Monkey D. Luffy is the main protagonist ofOne Piece. He began his journey to become the Pirate King at just 17 years old. After being inspired by Shanks' words, Luffy only wanted one thing in his life, and that was to become the Pirate King.

After spending many years with Dadan and the mountain bandits, Luffy finally set out to achieve his dream. It was obvious that accomplishing such a big objective was going to require a lot of effort. So far, on his journey, Luffy has encountered many strong opponents who have pushed him to the extreme, causing him to develop new abilities. One of Luffy’s fiercest enemies prior to the time skip was Rob Lucci.

Luffy fighting Rob Lucci

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Showdown At Enies Lobby

The Enies Lobby arc is considered by many to be the best pre-time skip arc because of its incredible story, and action scenes. Luffy and the Straw Hats arrived at Enies Lobby to rescue Robin from the clutches of CP9. The stakes were very high, as fighting CP9 meant directly challenging the authority of the World Government, but none of it mattered to Luffy, as he didn’t hesitate to order Sogeking to shoot down its flag.

As the arc progressed, fans got to see the Straw Hats and their matchups, and obviously, Luffy had to facethe strongest CP9 member— Rob Lucci. Previously, the two of them had clashed briefly in Water 7, and it ended with a victory for Lucci. However, Luffy was confident that in Enies Lobby, things would be different. With the help of his two new Gears, Luffy was able to defeat Lucci and free Robin.

Lucci using his awakened devil fruit

The Strongest Assassin

Rob Lucci has a dark past, which is enough to strike fear into the hearts of all those who know about it. From a young age, Lucci displayed unbridled ruthlessness, which was required to become a top assassin. Lucci kills people without any remorse as he believes in “Dark Justice.” The Cipher Pol agent only cares about accomplishing his goal.

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Lucci worked hard to become the strongest member of CP9, and he had twice the Doriki of Kaku, who was the next strongest. Lucci can use two types of Haki— Busoshokuand Kenbunshoku Haki. He has good control over both of them, and he combines them extremely well with his devil fruit. Lucci possesses the Neko Neko no Mi, Model: Leopard, a carnivorous zoan-type devil fruit, that gives him more strength than a herbivorous zoan.

In the Enies Lobby arc, it became glaringly obvious that Lucci was an expert at using his devil fruit powers. However, the biggest testament to his skill is the fact that he has managed to awaken his devil fruit. Normally, users of zoan type devil fruits do not try to use their awakening because it is said that these devil fruits have a will of their own. Despite the drawback, Lucci does not seem to be bothered by it. In his awakened form, Lucci’s physical abilities, such as his strength, stamina, and speed, improve massively, making him a formidable opponent.

Luffy Mythical Zoan Nika Fruit

The Warrior of Liberation

Currently, Luffy is among the strongest characters in the series. Since defeating Lucci in Enies Lobby, he has become a lot stronger. Not only has he learned how to use all three types of Haki, but he has also gained full control over them and mastered their advanced versions. While his control over Busoshoku and Kenbunshoku is outstanding, it ishis mastery over Haoshoku Hakithat makes him a dangerous foe. As seen from his clash with Kaido, Luffy can pierce through the toughest of defenses.

In addition to his devil fruit, Luffy has the power of the Gomu Gomu no Mi, formerlyknown as the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika. Originally, the devil fruit was stated to be a paramecia type, but it was confirmed in Wano that it is actually a mythical zoan type. The devil fruit makes Luffy’s body rubbery, and this property can be extended to other objects and is not limited to the lightning, ground, etc. While using Gear Fifth, Luffy is at his freest, which means that he can change the shape and size of his body without any limitations. He was even able to turn into a giant and used it to fight against Kaido.

Lucci vs Luffy on Egghead

Showdown

It is obvious that both Luffy and Lucci have become much stronger. They are capable of fighting against strong opponents, but there is still a disparity between the two. As seen from their fight on Egghead Island, Luffy was toying with Lucci. He was able to dodge all the attacks while landing a couple of his own. Also, Luffy has not used Advanced Haoshoku Haki, which is something that Lucci has absolutely no counter to.

If things drag on then Luffy would easily defeatLucci and the other members of CP0. It is possible that Lucci was wary of this outcome, which is why he decided to attack and take out Sentomaru. By getting rid of Sentomaru, CP0 can order the Seraphim to do their bidding. Currently, there are four Seraphim present on Egghead Island, and dealing with just one is a big problem, so having to fight four of them is going to cause a lot of problems for Luffy and co.