Thread: When did Nami join the Strawhats?

This is a trivial and pointless question, but when do you think Nami joined the Strawhats? My friend always places her after Zoro but before Usopp, but I put her after Sanji but before Vivi/Chopper.

His reasoning is that she is on his ship and fights alongside the Strawhats until the Arlong arc; looking at the Don Kreig arc as more of a sabbatical than leaving. He also points to Usopp leaving and then rejoining as proof that even if she did leave and come back that it wouldn't affect the order of her joining (otherwise Usopp would be the most recent member).

I, on the other hand, point to the fact that people have fought alongside the SH and not been members (Ace, the wierd knight, Paulie, etc.), and that she herself said from the beginning that she wasn't a part of the crew no matter how many times Luffy ignored her.

I'd say after Ussop. Even if everyone accepted her as a nakama. She still planned on leaving them to go back to Arlong. Therefore, she never accepted to being his real nakama. She was only pretending. I think she became their nakama after she decieded leave Arlong.

Luffy offered the invitation. Nami just lied about joining for real untill she really did.

I say before Ussop because Luffy considers her a nakama before and during the Arlong park arc. I don't recall Luffy ever accepting her leave in the crew.

^ I agree with that too because then we would have the same discussion for robin and ussop because they both left but came back.

^ and she never accepting joining

She accepted working with him, so she was a part of Strawhats until she betrayed - then she rejoined.

Originally Posted by Redeyephantom

I say before Ussop because Luffy considers her a nakama before and during the Arlong park arc. I don't recall Luffy ever accepting her leave in the crew.

This is the point.
Its the captains decision, who's part of the crew.

One thing to remember here is that no one of the strawhats, except Vivi, ever left the crew of their own free and rational choice. Nami had a very good reason indeed to take off with the treasure, and when Luffy learned about her situation, he understood why she did it, and he was prepared to give his all to fight for her. She never ceased to be a nakama in Luffy's mind.

Also, for the sake of consistency, I think that the general rule should be that the order of joining up should be strictly by the time the crewmember in question joins for the first time. Otherwise we'd have to invent some sort of arbitrary qualifications for strawhat-hood and that'd just be silly.

What Saizou said.

Honestly the way Luffy is once he accepts you and tells you you're a Strawhat, you stay one. I guess if you earned it he'd kick you out but we've never had a good reason for him to do such... Maybe the death of Merry counts or something.

^ I agree, if Luffy called you his nakama, you're his nakama, if he didn't, Robin would've been kicked out by the rest of the crew (Except Sanji) the instant she appeared on the ship.