One Piece is one undeniably long series, and much of its length comes from the different battles the straw hats fight each day. There are currently 10 people in Luffy’s crew (including him), and they have their own strengths and weaknesses. It is not a question, however, that their abilities are extremely important to Luffy as he strives to be the Pirate King.
One of the most important Straw Hat is Nami. Nami has always been part of the ‘coward trio’ composed of Chopper, Usopp, and herself, and even in the series, is portrayed generally as the weaker member. But don’t let that fool you, because her importance in the crew and in the whole series is something that no one should ever overlook.
Nami has appeared in all of One Piece’s arcs, making her one of the characters with the greatest screen time in the series. Nami’s popularity has grown significantly over the years, and given her importance to the crew, it will only grow further. Fans who are familiar with Nami trivia will recognize her as one of the most intriguing characters in One Piece. In this article, we will highlight Nami’s significant values which no other straw hat is capable of.
The Ship’s Navigator
We know you saw that coming. Nami’s significance is deeply rooted in her geographical knowledge of the world, and her capability to navigate the Sunny where dangers do not lurk. The ocean is a vast place, and only a skilled navigator’s crew can survive. It is Nami’s dream to navigate the world, to be the first person to draw a map of the whole world, and in order to do this, she had to travel, but being the Straw Hat’s Navigator–a pirates navigator, wasn’t always her first choice because of the bad things she had experienced in the hands of a mean pirate, but it did not hinder her from becoming the best Navigator the world had to offer, and well, truth be told, even amidst the everyday near-death experiences with her crew, she loves it.
The Crew’s ‘Glue’
The Straw Hats is a solid crew. Everyone likes everyone and is willing to sacrifice for the other’s well-being, but much like in friendships, there’s always that one person who keeps the whole crew from going crazy, and in the case of the straw hats, it’s Nami. It isn’t necessarily her job, but it’s what she does. She was the first one to accept Robin in the crew (aside from Sanji, who would accept just about any lady) when everybody was still acting so hostile towards her.
She was the one who invited Chopper, who probably would never have thought of leaving Drum Island and Doctorine, and she was also the one who apologized to Luffy because she wasn’t able to stop Sanji from leaving for Whole Cake Island. She did a lot of background things for the crew, and none of them ended in vain. She’s like everybody’s sister, but also everybody’s friend.
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Only One who can Discipline the Monster Trio
The Monster Trio, composed of Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji, is the main offense of the Straw Hat Pirates. They’re unstoppable, most of the time, but they have one teeny tiny problem when Nami is around: they get disciplined. Sanji is already a lost cause, he doesn’t need to be disciplined when Nami is the one who’s speaking because he’ll listen to her nonetheless. But Zoro and Luffy? The only person who could get them to think straight is Nami.
She does not overstep her boundaries, and she definitely knows her place, but she’s also not one to back down from a fight especially if she knows her reasoning makes more sense than Luffy’s nonsense. She is also capable of hurting the invincible trio, most of the hitting though, happens to Luffy. Even though he survived and won multiple battles with extremely strong opponents, one hit from Nami and he is on the ground, injured. It’s a comical explanation of how much respect Nami has from the trio, and most especially from her captain, Monkey D. Luffy.
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The Beauty and Brains of the Crew
Nami is a beauty. Even fans agree that she is. In fact, she is the most famous female character in the series, which is no surprise, because have you seen HER? She even looks like a Victoria’s Secret Model in her bounty poster. But appearance aside, Nami is also one of the smartest in the crew, Robin and Chopper being the other two, but more than being book-smart, Nami is best at strategizing, and she is almost always the one providing Luffy with options to choose from.
She was the one who worked out their ship’s problem when Merry was practically fighting for her life, she was also the one who suggested they separate, from Luffy at Dressrosa in order to keep Caesar and Momonosuke safe, and though everyone wanted to bid goodbye, especially her, Nami was also the one who stopped the crew from bidding farewell to Vivi. Even in the recent chapters of the Manga, it was Nami who told Luffy to act smart and think straight when he was already giving instructions to save Sabo and Vivi after they got out of Wano.
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She Fights Like Her Life Depends on It
For the most part, sure, her life does depend on it, but Nami never settles for a half-empty glass. She almost always never fights, she lets the guys do the dirty work, but when she does, she puts all her effort into doing it even if it means that she would probably die doing it.
After the time skip, Nami’s skills only got better. Aside from her new and improved Clima-tact, Nami also became braver when it came to facing her enemies. The first big fight of the straw hats happened in Wano, and just like Nico Robin, this was also where she first had a head-on fight with not just a mere subordinate, but a member of the ever-formidable Tobi Roppo. Even though she looked like she was going to back out during the first few episodes, when Ulti threatened Tama, both she and Usopp did not hesitate to use their weapons even if they were afraid
Even though Nami was branded as a traitor during the early episodes of One Piece, her significance to the crew is undeniable. She easily adapts to situations and also could easily strategize for a quick way out.
Most of the women in One Piece are intelligent and are a force to be reckoned with, and Nami is not an exception. Nami is a rich and varied heroine with more dynamism than most women penned by other authors, according to fans. While Nami has previously required saving, the plot makes it very obvious that Nami is a formidable foe who is continuously written with as much agency as possible. Her portrayal in the series makes it obviously clear that her role is much more than meets the eye.
Also, we all know how Eiichiro Oda never misses a detail, and every single one, especially if it had something to do with the first chapter and episode, is important. You should know that the first Straw Hat who appeared in the series isn’t even Luffy, it was Nami.
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