Monkey D. Luffy, also known as "Straw Hat Luffy" is the main protagonist of the manga and anime, One Piece. He is the founder and captain of the increasingly infamous and powerful Straw Hat Pirates, as well as one of its top fighters. His lifelong dream is to become the Pirate King by finding the legendary treasure left behind by the late Gol D. Roger. He believes that being the Pirate King means having the most freedom in the world.
As captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, Luffy has the greatest authority over an increasingly powerful and diverse crew consisting of several infamous members, many of whom are extremely powerful in their own right. Luffy has a great amount of influence over his crew, so much so that the members of his crew all trust him with their lives, both in spite of his reckless behavior and in some cases even because of it.
Luffy was born in Foosha Village to Monkey D. Dragon and an unknown woman. Dragon left Luffy in the care of his grandfather, Monkey D. Garp. When Luffy was 6, Shanks and the Red Hair Pirates stationed themselves in Foosha Village. While they were there, their sniper Yasopp frequently told Luffy that he had a son his age named Usopp. Luffy wanted to join the Red Hair Pirates, and after they had been in the village for nearly a year, he stabbed himself under his left eye to prove he was tough enough to be a pirate.
Luffy's most dominant traits are his apparent lack of common sense, his utter fearlessness and unwavering belief in himself. He generally marches at the beat of his own drum, unwilling to approach anything in a delicate or nuanced matter. That said, Luffy has a penchant of being able to see through the heart of the matter, often able to accurately call out someone's personal flaws such as Koby's cowardly nature or Kuro's weakness as a pirate. He is profoundly ambitious, frequently declaring he will become the Pirate King and devoting his entire being into being one.