The legend of One Piece and One Piece also begins with the famous pirate king, Gol D. Roger. And even though many have tried to do so, Monkey D. Luffy seems to be the one destined to repeat Roger's legacy. If you've been following the series, you'll have seen that the two are very similar in many ways and that many things connect them, and one of these connections is Silvers Rayleigh, Roger's second-in-command. In an episode of the anime, Buggy stated that Rayleigh was actually Luffy's uncle. In this article, we'll explain if Silvers and Luffy are actually related in One Piece.

Monkey D. Luffy and Silvers Rayleigh aren't actually related. Buggy did say that Rayleigh was Luffy's uncle, but Buggy is a well-known source of false information. Since there's absolutely nothing to back up his statement, it's assumed to be simply incorrect. This would mean that Rayleigh is Garp's son and Dragon's brother, which makes absolutely no sense since Rayleigh is the same age as Garp.

The rest of this article will focus on Silvers Rayleigh and Monkey D. Luffy, explaining how the two are connected and why they are so similar in many ways. If you're not familiar with the entire story of One Piece, we must warn you that there will be spoilers in the following paragraphs.

Is Silvers Rayleigh Luffy's uncle?

Before continuing, please read what user Straw-Hat Luffy wrote on One Piece Wikia:

If you remember, when the Whitebeard War was over and Luffy invaded the Marine HQ again with Jinbe and Rayleigh, Buggy was seen talking about it with Alvida. When he learned that Rayleigh was with Luffy, he said, "Luffy's father is Dragon and his grandfather is Garp, so Rayleigh is his uncle." Well, I believe in this theory because Buggy spent a lot of time with Rayleigh and knows some information that we don't know. But I don't think it's his uncle, but his great-uncle since he and Garp are about the same age, so they could be brothers. Or maybe he's Luffy's grandmother's brother, which hasn't been revealed yet.

( Source )

And while it's definitely true that Buggy said that, this world has sparked a series of theories that have tried to prove that Silvers Rayleigh is indeed Luffy's uncle, i.e., Garp's son and Dragon's brother. This would mean that his real name would be something like Monkey D. Rayleigh or something. But before I tell you that this theory is completely absurd and there's no possible way it could be true, let's first briefly explore Rayleigh's background.

Decades ago, while Rayleigh was docking his boat at a small pier, Gold Roger approached him and asked if he wanted to rock the world with him. Rayleigh initially scoffed at Roger's ambitions but joined him nonetheless. Silvers Rayleigh was the vice-captain and handyman of Gold Roger's pirate gang. He also commanded Shanks and Buggy, repeatedly settling their differences with a few headbutts. He led one of the last major battles under Roger's banner against Shiki and his armada.

After Gold Rogers's death, he travels to the Sabaody Archipelago to become a revetment craftsman. There, he and Shakuyaku shelter the sisters Boa Hancock, Sandersonia, and Marigold after escaping slavery and are also frequently visited by Hatchan, who saved his life as a young boy after the ship sank. Rayleigh learns from the journal that his Captain Roger's former adversary, Shiki, has escaped from Impel Down prison. After Fisher Tiger ravaged the holy city of Mary Geoise, Shakuyaku and Rayleigh offered refuge to the sisters Boa Hancock, Sandersonia, and Marigold, and Gloriosa after escaping Mary Geoise before returning to Amazon Lily.

As you can see, Rayleigh's past is a mystery, but we can confirm with absolute certainty that he is not related to Luffy as the theory suggests. Okay, he was very interested in Luffy when he first heard about him and wanted to meet him; he also cares about him a lot and taught him how to use Haki. But this is all because Luffy reminds Rayleigh of his old captain and friend, Gol D. Roger, while Rayleigh sees a younger version of Roger in Luffy. This is why he is so emotional about him, not because he is his uncle.

There's one simple truth about why Buggy's statement about Rayleigh is false: biology doesn't add up. Namely, if Rayleigh were Luffy's uncle, that would mean he's the brother of Luffy's father, Monkey D. Dragon, or his unnamed mother. If the former, that would mean Rayleigh is Garp's son, and since Garp and Rayleigh are the same age, that doesn't really make sense; it could be that Rayleigh is Luffy's great-uncle, as the theory above states, but that would mean he and Garp are actually twins, and that would make even less sense. On his mother's side, Oda could do something about it since his mother's backstory hasn't been revealed, but we don't think that's too likely based on what we know of the story so far.

Who are Luffy's parents?

Now that we know that Luffy is not related to Rayleigh, who is he related to? Who is Luffy's family? The identity of Luffy's mother has not yet been revealed. His family history initially revealed that he was raised by his paternal grandfather, Monkey D. Garp, but not much is known about his biological parents. And while the identity of his father has been revealed, the identity of Luffy's mother has not yet been revealed.

In episode 314 of the anime, which adapts chapter 432 of the manga, titled "Jack in the Box," it was revealed that Luffy's biological father was none other than revolutionary leader Monkey D. Dragon.

He is the well-known commander of the Revolutionary Army, which is attempting to overthrow the United Nations. He is widely regarded as the "world's worst criminal" and the World Government's greatest opponent. Monkey D. Luffy's father is Monkey D. Dragon. He seems to have high expectations for Luffy, just like his father, Monkey D. Garp. Dragon still seems to accept his son's conduct today, even though he has yet to introduce himself to Luffy.

He appears in Loguetown to see Luffy off to the Grand Line and prevent Smoker from capturing him, showing that he cares somewhat for his son's well-being (perhaps to push Luffy to become more mature). Dragon also seems to be very proud of his son due to all the trouble he has caused for the World Government.

According to Buggy's theory, Silvers Rayleigh should be Dragon's brother, but we know that's not true, as we explained. Rayleigh is as old as his supposed father according to this theory... so no, they're not related.