While the rest of the Straw Hats often engage in intense battles, Nami is a bit different. Although she can protect herself from ordinary enemies once in a while, it is difficult for her to use the showy attacks one might expect in a shonen anime. There’s no doubt she’s an extremely important member of the crew, being the world’s most genius navigator so far.
However, the Straw Hats’ navigator is more than just a pretty face. Unlike the monster trio, Nami doesn’t get enough recognition simply because she isn’t as skilled as them in combat. Despite that, she has some of the very best moments in One Piece and has saved her crew on countless occasions. A lot of her best moments have come when she’s stealing or working alongside Luffy or the rest of the Straw Hats.
When Nami Attacked Big Mom
The Straw Hats went against a Yonko for the first time in One Piece’s “Whole Cake Island Arc”. Only half of the Straw Hats went there — along with two members of the Mink Tribe — to save Sanji from marrying Big Mom’s daughter. However, Luffy and the others were facing one problem after another. As if going against the entire Big Mom Pirates wasn’t enough, the Yonko herself went on a rampage.
While the crew was running from Big Mom’s attacks, Nami landed the first impactful attack on her by calling down a powerful lightning bolt. She was also able to manipulate Zeus, one of Big Mom’s strongest weapons, and make it do her bidding. Nami used her thunderclouds to bribe Zeus and used them to attack Big Mom. Needless to say, though she was unable to take Zeus with it at that moment, the fact that she was intelligent enough to control such a strong weapon of a Yonko speaks volumes of her capabilities.
Nami Refused to Say Luffy Won’t Become the Pirate King
The Straw Hat Pirates have unshakable faith that their captain will become the King of the Pirates, and Nami is no different. Because of how Arlong made her life hell, Nami always had animosity against pirates and believed them to be evil people with no bottom line. However, Luffy changed her perspective and made her realize there are good pirates out there as well.
After Luffy saved her by defeating Arlong, Nami joined the Straw Hats and became their official navigator. In One Piece’s “Wano” arc, Ulti was beating her up and threatening her to say that Luffy won’t become the Pirate King. Despite being scared and covered in blood, Nami couldn’t bring herself to say that. She reminisced about the time when Luffy promised to help her deal with Arlong. Nami wholeheartedly believes he has what it takes to rule the seas.
Nami Wanted to Save the Kids in Punk Hazard
True strength doesn’t simply mean being able to launch strong physical attacks. A person can also be considered strong for having the resolve and compassion to help others, even if it’s putting themselves at risk. In One Piece’s “Punk Hazard Arc”, Nami met the kids who were kidnapped and then experimented on by Caesar. Seeing those kids away from their homes and wanting to be free, Nami remembered how she used to be.
Although she hesitated, she decided to help the kids escape from that lifeless island. Needless to say, all the Straw Hats were on board with that choice and the children also ended up trusting them. They were growing in size because of the experiment and were even addicted to drugs, which made their condition quite critical. At first, Nami was determined to take care of them until they arrived at their homes safely. That is why she was hesitant to hand them over to the marines, but when Tashigi assured her that she would take care of them, Nami agreed.
Nami vs Miss Doublefinger
Although Nami usually acts scared when facing dangerous situations in One Piece, that doesn’t mean she can’t be a total badass whenever she fights. She uses a weapon called Clima-Tact that helps her use weather elements for attacks. In the “Alabasta Arc”, when Luffy and the rest of the crew were going against a Warlord and his crew, Nami wasn’t sitting idle. Her fight with Miss Doublefinger is easily one of her most underrated moments; it is easy to overlook because Luffy and Zoro steal the limelight as well.
Nami doesn’t get enough one-on-one fights in One Piece, but when she does, fans remember just how much of a genius she is. Miss Doublefinger was Mr. 1’s partner at that time, meaning she was one of the strongest members of the organization. Her Devil Fruit power allows her to turn different parts of her body into spikes. Moreover, the most important function of a spike is to impale, making Miss Doublefinger a truly formidable foe. Despite all the odds against her, Nami used her wits and weapon to her advantage, bringing down her most powerful foe yet.
Nami Finally Took Zeus Permanently
Nami and the rest of the Straw Hats have come a long way since starting their One Piece journey. Looking back at the time when Nami was helpless against a pirate with a mere 30 million bounty on his head (Arlong), it was hard to imagine a day when she would be able to not only intimidate, but also use one of the strongest weapons of a Yonko.
Although Nami briefly used Zeus in the “Whole Cake Island Arc”, the latter went back to Big Mom since it was extremely terrified of the Yonko. However, in the “Wano Arc”, Nami made Zeus her partner permanently. After Zeus was abandoned by Big Mom, it somehow fused with Nami’s Sorcery Clima-Tact and gave her a huge power-up. Thanks to its power, Nami was finally strong enough to take on Ulti — one of the members of Kaido’s crew — in battle and defeat her.
