Even if you’ve been reading One Piece for years, you’re bound to encounter something confusing. Eiichiro Oda’s pirate epic has been going on since 1997 and no matter how impressive a storyteller Oda is, bringing up old plot points and characters will stump even the most dedicated readers from time to time.
For example, take our protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy’s family tree. When we’re first introduced to Luffy, he seems to be an orphan and the closest thing to a father figure in his life is Shanks. As the series goes on, we learn Luffy has his fair share of people he’s related to, whether by blood or by oath. Here’s what we know about Luffy’s family tree so far.
First, what’s up with the initial “D.”?
It might seem like the “D” in Luffy’s name is short for a middle name but that isn’t the case. In One Piece, characters with the “D.” initial are not necessarily related (this article would be much longer if they were) but they are all connected through the “Will of D.”
There’s still a ton of mystery around just what the “D.” means but we know it’s a big deal. As we learn more about the Void Century and the history of Luffy’s world, this and other secrets will be revealed.
Luffy has two known blood relatives
So who is Luffy actually related to? At this point in the series, we’ve met two of Luffy’s blood relatives: his father, Monkey D. Dragon and his grandfather, Monkey D. Garp. All three known members of the Monkey family are famous, or infamous, in their own way. Dragon is the Supreme Commander of the Revolutionary Army and fights against the World Government’s oppression and Garp is a well-known and respected Marine Vice Admiral (an irony considering the rest of the Monkey family).
Dragon was not a part of Luffy’s upbringing and left him in Garp’s care. Luffy only learned his father’s identity at Water 7 and doesn’t seem too interested in connecting with Dragon. One would think Garp would be drastically different from Luffy but the adage “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” is true in this case; despite his affiliation with the World Government, Garp loves to laugh and values freedom above all.
Luffy has two brothers
Family isn’t only about blood — chosen family is just as important, and Luffy has two brothers by choice. We meet Luffy’s brother Portgas D. Ace early in the series and only later learn they have different parents. Although raised by Garp alongside Luffy, Ace’s father is none other than the King of Pirates, Gol D. Roger. Like Luffy, Ace doesn’t feel much affinity for his birth father and views Luffy, Garp, and his crew’s captain, Whitebeard, as his family.
Sabo is also Luffy and Ace’s brother of sorts. Before Sabo was Dragon’s right-hand man in the Revolutionary Army (yeah, Luffy’s sworn brother is Luffy’s biological dad’s second-in-command — keep up), he was a snot-nosed kid wreaking havoc with Ace. Sabo originally found Luffy annoying but warmed up to him in the end. Luffy, Sabo, and Ace cemented their brotherly bond by sharing a drink as kids. Unlike Luffy and Ace, Sabo was a noble who lived with his biological family until he ran away in order to become a pirate.
Who is Luffy’s mom?
There are a ton of theories floating around but Luffy’s mother’s identity has yet to be revealed (so we can’t prove Crocodile isn’t Luffy’s mom…). Theories aside, Curly Dadan, the leader of a notorious group of mountain bandits, is the closest thing to a mother Luffy has. In exchange for not turning her in, Garp trusted Dadan to look over both Ace and Luffy for extended periods of time. When Sabo made his brotherly oath with Ace and Luffy, Dadan took him under her roof too.
Dadan was a tough foster mother to her charges but she loves them all the same. Though she would often act as though she didn’t care about the boys’ well-being, she came to their rescue when it counted. She may be reluctant to admit it in front of them, but Dadan seems to love the brothers as if they were her own sons and always roots for them from afar.
Luffy’s family tree is complicated and some parts are still a mystery, but one thing is for sure: it shows us that family is more than just blood. At the end of the day, family can be the people you choose and Luffy’s chosen some great people. With people like this in his life, it’s no wonder Luffy’s forging his own path to greatness himself.