Key findings
- Loyalty in One Piece is represented by sacrifice, from risking life and freedom to enduring torture.
- Characters like Luffy, Bon Clay, and Pedro demonstrate unwavering loyalty by making sacrifices for their friends and beliefs.
- The patience and dedication of the samurai in seeking revenge for their master, enduring torture, and protecting Raizo underscore the theme of loyalty in One Piece.
Intense loyalties and costly betrayals often go hand in hand when it comes to pirates and the world of A piece. While betrayal is often breathtaking, it is common in a world full of pirates, and that makes loyalties all the more valuable.
Whether it is sacrificing everything for a friend, loyalty to a person or simply protecting your captain, these moments have A pieceas they serve as acts of devotion that make the story more than just an adventure. With their loyalty, some characters have really proven themselves, but the truly impressive ones have left their mark and shaped A piece's story.
8 Luffy rushes down to get Ace
Challenging the world for the family
- Bow: Amazon Lily–Impel Down,
Blood is usually thicker than water, but Luffy proves that “sake” and shared experiences can triumph over it. Fans got to know Luffy's brother during the Alabasta arc, but their bond was truly explored when Ace's life was on the line.
When he learned that his brother was to be executed, Luffy hesitated to search for his scattered crewmates and infiltrated Impel Down, the World Government's maximum security prison. Later, Luffy went to Marineford to free Ace and bravely challenged three admirals to save his brother, with only his willpower and loyalty to Ace as motivation.
7 Bon Clay sacrifices himself
Risking life and freedom
Bon Clay may not be a main character or have much screen time, but he is certainly one of the most loyal people who have enriched Luffy's life. After working together at Impel Down, Bon Clay showed his loyalty to the Straw Hat captain by risking his life time and time again when Luffy was close to death.
His many sacrifices cannot be overstated, but nothing compares to the moment when the impersonator sacrificed not only his life but his freedom. The moment when Bon Clay impersonated Magellan to help Luffy escape will be remembered forever as it was both tear-jerking and heartbreaking.
6 Pedro sacrifices himself
A final act of faith
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After Nekomamushi and Inuarashi, Pedro could have become the next leader of the Minks. But because he believed in Monkey D. Luffy, an individual with so much potential, Pedro did not hesitate to sacrifice his life for his beliefs.
Dying for someone else is incredibly heroic, but willingly blowing yourself up makes the act and impact that much more magnificent and touching. In the short time Pedro knew Luffy, he became incredibly loyal to him and showed that loyalty without much pain or regret. He willingly gave his life, a feat that some of Luffy's crew members may not be able to match.
5 Refusal to join the Straw Hats for Alabasta
Loyalty to Alabasta instead of freedom
The princess of the Alabasta Kingdom went through a lot with the Straw Hats. In order to defeat Crocodile and free her country, Vivi fought alongside the Straw Hats and joined them, becoming a crew member of sorts. After Crocodile's defeat, it was time for the pirate crew to leave Alabasta, and the question of whether or not they would go with Vivi became a big decision.
Although it was a difficult decision, Vivi ultimately decided to stay. This way, she remained loyal to her country and bore the burden of citizens who had to rebuild rather than live a free life as a pirate.
4 Sacrifice fame to the Straw Hats
Giving up fame for friendship
- Bow: Return to Sabaody (after the time jump)
Soul King Brook was a unique discovery for the Straw Hat Pirates. He found him in the Florian Triangle and set out with the crew to face Gecko Moria, a warlord at the time. After defeating Moria, Brook became a member of the crew; unfortunately, the crew was split up shortly after for two years, although Brook was only a member for a few months.
During these years, Brook rose to immense fame as Soul King, a rock star. But instead of continuing to revel in fame and money, Brook gave it all up for a crew he had only been a part of for a few months.
3 Enduring Luffy's pain
Zoro’s silent loyalty
The Straw Hat's three-sword style swordsman suffering in his captain's place has always been and will always be on everyone's lips due to his legend. It is known that Luffy always sustains immense damage after a fight, but no one really knows how fatal his injuries are. That was, of course, until Zoro suffered them.
At that moment, Zoro gave up his life and his ambition for his captain, declaring that his ambition would not matter if his captain was dead. To make his incredible feat even cooler, Zoro never complained or talked about it and answered all questions about what happened with “Nothing happened.”
2 Travel through the future to fight Kaido again
A legacy of patience and loyalty
The story of the Akazaya samurai is one of pain, hardship, and unwavering loyalty. After Kaido executed Oden, his followers fled, vowing to one day avenge their master. Interestingly, that revenge would not come until two decades later.
Some of the samurai waited patiently for years, while others traveled into the future to seek revenge with Kaido. In a situation where many would simply leave the country or live their own lives, these samurai waited patiently and spent twenty years plotting to avenge their lord. In the end, their patience paid off, but this would not have been possible without their unwavering devotion to the cause.
1 Enduring torture to protect a samurai
The sacrifice of a nation
The Minks may have the greatest loyalty so far in the A piece series. Despite being tortured for days and nights by Jack, an all-star of the Beast Pirates, men, women and even children willingly allowed themselves to be tortured and witnessed the death of their loved ones.
All to protect Raizo, a human who hadn't been heard from in over 20 years, as he was also sent to the future by Toki. What makes this feat so great is that it wasn't accomplished by a single person; it was an entire nation of Minks without a single betrayal, although Nekomamushi and Inuarashi each lost an arm and a leg.
