Inazuma meets Luffy and Mr. 2 on the 5th floor of Impel Down

Luffy needed a lot of plot armor in the intense Summit War saga, as Luffy kept challenging enemies he wasn't ready to fight. In short, Luffy was in over his head, so One pieceThe plot armor worked overtime to keep you in the game. The first major example was when Luffy was dying from Magellan's poisons on the fifth floor of Impel Down, and not even Bon Clay could save him.

With deadly wolves and dangerously low temperatures, Luffy and Bon Clay were in serious trouble—that is, until Inazuma arrived. Inazuma graciously saved the two and took them to Level 5.5, the hidden paradise where Emporio Ivankov kept his hidden army of revolutionary fighters.

5 Emporio Ivankov injects Luffy with hormones to combat Magellan's poisons

Luffy's thick armor remained when he met Ivankov in Level 5.5 of Impel Down. Inazuma may have saved Luffy from the cold and wolves of Level 5, but there was still the matter of Magellan's lethal poisons, and that was right in Ivankov's wheelhouse. Ivankov used his Horm-Horm Fruit to boost Luffy's body with special hormones, and so the fight for survival began.

For nearly a full day, Luffy fought for his life against the poisons in his body. Ivankov estimated that Luffy had a 3% chance of survival, but as shonen action fans know, any survival percentage above 0% might as well be 100%. Sure enough, Luffy overcame the poisons and ate enough food to last him a few days to complete his recovery.

4 Mr. 2 helps Luffy's crew escape from Impel Down territory

Luffy recruited a variety of people to serve as his temporary crew, including Ivankov's group and even former enemies such as Mr. 2, Mr. 3, and Buggy the Clown. Even Sir Crocodile joined the motley crew, but the Impel Down crew would not allow this group to escape, even with a Warlord at Luffy's side. So, Mr. 2 made a sacrificial move and used his Clone-Clone Fruit to good effect.

Taking extreme risk, Mr. 2 impersonated Magellan himself, using this disguise to order the massive gates of Impel Down to be opened. This allowed Luffy's crew to sail away and head to Marineford, and everyone aboard Luffy's stolen ship wept for Mr. 2's noble sacrifice. For the second time, Luffy owed Mr. 2 for saving his life, the first time being the escape from Arabasta Harbor.

3 Shanks and Trafalgar Law save Luffy's life at Marineford

The final piece of Luffy's armor in the Marineford saga arrived shortly after he witnessed Ace's tragic death at the hands of Admiral Akainu. Luffy was in no condition to fight and wasn't strong enough to face his strongest enemies on that battlefield, but at least he had powerful allies to save him from trouble.

The red-haired Shanks arrived to help protect Luffy, and as the emperor, he was easily strong enough to get the job done. So Trafalgar D. Water Law finished the job by personally evacuating Luffy, taking him away from the battlefield aboard his submarine. Only after One pieceTime-skip Luffy and Law would become official allies in the New World.

2 Luffy learns Color Observation Haki while fighting Charlotte Katakuri

During the Whole Cake Island Saga, Luffy met his true equal, Charlotte Katakuri, who had elastic Devil Fruit powers and a variety of Haki abilities at her disposal. Katakuri was at least on par with the Seven Warlords, if not stronger, and was a serious obstacle for Luffy. The two fought, with Katakuri having a clear advantage thanks to his Color of Observation Haki.

By all rights, Luffy should have lost that fight, but then his plot armor gave him the upper hand. Against all odds, and rather conveniently, Luffy started learning Color Observation Haki and survived long enough to use it properly and thus defeat Katakuri on the latter's own terms. Granted, Luffy is known for learning on the fly and having a practical approach to things, but it still felt a bit contrived as plot armor.

1 Luffy awakens Gear 5 while fighting Kaido on Onigashima Island

Luffy's most recent storyline was also his most memorable, and for all the right reasons. Not even the strongest Gear 4 forms could help Luffy defeat the mighty Emperor Kaido, and for a moment, it seemed like Luffy had finally lost. That was almost the case, but then the shonen transformation of Gear 5 happened.

Luffy became the embodiment of Joy Boy and the sun god Nika with his transformation, breaking One piecein the process with his cartoon powers. It was blatant plot armor, but on the other hand, One piece had predicted this transformation a few times, and there really was no other way to defeat Kaido during that battle.