Luffy is a pretty strong character and a complete menace for those who oppose him. The average pirate or marine could never stand a chance against Luffy, which is why he has such a high bounty. Even though he's one of the strongest characters in One Piece it's not his strength that's gotten him so far.
The friends he's made along the way and his crew are the real reason why Luffy is so successful. It's usually up to Luffy to beat the big bad during every story arc, but without his friends there to help him, most of those fights would have ended differently and much worse for Luffy.
10 Saving Robin Was A Team Effort
Luffy may have managed the fight with Robb Lucci on his own during the Enies Lobby Arc. Unfortunately, Lucci isn't the only character preventing him from saving Robin. Luffy is strong, but there's no way he could single-handedly handle the attack on Enies Lobby.
Not only did his crew and Franky's crew help him with all the fighting but even noncombatants like Kokoro, Chimney, and Gonbe helped Luffy get where he needed to go.
9 Crocodile & His Team Would've Overwhelmed Luffy
It's a miracle Luffy survives his fight with Crocodile. Crocodile is powerful and completely ruthless, which is why it takes two attempts and all of Luffy's energy to beat him. Even if Crocodile is strong enough to handle things on his own, he has plenty of henchmen that fight alongside him.
Without the rest of the Straw Hats taking on Crocodile's crew, Luffy would have been overwhelmed. Luffy could probably beat characters like Jala and Mr. 2 on his own, but fighting them all by himself — including Crocodile — would have meant the end for him.
8 Nami & Usopp's Storm Helped Defeat Shiki
Shiki may be a movie villain, but he stands out as one of the strongest characters Luffy and his crew have ever faced. At his strongest, Shiki is on par with pirates like Gol D. Roger and Whitebeard. He has immense physical strength, and he's even a talented swordsman.
Luffy can defeat Shiki by increasing the size of his leg in an attack he calls Giant Thor's Axe. He uses his physical strength and the power of the weather to defeat Shiki, which was only possible because Nami and Usopp created the storm. Some fans think Luffy shouldn't have won his fight with Shiki, but it isn't just Luffy who beats him — it's his whole crew.
7 Doflamingo Is Defeated By The Island Of Dressrosa
Doflamingo is an amazingly strong opponent and really put Luffy through the wringer during their fight. Even though Luffy beats him, it's hard to believe that Luffy is truly stronger than Doflamingo since he had so much help during the fight. Not only did Law help him get a good hit in towards the beginning of the fight, but the entire island of Dressrosa helps Luffy win.
Furthermore, Luffy is able to power up another gear four attack because of the gladiators that protected him from Doflamingo. If there's any fight that would have ended poorly for Luffy if he was on his own, it definitely would have been this one.
6 Luffy Wouldn't Have Escaped Magellan Without Bon Clay & Ivonkov
Luffy has a lot of help fighting Magellan, which makes sense considering everyone in the prison are pirates who want their freedom. Former enemies like Mr. 3 protect Luffy from Magellan's attacks, and he even uses his Gum-Gum Fruit powers to cover Luffy's hands with fighting gloves.
However, the MVPs of the Impel Down Arc are Bon Clay and Ivonkov. Not only did Ivonkov hold off Magellan himself, but he even heals Bon Clay and Luffy from Magellan's poison. Bon Clay makes the biggest sacrifice and is the reason Luffy is able to escape.
5 The Summit War Showed The Pirates' True Strength
The Summit War of Marineford is one of the few fights where Luffy isn't the strongest and most important character in the story. The war begins before he even arrives, and although he helps the momentum of the war, it's the other pirates like Whitebeard that really put a dent in the Marine's forces.
Even considering how strong Luffy is, the idea of him handling this fight on his own is outrageous. His enemies were far too strong and outnumbered him greatly, which is why the pirates' side ends up losing in the end.
4 The Villagers & The Straw Hats Saved Luffy
Luffy is currently far stronger than Arlong could ever dream of being, but when he first meets the fish-man pirate, they are equal in strength. Without Usopp, Zoro, and Sanji there to take on the rest of Arlong's crew, the fight could have ended very differently.
Even Nojiko and Genzo lend a hand when they save Luffy from drowning. Without the help of his crew and the people of the village, Luffy's story probably would have ended far sooner.
3 The Fight WIth Aokiji Could Have Been Worse
Any fight the Straw Hats can walk away from is a victory for them. Luffy didn't stand a chance during his first encounter with Aokiji, but things could have been much worse if the rest of his crew hadn't been there to bail him out when he needed it.
Not only is Robin completely turned to ice, but Luffy is too. Luffy survives to fight another day because Zoro and Sanji go back to find him after saving Robin.
2 Luffy Beat Katakuri With Some Unlikely Help
A fight with Katakuri is unwinnable for Luffy. He may be able to dodge his attacks, but overall, Katakuri is faster and stronger in almost every way. The difference between this fight and every other fight in One Piece is that the assistance Luffy receives isn't actually meant for him.
During the fight, a member of the Charlotte family, Flampe, uses her blowgun to attack Luffy. Any other villain would use this opportunity to finish Luffy off, but because Katakuri feels that he needs to defeat Luffy on his own, he backs out of the fight instead. Without that bit of interference, Luffy most likely would have lost.
1 Kaido Was Too Strong For Luffy To Fight Alone
Fans were divided when the fight between Kaido and Luffy appeared in the anime. To some, it didn't accurately represent the manga and how powerful Kaido really is. Even if that's the case, the anime still manages to show how strong Kaido is when he defeats Luffy in a single attack.
Luckily for Luffy, the second time around goes a bit differently thanks to the help of Zoro, Kidd, Law, and Killer. Luffy is eventually able to beat him on his own, but if his comrades hadn't chipped away at Kaido beforehand, he probably would have lost.