Well no she isnt a fighter but she can fight. And she did defeat Ms doublefinger and one of the members of CP9 which if anyone forgot, isnt an easy task.
Crocodile really isnt much without his devil fruit in terms of fighting so I really dont see how its that hard to imagine for her to beat him.
Still, I cant wait for the upgrade she'll get
So, I don't wanna distract from the love discussion, but here's a Nami thing that I've never really seen discussed: Nami has the worst of all the backstories.
Okay, cards on the table. Lemme qualify. Bellemere? Totally fine. Nami's story of senseless tragedy and childhood loss fits in perfectly well with Zoro's story of senseless tragedy and childhood loss, Sanji's story of senseless tragedy and childhood loss, Luffy's story of senseless tragedy and childhoo... uh... let's just move on.
It's the money stuff that drives me crazy! No one in a small town helps out this family that can't feed two kids and an adult?! No, that would be communism. We just like watching little girls grow up hungry, wearing the same clothes all the time, and then gathering in the street and saying, "Watching those kids grow up so full of life makes me so happy."
Oh, and then Arlong comes. He says, 100,000 tax for adults and 50,000 for kids. Each month. Letting alone the fact that no one knows what one beli is worth in dollars (people guess that it's something like yen, based on the large bills), Bellemere can't pay that, the townsfolk say! And we won't give the money to Bellemere, because "seeing those kids grow up so full of life" makes us want to see them killed by a fishman.
And it makes even less sense the more you think about it. In the anime, Arlong's croney says that the take from his first visit is "maybe 25 million." So that's, what, 125 adults and 250 kids (or some combination) based on the aforementioned taxes? Twenty-five million... a month. And Arlong's gonna sell the town to Nami for a paltry 100 million? Collected over 8 years?! That's a bad investment. 8 years = 2.4 billion at that rate. Even assuming that Arlong never intended to honor the deal, it's still like offering to sell someone a diamond mine for fifty bucks, paid out over a decade, and the poor sap believing that you'll go through with it. Don't say, "Nami believed what she wanted to believe, in order to save her town." Nami's supposed to be one of the smartest characters in the show, even as a kid.
You might say, "That 25 million was from taking everything they had, not just the tax from one month." Well, first off--if you take all the money that someone has, how are they making more money? Second, fine, let's say that's true. And then there's maybe... 30 adults in town? That we see? At least 3 million a month, 36 million a year. Still a bad investment to sell it for 100.
This sorta thing really bugs me, 'cause I just think it's so easy for a writer to spot and avoid. Talk me down, AnimeSuki, talk me down.
Spoiler for Bellemere:
Oh, hey, Arlong, you were fooled completely, but, actually, I don't have any money, okay? Please come back and kill me now.
Last edited by Martin Dak; 2009-07-19 at 15:36.
Reason: Ugh, and I forgot about...
So, I don't wanna distract from the love discussion, but here's a Nami thing that I've never really seen discussed: Nami has the worst of all the backstories.
Okay, cards on the table. Lemme qualify. Bellemere? Totally fine. Nami's story of senseless tragedy and childhood loss fits in perfectly well with Zoro's story of senseless tragedy and childhood loss, Sanji's story of senseless tragedy and childhood loss, Luffy's story of senseless tragedy and childhoo... uh... let's just move on.
It's the money stuff that drives me crazy! No one in a small town helps out this family that can't feed two kids and an adult?! No, that would be communism. We just like watching little girls grow up hungry, wearing the same clothes all the time, and then gathering in the street and saying, "Watching those kids grow up so full of life makes me so happy."
Oh, and then Arlong comes. He says, 100,000 tax for adults and 50,000 for kids. Each month. Letting alone the fact that no one knows what one beli is worth in dollars (people guess that it's something like yen, based on the large bills), Bellemere can't pay that, the townsfolk say! And we won't give the money to Bellemere, because "seeing those kids grow up so full of life" makes us want to see them killed by a fishman.
And it makes even less sense the more you think about it. In the anime, Arlong's croney says that the take from his first visit is "maybe 25 million." So that's, what, 125 adults and 250 kids (or some combination) based on the aforementioned taxes? Twenty-five million... a month. And Arlong's gonna sell the town to Nami for a paltry 100 million? Collected over 8 years?! That's a bad investment. 8 years = 2.4 billion at that rate. Even assuming that Arlong never intended to honor the deal, it's still like offering to sell someone a diamond mine for fifty bucks, paid out over a decade, and the poor sap believing that you'll go through with it. Don't say, "Nami believed what she wanted to believe, in order to save her town." Nami's supposed to be one of the smartest characters in the show, even as a kid.
You might say, "That 25 million was from taking everything they had, not just the tax from one month." Well, first off--if you take all the money that someone has, how are they making more money? Second, fine, let's say that's true. And then there's maybe... 30 adults in town? That we see? At least 3 million a month, 36 million a year. Still a bad investment to sell it for 100.
This sorta thing really bugs me, 'cause I just think it's so easy for a writer to spot and avoid. Talk me down, AnimeSuki, talk me down.
Spoiler for Bellemere:
Oh, hey, Arlong, you were fooled completely, but, actually, I don't have any money, okay? Please come back and kill me now.
Don't forget Arlong "needed" Nami to stay in his crew so she could draw maps of the world including currents and etc. So he can rule the East Blue or the Grand Line.... What Arlong did was basicly let Nami have some hope thinking she can save her town so she stays loyal to him... If someone was that desperate they will accept that kind of offer right away...
Think of it this way it's like being a slave for around 8 years? + 100 Million Beri for the town...
Signature stolen by a horde of carnivorous bunnies. It is an unscientifically proven fact that they are attracted to signatures which break the signature rules.
Anyways, Nami is a great character to have in One Piece although she is somewhat unoriginal.
But, nevertheless, she's a great addition to one Piece, had a sad story, and does hilarious things at times. I died laughing when she was running through the crowd of people to get on the Going Merry, she hopped onto the ship, and billions of wallets poured out of her clothes. Then the townspeople realize what she did.
Although i have noticed, which a lot of one piece fans can agree on, Nami's boobs change size the minute the makers of OP want her to. She seems to have decent boobs, till skypiea and all of the sudden, she's carrying luggage if ya know wut i mean.
Okay, before I begin rambling off about the pairing, please remember that I am not saying that this is the only possible OP pairing or that it will happen in the manga. Secondly, please remember that this compilation focuses on not only using my own interpretations and ideas, but other ideas of others. While my post may not be to a particular person's liking, please be respectful of my work since it has taken me a long, long time to compile everything together. Thank you.
Why I Wrote This:
Honestly, ever since I read Mizura's Naru-Saku manifesto, I began to look at manga pairings a little bit more closely, and my absolute pairing so far is Luffy x Nami. So, I thought I'd do something nice for the pairing I love and try to do a nice tribute towards it.
A. Introductions:
As we already know, One Piece is the famous pirate manga of the revered Eiichiro Oda. Spanning over 436 chapters over the course of a decade, One Piece stays true to its themes of friendship, adventure, and fulfilling your dreams.
The characters in One Piece are well-done with vivid background stories and noticeable traits. It's hard to not like pairings in this manga, and a few pairings in the series can be legitimately argued that they are close to cannon, and Luffy x Nami is a candidate for such a position.
Now, for the two characters:
Spoiler for BG:
Monkey D. Luffy: The $300, 000, 000 Man
The protagonist of the series, his dream is to establish a crew that surpasses his childhood hero, Red-Hair Shanks, and find the legendary treasure One Piece in order to become the new Pirate King. Despite the difficulties Luffy has and will face, he has neverending faith in his nakama, in his own abilities, and in his dream. Furthermore, despite Luffy’s apparent care-free attitude, he has a fiery side which flares up when his nakama and/or hat are in danger, and he will risk his life as many times as it takes to protect his irreplaceable treasure from harm.
Nami – The Thief from East Blue
Don’t allow this young woman’s looks to fool you; Nami is an established thief who dreams of making a map of the world. As she is the navigator of the crew, her importance to the crew is just as important, if not more so, than Luffy’s position as Captain. She is exceptional greedy, and her years as a thief coupled with her “Perfect Clima-Tact” make her an exceptional fighter when the need arises. Despite her bossy, crude, and fiery-temper, she will risk her life for her crew.
C. Moments in the Manga:
Luffy and Nami actually have a nice section of scenes throughout the manga. Throughout the series, the manga gives the impression that Luffy and Nami trust each other, believe in each other, and most importantly, are comfortable with each other.
Many of the scenes I highlight are originally taken from this informative site: Pirate Love
However, I've either expanded upon a few points or skipped them altogether.
Okay, let's get crackin'...
1. Buggy the Clown Saga:
--Nami makes her first appearance in chapter eight of the manga, and you have to admit that the introduction is rather unique
Spoiler for 0:
There's a saying of "You never get a second chance to make a good first impression." In reality, you have less than ten seconds to make a good first impression (I heard that off of a radio show one time). And boy does Luffy make an impression on Nami.
Gee, it's like a guardian angel fell right down from heaven, no?
--The two aren't together for too long before we have the beginnings of a classic moment between the two:
Spoiler for 1:
Because of Luffy's apparent stupidity, Nami yells at him. How many times has that happened in the manga so far? I lost count after the first few hundred times..."keeps on losing track of tabs"...
--We also have a nice little tidbit when Nami claims to be a navigator. She has no proof of her claims whatsoever, yet Luffy asks her to immediately join his...just like that. Luffy's instincts tell him that Nami is a rare, exceptional deal. Trusting his instincts, he takes an immediate liking to the thief.
--While captured by Buggy the Clown, Buggy orders Nami to fire a cannon at him to prove her loyalty. She hesitates because she does not want Luffy to get hurt (ironically, she had just confessed prior to him that she despises pirates), however, and when the fuse is almost gone, she puts her hands on it, extinguishing the flame and injuring her hands in the process. Luffy’s reaction is only a look of surprise in Nami’s ability to save his life.
--Not only that, but during this time as well, Nami confesses in a harsh voice the exact reason why she detests pirates so much
Spoiler for 2:
Luffy is the first person in the crew to hear these words: “Pirates had killed the most important person in my life!!” This phrase will become more important during the Arlong Saga.
--Afterwards, after Nami, Luffy, and Zoro escape the red-nosed clown, Nami realizes that the pet store that the little dog had been guarding had been destroyed, and she becomes angry at pirates in general. Still, Luffy pays no attention to her outburst and goes straight to the dog. Not too long after that, Luffy gives a can of food to the dog, and Nami, in her surprised encounter, smiles.
What is signficant about this little event is that Luffy has shown Nami that you can be a pirate as well as a good person. Just Nami even thinking slightly different from her usual "pirate-hating" philosophy is an eye-getter. What is it about Luffy that allows him such an immediate and profound influence on her thinking?
----Shortly afterwards, the trio goes to Buggy in order to beat the crap out of him. During the battle, Luffy’s prized straw hat is damaged, and for the first time, we get a glimpse of how Luffy’s easy-going demeanor quickly changes when Buggy slashes at Luffy's prized strawhat. Even Nami takes note when she thinks of how she originally thought nothing could potentially faze that guy.
Nami is the first person who truly understands and realizes just how important that hat is to Luffy. Just like Luffy being the first person to witness Nami’s pain-filled outburst, Nami is the first person amongst the crew to witness what is perhaps the first true example of what will make Luffy lose his cool instantly.
What we also see here is glimpses of the beginning of Nami’s fondness for her future Captain. Earlier, she had boarded Buggy’s place to steal the treasure. Remember, during this time, treasure is the most important thing for Nami, and for Nami to go back to a dangerous area when she must live is very peculiar. This scene shows that Nami is beginning to grow attached to the Captain, but what is this bond?
--Lastly, after the three leave town, Nami takes time to sew Luffy’s hat, a feat which delights Luffy to no end. Luffy appreciates Nami for what she has done as well as demonstrates a side of Nami that is feminine
Spoiler for 3:
What we also have here in this scene is the beginning of another classic Luffy-Nami interaction: Nami hitting Luffy!
2. Captain Kuro Saga:
Like all the arcs of the E. Blue Saga, each particular arc is particularly suited for a particular character, and in this case, it's mainly Ussopp. Nevertheless, a couple of moments for the pairing spring up, revealing that a relationship is developing between the captain and navigator:
--An interesting moment is when Nami runs to wake Luffy up (by stepping on his face hysterically). Luffy wakes up, but when he sees Nami, he sees that her shoulder is bleeding from a wound that Jango had given her. Furthermore, Luffy repays his debt to Nami and saves her life from an otherwise fatal attack from the Black Cat Hypnotist. Luffy shows concern to Nami’s well-being, and in return, Nami shows a little heart and tells Luffy that they need to win the battle, plus the treasure. Luffy silently smiles in return.
This point highlights that Luffy and Nami are beginning to develop a strong bond between each other. Luffy thinks highly of Nami, and Nami returns those feelings.
--Shortly after the fight with Kuro ends, we have another interesting scene between the two:
Spoiler for 0:
Nami finds out yet another thing that makes Luffy have an outburst: A captain’s indifference to his crew. Not only this, but we see more evidence of trust between the two as Luffy is exhausted as Nami catches him. Nami holds Luffy’s treasured hat for him as she lectures that not all pirates are honorable, and right after Luffy mentions he would like some meat, Nami pounds his hat straight onto his face. It’s almost as if Luffy is instigating Nami to hit him…
On a side note, notice how Nami takes care of Luffy's hat once again. As Luffy is the caretaker of Shanks's hat, it seems to be that Nami is slowly sharing that role with Luffy. The importance of the hat cannot be underestimated!
Anyway, once again, we see clear evidence that the bond between Luffy and Nami is growing in strength. Luffy’s faith in Nami will be tested though here soon in the next arc.:
3. Baratie Saga:
It's this arc that sets the stage for Sanji as well as leading us to Nami's background when she takes off. We have a couple of nice scenes here:
--When Luffy learns that Luffy has stolen his ship and treasure, Luffy responds in a rather interesting way
Spoiler for 1:
Let's see...not concerned about the ship, treasure, and the fact that his navigator had just apparently betrayed him...you'd think any sane person would go after her for what Nami had just done, yet the only thing that concerns Luffy is Nami herself.
The only person who will be the navigator of the crew is Nami. For Luffy to even say such a thing after hearing how Nami only used and betrayed his crew, Luffy must have a decent understanding and possess a great deal of trust in Nami to say such a thing. Despite Zoro’s reservations, Luffy is firm in his decision, which shows that the only thing that truly mattered to him at the moment is Nami herself.
--We also learn something interesting about Nami in the process of well:
--We also learn something interesting about Nami in the process of well:
Spoiler for 2:
ps: i cry in this time
While Nami did begin to bond with the other crewmates, she already had begun to grow a rather surprising emotional bond (the strongest of bonds between people by the way) with Luffy. Remember, for eight years, Nami has used and betrayed other people with little regard for them. For the first time, she has serious regret for what she did. Nami wanted to be their nakama, but unfortunately, her home village needed her more than anything else. Yet, she hoped that she would meet them again someday, and that they would allow her to be their friend once again. Little did she know, her wish would come true rather quickly.
--At the end of the battle with Don Krieg, Yosaku appears once again and fills Luffy in on what happened right before Nami took off with the ship. Luffy asks, “Nami wa? Minna wa?” This basically translates into “What about Nami? What about the others?” This little statement reveals just how much Luffy cares and how deep Nami is in his thoughts. Luffy asks about the thieving girl before anything else, and quickly takes off to retrieve her back.
Spoiler for ar:
4. Arlong Saga:
Honestly, this arc is delicious, moist, and plentiful in Luffy x Nami interactions. Unsurprisingly, not only does this arc focus on Nami and her story, but lays the groundwork for a life-altering relationship to bloom with Luffy (it does not advocate romance though). It also shows just how well Oda can write an emotional story.
--Shortly after Luffy arrives at Arlong Park, Johnny had just appeared and told Luffy that he saw Nami coldly murder Ussopp before his very eyes. You would think that Luffy would be outraged by what Nami had done, but…
Luffy becomes outraged at what Zoro’s former associate is telling him. You would think that Luffy would consider the words of a man Zoro personally knows and trusts a little, but right when Nami is badmouthed, Luffy snaps and threatens Yosaku. This is the only time in the entire manga that Luffy has personally threatened to hurt when one of his crewmates were insulted. Even people like Zoro and Robin, when accused of doing horrible things, Luffy did not threaten to beat the bloody pulp. This distinction is small, but significant at hinting just how deep Luffy cares for his runaway navigator: Nami. Luffy probably would have beaten the living daylights out of Yosaku if it weren’t for Nami’s quick appearance.
--Right after Nami appears, she orders Luffy and the others to leave the island. Once again though, Luffy refuses to listen and volunteers to take a nap right in the middle of the road. The signal is plainly clear: “I am not leaving this island until you come with me.” Nami, seething, walks away. This hints that Luffy cannot imagine himself going to the Grand Line without Nami’s company, and that Nami cannot always have her way as well.
--Some time later, Nojiko, Nami’s sister, appears and volunteers to explain why Nami is the way she is, and why she has such a hard time with the word “nakama.” (In a way, we have some irony here since the reason why Nami is angry deals with the fact that for once, somebody actually came for…AKA…Monsieur Luffy!) Luffy, on the other hand, has no interest in knowing the details, and plainly walks away. While he did know a little bit, this act signifies respect since Nami’s past is her personal business. This gesture shows that once again, Luffy’s faith in Nami has no end since his instincts tell him that Nami would only join Arlong’s crew for a good reason, which is true.
--What we have next is the defining moment for the Luffy x Nami pairing:
Nami, after seeing Arlong betray her and the villager run off to die, breaks down and begins to cry hysterically. In the process, her anger builds up to the point that she begins to etch out her fish tattoo (her symbolization of belonging to Arlong’s crew), but Luffy, like his first appearance with Nami, appears out of nowhere to stop her madness.
The next thing you know, one of the most emotional parts of the manga appears:
My…my…my…Nami does the impossible: She asks someone for help, and no surprises here, it is none other than Luffy that she asks. This moment is undermined a lot by people who consider pairings, even supporters of Luffy x Nami at times. After eight years of hellish work, Nami had come close to making her dream come true, so she could finally be free. Nevertheless, Arlong proved treacherous and made her decade-long endeavor to be in vain. Up till now, the only people Nami had even considered trusting were Nojiko, Gen-san, and with the newest addition, Luffy. To ease her pain, Luffy does something unthinkable…he gives her his hat:
Just like what happened between Luffy and Shanks ten years ago, Luffy places his hat onto her head to console her. It is no doubt one of the most significant things that Luffy has ever done for Nami. For one, Luffy is extremely protective of that hat, losing his cool almost instantly if anyone (besides Nami) touches it. In addition, this event shows that Luffy recognized that Nami was in unspeakable pain, and in an attempt to ease it, he places his hat onto her head, which turns out to be a pretty good idea since Nami begins to collect herself right after that (note—Nami wears that hat until the end of the arc). Luffy then quickly proceeds to agree to Nami’s request for help, with no hesitation and no strings whatsoever; here, Luffy proves himself a true friend to Nami, one of the few things that Nami lacked, and needed to make herself feel needed and loved.
--So Luffy heads off to beat the hell out of Arlong, someone he’s never even met. Usually, a villain will attack or insult Luffy to initiate a fight. Normally, Luffy has seen the villain at work and knows first-hand that he’s a bad guy. But for the first time, Luffy goes right up to someone and attacks them without knowing anything at all about them. When Arlong asks who Luffy is and what he’s doing, Luffy answers with “You made our navigator cry!” So that’s it. That’s the only reason Luffy needed. He didn’t need to know what Arlong had actually done to make her cry, all he knew was that Arlong had hurt Nami somehow. That’s all that mattered. This is another occasion of seeing just how protective Luffy is of Nami.
--In the midst of the fight, we see Nami (wearing Luffy’s hat) bandaging up her arm and racing off to help Luffy. Despite the fact that she’s not exactly the best fighter of the group, she couldn’t sit back and let Luffy and the others do everything, without even being there. So Nami appreciates what Luffy has done for her; and, not too long after she makes an appearance, we see another glimpse into Luffy’s influence on Nami:
Nami finally gets the courage to face Arlong and lay her life on the line with the rest of the village. What we see here is Nami regaining the pride she once had as a little child before her version of a devil (Arlong) took all that away from her. Like Luffy as well, Nami speaks her mind, despite her fear of everyone close to her dying. She takes inspiration in Luffy’s actions for her, appreciates them, and trusts them to the point that she will not allow herself to doubt Luffy. Her trust in Luffy is beginning to grow and reflect the trust that Luffy has put into her all along.
--Later in the battle, Luffy ends up getting thrown into the very room Nami had been forced to live in while working for Arlong. Looking around at the thousands of maps Nami had obviously drawn over the years, the full horror of what Nami had lived through dawns on Luffy. Arlong follows into the room and confirms what Luffy had already figured out, that Nami had been more a slave than a crewmate, and Arlong had used her for everything she was worth. Luffy picks up a blood-stained pen, undoubtedly realizing that Nami had suffered unimaginable abuse in Arlong’s care, and his anger rises. It is probably the angriest we’ve ever seen Luffy, as he begins trashing the room and all of the maps Nami had made against her will. He destroys everything, his own way of setting Nami free once and for all (complimented by Nami standing outside watching, saying a silent thank you), and proceeds to defeat Arlong. After the battle, the crew spends a couple of days in Nami’s village celebrating, during which Nami makes her decision to join Luffy’s crew, this time for real.
Spoiler for 0:
5. Drum Island Arc:
Next to the Arlong Saga, this arc also has some pretty heavy Luffy x Nami moments.
--When Nami suddenly becomes ill, Luffy becomes her caretaker. When Nami first collapses on the deck, Vivi immediately informs the rest of the crew. Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp are particularly concerned. As the episode progresses, Luffy continuously makes suggestions for getting Nami well again (of course, none of these suggestions are very good, but they’re at least attempts on his part). One of the cutest moments is when Vivi makes them understand the severity of the situation, telling them that Nami could die if not treated. The three boys fly into hysterics, screaming, crying, and saying things like “Nooo! Nami can’t die!”
--Once they arrive at the island, the villagers stop them and tell them to turn back. It seems they have a problem with pirates and don’t want to let any more in. After some arguing, Vivi is shot (the bullet only grazes her shoulder) and Luffy becomes angry, moving to attack. Vivi stops him and reminds him that Nami desperately needs a doctor, and no one will help them if they use violence. Setting aside the way he always does things, Luffy gets on his knees and bows to the villagers, begging them to bring a doctor to help Nami. Seeing his sincerity, the villagers let them in. This scene was so touching because it probably took a lot for Luffy to humble himself to that degree. Up till this point, Luffy has solved nearly every problem with some form of violence. But to save Nami, he was willing to change that tactic.
--Once inside the village, they lay Nami in a bed inside a house. They are informed that the only doctor on the island lives at the top of a huge, incredibly steep mountain. Luffy wastes no time deciding that he’ll take Nami up the mountain to see the doctor. When someone comments that Nami couldn’t handle the trip, he quickly says “I’ll carry her.” The crew still tells Luffy that it would be too dangerous, and the issue isn’t decided until Nami speaks up, telling them that she wants Luffy to take her to the doctor, once again expressing her faith in him. Luffy happily gives her a “high-five” and prepares for the journey.
--Luffy carries Nami on his back, being tied together at the waist. Sanji volunteers to go with them, and when they are attacked by giant man-eating rabbits (if you haven’t seen this… don’t ask), Sanji reminds Luffy that he can’t attack or be attacked without risking damage to Nami. So once again, Luffy must set aside his normal tactics. He begins running from fights instead of facing them, for the sake of Nami. During the journey, Luffy takes off his coat (the only protection he had against the cold) and drapes it over Nami, and he also once again entrusts his hat to Nami when he goes to retrieve an unconscious Sanji. He eventually has to climb up the steep mountain carrying Nami on his back and Sanji by his teeth. Once he is discovered by the doctor Kureha and her assistant Chopper, Luffy makes it clear that saving Nami and Sanji is more important that saving himself.
--When Wapol enters his castle, he encounters Nami while she is still recovering. It isn’t before too long before the oversized tyrant proceeds to attack Nami, and before the king can swallow her for good, Luffy once again protects her from harm.
6. Jaya Arc:
I skipped a couple of Alabasta scenes, but I'll bring them up later. Anyway, this arc is an introductory before everyone heads up to Skypiea. There is a nice little scene during this entire arc:
--The crew eventually comes to an island called Jaya, where they wish to find some information about a rumored "Sky Island". Nami instructs everyone to not cause any trouble because it would make it harder to gather information. She, Zoro, and Luffy walk into a bar, and Luffy is attacked by a violent and seemingly tough pirate. Nami screams for Luffy not to fight, and hurries to ask the bartender about the Sky Island. When she asks this, the entire bar erupts into laughter, making fun of her for believing in what they view as a fairytale. This humiliates Nami, and she gives Luffy permission to go aheand and fight. However, Luffy does not fight, and commands Zoro to do the same. The two of them take a pretty brutal beating, without ever fighting back (they were proving a point). During the process, Nami picks up Luffy's hat and holds it over her chest:
Spoiler for 1:
Nami is horrified, and when the violent attackers invite her to join them, she quickly says "Joining you would be a waste of my talents" before picking up Luffy and Zoro and dragging them out of the bar. For a long time afterward, Nami is furious at Luffy and Zoro (and pretty much everyone else...) because of that incident. Obviously, she was angry because they had allowed themselves to be hurt so badly, and she doesn't like seeing them hurt.
7. Skypiea Arc:
I'm getting a bit lazy here...
--The Skypeia arc begins several episodes later, and it has several adorable Luffy/Nami moments. The first is humorous. They they arrive on Angel Beach, two friendly residents show them a small water-based vehicle called a Waver. Luffy immediately tries it out, but wrecks it very quickly. The residents them inform them that it takes nearly ten years to master the Waver. Suddenly Nami tries out the Waver, and everyone (especially the Angel Beach residents) is surprised that she can control it perfectly. Adorably, Luffy is at first very impressed by her skill, but slowly becomes jealous when she continues to ride it expertly, even after the others leave the beach and go into town. Several times, Luffy goes and watches Nami from the window, and pouts because she's so much better at it than him.
--The major Villain Eneru takes down pretty much everyone aside from Luffy (who was trapped inside a giant snake, and was unaware of most of what was going on) and Nami (who was basically the only person smart enough not to attack Eneru). The villain said he wanted to take the five remaining people with him (to where, I was never quite sure...), but after the others attacked him (and were subsequently defeated), Nami was all that remained and she wisely agreed to go with him, believing that agreeing to his orders would give her time to figure out what to do. When Luffy finally escapes from the snake, he is horrified to discover that everyone had been beaten.
Spoiler for 2:
One of the first things he does is he asks where Nami is, despite the condition the rest of his crew are in. When Robin wakes up, Luffy finds out that Enel is responsible for this mess, and quickly proceeds to catch up to him to not only make the false god pay for what he did, but to get Nami out of his clutches as well.
--Enel takes Nami to his huge flying ship, and when Luffy appears, she is so happy to see him that she nearly bursts into tears. And it's not that she hadn't seen him in a long time, she had met up with him inside the snake only a few scenes before this. It was because she had faith that he would save her and turn things around. Still yet, she yelled for Luffy to be careful, worried for his safety because she knew how powerful Enel was.
--At first, it seems as if Luffy is winning the battle, but Enel turns out to be tougher than they thought, and turns the tide of the fight again. Nami becomes worried and frightened when the ship begins to fly, and Luffy gives her courage by tossing her his hat. It should be noted that Luffy has only deliberately given his hat to another person on two occasions, and both of those times, he has given it to Nami. If anyone else touches it, he becomes angry or snatches it back rather quickly. Giving her the hat was a kind gesture. As I said before, Luffy equates the hat with comfort. It also shows more trust and understanding between Luffy and Nami. Luffy trusted her to take care of the hat, which she did, because she understood its importance to him.
--After Luffy is knocked off the ship, Nami is left alone again. Terrified, she ponders her situation. She knew that she could go with Enel and be relatively safe. As long as she agreed with him, he wouldn't kill her. But Nami didn't want to do that. While gripping Luffy's hat tightly:
Spoiler for 3:
Nami finally has the guts to talk back to Enel! I interpret this to mean that she would be all alone and without her friends (and more pointedly, without her Captain). She then attaches Luffy's hat to the waistband of her pants and begins her escape attempt (interestingly, Nami does a better job of warding off Enel's lightning attacks than anyone else besides Luffy, fighting them off with her own weather-based weapon and then dodging, making her the only character in the story arc that was never struck by his attack).
--Nami is eventually helped by Usopp and Sanji, but Luffy is unaware of this. He fights his way back toward Enel's ship, one of the main reasons being to rescue Nami (the other was plainly and simply to kick Enel's ass). When Nami finally makes it back to the others, she is informed that Luffy went off to rescue her. She grabs her Waver and zooms off to go get him, rushing into danger for his sake.
Spoiler for 0:
Spoiler for 1:
Luffy does something that he only does once I believe: He tells a crewmate (in this case, Nami) that he trusts him/her. Anyway...
--When Nami catches up to Luffy, she begs him to just leave the island, to escape with her. She's worried that he'll be killed, but Luffy refuses:
Spoiler for 2:
He continues trying to climb up the giant beanstalk to reach Eneru's ship, despite being knocked back down everytime. Finally, Nami tells Luffy to climb onto the back of her Waver, and she drives him up to the top of the beanstalk, enabling him to jump from the Waver and reach Eneru, defeating him in the process.
--Afterward, the whole island is celebrating and partying (and trust me, no one can party as hard as the Straw Hat pirates). Everyone eventually falls asleep, except for Luffy, who sneaks around until he finds Nami. He wakes her up, and excitedly informs her of his plans to steal all the gold and leave the island quickly.
Although they eventually break into a very comical argument (both were mad at the other for talking too loud and waking up the island residents), it was cute that Nami was the first person Luffy wanted to tell about his plans (probably because he knows how money-hungry she is, which demonstrates again that he understands her all too well).
8. Davy Back Fight:
Honestly, I'm also done with the moments section:
--I'd like to point out something rather humorous:
Spoiler for 3:
She does not realize the power of the afro...sigh*
--Next...
Spoiler for 4:
Nami is not happy about Luffy imitating his close-death experience…Anyway, what it does show is that Aokiji's little freeze deal on Luffy must have scared the living daylights out of her, just like how Luffy became worried about Nami when she came close to death as well.
Spoiler for 0:
9. Water 7 Arc:
Honestly, one of the best arcs we've had in such a long time. After all, we get Franky's story, Robin's story, CP9, Luffy vs Ussoppe, Merry Go's death, and so much more emotional scenes. This arc along with Enies Lobby showcases just how much each crewmember feels for each other.
--When everyone arrives at Water 7, once again, it is the trio of Luffy, Nami, and Ussopp who leave together. Nami wishes to exchange the gold for cash, and not too long afterwards, Luffy and Nami have a humorous argument about whether or not Luffy should be allowed to carry the cash.
--Not too long into the arc, Ussopp is kidnapped and mugged while Luffy and Nami are unaware of what is going on. After learning that Merry Go cannot be repaired, the two of them begin to talk about buying a new ship and stumble upon Ussopp, bloodied and seriously injured.
--During the whole Luffy vs Ussopp ordeal, it is Nami who tries to talk some sense into Luffy. Just like Luffy has done in the past, Nami is trying her part to keep everyone together, especially since Robin had disappeared into thin air. Unfortunately, Luffy does not listen, and shows no interest in compromising his principles, especially since Ussopp personally asked for the duel.
--Nami and Luffy proceed to go back into town and run across Franky. While Franky and Luffy have a scuffle (Nami acts as a cheerleader, cheering Luffy on to victory, like the Square Sisters for Franky), Galley-La intervenes and suddenly begins to attack Luffy. Luffy, for his part, does not attack unless one of the carpenters proceeds to assault him. When someone in the crowd grabs Nami, Luffy becomes concerned and is beginning to become angry (as the comments about Robin being an assassin didn’t help at all…), and once Franky distracts everyone with his big attack, Luffy grabs Nami and hightails it out of there in order to meet Iceburg.
--Later on, after the whole revealing of CP9 and Robin leaving the crew, Aqua Laguna is about to arrive at Water 7. What we have here is another Luffy x Nami moment that will become a classic:
Spoiler for 1:
Spoiler for 2:
Abandoning logic and all things common-sense, Nami races towards Luffy despite the dangers of Aqua Laguna approaching. Running across the building rooftops, Nami arrives where Luffy is trapped. Bursting in tears, she tells him what will happen to Robin. It is not only Robin's predicament that calls forth Luffy's determination, but Nami's emotional state as well. He consoles her, telling her that he will not allow Robin to die. Furthermore, in a feat of amazing strength, he carries himself and Nami to a place outside of Aqua Laguna's reach.
--Nami, in tears, roars at the inhabitants of Water 7 of what will happen to Robin if someone does not proceed to help her, but the people of Water 7 refuse to listen. However, Luffy proclaims that he will take a ship by force if necessary, backing Nami up in the process. Both of them at the moment are growing in anger at what is happening to Robin.
--When everyone boards the Rocket Man, somebody delivers a big bag of sake and meat. Nami had planned for this beforehand, showing all too well of how easy it is to get her teammates energized.
10. Enies Lobby Arc:
This is real short, promise:
--Despite all the chaos that is ensuing Enies Lobby for the moment, Nami has no doubts about Luffy’s ability to live through the trouble right after everyone finds out Sogeking has disappeared:
Spoiler for 3:
--For the rest of the arc, pretty much everything is focused on Robin and the fight between CP9 and the Strawhat Pirates. At the end of the arc though, there is a little tidbit of Luffy x Nami moments all condensed together. When it is revealed that Admiral Garp is Luffy’s grandfather, everybody in the room is pretty shocked. When Garp mentions Luffy’s father being in Loguetown at the same time as him, Nami is the only person who mentions being interested in who his father is, and not too soon after that, comments about an amazing ego running through the Monkey family as Luffy and Garp depart fighting humorously. Lastly, when Luffy and Coby are talking to each other, Nami listens in on only the first part of the conversation, but as the two friends remember old times, Nami quits her eavesdropping gig and leaves the two alone.
Spoiler for 0:
D. Recap:
Sorry if the reading is a little bit long, so here is a quick recap:
As in each case demonstrated over and over again, we have recurring themes here:
--Luffy trusts Nami and Nami returns that trust.
--Luffy has faith in Nami and Nami has faith in Luffy.
--Luffy is comfortable with Nami and Nami is comfortable with Luffy.
--Luffy finds Nami attractive and Nami finds Luffy attractive, especially personality-wise.
--Slowly, over time, Oda has been having Luffy and Nami spend more time with each other, epseically evident in the Water 7 Arc.
E. Words from our Sponsor:
1. Characters:
Normally, Oda displays a person’s relationship with another (i.e. Zoro and Sanji) through action instead of having other characters in the manga comment upon the relationship, but two characters in One Piece have said things that do hint just how close Luffy and Nami are to each other.
Gen-san
Gen-san, for anyone who does not remember, is a childhood friend of Nami as well as a father-figure for her. He is also the only person, besides Nojiko , to have warmly treated Nami in her home village while she worked for Arlong. Lastly, the pinwhell that Gen-San has worn ever since Nami was a baby makes her smile, and Nami’s reminder of that is the pinwheel she has tattooed unto her arm.
Spoiler for 1:
Now, after Luffy emerged victorious against Arlong, Luffy finds Gen-san at the grave of Nami’s mother, and when Luffy appears, Gen-san tells Luffy, “If you hurt Nami’s feelings, I will kill you! Do you understand!?” Luffy then promise Gen-san that he will protect her feelings, which is reinforced right as the crew leaves and Luffy gives a thumbs-up sign, indicating that he will remember his promise to protect Nami’s feelings.
Gen-san is the closest thing that Nami has ever had as a father, and Gen-san is extremely protective of Nami in return. He knows that LUffy is the one who Nami will turn to for encouragement, kindness, companionship, etc. (hints that Nami’s relationship with Luffy is not only solid, but will probably grow). Luffy, whether he has realized it or not, does his best to keep Nami out of harm as well as be the best person he can be for Nami. Luffy knows no bounds when it comes to Nami because he unconditionally puts trust and faith in Nami no matter the circumstance, even when the rest of the crew has had their doubts about her. Luffy, on his part, has encouraged Nami to bloom, and she has done that wonderfully. Without him, her soul have withered and died a long time ago if not for his intervention.
Gen-san knows that out of the all crew, the most important person to Nami is Luffy himself, and Gen-san warns Luffy to never hurt Nami’s feelings. When Luffy promises the man that he will not hurt Nami’s feelings, he is indirectly saying “I will protect you”, or something similar along those lines. Luffy has staetd countless times that he will protect his nakama, but Nami is the one person in the entire series whom Luffy has promised to personally protect.
Kokoro & Chimney
Two people...but meh. Anyway, Kokoro is a train conductor for Water 7 as well as being a mermaid; she is a little perceptive about peoples’ personalities as well. Chimney, her granddaughter, has an innate ability to find hidden things.
The first time Kokoro makes a comment about Nami and Luffy is right after Chimney notices Luffy stuck between buildings right as Aqua Laguna is about to arrive. Kokoro basically states to Nami:
“Hmm…that Straw Hat…Hey girl, isn’t that your easygoing Pirate King? What’s he doing there?”
The text is subtle, but I find it interesting to how Kokoro relays Luffy to Nami. Kokoro, who ha spretyt much only met Ussopp, Nami, and Luffy for a day, refers Luffy to Nami as “your easygoing Pirate King”. Kokoro later on witnesses Nami run hysterically into the danger to find Luffy, despite Kokoro’s frantic remarks to stay out of the area where Luffy was sighted. To Nami, Luffy is not simply just her nakama, friend, captain, etc., but her future Pirate King as well. Is it a hint? Probably not, but you never know when it comes to One Piece and Oda...lol.
Later on, during the Enies Lobby invasion, Chimney notices that luffy had climbed onto the rooftop and was in a fight with Blueno. While Kokoro is speaking to the group about the drawbridge, Chimney interrupts her:
“Hello?! Can you hear me Pirate Lady?! Hey! That rubber pirate guy…I saw him climb on top of the courthouse rooftop!”
Nami: “Really?! Luffy did!!?”
Although subtle, once again, it is worth noting since Chimney asked specifically for Nami to to tell her what she saw. The crew is relieved to hear the news, but Nami appears to be the most relieved since she is concerned for him, although she has no doubt about his ability to survive in any situation.
2. Words from the Author:
Although questions from SBS sections are sometimes silly and downright hard to understand, there are a few questions regarding interactions between Luffy and Nami. The following SBS questions are taken from arlongpark.net:
Quote:
Chapter 223 (Page 146)
D: Oda-chan! How you doin'?! (Inoki-style) (note: I don't know who that is) Umm, I have a question. In One Piece Volume 18, chapter 157, Luffy complains about lack of food with spirally eyes... but right behind him is Nami-san and her orange trees. Why doesn't he eat the oranges...?
O: Oranges... yes, she has them... However... Taking one and eating it is equivalent to instant death. Yes, instant death. Not eating for a week is not enough to kill a human. Whether you survive by having some strong reason to live for, or taking an orange (death) and fighting your navigator, it's a major life decision... However, I believe that not even she could be so cruel that she'd watch her friend on the brink of death. Brrrr.
Nami scares Luffy to a certain extent that he does have a small degree of control over his appetite. As Oda points out, eating an orange is asking for the Grim Reaper to drop on by to say hello.
Quote:
Chapter 300 (Page 106)
D: How are you doing, Oda-sensei? I would like to ask you a question. In the Volume 23 bathing scene, all the guys went to check out Nami and Vivi's bodies. I can understand Sanji, King Cobra and Igaram, but why were Luffy, Usopp and Chopper spying, too? PLEASE ANSWER! (SERIOUSLY) If you don't give me a serious answer, I... I... I'll SUE YOU!! by Chairman of the Keep Men From Peeping Federation, Shikobaya Pinoko
O: The reason they were all peeping is because they are healthy boys. I don't think there need be any other reason. But I think Chopper might have done it because the other guys were. Besides, not wanting to gaze upon the naked flesh of beautiful young women would be an insult to them! But that's just my... Sanji's opinion.
Oda finds it important for Luffy to be seen as a “healthy young boy”, something he has repeatedly done throughout the series. What is interesting is that the only genuine interest Luffy has ever shown for a woman is Nami alone. Even Alvida, being extremely gorgeous right now (according to people in the manga), Luffy is a bit…disdained…by her infatuation with him. So, Nami is the only interest Luffy has in women, even generally
Quote:
Chapter 411 (Page 48)
D: Blows shouldn't hurt Luffy, so why does he get bruises and swelling when Nami and the others beat the crap out of him?! Tell me!!! P.N. Zororin Love
O: When the crew beats up on each other, it's always in admonishment with a strong sense of purpose, which is why it works so well!! It works on his HEART!! I bet Nami is thinking, "It's MY heart that hurts deep down!!" ...right? I guess not.
nothing to say
Quote:
Tazotizo: “So, weak as she is, Nami is still capable of doing what no villain can do: repeatedly beat Luffy down to his knees…because it’s a beating her heart to his.”
elyon14340: “And now about the topic… Obviously no other woman could hit Luffy like Nami… We have never seen Robin or Vivi hit him as HARD as the way Nami does it. Another good observation is that, as posted above: ‘So, weak as she is, Nami si still capable of doing what no villain can do: repeatedly beat Luffy down to his knees’…But I still wonder, how come the word HEART could be connected to the question? ?_?
*Up to now I am still wondering… Which is the treasure? The hat or Nami? Which is which?”
As Mizura pointed out in her Naru-Saku manifesto, it isn't strange in typical pairings of the girl hitting the guy. . It happens constantly in other mangas, and it isn’t excluded from Asian books, movies, etc. At least nine times out of ten, Nami is the one doing the hitting, and the receiving is unsurprisingly Luffy (and man does she hit hard!).
On a side note, the hitting routine is a sign of fondness/friendship/whatever most of the time.
It's not much, but I found a few interesting cover chapters between the two characters:
Spoiler for 1:
This is the cover chapter for the first chapter. It's interesting to note the three main biggies: Shanks, Nami, and Luffy. (that is not zoro he is other man), and Nami won't make an introduction until the second volume.
Spoiler for 2:
Nami is drawn with Luffy's hat in the background, once again signifying the importance of the hat.
Spoiler for 3:
Luffy is wearing a kitten on his head and Nami is in a canoe that has Luffy's hat. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not.
This is taken from chapter thirteen. Early, but kind of neat, showing that Luffy fishing while Nami is with him.
Spoiler for 4:
This is a recent one...taken in 379 (?). We see Nami wearing Luffy's hat (gee...this is getting repetitive, no?) and Luffy is ogling at a swimsuit photo of Nami. Nice.
Honestly, there is a good amount of cover chapter material between the two, but these are a few good ones that I like. I don't feel like posting more (I feel sorry for anyone using dial-up right now...) cover chapters since these six make a decent point.
Spoiler for bg:
F. A Dynamic Relationship:
Both Luffy and Nami have a relationship that sets it apart from the rest of the crew; in a way, I suppose it could be similar to the whole Zoro/Sanji and Ussopp/Chopper scenarios. What we have here is an intimate relationship that is very deep. Love is present, though the series has stressed it as comradeship, or something along those lines.
What is interesting about the relationship between these two characters is the fact that the relationship between them is one of the longest planned subjects in the entire series. In reality, the relationship is documented before Oda even began writing One Piece.
1. Dawn before Adventure: Romance Dawn Novels:
In the Romance Dawn novels that came before One Piece, a trait that both novels shared is the introduction of a character with a striking resemblance to Nami. In both versions, Nami plays the lead female role (well…pretty much the only female role…) and has some serious interactions with Luffy, who pretty much looked the same and has the abilities of the Gomu Gomu no Mii.
Romance Dawn: Version One
Here is a list of descriptions taken from Wikipedia. The Nami-like character in this story is a girl called Silk.
The story opens with young pirate Monkey D. Luffy spotting a pirate ship in the distance, and setting his skiff, the M?rchen (adorned with 4 different pirate flags), after it. Meanwhile, the residents of a town on the shore are panicking as they realize that the pirate ship of "Crescent-Moon Galley" is approaching. The mayor advocates paying off the pirates to save their town without a fight, but the townspeople argue that money won't be enough. Still, armed resistance would be too reckless to try. A young, sword-carrying woman named Silk speaks up, saying that they should fight, but the townspeople dismiss her, telling her that it would only make the problem a larger one. She resists this argument, but the mayor tells them that he'll attempt to speak to the pirates while the rest of the town stays safe.
Luffy walks through the streets of the village, commenting on the lack of people. The mayor approaches him, asking for what he can do for the pirate, and Luffy asks where a restaurant is. The mayor hurriedly directs him to one, but panics after Luffy goes in when he realizes that Silk is also inside. Silk attacks him immediately, but Luffy hurriedly explains that he is not a pirate, but a candidate for one. As Luffy begins to eat, Silk comments on how weak he looked, and asks about Galley's ship. Luffy's attention, however, is solely on his food. Between bites, he begins to tell her how he's going to become a "Peace Main." He explains that there are different kinds of pirates in the world: the ones that go around indiscriminately plundering are called "Morgania," while those who go on lots of adventures are called "Peace Main." He wants to recruit Peace Main crewmembers, but the world is full of Morgania types, who just want to loot and plunder. He then asks Silk if she has any treasures. When she questions what he means, he tells her that his hat is his treasure, but it's not really his. A long time ago, a Peace Main pirate made the town where he lived his home port...
Back in the present, Silk reveals that she's heard of "Red-Haired Shanks," one of the most famous pirates in existence, but that she hasn't heard any negative rumors about him. She also tells Luffy that she, herself, is the child of a pirate, though she was abandoned.
Right here, we have a couple of things that connect to Luffy already right here: Rubber body, sense of adventure, and the big one, Shanks. With Nami though, we are given the impression that she isn’t too fond of pirates and Silk mentioning in the story about being the abandoned daughter of a pirate.
For Luffy x Nami interaction, a couple of big things here are being laid down in the groundwork: Silk attacking Luffy and the super realization of the hat. Like in One Piece before the fight with Buggy, Luffy in this story tells Silk the reason why his hat is important, his treasure, etc.
Romance Dawn: Version Two
In this story, a few things are redone here and there, like the introduction of Luffy’s grandpa for instance, but the basis between the first version and One Piece isn’t too far off. In this case, the Nami-like character's name is Ann.
Once Luffy is on board the ship, a girl named Ann yells at him for bringing Balloon on board, because now it's being held prisoner. Luffy asks if Balloon is that panda, and Ann (who is tied to the mast) angrily tells him it's not a panda. Luffy tells her that it's injured, and Ann remarks that it had been shot by "Spiel the Hexagon", the captain of this ship. He's an unknown among pirates; nobody at Ann's village had heard of him before he attacked. Nevertheless, he can use witchcraft, so the villagers defending their home couldn't even approach him. Spiel's crew is afraid of him, and Ann's village was looted and plundered because of him. If Luffy tries to fight him, he'll be killed.
Spiel appears and congratulates Luffy on capturing the creature, offering his thanks. Luffy answers that Spiel has a weird-looking head. Ann yells at him for not listening to her, while he just tells her to look at him and see. Spiel orders both of them locked up. Ann wants to kill Luffy for what he did, but Luffy just wants to know if the ostrich is hers. Ann corrects him again, telling him that it's a Monster-Bird, and its name is Balloon. It had been with her for as long as she could remember. When she played, and when she slept, it never left her side. When viewed by others, it might look like an ordinary bird, but to her, it's her most important friend, whom she can trust more than anyone else.
Luffy asks why Ann was captured, and she says it's because she's cute (Luffy wonders if that's really true). Ann wonders what Luffy was doing out in the middle of the sea in such a small vessel, so he tells her that he's looking for Peace Main to make his crew. Ann doesn't know what this is; Luffy explains that it's a kind of pirate. The ones on this ship who loot and plunder indiscriminately are called "Morgania," while those who go innocently looking for adventure are called "Peace Main," and Luffy is going to be one.
Back in the present, Ann seems amused that Luffy can't swim. Luffy tells her that his hat is the one his violent grandpa always wore, and it's his treasure. He asks Ann what her treasure is, and she says that it's Balloon, but Luffy is distracted by a whale, angering her. Much later, Luffy announces that he's tired of being there, so he's going to go. Ann reminds him that he cant, and Luffy recalls that his ship was broken by the bird. Ann meant that they can't escape from where they are, but Luffy just squeezes through the bars. Ann is astonished, and yells at him to let her out. She asks him if he can also use witchcraft, but he says no, just something similar. Ann is going to go save Balloon, and asks for Luffy's help, but he refuses, saying that he needs to go find a boat. She takes off on her own, cursing Luffy, while Luffy complains that she said she was afraid of pirates before.
Ann saves Luffy from drowning, and Luffy says he owes her his life. Ann breaks down, and reveals that Balloon was the last of its kind, whose blood is supposed to have magical properties, which is why Spiel wanted it. The real reason that she was captured was because Balloon will always come back to her. She despairs about her most important friend, wishing it didn't have to be rare, or magical, but Luffy tells her not to give up hope yet. Luffy wraps his arm around the mast, and uses the tension as a catapult to launch himself after Spiel and Balloon. Spiel, who is quite pleased to himself, looks back to discover Luffy riding on Balloon's back, who then hops onto Spiel's broomstick. Spiel wants to know how he managed to get there, but makes the fatal mistake of grabbing Luffy's hat. Balloon flies away, which upsets Spiel even more, but Luffy assures him that he'll be landing shortly, delivering a Right Hand Stopper to Spiel's face. As Luffy is being carried back by Balloon, he recalls his grandfather telling him that real treasure isn't a gigantic diamond, gold, silver, coral, or pearls. Luffy wanted to know what it was then, but his grandfather told him he'd understand in time. From Balloon's back, Ann wishes Luffy luck in becoming a Peace Main, and he assures her he will. The narrator says that the pirate known as "Straw Hat Luffy" will spread his name far and wide on the sea, but that it is a story for later.
Once again, we see a few things that automatically scream the “Luffy” and “Nami” we find in the present story. For Luffy, we have the fact that he seems a bit terrified of his grandfather, his apparent stupidity, and another big fish, a fiery temper when his hat is touched. With Nami though, we find that Ann seems to be a bit of a flirtier (the “cute” comment), seems to be a thief, and a short temper.
With the whole Luffy x Nami pairing, once again, we find a few things that are part of the relationship between Luffy and Ann in this story part of the current story. For one, Ann, like Nami, learns rather quickly why the hat is irreplaceable; two, Ann, like Nami, is thunderstruck by Luffy’s apparent idiocy and has a rather short temper when it comes to him, and finally, Ann repays Luffy’s kindness by saving him from drowning, like how Nami would save Luffy’s life in the arc where she is introduced.
Spoiler for 5:
2. Quarks Between the Two:
If you want to know what I mean by "quark", it's like a particular habit or something along those lines. Like any good old-fashioned shounen relationship, you find special tid-bits that are exclusively restricted between various characters, and One Piece is hardly an exception to this general theme. There is actually a good little list of quarks between Luffy and Nami, but I’ll generally stick the most obvious:
Quark One: High-Five
Spoiler for 0:
Spoiler for 1:
On a side note, Luffy and Nami high-five each other right after Arlong's defeat. It's not cannon, but an interesting reference to make note of.
Quark Two: Arguing
What can I say? It's probably pretty obvious alright (like the whole Zoro/Sanji deal), but I'll give a couple of short examples anyway:
Spoiler for 2:
Spoiler for 3:
On a side note, a few times it seems Nami just hits Luffy to keep him on track; it's a bit different from the usual hits when Nami hits Luffy for his apparent idiocy. An example is from Water 7:
Spoiler for 4:
Notice how Nami hits Luffy to keep him on track instead of "punishing him."
Quark Three: Treasure Hunt
Luffy and Nami love treasure, gold, etc. Here's a short example from chapter 435:
Spoiler for 5:
Come on, sing it with me: "Follow the yellow brick road!"
Quark Four: Strawhat
This is probably the biggest one. Nami and Luffy are the primary caretakers of the hat. If I remember correctly, there is an entry about the hat in the red databook (?) that Oda written (unfortunately, I can't remember where I found the pic...oh well).
Anyway, The hat does more than show the friendship the two have with each other, but just how deep it goes. Both Luffy and Nami carry sentimental feelings for the hat because to both of them, that hat represents dreams, comfort, and most importantly, an unbreakable bond between the two. What the hat represents probably cannot become more meaningful than that.
I can't beat it anymore than what Oda possibly can, xD.
Spoiler for BG:
3. Growth of the Two:
Luffy and Nami have grown closer to each other, mostly in subtle ways. Both characters help bring out the best in each other as well as compliment what the other lacks. Furthermore, both Nami and Luffy have helped each other grow.
Luffy:
What can I say here? Luffy, for the most part, has pretty much stayed the same throughout most of the series. In the beginning, he is seen as easygoing idiot with a monstrous appetite and superhuman strength. Lastly, within the last few chapters, we learn why Luffy seems to have little to no fear of things (with all the close-calls his grandfather forced upon him, it should be no surprise that Luffy seems to have no fear for himself, including death). Couple this with Shank’s easygoing personality, and we have the Luffy we adore today.
Lately though, it seems like Luffy’s easygoing, idiot personality is being used as comedic relief more and more often. On the other hand, Oda has been revealing just how mature, serious, and intelligent Luffy can be, especially when exploring Luffy’s role as captain of the ship. For this part, Nami have been involved in this character development several times.
From Moron to Captain
--During the Kuro arc, for instance, Nami lectures Luffy that the pirates he idealizes and romanticizes rarely, if at all, exist. Nami tells Luffy that he should be a little more realistic and cynical when it comes to most pirates since Kuro stands as a typical example. Luffy, for his part, listens to an extent to what she says and sighs a bit about the situation. A captain must be willing to listen to the opinions’ of others, whether it be good, bad, or neutral about a topic.
--When Nami took off with the ship, Luffy is firm about his decision to have the crew chase after her. Until the end of the Arlong Saga, Luffy does his best to make sure his decision comes to fruition. Furthermore, he reels in his crew when Ussopp and Zoro are hesitant to go after their navigator. A captain must be able to make decisions and see them through, even if a crewmate objects. Nami is a centerpiece here for Luffy growing to become a more suitable captain down the road.
--Later on, when everyone is at Drum Island, Luffy readies to attack the villagers when Vivi is struck. Vivi, on the other hand, reminds Luffy what is at stake (Nami’s life) and criticizes Luffy, calling him an irresponsible captain. Luffy listens to her advice and pleads with Luffy for the villagers to send a doctor. Nami’s life was in danger for the moment, and Luffy had to find a solution outside of violence. As for his role as captain, Luffy learns a valuable lesson that beating the brains out of people to get them to agree with you does not necessarily work 100% of the time. A captain must be able to reserve himself at critical times and be willing to negotiate a deal; most importantly, the captain must also be willing to humble himself to keep things going smoothly since nobody likes a person with an oversized ego. Once again, Nami is used as a means for Luffy learning what it actually means to be a captain.
Spoiler for 1:
--When everyone leaves Alabasta, Luffy tries to yell goodbye to Vivi, but Nami stops him in the process and mentions that doing so will only cause trouble for her. During this scene, Luffy learns that thinking before taking an action can be a good thing, and he learns that some decisions a crewmember makes must be respected.
--In Jaya, we actually see Luffy carrying out a couple of the lessons he has learned not only from his voyage, but from his idol Shanks from so long ago. For once, Luffy does not fight back and orders Zoro to do the same. While Luffy did think of Ace and Shanks during his beating at the hands of Bellamy and his crew, Luffy had also promised Nami that the three of them would not fight while they were in town. True to his word, Luffy displays an ability to act what is preached.
--In the Water 7 arc, Iceburg rudely tells Luffy that he isn’t cut-out to be a captain, and to top it all off, Nami was by Luffy when Iceburg ridiculed him for humiliating himself not only in front of Galley-La, but in front of a crewmember as well because of Luffy’s big emotional outburst about Merry Go. Shortly afterwards, Ussopp and Luffy have their big argument and proceed to duel. Here, Luffy does something that he has never done before, directly threatening to kick out Ussopp since he clearly states that he has no interest in following his captain’s decision. Furthermore, during the argument, Luffy tells Nami to pipe down and stay out of it. What we see here during this scene is Luffy not having tolerance for insubordination for a decision that wracked Luffy with guilt.
How Nami plays a role here is not only her heart-to-heart moments (attempts to talk Luffy out of dueling Ussopp), but an inverse of roles. Normally, it is Nami who is used as a means to help Luffy become a more capable captain, but in this instance, we have a clear reversal of the situation. This time, it is Luffy who is being used as a means to showcase to Nami what it means to be a captain. After all, in times of doubt and trouble, as Zoro would later explain to Nami, who are they to trust?
Nami:
Out of all the crewmembers, Oda has focused pretty heavily on Nami in terms of character growth, especially battle-wise. She’s gone from being a useless support character to being a front-line asset. While the difference is apparent in battle, Oda has also been slowly redoing a good portion of Nami’s personality.
Initially, Nami had major problems similar to Robin’s, like loneliness, hard time trusting people, etc. Nami’s past forced her to become manipulative, independent, and putting up a façade to hide what she truly feels. It isn’t until Luffy appears right out of the sky (literally) that Nami begins to depend upon others and be more expressive about how she feels.
From Lone Thief to Noisy Navigator
--In the Buggy the Clown Arc, Luffy acts as an example of exception to Nami’s generic rule that all pirates are murderous marauders. Luffy’s actions in this arc show that nothing is simply black-and-white, but different shades of gray. While one pirate will be “evil”, another pirate can be “good”. Luffy, for his part, helps set in motion the raising of Nami’s blind veil that limits her view of the world.
--In the Baratie Arc, Nami tearfully wishes she could stay with her former crew for as long as possible, but unfortunately, circumstances dictate a different course of action. Nami, for one of the only few times in the beginning of the manga, is truly open about she feels.
--Despite Nami’s façade of hostility towards everybody, Nojiko picks up the reason when she mentions that somebody (Luffy) actually came for her. This is the only known time in the manga that someone actually came to retrieve Nami, and the façade that that Nami adopted so long is beginning to crack because of the attempted retrieval. In his actions, Luffy is indirectly causing Nami to quit hiding behind that proud ego of hers and open herself up to her nakama.
--When Luffy stops Nami from chopping her arm off, something deep, very deep, clicks inside of Nami when for the first time in her life, finally asks somebody (Luffy) for help. To further add to the scene, Luffy entrusts his hat to Nami, which displays his trust in her and shows that people in her world can be trusted and dependable. For Nami, Luffy becomes Nami’s first friend outside of her home village.
--During the battle between Luffy and Arlong, Nami shows up and finally has the courage to face Arlong. Luffy, for the most part, had indirectly encouraged Nami to not only be honest with herself, but honest with other people, even when doubtful and/or scared. We also see some true pride in herself for once when she asks the villagers to fight alongside her til death.
--During the Alabasta Arc, Nami inherits the Clima-Tact from Ussopp. Initially, Nami had asked the inventor because she felt useless to Vivi, but in the anime, the episodes in her fight against Ms. Doublefinger expand upon this point, and in my opinion, does a slightly better job of explaining Nami’s sense of uselessness. She confesses to Ussopp that she feels inferior and is jealous of the raw, destructive power that Zoro, Sanji, and Luffy especially, possess. The two of them discuss how they can never equal those three in terms of power, and must rely upon weapons and brains to even out a fight. Nami is trying to make herself useful to her friends as Luffy made himself useful to Nami not too long ago.
--During the crew’s time on Jaya, Luffy demonstrates that violence is not always appropriate when you need to prove a point. As Blackbeard would later point out to Nami, sometimes it is necessary for a person to hold restraint and not fight back.
--When Luffy falls off of Enel’s ship, Nami, despite her apparent fear of the thunder man at the time, tells Enel that she has no interest in going with him to his “Fairy Vearth”. It wasn’t until Luffy encouraged to quit mindlessly yapping that she could finally begin to pull herself together.
--In Water 7, Nami makes no reservations about how she feels the crew is falling apart after Robin’s subsequent disappearance and Ussopp being kicked out of the crew. During the entire arc, Nami is not shy about yelling how she feels, especially in her moments of anguish. In the past, Nami would have not been so forthcoming, which shows once again just how much of an influence Luffy has had on his navigator
Spoiler for BG:
4. Signs of Fondness:
Out of all the pairings possible in One Piece, the only pairings which people generally agree upon are Ussopp x Kaya and Kohza x Vivi. The signs of affection the two pairings have are pretty obvious and forthcoming, especially Ussopp x Kaya (this pairing can literally be argued to be “obvious”, like the whole Asuma x Kurenai and Inu-Yasha x Kagome pairings). Between Luffy and Nami, those two characters have shown hints of affection, closeness, whatever towards each other. One of the biggest implications showcasing just how close the two crewmembers are is a list of incidents hinting something there:
Luffy:
Oda has actually been pretty obvious when it comes to Luffy. In the entire series, the only woman Luffy has shown an interest in is solely Nami, and Oda has generally portrayed this as Luffy being physically attracted to Nami, which occurs at least four times in the series:
--When Mr. Two makes his ability known, he turns into Nami and does something rather interesting:
Spoiler for 6:
--Next, "Happiness Punch":
--A funny scene involving Paulie while Ussopp and Luffy watch & hancock can't do that don't say anything of oda what he is say i can't believing it if oda do that again with luffy & nami ( and luffy don't do anything that's time i believing it)
Spoiler for 6:
--A quick review: Cover chapter for 379:
Spoiler for 7:
The pattern is obvious: Luffy does find Nami physically attractive. He eyes shoot out with Mr. 2's demonstration; he is completely blown away with Nami strips for the boys; he finds Paulie's comment about Nami revealing her legs funny; and lastly, he seems to enjoy seeing Nami in a bathing suit.
Anyway, what we have here is bingo. Four times already in the manga; something like this is simply beyond coincidence, no matter how you look at it. Oda seems to be the type of person who loves to do little things in the manga, like Panda Man for example. What we have here is confirmation by the author himself (in addition to a SBS question about the topic) that Luffy does feel feelings of physical attraction towards Nami. Combine that with the deep feelings of nakamahood he has with her, and the thought of something blossoming behind simple friendship is not entirely farfetch'd.
Spoiler for BG:
Nami:
Nami is a bit more subtle, but evidence does exist that she is fond of her captain. Besides, in manga normally, you don't find a girl going crazy over a guy...unless it's shojo or something along those lines, and obviously, One Piece does not fall under that category. Anyway...
What we do have though is Nami is a simple gesture, a gesture so exclusive to Luffy that you have to be crazy to argue otherwise. She has a smile, but then again, right now, you might be thinking, “And? So what?” Well, just take a look:
--During the beginning of the Logue Town Arc, which occurs right after the Arlong Arc:
Spoiler for 1:
--During the Davy Back fight:
Spoiler for 2:
--Next, we have at the end of the Enies Lobby arc
Spoiler for 3:
--And another cover chapter:
Spoiler for 4:
Have you discovered it yet: I'll give you a slight clue
Spoiler for 5:
Look at her right hand
The little gesture, if you need me to spill it out (lol), it is Nami having a gentle smile with her right hand holding her right cheek. Generally, little gimmicks like this generally doesn’t fit under the category of fanservice in shounen. What I’m talking about here is a habit of fondness.
Does it indicate romance?
NO.
Then what does it indicate?
The little gesture that is exclusively reserved for Luffy is a showing of fondness that Nami holds towards Luffy.
When someone does something like what Nami is doing, the first time it happens is nothing but a small little hint that is usually overlooked.
The second time the habit happens hints something is there, and that the habit is something to watch out for future events. However, something like this is generally overlooked, especially if it has been spaced out pretty wide chapter-wise.
The third time that little smile occurs is proof that something is going on, but it doesn’t confirm romantic love or anything of that nature.
The fourth time something like Nami’s smile occurs shows beyond a shadow of a doubt that Nami does have feelings of fondness, tenderness, however you like to point, towards Luffy, especially since that little gesture of her’s is reserved to Luffy, and Luffy alone
I really need to give Mizura a wonderful "Thank you" for allowing me to use some of her material from her Naru-Saku essay. In all honesty, that Naruto pairing possesses many familiarities with the Lu-Na pairing. Most of this info comes directly from her work, which you can check out in her signature. Once again: Thank you Mizura!
Similars Attract
“Birds of a feather flock together” is a popular cliché for many things, whether it be describing people, relationships, or in this case, manga pairings. Undoubtedly, Luffy and Nami are extremely similar. At first lance, people could mistake them for brother and sister even, no doubt. Here is a list of examples showing just how similar the two are to each other:
Family
Both Luffy and Nami have never known their biological parents. Luffy appeared to be mainly raised by his grandfather and a friend of the family while Nami was raised by Belmel and Gen-san.
On top of that, both Luffy and Nami have an older sibling: Luffy has Ace while Nami has Nojiko. Likewise, they both have a keepsake of the sibling: Luffy has a piece of paper Ace gave him sewed into his hat while Nami has Nojiko’s bracelet around her wrist. Also, neither crew member is entirely aware of each other’s past.
On a side note, it is interesting to note that the Strawhat Pirates are essentially a family together, and the people who try the hardest to keep it tha way are Luffy and Nami. As seen in the Water 7 Arc, the people who had the most emotional outbursts about Ussopp, Robin, etc. wre none other than Nami and Luffy themselves, respectfully.
Responsibility
Both Luffy and Nami share leadership roles: Nami is the navigator, hence she is normally in charge since she is the one who steers the ship and proceeds to make sure that the Grandline’s erratic weather does not catch the crew by surprise. Luffy, on the other hand, is the one who ultimately makes the decision on the destination and proceeds to keep the crew together.
They both personally know the burden of being responsible for the crew, whichis yet another way the two connect on a personal level. In a way, they both work together to keep the journey smooth: Nami makes sure they arrive at the destination in one piece while Luffy does his best to keep the crew happy and together, objectives that have proven in the past to be difficult to perform. Not only that, but in the past as well, not only have both Nami and Luffy both listened to the other crew members’ suggestions, but have given orders for everyone to follow as well.
Furthermore, Nami and Luffy are in charge of other things as well. Nami is normally in charge of money while Luffy is in charge of “entertaining the crew” (in other words, fooling around to pass the time and keep things merry).
Behaviors
Habits and stuff that Luffy and Nami have shown just how much in common they have in each other:
--Both are known for sticking out their tongues in the past:
Spoiler for 1:
--They both have a rather interesting way of walking out on people (for Luffy, take a look at how he walks out on Nami):
Spoiler for 4:
--Both characters have instant love for pinwheels:
Spoiler for 4:
Spoiler for 1000:
--They know how to motivate each other. During Skypiea, Luffy gets Nami going with his gold scheme. In Water 7, shortly before everyone boards the Rocket Man, Nami arranges a large bag of meat and sake to arrive for Luffy and Zoro.
--It seems like the greatest fear the two share is that they both don't want to be alone. Luffy will fight to the death for his friends, and Nami has gone hysterical when seeing her nakama beaten so badly, like the deal with Enel.
Spoiler for BG:
--You really can't trust Luffy and Nami to keep a secret as well:
Spoiler for 1:
Spoiler for 2:
\
now you can say that ?
Honestly, I could go on and on about how those two are similar in behaviors and such, but I believe these few examples show that both Luffy and Nami are indeed similar to each other, at least habit wise.
Personality-wise, no examples are needed. Luffy is essentially "clueless", loud, stubborn, and energetic. Nami has a couple of "clueless" moments as well in addition to being loud, stubborn, and energetic.
Similars Attract and Build Happy Relationships
This was an interesting part I found intriguing in regards to the psychology part of Mizura's essay:
Quote:
We look for similars
The theory that opposites attract is a myth, say a group of U.S. scientists who have found men and women are more likely to choose partners who are similar – or they believe are similar – to themselves.
But the new research indicates that an ideal match is more important and marriage between equivalent people has the best chance of success, say the scientists from Cornell University in New York.
Between similar matches there was less chance of breaking apart and therefore more stability to bring up children.
Quote:
Similars build in general happier relationships
“Once people are in a committed relationship, it is primarily personality similarity that influences marital happiness.”
“Researchers found newlywed couples were much more similar in terms of attitudes and values than they were different. In addition, the more similar the couples’ personalities were, the more likely they were to report being happy and satisfied in their marriage.”
“Many people go for partners that might as well be their siblings, though they don’t go for a carbon copy of themselves either.”
“However, when researchers looked at marital happiness, they found that people who shared personality characteristics with their spouse were more likely to be happy and satisfied with the marriage. But similarities in attitudes were not associated with marital happiness.”
“Once people are in a committed relationship, it is primarily personality similarity that influence marital happiness because being in a committed relationship entails regular interaction and requires extensive coordination in dealing with tasks, issues, and problems of daily living.” Write the researchers. “Whereas personality similarity is likely to facilitate this process, personality differences may result in more friction and conflict in daily life.”
Pay attention to the bolded part.
When it comes to this pairing, it is a good demonstration of how similar personalities interact. While the pairing has not had many deep moments, It is interesting to note that this pairing does have great potential and has some merit to it (of course, whether Oda decides to expand upon their relationship is entirely his choice since it is his work...xD).
Over the course of the series, both characters have grown extensively and matured greatly. Luffy has helped Nami to loosen up and to not be afraid to speak her mind, a shown in the cases Arlong and Enel. Nami, on the other hand, has helped Luffy become more reflective about his actions, as demonstrated in the cases at Drum Island and Jaya were he humbled himself to keep his word. Luffy and Nami help bring out the best in each other because their similar personalities allow them to get along so easily together
Signs of Intimacy:
Don’t’ confuse intimacy with sexual tension and the like. Although Oda has provided us a few wonderful examples of it, intimacy also deals with communication. Luffy and Nami communicate well, so well in fact that it seems that they speak from their hearts instead of words, a suggested by the following SBS:
Quote:
Chapter 411 (Page 48)
D: Blows shouldn't hurt Luffy, so why does he get bruises and swelling when Nami and the others beat the crap out of him?! Tell me!!! P.N. Zororin Love
O: When the crew beats up on each other, it's always in admonishment with a strong sense of purpose, which is why it works so well!! It works on his HEART!! I bet Nami is thinking, "It's MY heart that hurts deep down!!" ...right? I guess not.
It’s the heart factor that allows Nami to effortlessly beat the living daylights out of Luffy’s rubber body.
And once again, thank to Mizura for allowing me to use some of her material:
Intimacy, the feeling close and connected to someone (developed through sharing and very good communications over time).
Intimacy is what makes you want to share and offer emotional and material support to each other.
The definition of intimacy
Byer & Shainberg, 6th edition, p.65, state that Sternberg identifies intimacy as containing the following ten elements:
1. Desiring to promote the welfare of the loved one.
2. Experiencing happiness with the loved one.
3. Holding the loved one in high regard.
4. Being able to count on the loved one in times of need.
5. Having mutual understanding with the loved one.
6. Sharing oneself and one's posessions with the loved one.
7. Receiving emotional support from the loved one.
8. Giving emotional support to the loved one.
9. Communicating intimately with the loved one.
10. Valuing the loved one.
Let’s see:
Check! Luffy does his best to make Nami smile and Nami knows that Luffy will never abandon her.
Check! Need I explain this? Without Luffy’s intervention, Nami’s life would continue to be sorrowful and miserable.
Check! On countless occasions, Nami has placed her life and future directly into Luffy’s capable hands, and Luffy has placed his complete trust, treasured hat, etc. into Nami’s capable hands. Neither person has ever regretted doing such a thing for each other.
Check! Once again though, need I explain this?
Check! Luffy and Nami have grown from helping each other, trusting each other, and most importantly, understanding each other.
Check! Luffy’s hat anyone?
Check! Luffy has helped Nami on several occasions overcoming her fear and the like. Nami, on the other hand, has had important talks with Luffy, like his duel before Ussopp.
Check! Really, as I’ve already demonstrated, Luffy and Nami not only receive emotional support from each other, but give it as well.
Check! Luffy and Nami understand each other like no other. Their relationship is a bit deeper than what they have with the rest of the crew.
Check! Really? Must I explain this point as well???
Again and again, Luffy and Nami have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that they trust each other, that they care for each other, and they are comfortable with each other, and most importantly, love each other (remember, the crew behaves like a family after all).
When Nami is in tears, Luffy becomes upset and does his best to cheer her up. When Luffy’s ense of adventure gets the better of him, Nami is the there to calm him down and set him straight. Both Nami and Luffy not only balance each other out, but bring out the best, as well as the worst, aspects in each character. No other pairing between the crew members can possibly do such a thing because Luffy and Nami are emotionally entwined with each other, making their relationship hard to define at times.
Lu-Na, a Companion Love?
Thanks to Hollywood and cheap romance novels, people have the idea that “passionate love” is the thing that drives relationships. In reality though, it isn’t that simple. Without the simple day-to-day communications, relationships end just as quickly as an eye blink. “Companionate love”, although more serene than passionate love, is more important than passion for a relationship as well as forging stronger bonds than friendship itself.
Quote:
Researchers (Hatfield & Rapson, 1995) have broken up love into two main types:
* Passionate love which involves continuously thinking about the loved one and also involves warm sexual feelings and powerful emotional reactions.
* Companionate love is having trusting and tender feelings for someone who is close to you.
Luffy’s and Nami’s relationship may not exactly have a passionate ring to it, but they do seem to be intimate with each other.
Quote:
Companionate love:
- is a less intense emotion than passionate love.
- is characterized by friendly affection and a deep attachment that is based on extensive familiarity with the loved one.
- involves a thoughtful appreciation of one's partner.
- encompasses a tolerance for another's shortcomings along with a desire to overcome difficulties and conflicts in a relationship.
- includes being committed to the ongoing nurturing of a partnership.
- is often enduring, while passionate love is almost always transitory.
No doubt, the relationship between Luffy and Nami can definitely be described as “companionate love”, although it does not provide proof that a romantic relationship exists between Nami and Luffy. Nami and Luffy possess great affection for each other, with a hint of sexual attraction on Luffy’s part. Still, no matter the situaiton, both Luffy and Nami can only be themselves around each other. Remember:
--Nami and Luffy are affetionate for each other and get alone greatly because they possess extensive similarity with each other. Luffy puts on his brightest grin for Nami, but lately, we’ve been seeing hints that Nami has a special smile reserved exclusively with Luffy.
--They appreciate each other. Hopefully, I don’t have to reiterate examples of this appreciation.
--Luffy and Nami are not only fond of each others’ strengths, but their weaknesses as well. Nami is fond of Luffy’s goofiness and ability to be carefree (for the most part), and with Luffy, you have to wonder if the captain is purposely instigating his navigator to beat the living daylights out of him so many times.
--Most importantly, Luffy and Nami are dedicated to each other (not romantically though…but maybe someday…who knows). As seen in the chaos of the Enies Lobby invasion, Nami remarks to Zoro that despite all the troubles they have faced, Luffy cannot die from it. Luffy, on countless occasions, has demonstrated an infinite patience and trust when it comes to Nami’s schemes and the like.
You really have to wonder if that for some reason or whatever that Oda decides to expand upon their relationship, no doubt exists that Luffy and Nami would be happy with each other together until death do they part. Realistically, Luffy and Nami would make a happy, prosperous couple if they existed in real-life.
It may not be passionate, but whatever. With the story focusing on friendship and such, it would be kind of weird if Oda went straightly from companionate love to passionate love, no?
Spoiler for BG:
H. Rebuttals:
I thought I’d take a crack at arguments opposing the pairing, so let’s get started:
One Piece & Romance do not Mix
This is no doubt the most legit argument when it comes to arguments against any particular pairing. However, the separation between One Piece and “romance devices” is like “separation between Church and State”. It is extremely difficult to keep the two things entirely separate. The main support for this argument stems from a single SBS Question:
Quote:
Chapter 317 (Page 30)
D: Doesn't anyone on Luffy's crew fall in love? Will there never be a romance among crew members? (Sanji is an exception in this case) I'm just wondering. from Naoko
O: Of course they're in love... WITH ADVENTURE! (good one)
For a simple yes or no question, Oda does not actually get a concrete answer. I actually had an English professor take a look at the question, and what I was told is that this answer is a “crackpot answer”; in other words, the answer can be interpreted in a number of ways in itself. Generally, people take it two ways:
*Oda is saying no "romantic interaction" will occur
*Oda is just coying around here
Now, to some people, different interpretations don't seem possible, but there is an element about SBS questions that a lot of people forget about:
Quote:
History of SBS
SBS stands for Shitsumon o Boshuu Suru, which translates to, "I'm taking questions". First started in Volume 4, Eiichiro Oda continues to devote a couple pages in each One Piece tankoban to fan mail sent in by dedicated readers. The subjects addressed vary across a wide variety of topics, from curious occurances within the manga to jokes and even French Bread. Oda's responses in his SBS are very casual, and are vividly infamous for dubious or outright silly responses.
(This description of SBS questions is taken from arlongpark.net). Pay attention to the bolded part. That is the reason why various interpretations are possible.
While looking around for info about this stuff, I interviewed via e-mail the author of Pirate Love, Archica. She made a rather interesting observation on the matter
Quote:
“…One Piece as a series focuses on friendship, not romance. This is true, of course, so it’s very hard to argue back against this. The only thing I can say is that, just because it focuses on friendship, it doesn’t mean there will never be any romance in the story ever. There are a few little drops of romance here and there (Sanji’s crush on Nami, Alvida’s bizarre attraction to Luffy, and the highly obvious romantic undertones in the relationships between Zoro and Tashigi, Kohza and Vivi, and Wiper and Laki). The fact that these small drops exist is proof that romance isn’t totally excluded from the series.”
Later on, she expanded upon this point:
Quote:
“Well, I think I just answered that above. XD But to add more to that, a lot of action shounen manga focus on friendship and seem to have a very little interest in romance, but eventually include it in some way. And sometimes there is no actual romance displayed, but characters get together anyway. Think of Dragon Ball Z. We really don’t get to see much romance, but there are many official couples, most of them married and having families. No one would call Dragon Ball Z romantic, but there are still yet plenty of romantic pairs. Therefore, a series can have official couples without having romance. They just don’t show much of the “getting together’ process or any couple activities. You’re told that character a and character b are a couple and they’re married, without bogging down the series with romance. Will this happen for Luffy and Nami? …I think it’s possible that they could be revealed as a married couple at the very end. In which case, the series still wouldn’t include any romance.
To sum it up, while it is true that romance itself and shounen do not typically mix, pairings have great flexibility and are not typically excluded from shounen, and since Luffy x Nami is a pairing, it can be a possibility down the road. We'll just have to wait and see what Oda does.
Luffy is too Stupid for Romance
This argument gets on my nerves. With the CP9 Saga, we see just how emotional and mature Luffy can be. Archica made a rather interesting remark about the subject as well: Ps ( luffy same natsu in fairy tail manga natsu not stupid for romance he in love with lesana but lisana is die & natsu heart broken
leter natsu met Lucy ( lucy = nami in fairytail) he alive again
Quote:
I believe love (in all forms, including romantic love) can be understood by all, granted that they are older than around eight…It is not uncommon for mentally retarded people to get married, have children, etc. in real life. And Luffy is not retarded. I think a lot of people misunderstand Luffy’s optimism and sense of wonder as stupidity. He may be naïve, and he may be easily find himself in awe of simple things around him, but he is NOT stupid. He simply has a big imagination and a tendency to constantly be amazed by the world around him…Luffy has amazing perceptive skilss. He can often understand how people feel without having to ask or be told. Think of how useful this skill would be in a romantic relationship! Also, on the idea that he wouldn’t understand sex, I believe this was disproven in the series. Twice, it has been confirmed that Luffy DOES have hormones and can feel physical attraction. Both times it has been directly related to Nami (when Number Two took the form of Nami and flashed the boys, then when Nami did her strip tease in Alabasta). Anyone who can feel sexual attraction would no doubt able to instinctively figure out sex, they don’t already know…”
Tazotizo, a member of the other site I linked to, has a nice comment on the topic as well:
Quote:
Since when is love about brains rather than heart?
Luffy may not be “mature” enough o deal with a serious relationship at this point, but I doubt he’d even concern himself by making things complicated to begin with. If he does fall in love, then that’ll be the only thing that matters. He’ll *make* things work out, and though may not be high up there on booksmarts, he definitely possesses very raw instincts and insight.
Bah, Luffy and Nami *already* act like a couple, just without the kissing/sex. She sews his clothes, nags him, is the one who has the most heart-hearts with him (the Ussopp fight, telling him about Robin’s sacrifice, etc.) and he’s always comforting her without a second thought (giving her his hat/meal when she’s frightened/sad). Nami is also the only one to date Luffy has ever partnered with to take a down a major villain. Oda usually has him going at it alone, but Luffy *needed* Nami in Skypiea. I mean come on, the beanstalk issue could have been easily worked around, but Nami was meant to play a role there…and they’ve worn each other’s clothes.
To sum it up, there's more to Luffy than his apparent idiocy.
Luffy’s only true love is Meat
While the scenes in which he craves meat, food, etc. are at times humorous, Luffy has shown that it isn’t his one true love. Just keep these two things in mind:
Luffy does not steal food from Nami like he does with the rest of the crew
Luffy actually offered Nami a piece of meat as the crew made their escape attempt from Alabasta
Other Pairings
I'm not really interested in discussing this argument since I've already admitted various pairings are plausible.
The Age Factor
Luffy is 17; Nami is 18. So, what's the big deal?
Luffy's only Interest is One Piece
Not a bad argument, but Luffy is not interested in finding One Piece by himself. On several occasions, he has stated he would fight to the death for his nakama. He is willing to sacrifice his life, thus his dream, for his crew. Besides, what's the point of having all the power, fame, and fortune of the world if you have no one to share it with?
Spoiler for BG:
Luffy Treats his Crew Equally
Initially, I believed the same thing, but when I took a close look, I did notice various differences. He only trusts each friend to actually do particular things. For example, he would trust Chopper’s judgment about sickness than anyone else. Furthermore, during the Water 7 arc, he stated that Ussopp is not a carpenter, and that Galley-La’s opinions hold more merit than Ussopp’s. One of Ussop’s problems with Luffy’s judgment at the time, from his point of view, is that Luffy is not listening to him and basically told him to shove off.
With Nami though, he trusts her to do quite a bit. Luffy trusts Nami to handle navigation, leadership, fighting, money, protecting his treasured hat, etc. she seems to be quarter-master, treasurer, second-mate, navigator, etc. all wrapped into one package. Remember, she is one of the most, if not thee, most important crew member. If I remember correctly, during the Ocean Dream Arc, for example, Luffy told Nami that he would be in more trouble than Nami since he needs her to be his navigator after Nami told Luffy that being one of his nakama can be troublesome. Although the arc is filler, the statement “I need you” is not. Luffy has been the most stubborn when it comes to Nami, going so far as to say that she is the only person who he would ever allow to be his navigator and actually threatening to kill someone for badmouthing her. Take a look at these couple of occasions:
Spoiler for 1:
Spoiler for 2:
Now compare these two moments to this moment:
Spoiler for 3:
Generally, the outburst is the same, though the circumstances are different. With Robin, Luffy did not threaten Paulie physical damage. With Zoro, he believed the words of a stranger and did not question the circumstances. With Nami though, he not only refuses to accept the word of someone who has credibility, but physically threatens the person as well. That is quite a difference.
Anyway, I'll expand upon this subject a little bit by taking a look at how just Nami and Luffy are in sync with each other, especially on the emotional level:
Spoiler for 5:
Expression is nearly the same.
Spoiler for 6:
Expression is the same once again.
Spoiler for 7:
Look above.
Spoiler for BG:
Spoiler for 1:
Spoiler for 2:
Spoiler for 4:
As you can tell, the emotional intensity is pretty much the same between the two.
I. Conclusion:
Cleary, Luffy and Nami are similar, yet complimentary to each other. They trust each other, put faith in each other, and are comfortable with each other. This pairing has great potential because it has a decent foundation to it, especially after this little scene:
Spoiler for 3:
Something clicked here as shown by the ".....!!!" This scene helps demonstrate a deep foundation between Luffy and Nami, and as they continue their adventures, that foundation can only go up.
&
this pring in other manga
ichiroki
ichihemi
goshi DBz
haeri school rumble z this pring is winer
NaLu in fairy tail (this pring natsu= luffy lucy= nami
I hope you enjoyed this long ramble of mine and hoped that I shed some light that this pairing does have some merit to it
Signature stolen by a horde of carnivorous bunnies. It is an unscientifically proven fact that they are attracted to signatures which break the signature rules.
Anyways, Nami is a great character to have in One Piece although she is somewhat unoriginal.
But, nevertheless, she's a great addition to one Piece, had a sad story, and does hilarious things at times. I died laughing when she was running through the crowd of people to get on the Going Merry, she hopped onto the ship, and billions of wallets poured out of her clothes. Then the townspeople realize what she did.
Although i have noticed, which a lot of one piece fans can agree on, Nami's boobs change size the minute the makers of OP want her to. She seems to have decent boobs, till skypiea and all of the sudden, she's carrying luggage if ya know wut i mean.
this is the process of growing.
Watch the movie "Strong World" Nami likes luffy. In the end this is my assumption of the ending
"luffy finally becomes the pirate king, and then has a child with nami. he then turns himself to the marines and gets executed only to say "My treasure? If you want it, i'll give it to you. Go find it! I left it all at that place."
Watch the movie "Strong World" Nami likes luffy. In the end this is my assumption of the ending
"luffy finally becomes the pirate king, and then has a child with nami. he then turns himself to the marines and gets executed only to say "My treasure? If you want it, i'll give it to you. Go find it! I left it all at that place."
How about Boa Hancock? If Nami marry Luffy,Boa Hancock will envy and hate her a lot even kill her. I consider Nami is single until she dies. Because if she is married,she needs to share her wealth with her husband.
Watch the movie "Strong World" Nami likes luffy. In the end this is my assumption of the ending
"luffy finally becomes the pirate king, and then has a child with nami. he then turns himself to the marines and gets executed only to say "My treasure? If you want it, i'll give it to you. Go find it! I left it all at that place."
Nami was rather Kagome in those last moments of the movie. It was like something out of Inuyasha. Normally, I would cast it aside as another non-canon movie, but this one was written by Oda.
I actually predict that Luffy will be the pirate king at the end of One Piece, but this is the finale I see for him. He will want to go back up Reverse Mountain and travel the Grand Line again, but take one of the different paths until he's done them all.
Nami will of course be there so she can travel the world with Luffy as she's making her map. He will want to see every island, and she wants to map every island.
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2009-07-12, 18:39
