One Piece: Here’s How Nami Removed Her Tattoo & Why There’s No Scar!
Nami is the navigator of the Straw Hat Pirates in One Piece, as we all know too well. The girl had a very shady past due to her association with Arlong, but once Luffy showed how far he was willing to go to save her, she joined the crew and became one of Luffy’s most loyal friends. But, going back to her time with Arlong, Nami had a tattoo that served as a reminder that she was “his,” but at one point – she lost it. In this article, we are going to tell you about the history of Nami’s tattoo.
Nami initially had a large swordfish tattoo on her left arm, proving her to be a part of Arlong’s pirate crew. The tattoo on her left shoulder was large and quite visible; it was black in the manga and blue in the anime. Later, Nami, as she was disgusted by Arlong, tried to remove it by stabbing herself, but Luffy stopped her; this incident left a scar. She later asked Dr. Nako to remove it, but the removal was not full, and it left a scar. To cover it, Nami simply got a new tattoo, a cross between a tangerine and a pinwheel, which she now has.
The remainder of this article will reveal the story of Nami’s tattoo and her association with Arlong and his pirate crew. We will reveal how Nami got this tattoo and what happened to it later, as it has undergone several important changes later in the story. This article will tell you about all of that in one place. Of course, this article will also contain some significant spoilers, so if you don’t want to know what happens, be careful how you approach it.
Nami removed her original tattoo and, of course, it left a scar, but it was later covered by another tattoo
Every One Piece fan knows who Nami is, and she is one of the best-known and most popular female characters in the history of anime and manga. She was one of Luffy’s first crewmates, and her excellent navigational skills helped the crew on more than one occasion.
On top of that, she has become a better fighter over the years, and in that aspect, we can confirm that Nami is more or less a complete badass in her overall portrayal in the series. But, Nami’s past is not that bright, as the girl has had a lot of tragic and traumatic events in the past, and most of them are related to the dreaded pirate Arlong. In this article, we will explain that relationship to you, all through the story of Nami’s tattoo.
Bell-mère discovered the severely hurt Nami while she was just a baby, along with infant Nojiko, who is wandering aimlessly in the ruins of a destroyed village. She took the two of them with them and raised them as her daughters, which also “made” them sisters at that point. When she was just eight years old, Nami, already a spoiled brat, frequently stole books from the bookstore.
As she hides with Genz after quarreling with her mother, he explains to her that Nami, Nojiko, and Bell-mère are not blood relatives but are still a family, which helps to calm her down a little. When Nojiko arrives to pick up her younger sister, Arlong and his gang, appear out of nowhere in Goza and demand a ransom payment of 100,000 berries for each adult and 50,000 berries for each child.
Hoping that Arlong and his crew won’t find Nami and Nojiko, or Bell-mère for that matter, the villagers are hopeful, but at the same time, Bell-mère is preparing to make a dinner of atonement for Nami, but the smoke billowing from the house’s chimney gives her away.
Bell-mère initially surprised Arlong by defending herself, but he quickly outmuscles her. She can find 100,000 berries, but she only provides enough money for her two daughters, who are now observing what is happening. The two must then watch helplessly as Arlong murders Bell-mère.
Later, Nami finally joins Arlong’s gang and makes a deal with him: as soon as she pays him the sum of 100 million berries, Arlong will give her Goza and the villagers. Nami then starts to collect the money as a pirate thief and buries her treasure in Bell-mère’s orange plantation. And while she was raiding, she met Luffy, and… the rest is history. But that is not what interests us now. Namely, what interests us now is a wholly different story related to Nami and her past.
When Nami finally accepted to join Arlong’s crew, although reluctantly, she was forced to get a tattoo, which actually signified her membership in Arlong’s pirate crew. It was a large swordfish tattoo that was recognizable anywhere in the world, and Nami got it on her left shoulder, which is why she always wore long sleeves, as it was necessary to hide the tattoo.
The tattoo was black in the manga, but the anime changed its color to blue. But, as you might assume, she hated it, and she was constantly looking for a way to get rid of it.
Once her secret got out, she tried to cut it off by stabbing her shoulder, but Luffy stopped her on time, although the self-inflicted wounds did leave a scar on her shoulder. So yes, her unsuccessful removal left a scar, but if you remember her later appearance, the scar was gone! How? Well, as you might assume, Luffy did his best to free Nami from Arlong and ultimately succeeded, after which Nami decided to remove the tattoo.
She visited Dr. Nako, an old guy who was an ally of theirs during the arc, and she wanted him to remove the tattoo. And while he could do it partially, the tattoo was quite specific, and he could not remove the whole thing. On top of that, scars were left on her shoulder, mostly due to the self-injury from her earlier attempt at removal. So, in order to cover up the scars and the remains of the old tattoo, Nami decided to get a new one, which was actually an improvised combination of a tangerine and a pinwheel, a highly symbolic image for her, as it honored both Bell-mère and Genzo.
And this is it, basically. This is the story of how Nami removed her large swordfish tattoo, the symbol of her membership in Arlong’s pirate crew, and how she was able to cover up the scars that were left. Of course, a tattoo removal never goes by without a scar, but Nami was slick enough to cover it up with a new tattoo that now made sense and honored the two persons who helped her when she was a child and whom she loved dearly.
