Monkey D. Luffy’s infamous scars are a part of who he is — but when did he Luffy get the scar on his chest and who gave it to him?
Although One Piece‘s Monkey D. Luffy is most easily recognized by his trademark straw hat, he does have something else that stands out: his scars. Luffy has two scars: a stitch below his left eye, and a brutal X burned across his chest.
These scars aren’t easily hidden, but their origins remain something of a mystery in the anime, due to the violent nature of their depiction. In the manga, however, the origin of the scar beneath his eye was presented early on. Scars don’t necessarily make a man, but they can certainly tell a lot about what he’s been through and where he’s been.
Luffy Gave Himself the Stitch Scar Under His Left Eye
Seeing how much fun the pirate’s life could be when spending time around Shanks and his crew, Luffy felt inspired to join them. Unfortunately, Shanks turned him down repeatedly because he was too young. In order to prove his courage to the pirates, Luffy took a knife and stabbed himself below the left eye.
The act resulted in a scar that certainly made him look tough as a pirate. While there was some humor in this, it proved too brutal for the anime. In the manga, however, it was the first moment treaders were shown after Gold Roger famously challenged the world to find the One Piece during his execution.
How Did Luffy Get the X Scar On His Chest?
Luffy’s second scar is a large “x” shape burned across his chest. He received this scar During the Marineford Arc, but it’s not really seen in detail until after the timeskip. During the Paramount War, the shock of seeing his brother Ace was simply too much for Luffy, and he resigned to dying at the hands of Admiral Akainu. However, his allies jumped in to protect Straw Hat, the fishman and Knight of the Sea — Jimbei, especially. Jimbei carried Luffy’s unconscious body away from the battlefield of Marineford while fleeing the relentless Akainu as he burned everything in his path with his magma devil fruit powers.
Jimbei leapt over into the harbor of Marineford but Akainu managed to follow after him. During the fall, the admiral pierced through Jimbei’s chest with his magma fist to reach the unconscious Luffy in Jimbei’s arms. As you’d expect, Jimbei was in intense pain, and the magma attack left a deep imprint on the unconscious rubber man that would become his “x” scar. If not for Crocodile, Buggy and the remaining Whitebeard Pirates, Jimbei and Luffy wouldn’t have survived. It’s thanks to Trafalgar Law and his crew’s sudden appearance that two managed to recover.
The Second Story About Who Gave Luffy His Chest Scar Isn’t Canon
Strangely enough, an encounter during one of the anime’s filler arcs also gave Luffy a similar scar across his chest. This happened during the Ocean’s Dream Arc where all the crew except for Robin wake up without any memories at all. It was left up to the mysterious newest member of the crew to help them put the pieces together and get back their memories.
The arc is actually a loose adaption of a 2003 PlayStation game titled One Piece: Ocean’s Dream! During this arc, Luffy and a hypnotized Zoro end up fighting, resulting in an X scar across Luffy’s chest when he was wounded by Zoro. Because this was only filler, it’s not considered the true origin of Luffy’s scar. Still, given that the anime did the X scar first, it could be possible this arc gave Oda the inspiration for Luffy’s latest badge of war.
Scars are such great character details, as they tell a story about a character on their body. Of course, Luffy’s no different. His eye scar shows his resolve to become a great pirate, one worthy of respect from his hero, Shanks. His chest scar is a representation of how he’s able to bring people together. Luffy only met Jimbei and the Whitebeard Pirates on the day of his brother’s execution, but by the end of it, they were risking their own lives just to protect him. This is actually something Dracula Mihawk comments on during the war: “It’s not a Devil Fruit, or some cheap trick…one by one, he turns the people around him into his allies…that man possesses the most terrifying power.” A scar says a lot about a person, Luffy’s say that he’s a force to be reckoned with.
Src: cbr.com
