Each member of One Piece'​​​​​​s Straw Hat Pirates shares the commonality of having joined for a specific goal or ambition in mind. But another common denominator they all have is a traumatic backstory that shaped their personality and priorities.

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Since the call to adventure and escapism is one of the temptations of pirate life, it follows that the Straw Hats also desire freedom from whatever haunted them in the past. All the crew mates' pasts evoke pain or regret in some way, with a few standing out more starkly than others.

10 Nico Robin Saw Her Home Destroyed Because Of The Poneglyphs

An image of young Nico Robin in One Piece.

Nico Robin hailed originally from the now-extinct island Ohara, home to archaeologists and scholars. But the World Government ordered its destruction via Buster Call after learning they were studying the Poneglyphs and the Void Century. Robin, the only survivor at age eight, was labeled a fugitive and given a bounty for a false reason.

Robin has perpetually been on the run since, sometimes allying with shady individuals such as Crocodile when it benefits her interests. She only regains her desire to live and thrive after befriending the Straw Hats and seeing how far they would go for her own sake.

9 Nami Had The Safety Of Her Village Resting On Her Back

Young Nami facing away with memory of guy laughing behind her

Nami's village was attacked by Arlong the Fish-man and his crew when she was young. When Nami's adopted mother Belle-Mere couldn't afford to pay Arlong's fee for herself, Nami, and Nami's adopted sister Nojiko, she sacrificed herself for them. Nami was then taken for her map skills and forced to become a cartographer for the person who murdered her guardian and controls her home.

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He then made her a cruel deal: if she collected 100 million berries to buy the lives of the villagers, Arlong would release them. This put great stress on young Nami to save everyone, which tragically turns out to be pointless years later when Arlong shows no intention of honoring that agreement.

8 Chopper Experienced Bullying & Accidentally Poisoned His Mentor

Tony-Tony Chopper holds up a mushroom in One Piece.

Ostracized from his herd for his blue nose, Tony-Tony Chopper also faced persecution from humans, meaning he fit in nowhere. He found purpose after being taken in by Doctor Hiruluk, but the doctor eventually rejected him, not wanting Chopper to watch him die from his terminal illness.

Chopper believed he could cure his mentor with a medicinal mushroom, but it ended up being poisonous due to a misinterpretation of the skull's meaning in medicine. Hiruluk consumed it anyway, appreciating Chopper's efforts and knowing the end was inevitable. Shortly afterward, the doctor was executed in a trap set by King Wapol, leaving Chopper with Kureha.

7 Sanji Ran Away From His Abusive Family

Young Sanji being terrorized in One Piece.

Born in the noble Vinsmoke family in the North Blue, Sanji was the only decent, moral one due to his mother's sacrifice. Bullied and psychologically tortured for his perceived weakness, Sanji eventually ran away to the East Blue. Caught on a ship in a storm, he is washed overboard only to be rescued by pirate Zeff and marooned on a deserted island where the two nearly starve.

After the two are rescued, Sanji is all but raised by Zeff who quit piracy and opened the Baratie ship restaurant, where he taught Sanji to cook. It is only through Zeff that Sanji had a remotely supportive upbringing.

6 Franky's Own Creations Were Used To Condemn His Father Figure

Franky tries to stop Puffing Tom, One Piece

Formerly Cutty Flam, young Franky was apprenticed to shipwright Tom, alongside Iceberg who frequently scolded Franky for making warships. The World Government then framed Tom by attacking Water 7 using Franky's Battle Frankies, so they would have an excuse to interrogate him about the Pluton weapon blueprints.

Tom took the blame to spare his workers and to teach Franky to be proud of his creations. In trying to stop the Sea Train from taking Tom to Enies Lobby, Franky was severely injured and forced to rebuild parts of his body mechanically. He returned to Water 7 under the moniker "Franky," where he became the secret guardian of the Pluton plans Iceberg gave him for safekeeping.

5 Brook Abandoned Laboon & Watched His Crew Die

Brook's soul returns to his body - One Piece

​​​​​Brook entered the Grand Line as the Rumbar Pirates’ musician. Though his crew planned on leaving their whale friend Laboon behind, he followed them. Subsequently, they were forced to leave Laboon with Crocus in the Grand Line, promising to return for him. After this, Brook's crew was halved when a disease hit, and Brook and the rest were lethally poisoned after.

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Brook was brought back to life by the Revive-Revive Devil Fruit, but could not find his physical body. When he finally did, he was left with a skeleton and could not leave the area since the ship's rudder was damaged. And when he finally drifted to Thriller Bark, his shadow was stolen.

4 Luffy Experiences Harsh Training, Abandonment, & Loss

Shanks rescues young Luffy from Sea King in One Piece.

Monkey D. Luffy was abandoned in the care of his grandfather Garp who put Luffy through extreme training. Though he befriended Shanks and the Red-Hair Pirates, they refused to let him sail with them. After Luffy consumed the Gum-Gum Devil Fruit, he lost the ability to swim and had to be rescued by Shanks when he was kidnaped by a bandit.

This caused Shanks to lose his arm to a Sea King, much to Luffy's remorse. After this, Luffy managed to bond with Sabo and Portgas D. Ace, who became his adoptive brothers. Sadly, this would not last due to Sabo being taken from them but would strengthen the connection between Luffy and Ace.

3 Jinbei Endured Racism For Being A Fish-Man

Jimbei the whale shark fishman and former sun pirate in One Piece.

A past member of the Sun Pirates under Fisher Tiger, Jinbei initially showed hatred and excessive violence toward Marines for overlooking the enslavement of his people. Fisher Tiger saw this and encouraged him to curb this behavior, so he wouldn't stoop to humans' level.

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Jinbei listened, especially after encountering human former slave Koala who admitted much of the enmity came from a lack of knowledge pertaining to either side. After the deaths of Fisher Tiger and Queen Otohime, Jinbei continued to hold his more peaceful ideals while working for understanding between humans and Fish-men, even though it contributed to his imprisonment in Impel Down for refusing to oppose Whitebeard.

2 Zoro's Drive Stems From Wanting To Be The Best For Himself & His Rival

onepiece-zoroandkuina

Roronoa Zoro harbored a dream of becoming the best swordsman in the world at a young age and set out to improve himself against his best friend and rival Kuina, the daughter of the dojo's owner who faced her own obstacle because of her gender, in spite of her clear skill.

To encourage her as well as himself, Zoro proposed they be rivals to better each other and reach their respective goals of becoming the world's best swordsmen together. Kuina agreed but shockingly lost her life in a random accident by falling down the stairs. This motivated Zoro to try even harder to reach his goal, for both his sake and Kuina's memory.

1 Usopp Became A Chronic Liar To Comfort His Mother

Usopp meets Luffy and the crew, One Piece

Usopp's father Yasopp left both him and his mother at Syrup Village to be a pirate. Even though Usopp's mother consented, she got sick after he left. To cheer his mother up, Usopp began telling lies daily that his father had returned, effectively turning him into a habitual liar.

Even after his mother passed away, Usopp continued lying as a protective tactic which earned him the unfortunate ire of the villagers who considered him a nuisance. By the time of the main story, Yasopp is still absent, Usopp continues to playact with the kids that form Usopp's Pirates with him, and Kaya seems to be his only other friend with everyone else treating him negatively.