Eiichiro Oda’s response to fan inquiries demonstrates his cautious approach to sensitive topics.

SUMMARY

Nami’s pivotal role as the crew’s navigator contrasts with the main fighters’ roles.
Her weather prediction skills often save the crew from perilous situations.
Nami’s revealing outfits links to theories about enhancing her weather-sensing abilities.

There are thousands of characters in Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece, but Nami stands out as a fan favorite. As the navigator for Luffy’s crew, she even ranked top 3 among the most popular anime characters.

However, for years, fans have criticized Nami’s outfits as being too revealing, seeing them as nothing more than fanservice. Nami’s choice of clothing is actually a planned part of how she works.
Nami in One Piece
As the navigator, Nami uses her unique angle and position to her advantage. She doesn’t let it become an obstacle in dangerous situations.

Eiichiro Oda Responded to Fans’ Curiosity with Humor and Caution

Nami isn’t meant to be one of the Straw Hats’ main fighters like Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji. Her role as the navigator is quite different from theirs.
Nami in One Piece
Nami has likely saved the crew’s lives more times than anyone else thanks to her incredible weather prediction abilities. She has been the one to guide the whole crew safely through some of the most dangerous situations.

Some fans have speculated that Nami’s revealing outfits may actually be connected to her weather-sensing powers. The theory is that the bare skin helps her better detect changes in the environment.

However, when a fan once asked Eiichiro Oda directly about the color of Nami’s panties during their skirt-wearing scenes. Oda’s response was quite telling.

In the SBS Volume 22, Eiichiro Oda said,

“That’s a dirty old man question. And yet you ask it so plainly and honestly. Almost as if you don’t understand you asked anything bad… You really should stop… Though it is possible to imagine… In Volume 14, I’d say her bra looked pretty black… No, really, I should stop… I fear for my life.”

Oda’s response shows he is careful of going too deep into such a “dirty old man” joke. He prefers to maintain an appropriate distance.

Eiichiro Oda’s Reluctance to Permanently Kill Characters in One Piece

Over the years, fans have observed that the author of One Piece has avoided permanently killing specific characters. Even when their death could have had a meaningful impact on the story.
Nami in One Piece
One of the most famous examples of this is the Pell from the Alabasta arc. Pell somehow managed to survive a massive explosion that by all means should have been fatal. Another instance is Pound from the Whole Cake Island arc. His unexpected survival was later revealed in a cover story for the manga that some One Piece fans found unsatisfying.

While it is understandable that Oda Sensei may wish to maintain a certain level of lightheartedness and avoid being overly harsh, there is an argument that he occasionally takes this approach too far.