A criminal under the alias of One Piece’s “Luffy” wreaks havoc in Japan

The origin of the name "Luffy" dates back to when Eichiro Oda, the creator of One Piece, decided to name the protagonist of his story, which he stated to be one of the greatest flukes of his life.

The name is inspired by the present participle form of the word 'luff,'/'luffing,' a French origin word defined as sailing. Due to the sheer coincidence of the meaning of the protagonist’s name correlating with the setting of One Piece, Oda didn’t look back.

One Piece's fandom will be enraged after discovering that a person or a group of criminals are using the protagonist Luffy’s name as a pseudonym to orchestrate unlawful acts in Japan. As per the police authorities, the conservative estimate of crimes occurred under the alias Luffy encircle 14 prefectures in Japan. The police authorities are unsure if 'Luffy' is an individual or a group of offenders.

---

Few members working for a criminal mastermind under the alias of One Piece’s Luffy have been detained by Japanese and Philippine police authorities

Sources say that the criminal mastermind and their abettors have been using the Telegram app to conduct illegal activities in Japan, with their phone calls originating in the Philippines. Four accused have been detained by the Philippine Immigration Authority, including the suspect Yuki Watanabe, who is believed to be the infamous Luffy.

The Metropolitan Police Department of Japan believes that the Komae case, in which a robbery resulted in the murder of Iyo Oshio (90), might be connected to the ringleader Luffy. New information emerged stating that a person named Kim Young-jun provided the house address in Komae to the burglars in Japan.

Both Luffy and Kim are reported to be behind most of the criminal activities, including robbing ¥35 million in cash and gold bullion robbed from a house in Inagi, ¥30 million in cash stolen from a house in Nakano Ward, and many thefts, including expensive watches, jewelry, and other pricey goods.

On Sunday, January 29, NHK reported that the Philippine Immigration Authority had incarcerated Yuki Watanabe, the person who has used the name “Luffy,” the protagonist's name of Eichiro Oda's One Piece, and three other members, including Kiyoto Imamura, Toshiya Fujita, and Tomonobu Kojima.

Since they are being held up at the Immigration Detention Center in Manila, they will soon be deported to Japan to face trial. The One Piece fandom is utterly outraged after discovering a criminal syndicate using the protagonist’s name to conduct unlawful acts. As the anime community is extremely attached to their favorite characters, distressing news like this breaks their hearts.

Recently, authorities in the Philippines have reported that Kiyoto Imamura will be the first from the group to be deported to Japan soon after the legal formalities. However, the supposed ringleader, Watanabe, is intended to be held up at the detention center in Manila since he is yet to face trial for the crimes conducted in the Philippines.