Monkey D. Luffy is the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates and the protagonist of the One Piece series. Luffy starts his journey from the East Blue and has recruited a total of 9 crewmates so far, with Zoro being the first of the lot and Jinbe being the latest addition in the Wano Country arc.
Unlike most pirates, Luffy treats his crew as his family, and he is extremely reliant on them. As a result, Luffy has a lot of opportunities to learn from his crew and grow further as a person and a pirate captain.
10 Vivi Taught Luffy How To Act Like A True Captain
Vivi sailed with the Straw Hat Pirates from Whiskey Peak all the way to the Kingdom of Alabasta. During their journey together, Vivi got along extremely well with the crew and was widely recognized as a former member of the crew. Vivi also had a profound effect on Luffy, especially during the Drum Island arc. When Nami was sick and the people of Drum Island didn't allow the pirates to enter, Vivi taught Luffy to be humble and act as a true pirate captain when the situation called for it.
9 The Crew Taught Luffy How To Carry The Burden Of A Captain In Water 7
Luffy fought against Usopp during the Water 7 arc, and eventually, the latter left the crew. Being one of Usopp's closest friends, Luffy didn't want to fight him, and the pain was too hard to deal with. However, the Straw Hat Pirates, especially Zoro, claimed that he did the right thing and that he was now truly carrying the burden of a captain. In essence, Luffy learned how to stay strong for the rest of the crew in the arc.
8 Aokiji's Pursuit Of Robin Forced Him To Get Stronger
Aokiji was introduced during One Piece's Long Ring Long Land arc, and he fought the Monster Trio in an attempt to decimate the crew right there. Although Luffy suffered a tough loss, Robin's fear of Aokiji taught Luffy that he couldn't afford to stagnate as a pirate. To protect his crew, Luffy had to grow stronger, and that was exactly what he did when he fought the CP-9 in the Enies Lobby arc by inventing Gear Second and Gear Third.
7 Nico Robin Taught Him About The Importance Of The Poneglyphs
Nico Robin joined the crew after the events of the Alabasta arc, and as the archaeologist of the group, she often found herself researching the Poneglyphs.
These stones happened to be extremely important for Luffy to become the Pirate King, and before Robin, Luffy had no idea of what a Poneglyph even was. With time, he's learned about their importance and now knows that acquiring the four Road Poneglyphs will make his path to Laugh Tale very simple.
6 Nami Taught Luffy About The Importance Of Loguetown
After freeing Cocoyashi Village from the clutches of Arlong, Nami joined Luffy's crew officially, and their next stop was Loguetown. On the way to the island, Nami taught Luffy about the essence of Loguetown and the importance that it held in the history of piracy. The island was revealed to be called "the town of the beginning and the end" because the Pirate King was born there and also died there. Surprisingly, Luffy was very interested in this conversation, and it excited him even further.
5 Sanji Taught Luffy About The Value Of Food
Luffy recruited Sanji from Baratie in the East Blue as he was amazed by his personality and skills as a cook. Throughout the arc, Luffy learned more about Sanji's past, and thanks to their time together on the way to Laugh Tale, he learned how to value food properly. This was evident from the time when Luffy cooked a poisonous fish and chose to eat it regardless, simply because he knew that Sanji would be mad if he wasted any food.
4 Jinbe Taught Luffy To Believe In Himself Once Again After Marineford
Jinbe joined the Straw Hat Pirates recently in the Whole Cake Island arc, but his adventures with Luffy went all the way back to the Impel Down arc of the story. The two went through hell to save Ace together, and when Luffy failed, Jinbe was the one who was there for him.
In Luffy's time of need, Jinbe teaches him that even after suffering a painful loss, there are important things that every person still possesses. He effectively helped him snap out of his pain and reminded him that his crew was waiting to see him.
3 Zoro Taught Him About The Harsh Reality Of The New World
When Luffy broke into the New World following his adventure from Fishman Island, he didn't take things seriously and suffered a defeat at the hands of Caesar Clown. Zoro, infuriated by this, told Luffy to shape up and try harder since they had finally made it to the New World. Luffy immediately learned that his crew was putting all their faith in him and that he couldn't afford to falter and act carelessly.
2 The Straw Hat Pirates Taught Him About The Value Of Friendship
When Luffy started his journey, he barely had anything that would've made him capable of becoming the Pirate King. However, he slowly acquired all his crewmates and formed an incredible family. Together, the group is powerful enough to topple the strongest, and they'll go to any lengths to make Luffy the Pirate King. Although Luffy always believed in them, his love and understanding of them only got deeper with time, which was something every member of the crew taught him.
1 Usopp Fed A Lot Of His Lies To Luffy
Luffy and Usopp's relationship is one of the best friendships in the entirety of One Piece, and Oda often writes great comedy using the two. During the Enies Lobby arc, Usopp helped Luffy by posing as Sniper King, and Luffy surprisingly fell for it. Usopp taught him all about the place of his origin, Sniper Island. Although Luffy never bothered to remember stuff that others told him, he made an effort to memorize everything Usopp taught him. Given that Usopp's lies often come true, Sniper Island may very well exist somewhere in the Grand Line. Usopp also educated Luffy about various other things through his lies.