Luffy may have already thrown countless punches in One Piece, but the most satisfying remains the one that knocked out Bellamy the Hyena.
With such a lengthy tenure, One Piece has countless epic battles under its belt. The manga has showcased large-scale wars like the Summit War of Marineford, as well as comedic one-on-one battles such as Luffy’s fight with Silver Fox Foxy. Needless to say, Luffy has thrown an infinitesimal amount of punches — and having been powerful enough to bury an Emperor, they are nothing to scoff at. But no matter how many enemies he’s decked, Luffy’s most satisfying punch remains the one he threw at Bellamy the Hyena.
One Piece has had several major antagonists, but perhaps none have matched Bellamy’s record of putting up the worst fight. Bellamy, who first appeared in the “Jaya Island” arc, is the captain of the Bellamy Pirates and holds a reputation for being unreasonably ruthless. His pirate crew is feared by many on the Grand Line. Bellamy has eaten the Boing-Boing Fruit, which grants him the ability to turn his body into a spring. However, his Devil Fruit power proved to be useless against Luffy.
How Luffy Defeated Bellamy in One Piece
Bellamy and Luffy’s fateful meeting in One Piece occurred just before the Straw Hat Pirates went to Skypiea. At the time, the Straw Hats were clueless as to why their Log Pose was pointing upward. Robin educated them about the sky islands’ existence, so the crew decided to resupply and gather information at the nearby Jaya Island — and it was there they met Bellamy and his crew. When Nami, Luffy and Zoro inquired about the possible route toward the sky island, everybody who heard their question erupted into laughter, including Bellamy.
Bellamy mocks the Straw Hat Pirates for believing an island exists in the sky. However, Luffy and Zoro don’t bother to fight — even as Bellamy beats them up. After hearing about Montblanc Cricket’s gold findings, he decides to loot the scavengers as well. Luffy is reasonably irked and confronts Bellamy on his own, which leads to the latter unleashing his strongest attack. Luffy doesn’t bother with useless talking; he simply knocks him out with a single punch.
Why Luffy’s KO of Bellamy Is His Most Satisfying Victory
The main reason why Luffy’s one-hit KO is so satisfying is due to the accumulated frustration the “Jaya Island” arc had induced. One Piece had fully introduced its central themes by this point, one of them being chasing grandiose dreams. Fans were now firmly invested on the Straw Hat Pirates, so seeing Luffy and Zoro simply sucking up Bellamy’s mockery and beating is initially frustrating. To make matters worse, the narrative had shifted to Cricket and the Saruyama Alliance without resolving the issue with Bellamy. So when Luffy finally pummels Bellamy to the ground, all the pent-up anger and frustration are euphorically released at once.
It’s been a long time since One Piece‘s “Jaya Island” arc, yet there still hasn’t been anything to beat that particular punch’s satisfaction level. That’s not to say Luffy’s later victories have been lackluster. In fact, most of the protagonist’s fights are nothing short of epic. It’s just that his matches are often fully fleshed out over a lengthy period of time, which provides more of a roller coaster ride than one dynamic — and ecstatic — release.
