This article contains spoilers from One Piece’s Elbaf Arc.
Summary
The navigator of the Straw Hat Pirates, Nami, is an incredibly important character whom fans have always wanted to excel in terms of power, especially in the post-timeskip, where her display has been rather underwhelming. The last major War Arc ofOne Piece, Wani, was not all that special for Nami and she did not get as many highlights as fans would have liked. After a very strong display in Whole Cake Island, fans had expected Nami to shine even more, just like the vast majority of the Straw Hats.
Unfortunately, that did not happen, and fans were left largely dissatisfied with what Nami delivered. Egghead wasn’t all that much of an improvement either, and Nami continued to be sidelined. However, Elbaf is there to fix all the issues, and fans have already seen her character make an incredibly solid start to her adventure in the Land of the Giants.One Piecechapter 1129 took things to the next level and ensured that Nami got her brilliant shining moments at the very beginning.
Elbaf Sets Up Great Things For Nami
Fans have incredibly high expectations from Nami in the Elbaf. This is partially because Wano and Egghead were both disappointing for her in the grand scheme of things, and also because Elbaf has teased great things for her. Oda specifically chose to separate the East Blue 5 from the remaining members of the Straw Hat Pirates in Elbaf, later on adding Chopper to the mix. The fact that the East Blue Five was separated hints at Oda having special plans for them. In fact, Oda even decided to throw into the mix very old dynamics that the East Blue 5 used to show before entering the Grand Line. It almost felt like a trip down memory lane to the fans when the Straw Hats were in the fake Elbaf made of Lego blocks. Clearly, Oda was indicating that the East Blue 5 will be extremely important in Elbaf and there is a reason for that.
Don’t worry! I’ve memorized the whole thing! – Nami
For one,Luffy, who fans know to be the Sun God, is going to be the priority here. Zoro and Sanji are both Luffy’s wings, and in a Warland, Luffy’s combatants need to be at the top of their game. Usopp has deep ties to Elbaf, which means that he is going to be extremely important here as well and he might even go on to fulfill his dream. Finally, there is Nami, who Oda clearly stated would have been Swedish if she was from the real world. In fact, many things about Nami are heavily inspired by Scandinavian culture as well, and that is reason enough for fans to believe that Oda has great plans for her. While it was just conjecture up until now,One Piecechapter 1129 put it into practice and gave Nami huge moments right at the beginning, which raises the expectations that fans have for this character in Elbaf even further.
How Nami’s Cartography Skills Were Focused On By Oda
Nami Blew Everyone Away By Memorizing A Map In Seconds
At the beginning of the Elbaf arc, Nami and Usopp continued to be the scared duo that fans know them to be. They were not able to deal with the threats at hand, but, at the very least, Nami was able to take down one of the giant pets that were seen in the fake Elbaf made of Lego blocks. Of course, the characters who took the real spotlight here and came to the rescue were the Monster Trio. They showcased immense strength and skill at the beginning of the Elbaf arc, leaving Usopp and Nami in the shadows. However, it did not take Oda long to give Nami her own moment.
Now, strength certainly is something that fans look at primarily when gauging how good a display has been for a particular character. But, this might be a flawed way to look at things.For a character such as Nami, who is primarily there to navigate, doing her job and progressing her character in that particular direction is more important.
For instance, inOne Piecechapter 1129, Oda gave Nami a brilliant yet subtle moment where she managed to memorize the entire geography of the fake Lego City in the blink of an eye. In fact, just by looking at it once, Nami got an idea of just about everything around her and figured out where to escape from and what direction to head in. She even threw the map after just looking at it once, which shocked even the likes of the Straw Hat Pirates. This goes to show the genius of Nami and how she is truly skilled as a navigator. This plays into Oda’s idea of portraying Nami as the greatest navigator and having skill so great that people simply assume that she is an anomaly when it comes to navigation.
While Nami certainly got a great character moment when she showcased her terrific skills as a navigator inOne Piecechapter 1129, that certainly wasn’t all. Nami also got a tremendous moment where she showed her strength in the fake Lego City.When the Sun God, who was later revealed to be Road of the New Giant Warrior Pirates, was chasing the Straw Hat Pirates, it was Nami who took him down. Zoro and Sanji prevented Road from capturing the crew, while Luffy burst open an escape route. Meanwhile, Nami used the power of Zeus to create massive thunderclouds, and while Road was distracted, she brought down a massive bolt of lightning on him.
A natural calamity striking him wouldn’t be anyone’s fault, right? – Nami
This lightning bolt essentially oneshot Road completely, and saw to it that he was taken out of commission. This was a massive display of strength right atthe very beginning of the Elbaf, and fans know that Nami has bigger fish to fry in this arc, despite Road himself having been an S-Class mercenary in Buggy’s Delivery until recently.
For Nami to claim a victory in the Elbaf Arc so early means that she has many exciting challenges lined up for herself and that she will continue to grow in terms of both power and, at the same time, as a navigator as well. Finally, Nami has started acting like a true Yonko Commander, which fans have wanted her to do ever sincethe conclusion of the Wano Country Arc. Fans expect great things from her in the remainder of Elbaf, and at the same time, the arcs to follow as well. It is time for Nami and Usopp to rise and show everyone that they are not to be underestimated either.
One Piece is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by the fans officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and theManga Plusapp. The release date for the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 1130, is set to be July 19, 2025.
