The following contains spoilers for major character fights up to the Wano arc in One Piece

One Piece has some of the most compelling fights in anime. That much is an understatement, but some fights have a much more profound impact on the narrative. Luffy beating up the bad guy often improves the lives of the native inhabitants of any particular island the Straw Hats come across, but sometimes the aftermath of a fight alters the very world itself.

From challenging the authority of the World Government to saving countless people from tyranny, the Straw Hats are a force of nature that change the world around them and their actions have lasting effects that can alter the power balance of the seas.

 

10Luffy vs. God Enel

Luffy Freed the Heavens from a Tyrannical god

 

 

  The world of One Piece is vast and mysterious, but there’s no other place quite like Skypiea. A floating island above the clouds ruled by a god is certainly up there on the list of places the Straw Hats have visited, and one could argue that Skypiea is its own world within the wider Grand Line. God Enel ruled Skypiea with an iron fist thanks to his lightning powers from his Devil Fruit, the Rumble-Rumble Fruit (Goro Goro no Mi), a power thought to be invincible, but unfortunately for Enel, Luffy is made of rubber.

While defeating a god was certainly a first for Luffy, changing the world around him after the big fight comes naturally, even if Luffy doesn’t think of himself as a hero. After defeating Enel, Skypiea was freed from his tyranny and the Skypians and Shandians made peace with each other, ending a civil war that raged for over four hundred years. Luffy was able to ring the golden bell and prove to Mont Blanc Cricket that the city of gold did exist.

9Kaido vs. Kozuki Oden

Oden’s Defeat led to the Rise of Kaido’s Empire

Kaido’s victory over Oden resulted in his complete dominance over the Land of Wano. Together with Orochi, Kaido ruled with an iron first over the population, using the Land of Wano as his base of operations and its people to create weapons for his pirate empire. Since the Land of Wano isn’t recognized by the World Government, no one interfered with Kaido’s claim on the island.

Without anyone left to challenge him, Kaido enslaved the people within the Land of Wano to create weapons of war for him and the Beast Pirates. Countless weapons factories poisoned the land and led to mass starvation of the inhabitants. It would take over 20 years for the dawn to break in Wano with the arrival of the Straw Hats. He was able to monopolize the country and made his pirate group rich from the sale of arms across the underworld, particularly to Donquixote Doflamingo in exchange for SMILEs.

8Luffy vs. Crocodile

Crocodile’s Defeat Saved Alabasta From Ruin

Crocodile was the first of the Seven Warlords of the Sea Luffy fought. Only a handful of characters have defeated Luffy in his quest for the One Piece, but Crocodile was the first villain to defeat Luffy multiple times before ultimately being defeated himself after their 3rd fight. Crocodile’s multiple victories over Luffy showed just how powerful the warlords are and the threat they pose, but Crocodile’s main fault was not confirming the kill (twice!) after defeating Luffy.

Crocodile’s defeat toppled his criminal organization, Barque Works, and led to the end of the civil war in Alabasta, ultimately saving the kingdom from ruin. Not to mention Luffy’s rise to the world stage, having defeated a warlord, which led to a significant increase in Luffy’s bounty from 30 million Berries to a whopping 100 million Berries. It’s safe to say that Crocodile’s defeat had lasting effects on the Kingdom of Alabasta, Luffy’s position as a rising pirate, and the authority of the warlords.

7Luffy vs. Hody Jones

Luffy’s Victory Gave him Fish-Man Island as a Territory

While not the most influential villain in the series, Hody Jones served as the perfect punching bag for Luffy to out his strength post time-skip. Hody Jones’s defeat led to the people of Fish-Man island viewing humans more favorably thanks to the Straw Hats saving their kingdom, helping heal the wedge inflamed by the dogmatic and racist views of humans held by Hody Jones and his followers. Luffy’s victory helped move Fish-Man Island toward a more positive and peaceful future with humanity.

Historically, Fish-Man Island was a domain under the Whitebeard Pirates, then was claimed by Big Mom following the Paramount War. Having saved the island from Hody Jones, Luffy usurped Big Mom’s claim and made Fish-Man his first official territory under his banner, marking a significant turning point in Luffy’s climb to the top. With Fish-Man Island under his domain, Luffy became the first pirate to hold the island without being an Emperor of the Sea himself, showcasing his rise on the worldstage as a credible and dangerous pirate.

6Luffy vs. Donquixote Doflamingo

Doflamingo’s Defeat was the First Step in Dismantaling Kaido’s Empire

Unlike Crocodile’s failed ambition to rule Alabasta, Doflamingo was successful in every regard in becoming King of Dressrosa, having usurped the previous king with good old-fashioned scheming. His control over Dressrosa was absolute thanks to the Donquixote crime family and his position as one of the Seven Warlords of the sea. Doflamingo held considerable influence over the underworld as a broker, going by the name Joker. In collaboration with Caesar Clown, Doflamingo produced SMILEs, artificial Devil Fruits that were made and sold exclusively to Kaido, an Emperor of the Sea.

In collaboration with Trafalger D. Law, Luffy and the Straw Hats set out to topple Doflamingo’s criminal empire with the goal of destroying Kaido’s supply chain of SMILEs. After Doflamingo’s defeat at the hands of Luffy, Dressrosa was liberated, the SMILE production facility was destroyed, and the crimes of the Donquixote family were brought to light. The World Government stripped Doflamingo’s status as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and he was imprisoned within Impel Down. His defeat struck a crippling blow to Kaido’s empire because of the loss of the SMILE production facility on Dressrosa.

5The Straw Hats vs. Big Mom Pirates

Luffy’s Defiance Against Big Mom Weakened her Authority

 

       

It’s not every day a pirate crew has the chance to assassinate an Emperor of the Sea, let alone run amok inside one’s territory and humiliate them. As one of the four Emperors of the Sea, Big Mom is feared by most within the world of One Piece, both marine and pirate alike. Except for Luffy and the Straw Hats, of course. Luffy’s attack on Whole-Cake Island damaged Big Mom’s authority and standing as an Emperor of the Sea. Luffy weakened her position in the eyes of the world because of all the press Big Mom had invited to witness the wedding between Sanji and Pudding.

Luffy took down Katakuri, one of the most powerful commanders in One Piece. While Big Mom wasn’t defeated, the fact that the Straw Hats successfully escaped her territory can be considered a victory in the eyes of many. If Luffy wasn’t already considered a menace by the World Goverment and the rest of the Emperors of the Sea, after his attack on Big Mom’s territory and successful escape, he sure is now.

4Admiral Akainu vs. Admiral Aokiji

Admiral Aokiji’s Defeat led to More Aggressive Marine Actions

After the Paramount War, Fleet Admiral Senguko retired, which led to the question of who would become the next Fleet Admiral. The top two candidates being Admiral Akainu and Admiral Aokiji. Both admirals had the right credentials for the spot, but ultimately, only one could become Fleet Admiral, and even with Sengoku’s recommendation, Admiral Aokiji wasn’t guaranteed the position. The two admirals settled on a duel to decide the fate of the Marines in the new era.

The duel took place on Punk Hazard and lasted a whopping ten days, forever scarring the lush, jungle island in ice and fire. The aftermath left the island of Punk Hazard split between two extreme climates of ice and snow and fire and magma. In the end, Admiral Aokiji lost the duel and several limbs to Admiral Akainu, who became the new Fleet Admiral. Aokiji’s defeat led to him leaving the Marines and joining the Blackbeard Pirates. While Akainu’s ascension to Fleet Admiral led to more aggressive policies within the marines and established the new Marine HQ, New Marineford, on the Grand Line.

3The Straw Hats vs. CP9

Robin’s Rescue Made a Fool of the World Government

Enies Lobby, located between Marineford and the infamous prison, Impel Down, makes the island one of the greatest strongholds the World Government controls in One Piece. Arguably one of the most secure places in the world, but that didn’t stop the Straw Hats from successfully raiding the island to rescue Nico Robin. Unlike the rest of Ciphor Pol, which specializes in intelligence gathering, CP9 is a secret branch of the agency that deals in assassinations. CP9 agents are some of the best assassins the World Government has at their disposal.

The Straw Hats declared war on the World Government by burning their flag to rescue Nico Robin, and not even a Buster Call could stop them on their quest to save a friend. The Straw Hats attack on Enies Lobby was unprecedented and their success in rescuing Nico Robin showed the World Government the true threat of the Straw Hats Pirates. By the end of their raid, every CP9 agent was defeated, the World Government was humiliated, and Nico Robin was saved.

2Luffy vs. Kaido

The Birth of a God

Kaido stood as a brick wall for Luffy to break through. It took Luffy’s own death to awaken his Devil Fruit and once his heart started beating again, the end of Kaido’s empire was imminent. Luffy was defeated twice before ultimately giving Kaido a beatdown with his newly awakened Gear 5. The return of Joyboy and Luffy’s mastery over Gear 5 marks a significant point in his journey to become pirate king.

Luffy replaced Kaido as the new Emperor of the Sea and cemented his place as one of the most powerful pirates on the Grand Line. Kaido’s defeat and the fall of the Beast Pirates freed the people of the Land of Wano from their tyranny. Luffy also claimed the Land of Wano as part of his territory or, at the very least, an island under his protection. Kaido’s defeat at the hands of Luffy shocked the world as the old guard was replaced with the new.

1The Whitebeard Pirates vs. Marineford

The Paramount War Marked the Beginning of a new era

 

        One of the most influential battles in One Piece, the Paramount War forever changed the world. To save Ace, the Whitebeard Pirates launched a war against the Marines and attacked Marineford itself to do it. Luffy showed his Conqueror’s Haki to the world while attempting to save Ace and Fleet Admiral Sengoku revealed Luffy as the son of Dragon, the most wanted man in the world.

By the end of the battle, thousands on both sides had died in the fighting. It was only thanks to Shanks and the Red Hair Pirates that more lives weren’t lost. The political landscape of the world was forever changed after the war. The Whitebeard Pirates were shattered by the death of Whitebeard and the old guard on both sides had been swept away. Fleet Admiral Sengoku retired and was replaced by Akainu, while Blackbeard replaced Whitebeard as the new Emperor of the Sea.