One Piece: Does Monkey D. Dragon care about his son Luffy? Explained

One of the most complicated types of relationships in author and illustrator Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece manga from a narrative perspective is that of a parent and their child. Oda has stated numerous times that he believes his series should focus on the characters themselves rather than their parents and family line.

While there are some exceptions to this, such as Portgas D. Ace and Vinsmoke Sanji, these exceptions are typically made to further develop the central character. In essence, Oda simply wants to avoid shoehorning parents into his One Piece story with no real purpose or narrative payoff in mind.

Likewise, when he does include a parent as a prevalent presence in One Piece, it’s a major deal and is always handled with a larger narrative purpose in mind. Monkey D. Dragon serves as a perfect example of this, serving a purpose both to the story at large and to his son Luffy’s specific journey.

However, with the two not interacting at all throughout the series thus far, some fans are wondering whether or not Dragon actually cares about Luffy as his son.

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One Piece’s Monkey D. Dragon clearly cares for Luffy

Without a doubt, Monkey D. Dragon does indeed care for his son, Luffy. There are several notable examples of this throughout the series, including the chapter 1101 spoilers, which were released earlier this week. In fact, this latest example is the most inarguably clear in terms of demonstrating Dragon's genuine concern for Luffy.

The latest spoilers for the series saw a flashback in which Bartholomew Kuma spoke with Dragon about their missions to the Goa Kingdom. Essentially, Kuma was discussing how Dragon has a vast knowledge of the area, as well as how he always sneaks off to a small village just outside the Kingdom whenever they have missions there.

As per the aforementioned One Piece spoilers, Dragon responds by saying that a child is a parent’s biggest weakness. In other words, Dragon cares for Luffy so much that he can be used as a bargaining chip against him. This is also why Dragon prefaces the above phrase by telling Kuma that if he wants to kill him, then he should do it now. Dragon is saying he would rather die than allow Luffy to be used against him because he cares for his son so much.

As mentioned above, however, there are several other examples from earlier in the series that support a similar conclusion. Many of them stem from Dragon watching his son’s journey and struggles from afar, always speaking encouraging and congratulatory words about what his son is doing.

Another major example that shows how much Dragon cares for Luffy comes from the series’ Loguetown arc, in which Luffy finds himself cornered by Captain Smoker at one point. Just as all hope seemed lost for Luffy, Dragon appeared and saved him, saying no words to his son while doing so. However, this intervention allowed Luffy to make it to the Grand Line to start pursuing his dreams.

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In summation

It's clear that Dragon (center) cares for his son Luffy (left) compassionately in One Piece (Image via Toei Animation)

All things considered, it’s clear that Dragon does indeed love and care for Luffy as his son. There are simply too many examples of Dragon being clearly invested in his son’s well-being and pursuit of his dreams to argue otherwise. While the Revolutionary Army leader does give his son space, he doesn’t distance himself emotionally from Luffy.

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