Before becoming one of the Yonko, Luffy suffered numerous setbacks in One Piece.

HIGHLIGHTS

 Luffy’s impulsiveness led to failures in battles against Crocodile, Kaido, Smoker, and in protecting his crew on Sabaody.
 Falling short in saving his brother Ace, Luffy had to rely on external help to survive various dangerous situations.
 Luffy’s inability to think things through have put his crew in danger multiple times, showcasing his reckless nature.

Monkey D. Luffy is the main protagonist of One Piece. He is the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, and together, they have completed undertakings that were deemed impossible. The entire crew is filled with capable fighters, and all of them are able to pull their weight.

As the leader, Luffy has the final say on everything, but sometimes this can be problematic as he tends to act on whims. Luffy’s actions have endangered his life and that of his crew on various occasions. In other cases, his recklessness has resulted in a crushing defeat for him. With that in mind, here are some of the instances where Luffy failed in his mission and was incapable of living up to his reputation.

6. Unable To Beat Crocodile Twice

Foolishly Challenged Crocodile

In the Alabasta arc, Luffy was hellbent on helping Vivi rescue her country from the clutches of Crocodile. Luffy is known for being reckless, and sometimes he doesn’t think his decisions through. He charged headfirst without forming a strategy and hoped to defeat Crocodile.

However, the Shichibukai was more than prepared for him. This led to Luffy being defeated not once, but twice. Both times, Luffy was left in a terrible state by Crocodile, and if it weren’t for external help, the young pirate would have been sent to an early grave.

5. Failed To Protect His Crew On Sabaody

Saw His Crew Being Obliterated In Front Of His Eyes

Luffy’s capriciousness has caused trouble for the Straw Hats many times, but nothing comes close to his error in the Sabaody Archipelago arc. When Hatchi was shot by Charlos, Luffy didn’t think twice before punching the Celestial Dragon. There is no doubt that his action was heroic, but it had serious repercussions.

The Blackbeard Pirates have achieved many great things in a very short time.

It caused the Marines to dispatch Kizaru to the location. Sentomaru and the Pacifista also got involved, and almost all the pirates on the island were caught and sent to prison. The Straw Hats had to suffer the brunt of Luffy’s actions, and they were nearly annihilated by Kizaru and the Pacifista. Luffy couldn’t protect any of his crew members; all he could do was stand and watch helplessly as they were sent away one by one. This was undoubtedly a big failure on Luffy’s part. If Bartholomew Kuma had not been on the island, the crew’s journey would have been cut short.

4. Unable To Save Ace

Lost His Brother

Ace was captured by Blackbeard, who subsequently handed him in to the Marines. The organization wasted no time in starting the preparations for Ace’s execution. Given Ace’s ties to the Whitebeard Pirates, there was a lot of coverage of the event.

So, it didn’t take long for news to reach Luffy’s ears. He knew that he had to rescue Ace at all costs. Luffy went to Impel Down, and then to Marineford. While he managed to free Ace from his shackles, Luffy couldn’t protect his brother until the end. It may be harsh to brand this as a failure, but Luffy did fall short. Ace’s death deeply affected Luffy, and his mental stability continued to ebb away until Jimbei helped him.

3. Losing To Kaido Multiple Times

Humbled By A Yonko

Kaido was the main antagonist of the Wano Country arc. The stage for the fight between him and Luffy had been set up since the Straw Hat Pirates landed on Punk Hazard. Considering Kaido was the strongest creature in the world, fans were expecting Luffy to struggle to some extent in the fight.

One Piece has a lot of powerhouses but there is no shortage of smart individuals in the story either.

However, they didn’t expect the hero to lose multiple times against Kaido. The Yonko made short work of Luffy in their very first encounter, defeating the young pirate with a single blow. In the second meeting, Kaido knocked Luffy off Onigashima. There is no doubt that the hero will remember these losses for a long time.

2. Captured By Smoker

Would Have Been In Jail If Not For His Father

Smoker is a Marine Vice Admiral, and he met Luffy in Loguetown. He found quite a few similarities between Luffy and Roger. This comparison probably disturbed him mentally, which is why he was zealous about capturing Luffy. Since Smoker has a Logia-type Devil Fruit, the pirate was unable to land any attacks on him.

Luffy’s lack of Haki meant that he couldn’t hurt the Marine at all. So, Smoker managed to capture Luffy rather effortlessly. The Marine’s next task was to put Luffy in prison, but Dragon managed to rescue his son. Needless to say, Luffy’s inability to escape from Smoker counts as one of his biggest failures.

1. The Disaster In Impel Down

Needed A Miracle To Live

Luffy went to Impel Down in hopes of breaking out Ace before the Marines could take him to their headquarters. He asked for Hancock’s help to infiltrate the facility, and she was more than happy to do so. Not long after getting inside, Luffy was confronted by Magellan.

The Chief Warden of Impel Down was not going to let a pirate taint the reputation of Impel Down. So he cornered Luffy and beat him within an inch of his life. Magellan’s poison left Luffy at death’s door, and he would have died if he hadn’t received proper care from Ivankov. Luffy still had to sacrifice years of his life to be able to move and leave for Marineford.