One Piece villains who helped Luffy

Key recommendations

• Luffy forms alliances with former villains such as Buggy and Galdino, benefiting from their abilities and powers.
• Crocodile, a former villain, becomes a strong ally of Luffy after their meeting, joining a mercenary guild.
• Former villain Caesar Clown becomes a hostage, collaborating with other former antagonists in illegal investigations.

Despite his heroic disposition, Monkey D. Luffy is still a pirate, an occupation that can lend itself to evil. Although Luffy does not actively seek to work alongside evil characters, there are times when he forms alliances with less-than-savory individuals due to circumstances that require it. Often this involves a greater threat, the defeat of which would ultimately benefit both Luffy and said villain.

While Luffy was also involved in helping previously established enemies who made a turn for good, these characters remained unheroic and unrepentant after crossing paths with the Straw Hat Pirates.

1 Buggy

Cross guild profile picture

• He helps Luffy in the Impel Down Arc and the Marineford Arc
• Starts helping in Chapter 256 (Manga) and Episode 423 (Anime)

Buggy was a long-time enemy of Monkey D. Luffy, antagonizing him since the Straw Hat Pirates were a crew of three. However, since failing to execute Luffy at Loguetown, Buggy has fallen behind his rival in terms of power. After accidentally entering a marine base, Buggy was imprisoned at Impel Down. After Monkey D. Luffy traveled there for the sake of saving his sworn brother Ace, he was accompanied by Buggy, who was hoping to escape from prison.

Buggy benefited greatly from this escape, gaining several hardened criminals as admirers due to his supposed power as a friend of Shanks and crewmate of the legendary Gol D. Roger. Many escaped convicts began to join the Buggy Pirates after the events of the Summit War. Buggy was given the position of Warlord, which he used to organize a group of mercenaries. He was eventually absorbed by the Cross Guild, who began using him as a conduit to prevent their true leaders from getting involved. Despite not having any significant powers, he recently guided the group to discover One Piece and make him the Pirate King.

2 Galdino

Also known as Mr. 3

• He helps Luffy in the Impel Down Arc and the Marineford Arc
• Starts helping in Chapter 528 (Manga) and Episode 425 (Anime)

Galdino was once a member of Baroque Works, the criminal syndicate poised to rule Alabasta. During this time, he was known by the pseudonym, Mr. 3. Galdino is much more of a strategist than a fighter. He prefers to use his intellect and the various applications of his Devil Fruit powers rather than face his enemies directly. Although he managed to capture and nearly kill three members of the Straw Hat Pirates, he was physically outmatched by Luffy and outmatched by Usopp.

After being punished by Crocodile for not killing the Straw Hats, Galdino was drained of moisture. He was then thrown into a Bananawani tank where he was confronted by the Straw Hat Pirates. After Sanji strong-armed him into making a key and took him down, Galdino was able to evade the authorities for a time.

However, he was forced to unwillingly participate in the rescue of the remaining members of Baroque Works by Bentham (a.k.a. Mr. 2 Bon Clay), which resulted in the two being thrown into Impel Down. He later joins Buggy and Luffy's escape.

His wax was instrumental, for a time, in blocking Magellan's poison and creating keys to unlock locked areas of the prison. After the Summit War, he joined Buggy, but later reaffirmed his loyalty to Crocodile, possibly out of fear, once the Cross Guild was formed.

3 Crocodile

The true founder of the Cross guild

• He helps Luffy in the Impel Down Arc and the Marineford Arc
• Begins to help in Chapter 540 (Anime) and Episode 443 (Anime)

Identified by the alias Mr. 0, Crocodile was the founder and leader of Baroque Works and sought to rule Alabasta. He controlled several agents to hunt down the Vivi Nefertari and the Straw Hats, though none of them were successful in their pursuit. He was also a Warlord, a government-sponsored pirate who had to follow their orders. Crocodile was one of Luffy's most challenging enemies, being one of the few to successfully defeat him more than once. However, after Luffy finally defeated him, he was stripped of his status and thrown into Impel Down.

Although he had the opportunity to escape before, it wasn't until he laid eyes on Luffy that he decided to do so. From there, he was one of Luffy's strongest allies on the run and stayed by his side during the Summit War out of hatred for the World Government. After spending some time without much attention being drawn to himself, he enlisted former warlord Dracule Mihawk to form the Cross Guild, a mercenary guild that would target marines for bounties.

4 Daz Bonez

Also known as Mr. 1

• He helps Luffy in the Impel Down Arc and the Marineford Arc
• Begins to help in Chapter 541 (Anime) and Episode 443 (Anime)

Daz Bonez was a martial artist who was one of the top officers of Baroque Works. His rank meant he would be the second most powerful man in Alabasta if he managed to take it, only eclipsed by Crocodile himself. His Devil Fruit powers caused blade-like appendages to emerge from his body, prompting him to duel Zoro, though Bonez rejected the title of swordsman.

Along with Crocodile, he was one of the few Baroque Works agents who refused the chance to escape Impel Down at first.

Out of loyalty to his underling, Crocodile insisted on escaping him, from his own escape. Since the Summit War, Bonez has been a constant companion of Crocodile, eventually becoming a member of the Cross Guild once it was properly established. It's unclear why he stays with Crocodile, but it's likely out of respect for the pirate's strength and ambition.

5 Caesar the clown

An unwanted hostage

• He helps Luffy in the Whole Cake Island Arc
• Caught in Chapter 858 (Manga) and Episode 828 (Anime)

Caesar Clown was a former colleague of Vegapunk, known for his lax views on ethics in contrast to his counterpart. Due to the sordid nature of his research, he often depended on criminal sponsors. He was formerly a member of an illegal research institute alongside Vegapunk known as MADS. He later worked under Donquixote Doflamingo, who relied on him to create SAD, a key ingredient in SMILEs, artificial Zoan Devil Fruits that he would send to Kaido, his business partner. Doflamingo's status as a Warlord allowed Caesar to be protected by the law.

However, he became a hostage to the Straw Hat Pirates Alliance, and then eventually Big Mom, another former sponsor, whose funds he squandered. He was eventually freed by the Fire Tank Pirates, who were forming an alliance with the Straw Hat Pirates to assassinate Big Mom. He later participated in the failed assassination attempt on Big Mom, being freed after the fact by either captor. He has since co-created another illegal research institute known as NEO MADS alongside Vinsmoke Judge, Sanji's estranged father and another former member of the original organization.

6 Caribou

A fellow prisoner

• He helps Luffy in the Wano Country Arc
• Starts helping in chapters 940 (Anime) and 937 (Manga)

Caribou was part of the Fake Straw Hat Crew, which appeared during the original's hiatus. This crew attempted to increase their numbers as the Straw Hat Grand Fleet, adding established crews to their ranks and attempting to gain power from these additions. One of these was the Caribou Pirates, which Caribou co-captained with his brother Coribou. However, once the real Straw Hat crew resurfaced, Caribou was angered by the way he had been lied to and tried to bury them alive. He later sneaked onto Fishman Island after hitching a ride with the Straw Hats in a screw barrel and tried to capture the mermaids there once they inadvertently freed him.

This led to a chain of events that led to him being apprehended by the Marines, escaping, staging a revolution, and finally being imprisoned once again by the Beasts Pirates. He eventually feigned a change of heart, asking to become Luffy's subordinate, and became instrumental in breaking out of Wano prison. It was later stored in another screw barrel at Egghead. Here, he joined the Blackbeard Pirates, a crew he apparently idolized, and attempted to impart knowledge on each of the ancient weapons he had heard about while traveling with the Straw Hats. There's no telling what will happen to him next, though if nothing else, the information itself will likely be appreciated.