Why not other pairings involving Zoro/Nami?
That is to say, why (I) don't ship other pairings involving these two romantically. The pairings are Zoro x Tashigi, Zoro x Robin, Zoro x Perona, Luffy x Nami, Sanji x Nami, Law x Nami. I chose only the more popular ones. No shounen ai or shoujo ai.
I tried to be not too harsh ;) There may be hints of other pairings I like... and consider them possible.
An important thing to say: I state facts. If I compare, my personal feelings are presented there. Just because I don't like the pairing doesn't always mean I hate the other person, it just doesn't suit well for me, that's all.
NEW ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: I might have some "againsts" for other pairings, but it ain't it that I hate or dislike them (aside from ZoRobin). In fact, I like some of their interaction on a very close friends level. However, there are some .. things that prevent me from shipping them more than on the friends level. Even if they become canon instead of ZoNa, it doesn't prevent me from liking ZoNa.
Zoro pairings:
Zoro x Tashigi
-This pairing is one of those that I understand why people ship, but I personally can't ship them romantically.
-I shall start with their positions. Since they are a pirate and marine now, there is no way marines would acknowledge this. Maybe if Zoro became a Shichibukai, people would kind of accept it (being the Shichibukai is the only thing a pirate can do to stay on marines' side, because I doubt such a well-known pirate now could become a marine). However, Zoro shows no signs for that position because of Luffy and he himself doesn't seem to fancy marines either. But as long as Luffy is alive, Zoro will not become a Shichibukai, he has no reason to. Regarding Tashigi, there is no way she will become a pirate - she has strong feelings for staying a marine athough there are times she knows when to be grateful even to people like pirates. She follows what she believes, even if it's against all marine principles, but she will still stay being a marine because she has her dream and she still trusts a lot of people in the Navy. The other most important reason though is because of Nami. Nami holds a lot of respect towards female marines because she deems them as strong and reliable - if Oda were to crush this respect Nami has for Tashigi, it would be very unfit.
-One of the other reasons is her resemblence to his dead friend Kuina. I dare to say, Tashigi and Kuina are NOT the same person and if anyone tries to argue this pairing works because Tashigi is like Kuina, then seriously think about the characters' feelings. If they were to become a pairing like this, Zoro would not see Tashigi as Tashigi, but he will see his dead friend in her. If you imagine Tashigi's position here, she would not be loved because of who she is, but because she resembles someone else. That's not such a bright thing waiting ahead for her, right?
-The biggest issue I have with them however is the fact they don't respect or trust each other at all. Tashigi more or less respected him when she witnessed what Zoro did in the Weapon's shop, but that was only before she truly realized who he was. After the realization, she is determined to defeat him thinking that all the swords belonging to pirates are suffering in their hands, which is not always true (Zoro prayed for his Yubashiri to rest in peace when it was shattered). She shows no respect to him because she thinks he can't cut women. The moment she came into Biscuit room where Monet and Zoro were, she declared she is needed here and decided to battle Monet. Zoro stated he just had to make sure the enemy wouldn't go after his friends. In a way, I think Zoro wanted to enjoy the fight and make it longer since he was kind of bored and this was his chance to fight.
Back. Tashigi fought Monet, but she was seriously injured by her and in the end, if Zoro didn't step in, Tashigi would have died. He then cuts Monet which surprises both women and he asks them whether both of them are satisfied with their thoughts he "can't cut women at all" now. He didn't use Haki, but the fear Monet felt when she knew she could have died if he used it made her paralyzed and unable to form back properly. When Monet is able to gain a more proper form, she seems to be ready to attack Zoro but Tashigi steps in and cuts her. Although Tashigi witnessed Zoro was able to cut a woman, she still accuses him he can't do it properly (she acknowledged the crew has gotten stronger during the timeskip though). Zoro immediately told her it was her fault to jump in and come to this conclusion since he was already aware of the enemy. Overall, aside from his strength potential, Tashigi shows no respect to him. It could be said about it the other way, too - Zoro told her to take all the credit he wasn't interested in since he thought he is more superior to her and he doesn't need such a thing to prove it. What I find (and Zoro probably too) a pain is her attitude which led to the fact Zoro had to carry her because she was injured from the pointless battle. And if I have to talk about Zoro yet again, he doesn't trust Tashigi enough to trust her navigation instructions and this led to both of them getting lost.
All in all, Tashigi didn't improve that much as a character ... if she would at least defeat Monet, it would have been another story. Besides, if a relationship was suppossed to work, both sides should understand and respect each other, but that can't be said with both of their attitudes.
-What I have to say is that I don't think they don't stand a chance because they don't have many moments - it's actually understandable - they are in the pirate-marine relationship, and thus, the Straw Hats will not just go and sit with marines drinking tea if there isn't something that could logically lead to it (like Punk Hazard).
-In SBS when a fan asked why was Tashigi embarrassed about Zoro carrying her, Oda answered it was possibly because she probably didn't want her subordinates to see her being helped by a pirate. Though, he supposses it might also be because of something else, because he doesn't know how young women think...What in the world were you even implying Odacchi? On the other hand, we should know full well Oda is a big tease, so we will never know whether this is a big hint or not - after all, Franky also kissed an enemy and I seriously doubt he will end up with her.
-To be serious, I somehow like Kuina more, I don't really like Tashigi (well, I kinda did like her in Loguetown, but what happened in Punk Hazard was a catastrophe-no matter what, Zoro will always overshadow her).
-I forgot this.. this has nothing to do with this pairing but it has something to do with Tashigi; whoever says Tashigi and Kuina are the same but their difference is just Tashigi's glasses, I'm gonna kick that person into a trash can! They are NOT the same even though they might look and think similarly - there are things they differ in! Not just glasses!
-what's more, I think Oda himself stated that Tashigi's appearance wasn't supposed to be like Kuina's, it was rather a coincidence. I don't know how much is this accurate, so if anyone has a reliable source, it would be helpful.
Little comparing
=something I don't usually do and I sometimes find it to be an awful thing actually. In Punk Hazard, Monet targeted Robin, but Zoro made no move. He most probably thought she can take care of herself (well, she can). Later when Tashigi came in, she selfishly decided to battle with Monet AND got injured a hellaton. Zoro made his move only after it seemed like she might die if the battle continued. However, he wasn't a bit worried about Tashigi - he said nothing about her when he cut Monet's cheek, but it's true he released some kind of bloodlust - but I think that's mainly because he wanted to fight already. He was just later annoyed he had to carry her. Now, what my point is - when Monet targeted Nami, he was extremely pissed and asked her why is she targeting unarmed opponents. Later when Monet caught Nami again, he said again Over there! These whole Monet scenes show he is more worried about Nami than the other two women.
To sum it up in few points:
1. Tashigi's resemblence to Zoro's dead friend Kuina is not a good thing, because he will not love Tashigi as Tashigi, but as someone else
2. their current positions would not allow them to have such kind of a relationship
3. almost no trust or respect to each other at the moment - she accused him he can't cut women when he is shown to be someone who doesn't care about gender at all; he also showed her he actually CAN cut women, but Tashigi still didn't take him seriously; Zoro also didn't trust her enough to follow her navigation instructions
4. Zoro overshadows her a lot when it comes to swordsmanship
5. Zoro finds her rather annoying at times and he doesn't take her seriously, the same with Tashigi towards him
I tried to be not too harsh ;) There may be hints of other pairings I like... and consider them possible.
An important thing to say: I state facts. If I compare, my personal feelings are presented there. Just because I don't like the pairing doesn't always mean I hate the other person, it just doesn't suit well for me, that's all.
NEW ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: I might have some "againsts" for other pairings, but it ain't it that I hate or dislike them (aside from ZoRobin). In fact, I like some of their interaction on a very close friends level. However, there are some .. things that prevent me from shipping them more than on the friends level. Even if they become canon instead of ZoNa, it doesn't prevent me from liking ZoNa.
Zoro pairings:
Zoro x Tashigi
-This pairing is one of those that I understand why people ship, but I personally can't ship them romantically.
-I shall start with their positions. Since they are a pirate and marine now, there is no way marines would acknowledge this. Maybe if Zoro became a Shichibukai, people would kind of accept it (being the Shichibukai is the only thing a pirate can do to stay on marines' side, because I doubt such a well-known pirate now could become a marine). However, Zoro shows no signs for that position because of Luffy and he himself doesn't seem to fancy marines either. But as long as Luffy is alive, Zoro will not become a Shichibukai, he has no reason to. Regarding Tashigi, there is no way she will become a pirate - she has strong feelings for staying a marine athough there are times she knows when to be grateful even to people like pirates. She follows what she believes, even if it's against all marine principles, but she will still stay being a marine because she has her dream and she still trusts a lot of people in the Navy. The other most important reason though is because of Nami. Nami holds a lot of respect towards female marines because she deems them as strong and reliable - if Oda were to crush this respect Nami has for Tashigi, it would be very unfit.
-One of the other reasons is her resemblence to his dead friend Kuina. I dare to say, Tashigi and Kuina are NOT the same person and if anyone tries to argue this pairing works because Tashigi is like Kuina, then seriously think about the characters' feelings. If they were to become a pairing like this, Zoro would not see Tashigi as Tashigi, but he will see his dead friend in her. If you imagine Tashigi's position here, she would not be loved because of who she is, but because she resembles someone else. That's not such a bright thing waiting ahead for her, right?
-The biggest issue I have with them however is the fact they don't respect or trust each other at all. Tashigi more or less respected him when she witnessed what Zoro did in the Weapon's shop, but that was only before she truly realized who he was. After the realization, she is determined to defeat him thinking that all the swords belonging to pirates are suffering in their hands, which is not always true (Zoro prayed for his Yubashiri to rest in peace when it was shattered). She shows no respect to him because she thinks he can't cut women. The moment she came into Biscuit room where Monet and Zoro were, she declared she is needed here and decided to battle Monet. Zoro stated he just had to make sure the enemy wouldn't go after his friends. In a way, I think Zoro wanted to enjoy the fight and make it longer since he was kind of bored and this was his chance to fight.
Back. Tashigi fought Monet, but she was seriously injured by her and in the end, if Zoro didn't step in, Tashigi would have died. He then cuts Monet which surprises both women and he asks them whether both of them are satisfied with their thoughts he "can't cut women at all" now. He didn't use Haki, but the fear Monet felt when she knew she could have died if he used it made her paralyzed and unable to form back properly. When Monet is able to gain a more proper form, she seems to be ready to attack Zoro but Tashigi steps in and cuts her. Although Tashigi witnessed Zoro was able to cut a woman, she still accuses him he can't do it properly (she acknowledged the crew has gotten stronger during the timeskip though). Zoro immediately told her it was her fault to jump in and come to this conclusion since he was already aware of the enemy. Overall, aside from his strength potential, Tashigi shows no respect to him. It could be said about it the other way, too - Zoro told her to take all the credit he wasn't interested in since he thought he is more superior to her and he doesn't need such a thing to prove it. What I find (and Zoro probably too) a pain is her attitude which led to the fact Zoro had to carry her because she was injured from the pointless battle. And if I have to talk about Zoro yet again, he doesn't trust Tashigi enough to trust her navigation instructions and this led to both of them getting lost.
All in all, Tashigi didn't improve that much as a character ... if she would at least defeat Monet, it would have been another story. Besides, if a relationship was suppossed to work, both sides should understand and respect each other, but that can't be said with both of their attitudes.
-What I have to say is that I don't think they don't stand a chance because they don't have many moments - it's actually understandable - they are in the pirate-marine relationship, and thus, the Straw Hats will not just go and sit with marines drinking tea if there isn't something that could logically lead to it (like Punk Hazard).
-In SBS when a fan asked why was Tashigi embarrassed about Zoro carrying her, Oda answered it was possibly because she probably didn't want her subordinates to see her being helped by a pirate. Though, he supposses it might also be because of something else, because he doesn't know how young women think...What in the world were you even implying Odacchi? On the other hand, we should know full well Oda is a big tease, so we will never know whether this is a big hint or not - after all, Franky also kissed an enemy and I seriously doubt he will end up with her.
-To be serious, I somehow like Kuina more, I don't really like Tashigi (well, I kinda did like her in Loguetown, but what happened in Punk Hazard was a catastrophe-no matter what, Zoro will always overshadow her).
-I forgot this.. this has nothing to do with this pairing but it has something to do with Tashigi; whoever says Tashigi and Kuina are the same but their difference is just Tashigi's glasses, I'm gonna kick that person into a trash can! They are NOT the same even though they might look and think similarly - there are things they differ in! Not just glasses!
-what's more, I think Oda himself stated that Tashigi's appearance wasn't supposed to be like Kuina's, it was rather a coincidence. I don't know how much is this accurate, so if anyone has a reliable source, it would be helpful.
Little comparing
=something I don't usually do and I sometimes find it to be an awful thing actually. In Punk Hazard, Monet targeted Robin, but Zoro made no move. He most probably thought she can take care of herself (well, she can). Later when Tashigi came in, she selfishly decided to battle with Monet AND got injured a hellaton. Zoro made his move only after it seemed like she might die if the battle continued. However, he wasn't a bit worried about Tashigi - he said nothing about her when he cut Monet's cheek, but it's true he released some kind of bloodlust - but I think that's mainly because he wanted to fight already. He was just later annoyed he had to carry her. Now, what my point is - when Monet targeted Nami, he was extremely pissed and asked her why is she targeting unarmed opponents. Later when Monet caught Nami again, he said again Over there! These whole Monet scenes show he is more worried about Nami than the other two women.
To sum it up in few points:
1. Tashigi's resemblence to Zoro's dead friend Kuina is not a good thing, because he will not love Tashigi as Tashigi, but as someone else
2. their current positions would not allow them to have such kind of a relationship
3. almost no trust or respect to each other at the moment - she accused him he can't cut women when he is shown to be someone who doesn't care about gender at all; he also showed her he actually CAN cut women, but Tashigi still didn't take him seriously; Zoro also didn't trust her enough to follow her navigation instructions
4. Zoro overshadows her a lot when it comes to swordsmanship
5. Zoro finds her rather annoying at times and he doesn't take her seriously, the same with Tashigi towards him
Zoro x Robin
-Out of all the pairings, this is the one I find as the most incomprehensible. I really like Robin, because I consider her somewhat cool and the same way to Zoro - I like him a lot too. However, I just can't pair these two together on more than nakamaship level.
-First. I don't really care about age or height difference as long as the pair somehow makes sense, but in this case, I feel the age difference a lot. Yes, they are both mature and good looking people, but she acts more as someone older than him and even Oda stated she is like a mother and Zoro is like a son. Even if Oda didn't state that, I still feel Robin is like an older sister to him. Zoro considers her his friend and he respects her as someone who is more experienced and older than him. But that's just what I feel. Please don't say I care about age difference - like for example, I still like Luffy x Hancock despite their age and height difference.
-Although Zoro and Robin are in one crew, they don't interact much on daily basis. They also don’t have much things in common to talk about, unless it somehow concerns the crew and Luffy.
-Next, there is Zoro's attitude towards Robin earlier before Enies Lobby. When Robin first joined the crew, Zoro openly shows he doesn't trust her. If he had to be with Robin, Zoro’s distrust and dislike of being told some suggestions by her was always present. That being said though, it doesn't automatically mean he won't save her when the situation calls for it. It doesn't automatically mean he is going to ignore everything she says, either. When he knows Robin is right (the theme navigation is sensitive..), he doesn't have another choice but to listen to her. Zoro might not trust her, but there is no reason for him to ignore her existence (whether on the mind level – I ignore whatever you say or physical level – I ignore the fact you are in danger) because she is already a crewmember and someone Luffy trusts, that’s all.
-His attitude towards Robin changed only after Enies Lobby incident. When Robin betrayed the crew, Zoro reacts differently than when Nami betrayed them. He was calm, composed and not taking anyone's sides. This behaviour however could hardly mean he was trying to cope with the shock Robin betrayed them when he a) didn't really trust her to begin with and b) guess what, she really did betray them - so why the shock? What's more, Zoro was calm and composed during Usopp's challenge to Luffy and the sniper leaving the crew, too. I find it hard to believe Zoro could have some kind of feelings for Robin because he reacted calm to her betrayal when he had the SAME attitude when Usopp left the crew. In a way, Zoro has matured since the beginning of the series and he knew there might be some catch in Robin's betrayal - that's why he didn't side with anyone. He didn't trust her like the captain did, but he didn't think she had no reason to betray them, either. Why would he think so? Because he has once dealt and faced with a betrayal already – Nami’s. He knows being a hot head won’t take him anywhere – but only a calm behaviour can help him uncover what might be behind the betrayal/or whether he could at least trust the person (like the time he even tested Nami’s trust by jumping into the pool and waited for her to pull him up).
-The truth is, I also kind of have a problem with moments they have. I have an uneasy feeling Toei made their moments more dramatic when it wasn't. This also collaborates with the fact some people think Zoro saves Robin the most (even in death-like situations), which is NOT true.
The first thing is him catching her after she was electrocuted by Enel. He didn't protect her but only caught her after she was injured. I think the distrust played a bit of role here. It is clearly seen Enel was going to attack Robin and yet, Zoro didn't do anything. When Nami yelled Robin's name, only then did he start moving and he at least caught her. In a way, I think only at that moment Zoro actually realized she is not his enemy but a crewmember (because Nami yelled her name quite desperately). But even so, if he didn't at least catch her, it would mean he was unable to at least do something to protect her, a crewmember. No wonder was he then pissed off because one of his crewmembers was injured and hurt – distrust or not – and he started attacking Enel.
However, the excuse he used while catching Robin is something I cannot accept. He, Zoro, a guy who isn't supposed to differ between man/woman, who doesn't mind women fighting, and who was even frustrated and downright angry when Kuina said she can't be a swordsman because she is a girl - would suddenly mind them being injured and use an excuse like „She is a woman!“ – so she shouldn’t be attacked? That’s quite hypocritical.
There is an overall thinking women are weaker than men, if Zoro thinks women and men are equal, that would mean no one is weaker than the other. But if he specifically points something like this out, it just makes me think he thinks Robin is weak and thus she shouldn't be attacked. If I was in Robin’s place, this would be something that would offend me.
In fact, Zoro didn't even have to make any excuse. Saying "how dare you do that to my crewmember" was good enough.
Second. The moment he blocked Aokiji's move, that was the only moment where he ever protected her (although the next moment we see Sanji and Luffy helping him, too). If you think about it, the only person who could have blocked Aokiji's move is Zoro, because Luffy and Sanji are more of a hand-to-hand (leg) combatants and blocking something like a sharp ice sword isn't their specialty. What is more important here though, Zoro wasn't the one who ensured Robin would be save. Yes, in a way, he made sure she wouldn't be killed at that moment, but if he was alone, do you think Aokiji would be like "oh okay, you protected her, I will leave?" And I repeat, Zoro couldn't even do much against Aokiji's sword aside from blocking. It was Sanji who get rid of that dangerous object completely. More importantly, Zoro ONLY held distrust towards Robin, that wouldn't mean he would just let her die, because they are already crewmates and when the situation calls for it, of course he would help her out.
Last moment I want to talk about is the moment in Fishman Island. I have to say, some people see it as if Zoro protected her, but .. let's take it back, okay? We see Hyozou is charging towards her and Robin is already looking at his direction, she is already aware of the enemy and I am sure she would be able to take care of him in a way. But then, Zoro literally gets in Hyozou's way. He doesn't look very concerned or even worried about Robin, because he knows she can take care of herself; he doesn't need to save her. However, the reason why he was there is because he wanted to battle the swordsman - and he even says it himself. Before the crew started their fight against Hody and his men, it was mentioned Hyozou is a very strong swordsman after all. I don't know what else to say aside from the fact Zoro didn't protect Robin here, he just wanted to battle the swordsman and Robin was already aware of her opponent. If Zoro was worried/concerned, he wouldn't be smirking as if he had fun, right?
-Pairing them because of their looks is understandable, but saying that as the only reason why they can't be with others I find as a terrible thing to say - I think that Nami is beautiful too, and Sanji isn't ugly either! -.-
-Aside from canon moments, there are some non-canon moments I'm okay with - like that time, Zoro got angry when Kaku insulted Robin - but hey, Sanji and Luffy were angry a lot, too. Or the moment after Post - Enies Lobby..that didn't seem like a ZoRobin moment to me. Zoro blushed in front of Robin, that's true, but did he blush the moment he saw Robin? He didn't. Robin saw him with kids and called out to him. Zoro, realizing she was talking to him, pulled her aside to not being shown on public. Moments later, both of them heard Nami calling Robin’s name. No doubt both of them recognized her voice. Then, after we see a small cameo of Nami searching for Robin, Zoro looks out from the hiding and that is when he blushes. When Robin saw him hiding like this, she ensured him she wouldn't tell it to anyone. And who would she even tell it to after seeing the swordsman’s reaction?
-With the events in Enies Lobby, I think she is more compatible with Franky. For someone who lived most of her life in darkness, her partner should be someone who can make her talk and smile a lot, which with someone who barely talks like Zoro is near to impossible. What’s more, even after Enies Lobby, there is still some shadowy presence of Zoro not really understanding Robin – he even addressed her as creepy in Fishman Island. Well, that cannot be said about Robin who finds everyone (though maybe Luffy especially) interesting.
-The last thing I have to say is that it pains me to sometimes see Robin acting out of character in fanfictions. Yes, I tried to like the pairing and even made an effort to read a fanfic about them. However, the thing that made me really cry and even feel sorry for her is the fact some artist even make an effort to make her shorter - with the purpose to probably make her look good with Zoro? I don't know, but I'm sure Robin wouldn't be that happy, because she seems to be someone who likes her height and even her age (see Film Z).
Little comparing
There is one interesting comparison written by one ZoRobin fan (hereinafter referred to as „they“) I need to point out. It's the Wiper - Lucky - Aisha trio being compared to Zoro - Nami - Robin. They compare it with the fact Zoro is similar to Wiper and Lucky to Robin, while Aisha is similar to Nami. According to them, Zoro considers Nami as his younger sister while he considers Robin a lot more special - that is all apparently because of the parallel with Wiper, Lucky and Aisha – Wiper considers Aisha his younger sisters while Lucky is someone who could be his love interest because he was worried about her/which is paralleled to Zoro catching Robin (hah seriously). However, I think this is a totally biased parallel, because let’s face it - in the first place, these people have totally different relationships. Wiper clearly already cares about Lucky and knows her for long to know what she is up to. He also knows Aisha for long, too. And now, what about the relationship between those three Straw Hats? Zoro knows and cares a lot about Nami, but he showed a lot of distrust towards Robin, he doesn't even know her for long (in comparison with Nami). That's why I find this kind of parallel to be overexaggerated because Zoro, Nami and Robin have different relationships with each other in comparison with Wiper, Lucky and Aisha.
Even if we were to ignore this fact, the situations played in there are STILL different. When Lucky was attacked by Enel, Wiper couldn't do anything because there was a net that stood between him and where Lucky and Enel were. Wiper was very angry and if he was there, he would make sure Lucky wouldn't get electrocuted, right? Zoro saw the whole scene, he saw Enel attacking Lucky and Wiper being absolutely powerless against it. And strangely as it is, after this scene Zoro then focuses his attention to the snake to get Nami out despite having a strong enemy before him. I think seeing that moment made him more anxious about Nami's situation, that's why he wanted to take care of the snake so much. When the snake got electrocuted by Enel, he was surprised and horrified until he saw Nami being alright. And then, comes Robin. Zoro knew what Enel did, what he is capable of - but if that's the case, why didn't he run and protect her? It’s possible he was shocked, but I think he could have seen something like that coming (Enel pointed a finger at Robin as if he was about to attack her) yet he only stood there. Only after Nami yelled Robin's name did he actually move and at least caught her.
To sum it up:
A side note about ZoRobin - or rather, their fans. I'm not saying all ZoRobin fans are *insert any nasty word here*. However, I have noticed some "conflicts" that involve ZoNa as a pairing is with ZoRobin fans. How should I say it...some of them very strongly disagree with ZoNa to the point they say some rather nasty things from time to time and this always puts me at a loss for words. Why? Why can't you just enjoy your pairing and let other fans enjoy theirs? It's always "this the best, this sells more, not this one!!" I seriously can't get why some of them are like this, because by doing it, other people are just discouraged even if they try to tolerate and understand ZoRobin.
Another problem I have with these fans is the fact their reasons why other pairings don't stand chance to this one is because this one makes the most sense. Ok, it might make sense to you, but if you say "He always saves her", then excuse me here, he saved her? Maybe once when he blocked Aokiji's move. But that's all there is to it.
What I also particularly don't like is how some of them compare ZoRobin with Zoro and his relationship with Nami a lot. A LOT. To be honest, I think comparing IS fine as long as it makes sense, but somehow, it always makes me wonder if it really does make some sense to others when I myself mostly feel that ... in ZoRobin case, it does not. I have read some reasons why people ship ZoRobin, but some reasons there are just too messed up for me to understand. In fact, I would be more neutral with this pairing if it was not for one ZR post I read long times ago.
Again, I don't want to say the whole fandom is like that. I already met some fans that are very nice, but if most of the fans from the fandom act like *insert any nasty word here*, those nice people from it are often overshadowed and ignored. It's really a pity.
-Out of all the pairings, this is the one I find as the most incomprehensible. I really like Robin, because I consider her somewhat cool and the same way to Zoro - I like him a lot too. However, I just can't pair these two together on more than nakamaship level.
-First. I don't really care about age or height difference as long as the pair somehow makes sense, but in this case, I feel the age difference a lot. Yes, they are both mature and good looking people, but she acts more as someone older than him and even Oda stated she is like a mother and Zoro is like a son. Even if Oda didn't state that, I still feel Robin is like an older sister to him. Zoro considers her his friend and he respects her as someone who is more experienced and older than him. But that's just what I feel. Please don't say I care about age difference - like for example, I still like Luffy x Hancock despite their age and height difference.
-Although Zoro and Robin are in one crew, they don't interact much on daily basis. They also don’t have much things in common to talk about, unless it somehow concerns the crew and Luffy.
-Next, there is Zoro's attitude towards Robin earlier before Enies Lobby. When Robin first joined the crew, Zoro openly shows he doesn't trust her. If he had to be with Robin, Zoro’s distrust and dislike of being told some suggestions by her was always present. That being said though, it doesn't automatically mean he won't save her when the situation calls for it. It doesn't automatically mean he is going to ignore everything she says, either. When he knows Robin is right (the theme navigation is sensitive..), he doesn't have another choice but to listen to her. Zoro might not trust her, but there is no reason for him to ignore her existence (whether on the mind level – I ignore whatever you say or physical level – I ignore the fact you are in danger) because she is already a crewmember and someone Luffy trusts, that’s all.
-His attitude towards Robin changed only after Enies Lobby incident. When Robin betrayed the crew, Zoro reacts differently than when Nami betrayed them. He was calm, composed and not taking anyone's sides. This behaviour however could hardly mean he was trying to cope with the shock Robin betrayed them when he a) didn't really trust her to begin with and b) guess what, she really did betray them - so why the shock? What's more, Zoro was calm and composed during Usopp's challenge to Luffy and the sniper leaving the crew, too. I find it hard to believe Zoro could have some kind of feelings for Robin because he reacted calm to her betrayal when he had the SAME attitude when Usopp left the crew. In a way, Zoro has matured since the beginning of the series and he knew there might be some catch in Robin's betrayal - that's why he didn't side with anyone. He didn't trust her like the captain did, but he didn't think she had no reason to betray them, either. Why would he think so? Because he has once dealt and faced with a betrayal already – Nami’s. He knows being a hot head won’t take him anywhere – but only a calm behaviour can help him uncover what might be behind the betrayal/or whether he could at least trust the person (like the time he even tested Nami’s trust by jumping into the pool and waited for her to pull him up).
-The truth is, I also kind of have a problem with moments they have. I have an uneasy feeling Toei made their moments more dramatic when it wasn't. This also collaborates with the fact some people think Zoro saves Robin the most (even in death-like situations), which is NOT true.
The first thing is him catching her after she was electrocuted by Enel. He didn't protect her but only caught her after she was injured. I think the distrust played a bit of role here. It is clearly seen Enel was going to attack Robin and yet, Zoro didn't do anything. When Nami yelled Robin's name, only then did he start moving and he at least caught her. In a way, I think only at that moment Zoro actually realized she is not his enemy but a crewmember (because Nami yelled her name quite desperately). But even so, if he didn't at least catch her, it would mean he was unable to at least do something to protect her, a crewmember. No wonder was he then pissed off because one of his crewmembers was injured and hurt – distrust or not – and he started attacking Enel.
However, the excuse he used while catching Robin is something I cannot accept. He, Zoro, a guy who isn't supposed to differ between man/woman, who doesn't mind women fighting, and who was even frustrated and downright angry when Kuina said she can't be a swordsman because she is a girl - would suddenly mind them being injured and use an excuse like „She is a woman!“ – so she shouldn’t be attacked? That’s quite hypocritical.
There is an overall thinking women are weaker than men, if Zoro thinks women and men are equal, that would mean no one is weaker than the other. But if he specifically points something like this out, it just makes me think he thinks Robin is weak and thus she shouldn't be attacked. If I was in Robin’s place, this would be something that would offend me.
In fact, Zoro didn't even have to make any excuse. Saying "how dare you do that to my crewmember" was good enough.
Second. The moment he blocked Aokiji's move, that was the only moment where he ever protected her (although the next moment we see Sanji and Luffy helping him, too). If you think about it, the only person who could have blocked Aokiji's move is Zoro, because Luffy and Sanji are more of a hand-to-hand (leg) combatants and blocking something like a sharp ice sword isn't their specialty. What is more important here though, Zoro wasn't the one who ensured Robin would be save. Yes, in a way, he made sure she wouldn't be killed at that moment, but if he was alone, do you think Aokiji would be like "oh okay, you protected her, I will leave?" And I repeat, Zoro couldn't even do much against Aokiji's sword aside from blocking. It was Sanji who get rid of that dangerous object completely. More importantly, Zoro ONLY held distrust towards Robin, that wouldn't mean he would just let her die, because they are already crewmates and when the situation calls for it, of course he would help her out.
Last moment I want to talk about is the moment in Fishman Island. I have to say, some people see it as if Zoro protected her, but .. let's take it back, okay? We see Hyozou is charging towards her and Robin is already looking at his direction, she is already aware of the enemy and I am sure she would be able to take care of him in a way. But then, Zoro literally gets in Hyozou's way. He doesn't look very concerned or even worried about Robin, because he knows she can take care of herself; he doesn't need to save her. However, the reason why he was there is because he wanted to battle the swordsman - and he even says it himself. Before the crew started their fight against Hody and his men, it was mentioned Hyozou is a very strong swordsman after all. I don't know what else to say aside from the fact Zoro didn't protect Robin here, he just wanted to battle the swordsman and Robin was already aware of her opponent. If Zoro was worried/concerned, he wouldn't be smirking as if he had fun, right?
-Pairing them because of their looks is understandable, but saying that as the only reason why they can't be with others I find as a terrible thing to say - I think that Nami is beautiful too, and Sanji isn't ugly either! -.-
-Aside from canon moments, there are some non-canon moments I'm okay with - like that time, Zoro got angry when Kaku insulted Robin - but hey, Sanji and Luffy were angry a lot, too. Or the moment after Post - Enies Lobby..that didn't seem like a ZoRobin moment to me. Zoro blushed in front of Robin, that's true, but did he blush the moment he saw Robin? He didn't. Robin saw him with kids and called out to him. Zoro, realizing she was talking to him, pulled her aside to not being shown on public. Moments later, both of them heard Nami calling Robin’s name. No doubt both of them recognized her voice. Then, after we see a small cameo of Nami searching for Robin, Zoro looks out from the hiding and that is when he blushes. When Robin saw him hiding like this, she ensured him she wouldn't tell it to anyone. And who would she even tell it to after seeing the swordsman’s reaction?
-With the events in Enies Lobby, I think she is more compatible with Franky. For someone who lived most of her life in darkness, her partner should be someone who can make her talk and smile a lot, which with someone who barely talks like Zoro is near to impossible. What’s more, even after Enies Lobby, there is still some shadowy presence of Zoro not really understanding Robin – he even addressed her as creepy in Fishman Island. Well, that cannot be said about Robin who finds everyone (though maybe Luffy especially) interesting.
-The last thing I have to say is that it pains me to sometimes see Robin acting out of character in fanfictions. Yes, I tried to like the pairing and even made an effort to read a fanfic about them. However, the thing that made me really cry and even feel sorry for her is the fact some artist even make an effort to make her shorter - with the purpose to probably make her look good with Zoro? I don't know, but I'm sure Robin wouldn't be that happy, because she seems to be someone who likes her height and even her age (see Film Z).
Little comparing
There is one interesting comparison written by one ZoRobin fan (hereinafter referred to as „they“) I need to point out. It's the Wiper - Lucky - Aisha trio being compared to Zoro - Nami - Robin. They compare it with the fact Zoro is similar to Wiper and Lucky to Robin, while Aisha is similar to Nami. According to them, Zoro considers Nami as his younger sister while he considers Robin a lot more special - that is all apparently because of the parallel with Wiper, Lucky and Aisha – Wiper considers Aisha his younger sisters while Lucky is someone who could be his love interest because he was worried about her/which is paralleled to Zoro catching Robin (hah seriously). However, I think this is a totally biased parallel, because let’s face it - in the first place, these people have totally different relationships. Wiper clearly already cares about Lucky and knows her for long to know what she is up to. He also knows Aisha for long, too. And now, what about the relationship between those three Straw Hats? Zoro knows and cares a lot about Nami, but he showed a lot of distrust towards Robin, he doesn't even know her for long (in comparison with Nami). That's why I find this kind of parallel to be overexaggerated because Zoro, Nami and Robin have different relationships with each other in comparison with Wiper, Lucky and Aisha.
Even if we were to ignore this fact, the situations played in there are STILL different. When Lucky was attacked by Enel, Wiper couldn't do anything because there was a net that stood between him and where Lucky and Enel were. Wiper was very angry and if he was there, he would make sure Lucky wouldn't get electrocuted, right? Zoro saw the whole scene, he saw Enel attacking Lucky and Wiper being absolutely powerless against it. And strangely as it is, after this scene Zoro then focuses his attention to the snake to get Nami out despite having a strong enemy before him. I think seeing that moment made him more anxious about Nami's situation, that's why he wanted to take care of the snake so much. When the snake got electrocuted by Enel, he was surprised and horrified until he saw Nami being alright. And then, comes Robin. Zoro knew what Enel did, what he is capable of - but if that's the case, why didn't he run and protect her? It’s possible he was shocked, but I think he could have seen something like that coming (Enel pointed a finger at Robin as if he was about to attack her) yet he only stood there. Only after Nami yelled Robin's name did he actually move and at least caught her.
To sum it up:
- they don't talk much despite being in one crew and spending a lot of time in one place
- some moments ZoRobin fans worship only have a vibe of nakamaship with no romantic themes as some seem to claim it has
- making Robin shorter to look cool with him is definitely not cool as Robin can like her height and she definitely wouldn't want to be short - not is she already tall, but she even wears heel shoes to make her taller. Unless it's some kind of a challenge or theme, of course (like younger version of Robin). If Robin would stay the same age, it would be rude to portray her shorter.
- pairing them only because they are both good-looking/or because they have similar attitude is understandable, but if it is the only reason why lets say Robin can't be with anyone else because they are ugly – well, I find that as a terrible thing to say
- Zoro alone never saved Robin from death-like moments - the first time he caught her, the second time it was thanks to the whole monster trio's strength Robin wasn't killed, the third time he only wanted to fight an enemy Robin was already aware off
- he trusts her completely only after the events in Enies Lobby, he didn't trust her when she joined them and he implied this many times; however, that wouldn't mean he won't protect her because she is his crewmate and someone who Luffy trusts
- the way how Zoro handled Robin's betrayal - calm and composed was shown before when the crew was dealing with Usopp leaving them; besides, he was being logical by not choosing a side because he knew there might be more to it than it first seems
A side note about ZoRobin - or rather, their fans. I'm not saying all ZoRobin fans are *insert any nasty word here*. However, I have noticed some "conflicts" that involve ZoNa as a pairing is with ZoRobin fans. How should I say it...some of them very strongly disagree with ZoNa to the point they say some rather nasty things from time to time and this always puts me at a loss for words. Why? Why can't you just enjoy your pairing and let other fans enjoy theirs? It's always "this the best, this sells more, not this one!!" I seriously can't get why some of them are like this, because by doing it, other people are just discouraged even if they try to tolerate and understand ZoRobin.
Another problem I have with these fans is the fact their reasons why other pairings don't stand chance to this one is because this one makes the most sense. Ok, it might make sense to you, but if you say "He always saves her", then excuse me here, he saved her? Maybe once when he blocked Aokiji's move. But that's all there is to it.
What I also particularly don't like is how some of them compare ZoRobin with Zoro and his relationship with Nami a lot. A LOT. To be honest, I think comparing IS fine as long as it makes sense, but somehow, it always makes me wonder if it really does make some sense to others when I myself mostly feel that ... in ZoRobin case, it does not. I have read some reasons why people ship ZoRobin, but some reasons there are just too messed up for me to understand. In fact, I would be more neutral with this pairing if it was not for one ZR post I read long times ago.
Again, I don't want to say the whole fandom is like that. I already met some fans that are very nice, but if most of the fans from the fandom act like *insert any nasty word here*, those nice people from it are often overshadowed and ignored. It's really a pity.
Zoro x Perona
-This is the only pairing aside from ZoNa I'm ok with the most. I mean, they both have spent two years together and it would be just downright strange if they didn't come to at least care about each other on some level. However, they didn't have that much interaction in the manga and we don't know what had happened in those previous two years. The only thing that was memorable the most is when Perona said she will have to find another toy after Zoro left with his friends. He was most probably the center of her possible pranks (she looks like to be that kind of person in my opinion ^^") and she probably had to take care of him when he was injured from his fights with Mihawk, too. I think if something, Perona might have some kind of attachment to Zoro (that's why the "toy line"), but that doesn't seem to apply to the other one - Zoro appeared first in Shabaody (of all the people) and it seems like he was there sooner than expected - that a bit implies he was the one who wanted to meet the crew a lot and possibly even leave the place he stayed at as quick as possible. The swordsman wasn't also that happy (like Sanji? xD) when he saw her still loitering around despite the fact she just helped him. Ah... this is just my thought, but maybe he wanted to be far away from Perona as soon as possible because of her pranks on him? xD
-This is the only pairing aside from ZoNa I'm ok with the most. I mean, they both have spent two years together and it would be just downright strange if they didn't come to at least care about each other on some level. However, they didn't have that much interaction in the manga and we don't know what had happened in those previous two years. The only thing that was memorable the most is when Perona said she will have to find another toy after Zoro left with his friends. He was most probably the center of her possible pranks (she looks like to be that kind of person in my opinion ^^") and she probably had to take care of him when he was injured from his fights with Mihawk, too. I think if something, Perona might have some kind of attachment to Zoro (that's why the "toy line"), but that doesn't seem to apply to the other one - Zoro appeared first in Shabaody (of all the people) and it seems like he was there sooner than expected - that a bit implies he was the one who wanted to meet the crew a lot and possibly even leave the place he stayed at as quick as possible. The swordsman wasn't also that happy (like Sanji? xD) when he saw her still loitering around despite the fact she just helped him. Ah... this is just my thought, but maybe he wanted to be far away from Perona as soon as possible because of her pranks on him? xD
A bit out of place but...
-I have just realized...the most "intimate" moments Zoro had with Robin and Tashigi were with Nami presented... In Skypiea, Zoro caught Robin (while Nami was watching-hiding) and in Punk Hazard, Zoro carried Tashigi over his shoulder to the group where were Sanji, Nami, Robin and kids. Maybe it's all just a coincidence, but in both cases, Nami always said something and she reacted in some way.
-I have just realized...the most "intimate" moments Zoro had with Robin and Tashigi were with Nami presented... In Skypiea, Zoro caught Robin (while Nami was watching-hiding) and in Punk Hazard, Zoro carried Tashigi over his shoulder to the group where were Sanji, Nami, Robin and kids. Maybe it's all just a coincidence, but in both cases, Nami always said something and she reacted in some way.
Nami pairings:
Luffy x Nami
-About this pairing... I like their funny/tearjerking/touching moments but even despite its popularity, I still can't ship them more than on the friendship level.
-First of all. JUST BECAUSE IT'S VERY POPULAR DOESN'T MEAN IT WILL AUTOMATICALLY BECOME CANON OR THE LIKE. Just because a lot of people like it, it doesn't mean Oda will do what the majority says. It's HIS story, not anyone's else. If he ships them, he will make them come true. If he doesn't, well, they won't come true. Simple as that. It's also impotant to point out that just because I don't ship it, it doesn't mean I'm denying it or whatever. You know, in the beginning of the series, I seriously tried to love this pairing and denied ZoNa instead but in the end, ZoNa won. So, no. I'm not denying anything anymore. You are free to like and ship whatever you want, but when I say I don't ship this, I wouldn't like it when someone came to me and said BULLSHIT, you are just denying this and that -.-
-Moving on to the more important things. Luffy hasn't shown to be romantically attached to anything else besides meat and/or straw hat, but he cares about his friends and people dear to him deeply. I don't know how much is the statement he is assexual true, but I will ignore it unless Oda says it in SBS or something. Either way, what I want to talk about here is the fact Luffy reacted to Nami's body twice while he didn't even flinch in Boa Hancock's case. I myself didn't know what to think of it, but Oda-san made it very clear for me. Those whole moments don't mean he loves Nami or anything - it was all Usopp's fault. Not to even mention Usopp also got the luck to see her naked body three times - and yet, people still prefer to ship him with Kaya (when it comes to romance, me too - when it comes to bromance, I ship Nami and Usopp too). How did Oda explain Luffy's reaction to Nami's body? It's simply because both Luffy and Usopp are two still a bit immature kids who get excited easily - when one of them gets excited, the other one is excited too despite knowing the real reason why. I can see it like Luffy was doing the same thing Usopp did just because they are close in age with sometimes a very similar mindset (like both of them are easily caught in men's romance). In Usopp's case who knew what was going on, he was most probably somehow like "Hey friend, that looks interesting!" and Luffy would catch Usopp's drive and be like "Woah!" despite not truly getting what was so interesting about it. Luffy was probably just surprised to see the female body is different from the male body - if I remember correctly, he didn't really blush or anything. It's important to point out again IT WAS ALL USOPP'S FAULT. Luffy was probably just doing what Usopp was because he thought it was fun. I think even Oda doesn't want others to think Luffy is somewhat attracted to Nami's body or something.
-This brings me to the fact Luffy treats the people most important to him equally - be it a crewmember, be it his brother(s), or be it someone who was his enemy but eventually became his ally - he would worry about them and save them. I don't have a feeling he ever showed to favour someone and I honestly don't think he would have some serious romantic relationship. In a way, that kind of relationship could restraint him (and that's something he right now wouldn't really like - he thinks being the pirate king means being the freest one) and the way he is now, he wouldn't love anyone else more than on the friend/family base.
-It's true Luffy gave his strawhat to Nami (which he considers his treasure) and the first time he gave it to her in Arlong Park was mainly because he wanted to emphasize Nami is important for him. However, that doesn't mean she was the only one he gave his strawhat to. Luffy also gave his strawhat to people he trusts when the time calls for it. He gave his strawhat to Vivi (who was still kind of a stranger at that point) on Little Garden and to Usopp (who kinda designed it to suit himself) during the Foxy arc, too.
-The next point is how some people fail to realize Luffy didn't have special moments with Nami alone (which mostly happened in Arlong park). Luffy also had a lot of significant moments with Vivi and Robin during their arcs - and yet, not many people point that out.
Luffy saved Vivi from falling and said he can hear her properly - he desperately fought Crocodile in order to save Vivi's country and he was very sad when he had to leave her.
And then, when Robin betrayed them - what Luffy does? He still trusts her no matter what and the first thing he does when they arrive at Enies Lobby - is rushing right in, even though he heard the plan properly. He wanted Robin back no matter what, even to the point he shot a goddamned flag of the World Goverment to emphasize how much is Robin important to him. He didn't care he just declared a war against the World Government; he only cared and wanted Robin to be with him. He even wanted Robin to honestly declare her wish. And if I remember correctly, that was the only moment Robin ever cried so much. I don't know how can Arlong Park be THAT special comparing to other things that happened with Vivi and Robin. Clearly, Luffy has his moments with all three ladies, but by no means he has some special moments with one lady only.
-Although Luffy is stupid and Nami is the one who can shape him up, she definitely isn't the only one - Usopp and Sanji often raise their hands or legs on him, too. It's not right to say Luffy and Nami are meant for each other just because Nami can scold him and beat him up for his stupidity - if that argument was the case, then she would be meant for the rest of the crew, too - like Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, Franky or even Brook. Simply, all crewmembers sometimes act stupid and the one who can shape them up is no one but Nami. Despite her harsh attitude though, Nami can still be caring about her captain and the rest of the crew. Either way, please don't say things like Luffy is stupid and Nami is the only one who can take care of him when the whole statement isn't true from what I said above.
-Honestly said, I feel like both of them can be too selfish at times - Luffy often ignores the scary thoughts Nami, Chopper and Usopp can have while facing some situations; he is more pumped up for the adventure and doesn't even try to calm them. He can calm other people when their situation is (very) bad, but I think even normally, Nami would appreciate some calming words from the captain.
-Lastly, Luffy and Nami are like best friends or siblings who need each other's support from time to time. Luffy needs her because she is a navigator and Nami has shown to respect him. However, it's not like Luffy needs just her - he himself said he needs every member in his crew since he alone can't do much (aside from kicking asses) and more importantly, all his crewmembers like and respect him. The captain is special in that sense all the crewmembers showed their most inner emotions whenever he was involved - Robin cried after she said what Luffy wanted her to honestly say, Zoro cried when he declared he will be the best swordsman for the Pirate King, and the list goes on. The whole crew was worried about him when they learnt what happened to Luffy and his brother. Nami cried and Usopp, too - they were very sad because they knew Luffy had to go through hell and yet they were far away from him. Zoro was worried that much he didn't think about battling Mihawk but rather how to get to Luffy as quickly as possible (not to mention what Zoro even did for him in Thriller Bark) and even the ladies' man Sanji was genuinely worried about his captain although he himself was in one hellish situation (for him at least). In other words, the whole crew treasures Luffy and the same way Luffy treasures all of his crewmembers. He doesn't treasure anyone more specially.
Little comparing:
-If something, it was done in the text...
To sum it up:
Positively speaking:
Luffy and Nami trust each other a lot, Luffy was someone who saved her and her village when the times got bad. They have shown care for each other a lot - Luffy is the more obvious one, always caring for people he likes, but Nami also showed concern after they split up and Luffy had to deal with Ace's situation without any of his crewmembers at his side.
Luffy x Nami
-About this pairing... I like their funny/tearjerking/touching moments but even despite its popularity, I still can't ship them more than on the friendship level.
-First of all. JUST BECAUSE IT'S VERY POPULAR DOESN'T MEAN IT WILL AUTOMATICALLY BECOME CANON OR THE LIKE. Just because a lot of people like it, it doesn't mean Oda will do what the majority says. It's HIS story, not anyone's else. If he ships them, he will make them come true. If he doesn't, well, they won't come true. Simple as that. It's also impotant to point out that just because I don't ship it, it doesn't mean I'm denying it or whatever. You know, in the beginning of the series, I seriously tried to love this pairing and denied ZoNa instead but in the end, ZoNa won. So, no. I'm not denying anything anymore. You are free to like and ship whatever you want, but when I say I don't ship this, I wouldn't like it when someone came to me and said BULLSHIT, you are just denying this and that -.-
-Moving on to the more important things. Luffy hasn't shown to be romantically attached to anything else besides meat and/or straw hat, but he cares about his friends and people dear to him deeply. I don't know how much is the statement he is assexual true, but I will ignore it unless Oda says it in SBS or something. Either way, what I want to talk about here is the fact Luffy reacted to Nami's body twice while he didn't even flinch in Boa Hancock's case. I myself didn't know what to think of it, but Oda-san made it very clear for me. Those whole moments don't mean he loves Nami or anything - it was all Usopp's fault. Not to even mention Usopp also got the luck to see her naked body three times - and yet, people still prefer to ship him with Kaya (when it comes to romance, me too - when it comes to bromance, I ship Nami and Usopp too). How did Oda explain Luffy's reaction to Nami's body? It's simply because both Luffy and Usopp are two still a bit immature kids who get excited easily - when one of them gets excited, the other one is excited too despite knowing the real reason why. I can see it like Luffy was doing the same thing Usopp did just because they are close in age with sometimes a very similar mindset (like both of them are easily caught in men's romance). In Usopp's case who knew what was going on, he was most probably somehow like "Hey friend, that looks interesting!" and Luffy would catch Usopp's drive and be like "Woah!" despite not truly getting what was so interesting about it. Luffy was probably just surprised to see the female body is different from the male body - if I remember correctly, he didn't really blush or anything. It's important to point out again IT WAS ALL USOPP'S FAULT. Luffy was probably just doing what Usopp was because he thought it was fun. I think even Oda doesn't want others to think Luffy is somewhat attracted to Nami's body or something.
-This brings me to the fact Luffy treats the people most important to him equally - be it a crewmember, be it his brother(s), or be it someone who was his enemy but eventually became his ally - he would worry about them and save them. I don't have a feeling he ever showed to favour someone and I honestly don't think he would have some serious romantic relationship. In a way, that kind of relationship could restraint him (and that's something he right now wouldn't really like - he thinks being the pirate king means being the freest one) and the way he is now, he wouldn't love anyone else more than on the friend/family base.
-It's true Luffy gave his strawhat to Nami (which he considers his treasure) and the first time he gave it to her in Arlong Park was mainly because he wanted to emphasize Nami is important for him. However, that doesn't mean she was the only one he gave his strawhat to. Luffy also gave his strawhat to people he trusts when the time calls for it. He gave his strawhat to Vivi (who was still kind of a stranger at that point) on Little Garden and to Usopp (who kinda designed it to suit himself) during the Foxy arc, too.
-The next point is how some people fail to realize Luffy didn't have special moments with Nami alone (which mostly happened in Arlong park). Luffy also had a lot of significant moments with Vivi and Robin during their arcs - and yet, not many people point that out.
Luffy saved Vivi from falling and said he can hear her properly - he desperately fought Crocodile in order to save Vivi's country and he was very sad when he had to leave her.
And then, when Robin betrayed them - what Luffy does? He still trusts her no matter what and the first thing he does when they arrive at Enies Lobby - is rushing right in, even though he heard the plan properly. He wanted Robin back no matter what, even to the point he shot a goddamned flag of the World Goverment to emphasize how much is Robin important to him. He didn't care he just declared a war against the World Government; he only cared and wanted Robin to be with him. He even wanted Robin to honestly declare her wish. And if I remember correctly, that was the only moment Robin ever cried so much. I don't know how can Arlong Park be THAT special comparing to other things that happened with Vivi and Robin. Clearly, Luffy has his moments with all three ladies, but by no means he has some special moments with one lady only.
-Although Luffy is stupid and Nami is the one who can shape him up, she definitely isn't the only one - Usopp and Sanji often raise their hands or legs on him, too. It's not right to say Luffy and Nami are meant for each other just because Nami can scold him and beat him up for his stupidity - if that argument was the case, then she would be meant for the rest of the crew, too - like Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, Franky or even Brook. Simply, all crewmembers sometimes act stupid and the one who can shape them up is no one but Nami. Despite her harsh attitude though, Nami can still be caring about her captain and the rest of the crew. Either way, please don't say things like Luffy is stupid and Nami is the only one who can take care of him when the whole statement isn't true from what I said above.
-Honestly said, I feel like both of them can be too selfish at times - Luffy often ignores the scary thoughts Nami, Chopper and Usopp can have while facing some situations; he is more pumped up for the adventure and doesn't even try to calm them. He can calm other people when their situation is (very) bad, but I think even normally, Nami would appreciate some calming words from the captain.
-Lastly, Luffy and Nami are like best friends or siblings who need each other's support from time to time. Luffy needs her because she is a navigator and Nami has shown to respect him. However, it's not like Luffy needs just her - he himself said he needs every member in his crew since he alone can't do much (aside from kicking asses) and more importantly, all his crewmembers like and respect him. The captain is special in that sense all the crewmembers showed their most inner emotions whenever he was involved - Robin cried after she said what Luffy wanted her to honestly say, Zoro cried when he declared he will be the best swordsman for the Pirate King, and the list goes on. The whole crew was worried about him when they learnt what happened to Luffy and his brother. Nami cried and Usopp, too - they were very sad because they knew Luffy had to go through hell and yet they were far away from him. Zoro was worried that much he didn't think about battling Mihawk but rather how to get to Luffy as quickly as possible (not to mention what Zoro even did for him in Thriller Bark) and even the ladies' man Sanji was genuinely worried about his captain although he himself was in one hellish situation (for him at least). In other words, the whole crew treasures Luffy and the same way Luffy treasures all of his crewmembers. He doesn't treasure anyone more specially.
Little comparing:
-If something, it was done in the text...
To sum it up:
- they are more like best friends / siblings to each other, there hasn't been many moments that would be too out of ordinary
- Nami is worried about Luffy the same way as the rest of the crew because of who he is (not just a captain, but someone who helped them the most when they needed it)
- Luffy treats Nami like the rest of the crew, him reacting to her body was Usopp's fault
- he gives his strawhat to people he trusts - he entrusted his straw hat to Nami, Vivi and Usopp, too - Nami isn't the only one he gave it to
- Luffy acts stupid, but Nami isn't the only one who can shape him up; Luffy also isn't the only one who can act stupid either
- Luffy also had a lot of other special moments with other ladies - in Alabasta Saga, he has shown a great liking to Vivi, in Enies Lobby, he was the one who declared a war against World Government just in order to emphasize how much Robin is important to him - and how he doesn't care the whole world will come for his head if it means Robin will be in his crew
- Luffy as of now is way too oblivious with matters of love and doesn't seem to be interested in this area
- Nami very often gets scared, even if it wasn't anything serious, I think Luffy should have a tleast tried to calm her and other scared crewmembers, rather than just feel excited for the adventure
Positively speaking:
Luffy and Nami trust each other a lot, Luffy was someone who saved her and her village when the times got bad. They have shown care for each other a lot - Luffy is the more obvious one, always caring for people he likes, but Nami also showed concern after they split up and Luffy had to deal with Ace's situation without any of his crewmembers at his side.
Sanji x Nami
-A pairing that is .. ah well... I don't think these two can be a couple really because of various reasons.
-I used to like Sanji's behaviour and all, but the way he is acting now is pretty serious - I hope it will get OK for him soon. Seeing the poor guy almost nosebleed to death is something too much. Either way, it is clear he treats women more differently than men - he was taught to never hit one and even if he wanted, he still can't. I find it hard to believe he treats Nami differently than other women - or even reacted differently than other women - I can't seem to find a moment he had with Nami that wouldn't possibly happen with another woman. When it comes to reactions, he reacts pretty much the same to every pretty woman, to the point it is even life-threatening. However, the biggest reactions he had weren't towards Nami, but towards Boa Hancock and princess Shirahoshi - in both cases, he stoned from their beauty. And strangely as it is, it wasn't Nami who made him back to normal completely after the timeskip, but princess Shirahoshi again. Nami didn't even seem to care he was acting like that, she probably just labeled it as some kind of usual thing and didn't think much of it.
-Also, Nami didn't directly try to help him (didn't directly, because Chopper still used her and Robin's photos for the "rehabilitation") when he had those nosebleeds, she even found it amusing at some point. Those nosebleeds were also threatening his life, even something as simple like this should have made her at least feel concerned like Usopp was.
-The moment in Thriller Bark might have seemed like to play in their favour, but seriously, if Robin was there, would it make such a difference? Sanji would still come and try to save her no matter what. And I should mention that in the end, Sanji didn't defeat the enemy completely and Nami was kidnapped again. What also didn't make their moment to be so good is the fact Sanji started talking about his dream not being All Blue, but actually being able to peep in women's bath. That is something that ruined the moment the most.
-Nami isn't the only woman Sanji was eager to come help either. Even when the enemy girl like Tashigi was targeted in Punk Hazard, Sanji still went to help her without questions. That's the type of a man he is, he saves women whenever he can, not even caring whether that is an enemy of friend. Furthermore, he once also dreamt about being the prince who would save Robin from whatever danger she was in and told her she shouldn't worry (Enies Lobby). Even when Robin lied to him, Sanji was able to forgive her and he knew there is something more to her story than the eyes show.
-Many times, Sanji would say how Nami is cute even though she is afraid etc. He however doesn't say that about Nami only at all. Sanji has said similar things about Vivi and Robin, too - and I think he would find anything on beautiful women as good.
-Nami can be a very manipulative person and unfortunately, Sanji is the type that would assist every beautiful woman in their interests if they as much as asked him for it. This is actually one of my biggest reasons why Sanji and Nami can't work together on a long term romantic relatitonship. Nami being the way she is, she would manipulate him to do whatever she wanted, heck, she probably wouldn't even dirty her hands at all if she as much as wanted (thankfully, she is not 100% bad girl and knows her limits...right? Right?). And Sanji? He would not stop her if she were to want to get her hands on treasure. He would not stop her in doing something she wants and he will even assist her in doing it, if it doesn't get her in a dangerous situation.
In a relationship, I think it's important for both people to sometimes point out what is wrong with the other person and act like their brake. When someone completely fails to do that, the other person might not realize whatever he/she is doing isn't right. Actually..if I think about it, it would have been more OK if Nami wasn't such a bad girl.. but the fact Sanji can do the first and last for Nami already proves he can't be her proper brake and she even takes advantage of his behaviour from time to time (not much, but still).
-Sanji shows he is interested (maybe even romantically... maybe surely) in every woman, not just Nami. I have mentioned him wanting to be Robin's prince, but aside from that, he also showed a huge interest and wish to be in Fishman Island for a bit longer.
Nami on the other hand doesn't show any romantic feelings for him and has outright told him she isn't jealous when Sanji asked her whether she is. It is clear from her response she doesn't want both of them to be more than friends.
-Although Sanji can be like a pervert at times, if he favoured Nami more, he wouldn't want other men to look at her body now, right? But instead, he didn't seem to have problems with showing her panties to Brook and even take pictures of her. His perverted side Nami can't tolerate in the slightest and she scolds and punches him for it (the same way with whoever starts acting like a pervert). It is possible he can "show" these to his friends because he likes Nami so much and has a need to share... but if that's the case, then it's a reason more why these two can't be together.
It is Nami's body to start with, if she doesn't want it to be shared to anyone, then it's disrespectful towards her when others try to take a glimpse of her. Yes, they do it because they like her or "are interested", but they are still doing it despite her not wanting to. Sanji also knows full well she can't tolerate it, so if he really treasured Nami and she was the only one for him, he would respect her wishes and not let other guys see her that way (which he lately does when it comes to Momonosuke, but otherwise once he and the other pervert have the same interest.. he still lets them).
-The fact they call each other with suffix is something I was wondering about and it took time for me to actually understand it a little. Many thanks to my friend Junko (also known as Hanzatsu-hime) ^^
First of all, Oda said Sanji uses -san suffix on Nami because of her "Queeny" attitude, although he didn't say anything about the -kun suffix Nami uses. However, Junko told me the suffix -kun is "primarily used towards boys in Japanese or someone of lowering standing. It identifies the closeness between the user and the person to whom they are referring to, but actually is meant to show rank of those involved in its usage. Sure, it's friendly, but it isn't as intimate as -chan, which Sanji uses for Robin"
Another possible reason why Nami calls Sanji with suffix might be because he so formal with her (-san is the most general suffix in Japanese and shows more formality than -chan).
I don't know whether I mentioned it, but the fact these two use -san and -kun suffixes somehow make them look less close than they are to other crewmembers. I read in the past that calling each other without suffixes is much more intimate, so Nami calling Sanji with one can show she isn't that close to him as some people might think. The same, suffix -san looks more formal and less intimate than the suffix -chan.
This just in! (SBS Volume 80)
D: Oda-Sensei, After I started watching One Piece, I thought of it all the time, but why is Sanji addressing Nami with "San" and Robin with "Chan"? Yet it is Robin who's the elder!! Is there any deep meaning behind it!?
O: Well I actually didn't think anything of it. Before there was a staff member in our workplace who asked us something interesting. The wish to treat a woman older than you as if she was younger, and a woman younger than you as if she was more of an adult....Is Sanji acquainted with this feeling? I replied, "O, Ofcourse. That is right"
Hahahah, as it turns out, there was no deep meaning behind Sanji calling Nami and Robin with different suffix XD and with Nami calling Sanji with suffix -kun, then as I explained above, I think it is more due to the fact he uses such a formal suffix with her.
-If I remember right though, Nami also called Law with suffix -kun not long ago (Tra-guy-kun was it?) and she also calls Jinbe with suffix -chan. Either way, I somehow can't help but feel that with the way Sanji and Nami call each other, it feels like they are not so close as the rest. Well, it's just my feeling so this isn't important. Overall, I don't think suffix is such a big deal compared to actual moments (besides, many characters who called others with suffix, still ended with someone they didn't call a suffix with - like Naruto towards Hinata for instance...)
-In Enies Lobby, Sanji is unable to fight against a woman and Nami finds him beaten up and lying there. Oda himself stated he didn't really want to write the lines Sanji said (the fact he refuses to kick a woman) and he states Sanji is a proud guy. Sanji was probably frustrated not because he had this kind of policy of not kicking a woman, but it's because he actually CAN'T kick them. Nami probably realized he didn't kick Kalifa because he can't and she chose to praise him for once. Even so, his inability to defeat Kalifa forced Nami to battle her instead and although she wasn't that injured from it, she still had hard times dealing with the enemy.
-In the Dressrosa arc, Sanji eventually "falls in love" with princess Viola and says "Dear Nami-san and Robin-chan, how's the weather on your end?", which just further shows he doesn't think about Nami that differently from Robin and would even go out with someone he barely knows (as long as it is with someone beautiful or as long as it is to help someone beautiful).
-Many SanNa fans seemed to be elated when it was shown Nami cried for Sanji's disappearance. Let me have a share in this, and if someone disagrees or has some more "theories" regarding this, then I ask him and her to respect my opinion before they try to refute it.
So. First and foremost, it is not just Nami who cried about Sanji. Chopper and Brook both also cried, and guess what - Chopper cried even more than Nami did! He teared once when Sanji left them, he teared again when they met Luffy, and he outright cried when he thought about the possibility Sanji won't return anymore. I am sorry for being a bit harsh now, so if you don't think you can stomach it, leave.
If someone seriously continues to think Nami was the only one who cried and is also the only one who was worried over Sanji (even though poor Chopper and even Brook cried), then I suggest these people read One Piece again and open their minds, because it's a pain for other people to see this.
Now, back to the topic. Nami is also not the only worried person. They all are out of their comfort zone, but some people are more calm about this, some aren't. Nami and Chopper and later on also Luffy (after he realized how serious the situation really is) are the types who couldn't hold it in when they were worried. They cried or shouted or got angry at other people.
Besides, if everyone in the crew was emotional like those three mentioned, then they would never be able to help Sanji, because they would be too worried to think about....anything. They are all trying to help and they never told Luffy to not go after Sanji (except from Zoro), they only pointed out how dangerous it is.
What's more, Sanji treated Nami the same way he treated his male friends back then when they were confronted with Capone. Yes, Nami was the only one he gave letter to, but well, that is the only little exception where he (probably) prefered giving the letter to a female (besides, Nami is the more reliable person there). However, he wanted all three of them to tell Luffy about what happened, he kicked all three of them out the same way and he offered a goodbye to everyone, there was no special message just for Nami there.
Little comparing:
-ahh..well.. Sanji treats all the women equally? shit, I'm starting to lose the basic idea of comparing %~%
-Someone once told me I am "bashing" Sanji here. No. Bashing is not just criticising, it is even worse than that - it is insulting and defaming a character, as in saying "this character is shit, he is an idiot who doesn't care about his male friends at all and only cares for women". But let me ask you: which part is defaming here? I love Sanji, don't get me wrong. But I am also aware of his faults and flaws, pointing these things out are NOT bashing. Which flaws am I talking about here? One: he doesn't point out Nami's flaws and gets manipulated easily, two: he has no problem with showing pictures of Nami despite her not wanting to and three: he has problems battling a woman. Those are THREE flaws I stated. Nothing else. Other things are just comparing to other characters, so it can't even be considered a flaw.
To sum it up:
Let's be a bit positive though
Despite all this, they still trust each other and when the moment calls for it, Sanji can disagree with Nami when someone points out something significant she overlooked. They also care a lot for each other, just like all crewmembers do - Sanji being worried over Nami is more than obvious, but the same also applies for Nami - she was worried about him when he left the crew, which is why she cried. Besides, it was shown multiple times that Nami enjoys food Sanji makes, which often makes him happy, too. They are definitely good, trusting friends who can count on each other in fights or other situations (though it's more like Nami trusting his and other monster trio's strength). However, as I mentioned above, there are just some things that prevent me from shipping them beyond friendship.
-A pairing that is .. ah well... I don't think these two can be a couple really because of various reasons.
-I used to like Sanji's behaviour and all, but the way he is acting now is pretty serious - I hope it will get OK for him soon. Seeing the poor guy almost nosebleed to death is something too much. Either way, it is clear he treats women more differently than men - he was taught to never hit one and even if he wanted, he still can't. I find it hard to believe he treats Nami differently than other women - or even reacted differently than other women - I can't seem to find a moment he had with Nami that wouldn't possibly happen with another woman. When it comes to reactions, he reacts pretty much the same to every pretty woman, to the point it is even life-threatening. However, the biggest reactions he had weren't towards Nami, but towards Boa Hancock and princess Shirahoshi - in both cases, he stoned from their beauty. And strangely as it is, it wasn't Nami who made him back to normal completely after the timeskip, but princess Shirahoshi again. Nami didn't even seem to care he was acting like that, she probably just labeled it as some kind of usual thing and didn't think much of it.
-Also, Nami didn't directly try to help him (didn't directly, because Chopper still used her and Robin's photos for the "rehabilitation") when he had those nosebleeds, she even found it amusing at some point. Those nosebleeds were also threatening his life, even something as simple like this should have made her at least feel concerned like Usopp was.
-The moment in Thriller Bark might have seemed like to play in their favour, but seriously, if Robin was there, would it make such a difference? Sanji would still come and try to save her no matter what. And I should mention that in the end, Sanji didn't defeat the enemy completely and Nami was kidnapped again. What also didn't make their moment to be so good is the fact Sanji started talking about his dream not being All Blue, but actually being able to peep in women's bath. That is something that ruined the moment the most.
-Nami isn't the only woman Sanji was eager to come help either. Even when the enemy girl like Tashigi was targeted in Punk Hazard, Sanji still went to help her without questions. That's the type of a man he is, he saves women whenever he can, not even caring whether that is an enemy of friend. Furthermore, he once also dreamt about being the prince who would save Robin from whatever danger she was in and told her she shouldn't worry (Enies Lobby). Even when Robin lied to him, Sanji was able to forgive her and he knew there is something more to her story than the eyes show.
-Many times, Sanji would say how Nami is cute even though she is afraid etc. He however doesn't say that about Nami only at all. Sanji has said similar things about Vivi and Robin, too - and I think he would find anything on beautiful women as good.
-Nami can be a very manipulative person and unfortunately, Sanji is the type that would assist every beautiful woman in their interests if they as much as asked him for it. This is actually one of my biggest reasons why Sanji and Nami can't work together on a long term romantic relatitonship. Nami being the way she is, she would manipulate him to do whatever she wanted, heck, she probably wouldn't even dirty her hands at all if she as much as wanted (thankfully, she is not 100% bad girl and knows her limits...right? Right?). And Sanji? He would not stop her if she were to want to get her hands on treasure. He would not stop her in doing something she wants and he will even assist her in doing it, if it doesn't get her in a dangerous situation.
In a relationship, I think it's important for both people to sometimes point out what is wrong with the other person and act like their brake. When someone completely fails to do that, the other person might not realize whatever he/she is doing isn't right. Actually..if I think about it, it would have been more OK if Nami wasn't such a bad girl.. but the fact Sanji can do the first and last for Nami already proves he can't be her proper brake and she even takes advantage of his behaviour from time to time (not much, but still).
-Sanji shows he is interested (maybe even romantically... maybe surely) in every woman, not just Nami. I have mentioned him wanting to be Robin's prince, but aside from that, he also showed a huge interest and wish to be in Fishman Island for a bit longer.
Nami on the other hand doesn't show any romantic feelings for him and has outright told him she isn't jealous when Sanji asked her whether she is. It is clear from her response she doesn't want both of them to be more than friends.
-Although Sanji can be like a pervert at times, if he favoured Nami more, he wouldn't want other men to look at her body now, right? But instead, he didn't seem to have problems with showing her panties to Brook and even take pictures of her. His perverted side Nami can't tolerate in the slightest and she scolds and punches him for it (the same way with whoever starts acting like a pervert). It is possible he can "show" these to his friends because he likes Nami so much and has a need to share... but if that's the case, then it's a reason more why these two can't be together.
It is Nami's body to start with, if she doesn't want it to be shared to anyone, then it's disrespectful towards her when others try to take a glimpse of her. Yes, they do it because they like her or "are interested", but they are still doing it despite her not wanting to. Sanji also knows full well she can't tolerate it, so if he really treasured Nami and she was the only one for him, he would respect her wishes and not let other guys see her that way (which he lately does when it comes to Momonosuke, but otherwise once he and the other pervert have the same interest.. he still lets them).
-The fact they call each other with suffix is something I was wondering about and it took time for me to actually understand it a little. Many thanks to my friend Junko (also known as Hanzatsu-hime) ^^
First of all, Oda said Sanji uses -san suffix on Nami because of her "Queeny" attitude, although he didn't say anything about the -kun suffix Nami uses. However, Junko told me the suffix -kun is "primarily used towards boys in Japanese or someone of lowering standing. It identifies the closeness between the user and the person to whom they are referring to, but actually is meant to show rank of those involved in its usage. Sure, it's friendly, but it isn't as intimate as -chan, which Sanji uses for Robin"
Another possible reason why Nami calls Sanji with suffix might be because he so formal with her (-san is the most general suffix in Japanese and shows more formality than -chan).
I don't know whether I mentioned it, but the fact these two use -san and -kun suffixes somehow make them look less close than they are to other crewmembers. I read in the past that calling each other without suffixes is much more intimate, so Nami calling Sanji with one can show she isn't that close to him as some people might think. The same, suffix -san looks more formal and less intimate than the suffix -chan.
This just in! (SBS Volume 80)
D: Oda-Sensei, After I started watching One Piece, I thought of it all the time, but why is Sanji addressing Nami with "San" and Robin with "Chan"? Yet it is Robin who's the elder!! Is there any deep meaning behind it!?
O: Well I actually didn't think anything of it. Before there was a staff member in our workplace who asked us something interesting. The wish to treat a woman older than you as if she was younger, and a woman younger than you as if she was more of an adult....Is Sanji acquainted with this feeling? I replied, "O, Ofcourse. That is right"
Hahahah, as it turns out, there was no deep meaning behind Sanji calling Nami and Robin with different suffix XD and with Nami calling Sanji with suffix -kun, then as I explained above, I think it is more due to the fact he uses such a formal suffix with her.
-If I remember right though, Nami also called Law with suffix -kun not long ago (Tra-guy-kun was it?) and she also calls Jinbe with suffix -chan. Either way, I somehow can't help but feel that with the way Sanji and Nami call each other, it feels like they are not so close as the rest. Well, it's just my feeling so this isn't important. Overall, I don't think suffix is such a big deal compared to actual moments (besides, many characters who called others with suffix, still ended with someone they didn't call a suffix with - like Naruto towards Hinata for instance...)
-In Enies Lobby, Sanji is unable to fight against a woman and Nami finds him beaten up and lying there. Oda himself stated he didn't really want to write the lines Sanji said (the fact he refuses to kick a woman) and he states Sanji is a proud guy. Sanji was probably frustrated not because he had this kind of policy of not kicking a woman, but it's because he actually CAN'T kick them. Nami probably realized he didn't kick Kalifa because he can't and she chose to praise him for once. Even so, his inability to defeat Kalifa forced Nami to battle her instead and although she wasn't that injured from it, she still had hard times dealing with the enemy.
-In the Dressrosa arc, Sanji eventually "falls in love" with princess Viola and says "Dear Nami-san and Robin-chan, how's the weather on your end?", which just further shows he doesn't think about Nami that differently from Robin and would even go out with someone he barely knows (as long as it is with someone beautiful or as long as it is to help someone beautiful).
-Many SanNa fans seemed to be elated when it was shown Nami cried for Sanji's disappearance. Let me have a share in this, and if someone disagrees or has some more "theories" regarding this, then I ask him and her to respect my opinion before they try to refute it.
So. First and foremost, it is not just Nami who cried about Sanji. Chopper and Brook both also cried, and guess what - Chopper cried even more than Nami did! He teared once when Sanji left them, he teared again when they met Luffy, and he outright cried when he thought about the possibility Sanji won't return anymore. I am sorry for being a bit harsh now, so if you don't think you can stomach it, leave.
If someone seriously continues to think Nami was the only one who cried and is also the only one who was worried over Sanji (even though poor Chopper and even Brook cried), then I suggest these people read One Piece again and open their minds, because it's a pain for other people to see this.
Now, back to the topic. Nami is also not the only worried person. They all are out of their comfort zone, but some people are more calm about this, some aren't. Nami and Chopper and later on also Luffy (after he realized how serious the situation really is) are the types who couldn't hold it in when they were worried. They cried or shouted or got angry at other people.
Besides, if everyone in the crew was emotional like those three mentioned, then they would never be able to help Sanji, because they would be too worried to think about....anything. They are all trying to help and they never told Luffy to not go after Sanji (except from Zoro), they only pointed out how dangerous it is.
What's more, Sanji treated Nami the same way he treated his male friends back then when they were confronted with Capone. Yes, Nami was the only one he gave letter to, but well, that is the only little exception where he (probably) prefered giving the letter to a female (besides, Nami is the more reliable person there). However, he wanted all three of them to tell Luffy about what happened, he kicked all three of them out the same way and he offered a goodbye to everyone, there was no special message just for Nami there.
Little comparing:
-ahh..well.. Sanji treats all the women equally? shit, I'm starting to lose the basic idea of comparing %~%
-Someone once told me I am "bashing" Sanji here. No. Bashing is not just criticising, it is even worse than that - it is insulting and defaming a character, as in saying "this character is shit, he is an idiot who doesn't care about his male friends at all and only cares for women". But let me ask you: which part is defaming here? I love Sanji, don't get me wrong. But I am also aware of his faults and flaws, pointing these things out are NOT bashing. Which flaws am I talking about here? One: he doesn't point out Nami's flaws and gets manipulated easily, two: he has no problem with showing pictures of Nami despite her not wanting to and three: he has problems battling a woman. Those are THREE flaws I stated. Nothing else. Other things are just comparing to other characters, so it can't even be considered a flaw.
To sum it up:
- Sanji doesn't seem to be a type to settle down with one woman (which is something I feel Nami would need, but that is a discussion for another time). What's more, he doesn't treat Nami that differently from other girls, he would treat other women the same way, were they in a situation like Nami
- Nami knows he will do anything for every woman and she uses this knowledge - she is manipulative of him and he lets her has her way, not pointing out her flaws
- When Sanji asked her whether she is jealous, Nami outright told him she isn't, which indicates she has no romantic interest in him
- Their suffix calling might be a weird thing for us, non-Japanese people, but in Japan, it's a common thing and doesn't have to indicate anything romantic.
- Sanji doesn't mind sharing pictures of Nami, even though he should be well-aware she doesn't like it.
Let's be a bit positive though
Despite all this, they still trust each other and when the moment calls for it, Sanji can disagree with Nami when someone points out something significant she overlooked. They also care a lot for each other, just like all crewmembers do - Sanji being worried over Nami is more than obvious, but the same also applies for Nami - she was worried about him when he left the crew, which is why she cried. Besides, it was shown multiple times that Nami enjoys food Sanji makes, which often makes him happy, too. They are definitely good, trusting friends who can count on each other in fights or other situations (though it's more like Nami trusting his and other monster trio's strength). However, as I mentioned above, there are just some things that prevent me from shipping them beyond friendship.
Law x Nami
-I don't even know where this came from... and thinking about them together is a bit strange.. they didn't have any moments that would be ... I don't know, more than special. Maybe aside from the fact he calls her by her name + ya and not by some nickname. However, he also calls Zoro by his name + ya.
Anyway... It has been a long long while and although involuntarily, I caught wind of more reasons why people ship LawNa.
-First, they are hot. No arguing on my side, I absolutely agree. They both are very hot.
-Now comes the better part. Law was pretty suspicious at first, that's why Nami wasn't so happy about their alliance. However, she isn't thickheaded and so stubborn, Nami knows Luffy well to understand she, as other crewmembers, have no choice but to accept Law. She accepts him and listens to his plans, when he is in danger, of course she would be concerned. Nami is a good person at heart who would care for a partner in alliance, even if that person was someone she was suspicious of at first. She and Law are basically like partners in alliance only, nothing more special about it.
There were also never any hints of romance, nor were there even any momets between them that didn't have anything to do with alliance. Not to mention they don't spark in any special way, be it funny, full of arguments or only agreeing on matters. They don't interact much when they don't have anything to do with alliance. Besides, Law has more pressing matters at hand than even caring about each and every member of the crew - like Dofflamingo, Dressrosa, Cora and so on.
-When Law formed an alliance with the SH crew, it was expected from him to trust them - and although reluctantly, Law trusts pretty much all of them. He trusts Nami, because she is practically the only person on the crew with good common sense and someone reasonable who can take charge of the crew. He trusts Luffy, no matter how much troublesome the little captain is. Law doesn't treat Nami any differently from other crewmembers; however, there were some speculations Nami answering Law's call was somehow special. But was it really, considering all the people that were on Sunny after they all separated? Law couldn't talk about serious matters with two kids, nor could he with an old guy who is slower on uptake and who doesn't know how to navigate. Nami was the only reasonable person Law could talk to.
-Law and Nami have a similar childhood (guys have you heard about the new trend - CoraBelle?) - their parental figures were marines who were shot to death and both had to work for their own enemy. However, something like "similar childhood" alone doesn't mean they are designed for each other, because that is not entirely true - Law's past also has similarities to Robin's, maybe even more than to Nami's. Both Law and Robin were shunned by the society but both were accepted by certain people (although in Law's case, it was only one person). They were also both lone survivors of their respective countries. What's more, Law and Nami are not the only people who had a marine parental figure, Robin also had someone who was very close to her and acted like a parental figure for her, who by a coincidence was also a marine, just like Corazon and Bellemere. And that person is Saul.
To sum it up:
-I don't even know where this came from... and thinking about them together is a bit strange.. they didn't have any moments that would be ... I don't know, more than special. Maybe aside from the fact he calls her by her name + ya and not by some nickname. However, he also calls Zoro by his name + ya.
Anyway... It has been a long long while and although involuntarily, I caught wind of more reasons why people ship LawNa.
-First, they are hot. No arguing on my side, I absolutely agree. They both are very hot.
-Now comes the better part. Law was pretty suspicious at first, that's why Nami wasn't so happy about their alliance. However, she isn't thickheaded and so stubborn, Nami knows Luffy well to understand she, as other crewmembers, have no choice but to accept Law. She accepts him and listens to his plans, when he is in danger, of course she would be concerned. Nami is a good person at heart who would care for a partner in alliance, even if that person was someone she was suspicious of at first. She and Law are basically like partners in alliance only, nothing more special about it.
There were also never any hints of romance, nor were there even any momets between them that didn't have anything to do with alliance. Not to mention they don't spark in any special way, be it funny, full of arguments or only agreeing on matters. They don't interact much when they don't have anything to do with alliance. Besides, Law has more pressing matters at hand than even caring about each and every member of the crew - like Dofflamingo, Dressrosa, Cora and so on.
-When Law formed an alliance with the SH crew, it was expected from him to trust them - and although reluctantly, Law trusts pretty much all of them. He trusts Nami, because she is practically the only person on the crew with good common sense and someone reasonable who can take charge of the crew. He trusts Luffy, no matter how much troublesome the little captain is. Law doesn't treat Nami any differently from other crewmembers; however, there were some speculations Nami answering Law's call was somehow special. But was it really, considering all the people that were on Sunny after they all separated? Law couldn't talk about serious matters with two kids, nor could he with an old guy who is slower on uptake and who doesn't know how to navigate. Nami was the only reasonable person Law could talk to.
-Law and Nami have a similar childhood (guys have you heard about the new trend - CoraBelle?) - their parental figures were marines who were shot to death and both had to work for their own enemy. However, something like "similar childhood" alone doesn't mean they are designed for each other, because that is not entirely true - Law's past also has similarities to Robin's, maybe even more than to Nami's. Both Law and Robin were shunned by the society but both were accepted by certain people (although in Law's case, it was only one person). They were also both lone survivors of their respective countries. What's more, Law and Nami are not the only people who had a marine parental figure, Robin also had someone who was very close to her and acted like a parental figure for her, who by a coincidence was also a marine, just like Corazon and Bellemere. And that person is Saul.
To sum it up:
- They trust each other. However, that is supposed if the alliance is going to work. Law has to often talk to Nami because she is the only member with the most common sense who had to stay on a ship with two kids and a weird old man. Nami also knows Luffy well to know she can trust Law with the whole alliance matter.
- Their past might be similar but they are not the only ones as Law also has a past similar to Robin's.
- There weren't any moments between them that would be out of normal or something that Nami let's say wouldn't do about Kid or Sabo. They didn't have any embarrassing, very funny or even arguing moments either. Their conversations are practically about business only.
- Law also has no reason why he would consider Nami any special when in his head he has Cora, Revenge, Doflamingo, repeat.
IMPORTANT!
Ah~~ I hope no one forgot the most important thing when reading this is that One Piece is about adventure and shounen-like romance. There is no knowing whether there will be any couples in the end and the crew will just stay the way it is. Though if One Piece is ending... I wouldn't be surprised if Oda DID include some romance, since he doesn't have anything to lost (and he knows how to surprise people) :P well, I will leave it to him. I would still be happy even if he made some pairings I don't like canon, because it's his choice and his choice only. No one has the right to shit on him because of it - it's his story, not anyone else's.
Ah~~ I hope no one forgot the most important thing when reading this is that One Piece is about adventure and shounen-like romance. There is no knowing whether there will be any couples in the end and the crew will just stay the way it is. Though if One Piece is ending... I wouldn't be surprised if Oda DID include some romance, since he doesn't have anything to lost (and he knows how to surprise people) :P well, I will leave it to him. I would still be happy even if he made some pairings I don't like canon, because it's his choice and his choice only. No one has the right to shit on him because of it - it's his story, not anyone else's.
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