One Piece is an anime with its fair share of strong characters. While its protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy, is certainly one of them, some characters are even more powerful than the manga's cheerful and quirky protagonist. In this article, we'll analyze one of those characters, pitting Luffy against Rob Lucci, one of the franchise's most terrifying characters, to see who is the stronger of the two.

Lucci and Luffy are equally strong

Luffy possesses extraordinary physical strength, honed through harsh childhood training and life-threatening situations. His immense power allows him to lift enormous boulders, shatter steel with his bare hands, and defeat formidable opponents like Arlong and Hody Jones. Even after two years of intensive training, Luffy's strength surpasses that of the Fishmen, demonstrating his remarkable abilities and resilience in combat.

Rob Lucci, renowned as one of the physically strongest characters in One Piece, possesses an impressive reputation, even acknowledged by the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Having accomplished notable feats at the age of thirteen, such as single-handedly defeating 500 soldiers and a pirate crew, Lucci establishes himself as the strongest member in the history of CP9. His strength, agility, and intelligence make him a formidable opponent, and he demonstrates his prowess by pushing Luffy to the brink of death, showcasing his martial arts skills and cunning nature.

If we counter only brute force, Lucci will be very close to Luffy's level, which is an incredible feat. Both have proven to be exceptional fighters, so we must divide the points in the first category.

Points: Luffy 1, Lucci 1

Both Luffy and Lucci have Devil Fruits

Luffy's incredible abilities come from consuming the Gom Gom Devil Fruit, which transforms his body into rubber and grants him the power to stretch his limbs and strike his opponents from a distance. Through over ten years of intense training, Luffy has mastered the fruit's potential, greatly enhancing his physical strength and agility.

Despite his seemingly improvisational fighting style, Luffy's creativity and adaptability make him an unpredictable and dangerous opponent. His rubber body offers remarkable durability, making him immune to conventional bullets, punches, and even electricity, though he remains vulnerable to swords, knives, dehydration, and poison, with some immunity gained after a battle with Magellan.

Rob Lucci consumed the Neko Neko no Mi: Model Leopard, a Zoan-type Devil Fruit that allows him to transform into a leopard and a massive human-leopard hybrid. Zoan fruits enhance physical prowess, particularly benefiting martial artists like Lucci who employ rokushiki techniques. Due to the nature of his fruit, Lucci exhibits heightened predatory instincts, displaying increased aggression and voracity, as evidenced by his act of biting Luffy while in leopard form.

Lucci's Devil Fruit powers are certainly incredible, no doubt about it, but Luffy has recently been identified as Joy Boy and has accessed a plethora of new powers. If Luffy had managed to defeat Lucci a while ago with less power, he would certainly destroy him now. This point goes to Luffy.

Points: Luffy 2, Lucci 1

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Luff is an expert Haki user

Luffy, under Rayleigh's tutelage, has become proficient in Haki, mastering Observation Haki to instinctively evade attacks, displayed against Mihawk. His Armament Haki has reached high levels, part of Gear Fourth, allowing for friction-based flaming attacks. Luffy uses the rare Royal Haki, demonstrated by simultaneously incapacitating fifty thousand Fishmen. In clashes with Kaido, he has shown the ability to use Haki to enhance attacks, even tearing the sky apart during their third confrontation.

Rob Lucci is proficient in Armament Haki. He was first seen using Armament Haki when his fist and Sabo's fist clashed in Film Gold. He can also use this type of Haki in the video game One Piece: Burning Blood.

Luffy also earns this point. Why? Simply because he masters more Haki techniques than Lucci. Lucci masters Armament Haki, but Luffy can use all three Haki techniques, which is why we give him a point in this category.

Points: Luffy 3, Lucci 1

Luffy and Lucci are inexperienced with weapons.

Luffy rarely uses weapons in combat, mainly due to his inexperience and inability to use them. As a child, he wielded a metal pipe, and it is probably the most sophisticated weapon he has successfully wielded. In Arlong Park, Luffy briefly attempted to fight with swords but failed miserably.

Like Luffy, Lucci rarely uses weapons in combat; we don't think we've ever seen him use a weapon in a fight. However, knowing how bad Luffy is with weapons in general, we assume Lucci would be better than him.

As we've pointed out many times, Luffy never wins in this category simply because he doesn't use weapons. On the other hand, we've never seen Lucci use weapons, so we don't know if he's better than Luffy (although he probably is). That's why we're distributing the points in this last category.

Points: Luffy 4, Lucci 2

Luffy vs. Lucci: Who Wins?

We could actually give you a good breakdown of the things we wrote above, but that wouldn't really do the trick compared to what we decided to do. Namely, since Luffy and Lucci fought in both the manga and the anime, we thought it would be better for us to simply recap those events and show you how Luffy managed to win.

The first fight between Luffy and Lucci took place during the Water 7 Arc. At one point, Rob Lucci explains to Iceburg about the existence of Cipher Pol and CP9. There, he reveals the reason why CP9 is a secret organization: because they have permission to kill anyone who doesn't cooperate. He goes on to reveal that the World Government wants to resurrect the oldest weapon in the name of "justice."

Lucci, interrupted by Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates, demonstrates CP9's superior fighting skills, easily repelling their attacks. Using Shigan, he pierces Paulie and highlights Tekkai, rendering Luffy's attacks ineffective. Lucci, revealing CP9's body weapons training, announces the mansion's imminent destruction. Despite the Straw Hats' attempts, Luffy is incapacitated. Lucci, using the Neko Neko no Mi: Leopard Pattern, unleashes a devastating kick, causing chaos in Water 7. As CP9 observes, Lucci claims that no proof of their crimes exists. In their first encounter, Lucci prevails, paving the way for Luffy's revenge.

In their second intense match, Luffy faces Lucci at an initial disadvantage. Despite Luffy's attempts to pursue Robin, he is forced into a fierce struggle. Franky intervenes, but Lucci overwhelms him. Luffy activates Gear Two, but Lucci skillfully counters. Undeterred, Luffy shifts to Gear Three, delivering a powerful blow with Gomu Gomu no Gigant Pistol. However, Lucci, exploiting Luffy's size and reduced speed, counters in leopard form. As Luffy shrinks, Lucci uses Rankyaku Gaichou, causing significant damage. Despite the setback, Luffy returns to his normal size, prompting a final showdown.

In their fierce battle, Lucci reveals the devastating Rokuogan technique, using Soru for rapid-fire attacks. He severely injures Luffy with this powerful Rokushiki move. Despite Lucci's intention to kill Luffy's crew, Luffy, fueled by Usopp's encouragement, rises for a final counterattack. With a brutal Gomu Gomu no Jet Gatling, Luffy overwhelms Lucci, hitting him with incredible speed and force. The barrage leaves Lucci unconscious, defeated, and embedded in a brick wall, marking Luffy's triumphant victory in their intense encounter.

In which episode does Luffy beat Lucci?

Luffy's rematch with Lucci occurs in episodes 294 to 309, which aired between January 21, 2007 and May 13, 2007. It was a rather long fight, but Luffy finally managed to defeat Lucci in episode 309 of the anime series.

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