The World Nobles, also known as the Celestial Dragons, are the descendants of 19 of the 20 founding kings of the organization known as the World Government. Several of the antagonists in the One Piece series are part of this family of descendants. Today, even though their true fighting abilities are questionable, they are undeniably powerful and consider themselves untouchable by "ordinary" people. But, being himself, Luffy also broke this rule when he struck Saint Charlos. In this article, we will tell you when and why Luffy struck the Celestial Dragon.

Monkey D. Luffy punched Saint Charlos in the face in episode 396 of the One Piece anime, titled "Explosive Fist! Destroy the Auction." The episode premiered on April 12, 2009. This happened because he was furious at his snobbish attitude and behavior. As for the manga, the incident occurred in chapter 502, titled "The Heavenly Dragon Incident."

The rest of this article will give you a detailed look at the incident that occurred between Saint Charlos and Monkey D. Luffy during the Sabaody Archipelago Arc. We'll tell you when it happened and why so you know everything there is to know about the incident. Be warned, there will be spoilers in this article.

In which episode did Luffy hit Saint Charlos?

The events we are about to describe in the following section actually occurred in episode 396 of the One Piece anime, titled "Explosive Fist! Destroy the Auction House"; the episode premiered on April 12, 2009. As for the manga, the same events took place in chapter 502, titled "The Heavenly Dragon Incident," which was released on June 9, 2008.

Why did Luffy hit Saint Charlos?

Now that you know when this happened, let's just revisit the story so you can understand why it happened. Saint Charlos is portrayed as a snobbish world nobleman who thinks he can get away with anything; this is evidenced by the fact that he buys slaves and mistreats them, and when he travels to the Sabaody Archipelago, he does so on human backs.

Passing by a stretcher carrying a wounded man, he does not hesitate to knock it over, then orders the nurse to become his thirteenth wife. Zoro, witnessing the scene, tries to attack him, but Jewelry Bonney stops him and calms the two men down. Saint Charlos leaves, thinking that Zoro died after shooting him, unaware that he had actually missed him, and is later seen again in the slave auction room.

There he discovers what he has long desired, a mermaid, Camie in this case, and buys her for 500,000,000 Berries. Luffy then appears to save the mermaid, Octo tries to stop him but, unfortunately, he loses his jacket and the crowd discovers that he is a fishman. Saint Charlos, who hates this species, shoots him, which challenges Luffy.

Despite Octo's warnings and the threat of an Admiral landing, Luffy knocks him out with an incredible right punch. Saint Charlos and his family are later rescued by Marine soldiers. As the Neptune family arrives at Mary Geoise, Charlos, using binoculars, spots Shirahoshi from his estate; he pays close attention.

The latter bursts into the hall of Pangea Castle a little later accompanied by a giant slave, and demands that he take Shirahoshi and make him his pet. Vivi and Rebecca attempt to intervene but are held back by other nobles who wish to avoid a diplomatic incident. Leo and Sai, unable to contain themselves, rush to free Shirahoshi but are violently stopped by Lucci, who tells them that the Celestial Dragons are gods in this world and that it is normal for gods to have whatever they desire.

Despite knowing that a Celestial Dragon cannot be reasoned with, Vivi tries a last resort, but in vain. An enraged Neptune tells her to stop and that he will forcibly retrieve Shirahoshi and return to the sea. Charlos then asks Lucci to take down Neptune but is violently struck by a club that, surprisingly, is held by another Celestial Dragon who knows the Neptune family well, Saint Mjosgard.

Charlos lies unconscious on the ground. Following the incident, Charlos is carried on the back of his giant slave, who heads to the Celestial Dragons' portal to heal his wounds. Charlos curses Mjosgard as his father Rosward, who is aware of the situation, arrives on the back of Bartholomew Kuma, who has become the "invincible slave" that the Celestial Dragons take turns praising.

Charlos is very excited by this news; Rosward then gives him a demonstration: he hits and stabs Kuma without him moaning or crying. Rosward calls him a slave of exceptional quality, which impresses Charlos. Later, while the Levely was en route, Charlos is said to have been the victim of a failed assassination attempt by an unknown assailant.

Now that we've told you everything, it becomes clear why Luffy beat Charlos. Charlos is a mean person, and his disgusting behavior toward the people around him infuriated Luffy. Luffy's ideals are completely opposed to everything Charlos and his World Nobles stand for, which is why he acted without thinking.

Luffy knew his strengths and position, which is why he feared neither the Celestial Dragon nor the Navy. He struck Charlos because he was, and still is, a despicable and vile person, because he treats others like shit, and because he hates such people and behavior.

Monkey D. Luffy ultimately punched him because he was true to himself and his own ideals. If he hadn't intervened at that moment, he would have disappointed himself, and he ultimately didn't want to; he probably couldn't live with himself. It should be added that the punch was entirely deserved, and Luffy did the right thing by punching the vile World Noble in the face.