Zoro used to threaten Luffy in the past, Law was the closest an ally got to sharing the spotlight with Luffy, and in 1 arc's time he nearly overtook Luffy in the popularity poll. Oda got a heart attack and made sure to dial it back several notches in the following arcs, and made sure he turns into a Luffy glazer too.
This is why modern One Piece just doesn't feel right, It's like the author begging his readers to like Luffy over everyone else. It seeps through the writing, and feels completely manufactured. A mangaka should never worry about shit like popularity polls, he should have a story to tell, and however his readers take it that's how they take it.