Nami is the navigator of the Straw Hat Pirates in One Piece, as we all know only too well. The young girl had a very dark past due to her association with Arlong, but once Luffy showed how far he was willing to go to save her, she joined the crew and became one of Luffy's most loyal friends. But, going back to her time with Arlong, Nami had a tattoo that reminded her that she was "his," but at some point, she lost it. In this article, we will tell you the story of Nami's tattoo.

Nami originally had a large swordfish tattoo on her left arm, proving that she was part of Arlong's pirate crew. The tattoo on her left shoulder was large and prominent; it was black in the manga and blue in the anime. Later, Nami, disgusted by Arlong, tried to remove it by stabbing herself, but Luffy stopped her; this incident left a scar. She then asked Dr. Nako to remove it, but the removal was incomplete, and it left a scar. To hide it, Nami simply got a new tattoo, a cross between a mandarin orange and a pinwheel, which she now has.

The rest of this article will reveal the story behind Nami's tattoo and its association with Arlong and his pirate crew. We'll reveal how Nami got this tattoo and what happened to it later, as it underwent several significant changes later in the story. This article will explain it all in one place. Of course, this article will also contain major spoilers, so if you don't want to know what happens, be careful how you approach it.

Nami removed her original tattoo and of course it left a scar, but it was later covered by another tattoo.

Every One Piece fan knows who Nami is, and she's one of the most recognizable and popular female characters in anime and manga history. She was one of Luffy's first crewmates, and her excellent sailing skills helped the crew on several occasions.

In addition, she has become a better fighter over the years, and in this regard, we can confirm that Nami is more or less a badass in her overall portrayal in the series. But Nami's past is not so bright, as the young girl has experienced many tragic and traumatic events in the past, and most of them are related to the fearsome pirate Arlong. In this article, we will explain this relationship to you, throughout the story of Nami's tattoo.

Mother-in-law discovered Nami, severely injured when she was just a baby, along with little Nojiko, wandering aimlessly through the ruins of a destroyed village. She took them both in and raised them as her daughters, making them sisters at that point. When she was only eight years old, Nami, already a spoiled child, frequently stole books from the bookstore.

While hiding with Genz after an argument with her mother, he explains to her that Nami, Nojiko, and Bell-mère aren't blood relatives but are still family, which helps calm her down a bit. When Nojiko arrives to pick up her younger sister, Arlong and his gang appear out of nowhere in Goza and demand a ransom of 100,000 berries for each adult and 50,000 berries for each child.

Hoping that Arlong and his crew will not find Nami and Nojiko, or Bell-mère for that matter, the villagers are hopeful, but at the same time, Bell-mère prepares to prepare an atonement dinner for Nami, but the smoke coming out of the chimney of the house betrays her.

Bell-mère initially surprised Arlong by fighting back, but he quickly outsmarted her. She managed to find 100,000 berries, but only provided enough money for her two daughters, who were now watching. The two of them watched helplessly as Arlong murdered Bell-mère.

Later, Nami finally joins Arlong's gang and makes a deal with him: as soon as she pays him 100 million berries, Arlong will give her Goza and the villagers. Nami then begins collecting the money as a pirate thief and buries her treasure in Bell-mère's orange grove. And while she was raiding, she met Luffy, and... the rest is history. But that's not what interests us now. Namely, what interests us now is a whole other story related to Nami and her past.

When Nami finally agreed to join Arlong's crew, albeit reluctantly, she was forced to get a tattoo that effectively signified her membership in Arlong's pirate crew. It was a large, recognizable swordfish tattoo on her left shoulder, and Nami always wore long sleeves to hide the tattoo.

The tattoo was black in the manga, but the anime changed its color to blue. But as you might guess, she hated it and was constantly looking for a way to get rid of it.

Once her secret was revealed, she tried to cut him by stabbing his shoulder, but Luffy stopped her in time, although the self-inflicted wounds left a scar on his shoulder. So yes, her unsuccessful removal left a scar, but if you remember her later appearance, the scar was gone! How? Well, as you might assume, Luffy did his best to free Nami from Arlong and finally succeeded, after which Nami decided to remove the tattoo.

She visited Dr. Nako, an old man who was one of their allies during the arc, and wanted him to remove the tattoo. And even if he could do it partially, the tattoo was quite specific and he couldn't remove it entirely. On top of that, scars were left on her shoulder, mainly due to self-mutilation resulting from her previous removal attempt. So, in order to cover up the scars and the remnants of the old tattoo, Nami decided to get a new one, which was actually a makeshift combination of a tangerine and a pinwheel, a highly symbolic image for her, as it paid homage to Bell-mother and Genzo.

And that's basically it. This is the story of how Nami removed her large swordfish tattoo, a symbol of her membership in Arlong's pirate crew, and how she was able to cover up the remaining scars. Of course, tattoo removal never comes without a scar, but Nami skillfully covered it up with a new tattoo that now had meaning and paid tribute to the two people who had helped her as a child and whom she loved dearly.