This might seem random, but it's been on my mind recently.
The Strawhats' parents are of...variable importance to the overall story. "Found family" is usually MUCH more important in this story.
Luffy's dad Dragon seems like he'll be VERY important soon, and his grandpa Garp is getting a focus right now. Sanji's parents became VERY important during Whole Cake. Robin's mom is...semi-important to the backstory. Usopp's dad is a member of Shank's crew, so...again, semi-important, at least.
Franky's parents? If anything, I could see them showing up as goons for a bigger threat. Getting to see how the son they abandoned has FAR surpassed them. I'm not betting on them being overly important. Brook's parents...are likely nothing more than bones by now (YoHOHOHO...Oh, I made myself sad.) It's possible Brook's parents have some tie to something in someone's backstory (I could see them being a Celestial Dragon's butler or court musician), but I wouldn't count on it.
But, Chopper's parents? Yeah, they're reindeer, so not so important. And Zoro and Jinbe's families don't seem to be getting any focus, either. Although, we did get Zoro's family tree in a recent SBS. There's some hints that Zoro's and Sanji's moms might know each other, since one's named Tera (earth) and one's named Sora (sky) so...we'll see if we get anything more on that or if it was just a joke about Zoro and Sanji being opposites from birth.
But, then there's Nami. And Nami's interesting because...she's the only Strawhat who really doesn't know who her parents are.
She was found by another little girl and then rescued by a Marine on a island named Oykot...which is Tokyo backwards. We don't know WHY the island was attacked or WHO did the attacking. This entire event is still a big mystery after 20 years.
Is it possible that the Oykot Kingdom had the Ancient Weapon Uranos, which MIGHT be what "blew up" Sabo and Lulusia recently? Maybe? We really don't know ANYTHING, here.
(I still don't think Sabo's dead. Maybe Uranos actually gathers all the places it destroys on it's surface...like a giant Katamari ball in the sky!)
But, there's a somewhat interesting line in Nami's flashback WAY back in chapter 77. "But I thought Bellemere found me under a bridge" Now, this might not sound like anything important...but it actually might be a dark joke of sorts.
Japan has a history of something called "human pillars" or Hitobashira. It's when you bury a still-living human under a building, or a bridge in this case, in order to get a blessing from the gods.
en.wikipedia.org
Now, usually there's TWO living human sacrifices for bridge, usually one on each side. So...it's possible Nami has a "sister" or "brother" of sorts who did NOT get saved. (Could it be Imu? Probably not, but I'll put it out there.)
Which brings us to the second part of this idea...Hashihime the bridge princess.
Translated and Sourced from Mizuki Shigeru’s Mujyara, Kaii Yokai Densho Database, Japanese Wikipedia, and Other Sources Nothing quite embodies the saying “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned” li…
hyakumonogatari.com
This is a vengeful yokai who controls storms and the sea. Kind of like how Nami manipulates the weather? And it's a yokai that's a "spirit" of a bridge, who usually comes in pairs. The articles I can find don't necessarily connect Hashihime WITH the act of Hitobashira...but I can't help but see some seemingly obvious connections. I can't help but think Japan, at one point, "deified" the people they sacrificed to bless their bridges. It'd be FINE that they're buried alive, since they'd be "reborn" as a powerful spirit.
Plus, there's Nami's name. Nami means "wave" in Japanese. (Like how Tsunami means "harbor wave") Nami has some possible deeper connection to the sea.
It's possible someone was "sacrificing" Nami as a baby for something...which unwittingly made her more powerful. Even if the rest of the story wasn't true. Lies tend to come true in One Piece, after all, just look at Usopp.
Could Nami be a "princess" of the Oykot Kingdom? Could Nami be the "priestess" for Uranos the same way that Shirahoshi is for Poseidon? I really don't know.
I also can't help but notice similarities between Nami's story and how Shanks and Uta were found (Minor Spoilers for Film Red!).
Nami wasn't found in a treasure chest like Shanks and Uta...but all three of them have red hair. I don't know, it's just weird to me that these three orphans all have red hair. Is it possible that Nami WAS a treasure-chest baby and that's why she loves gold? Are they all part of the same "tribe"? Could all three be..."Children of the Sea"? Children of Imu, perhaps? I really have no clue, I'm just pointing it out.
It's off topic, but some youtubers brought up that Nami actually has some parallels with Sun Wukong the Monkey King. They both use staffs as they're primary weapons. Nami now has a cloud at her command. They both go on long journeys and gather many friends. That's really about it, but I think it's a interesting thing to keep in mind. I doubt much will come of it, but I'll mention it.
Finally, I want to talk about Nami's map she's making of the world. I feel like this SHOULD end with some big reveal. Like some big revelation about the One Piece World...but I just don't know what it could be. The idea that the Grand Line and Red Line make a giant X with treasure under it is a fairly common fan-theory. The shape of the world or some pattern the islands make is a possibility. Maybe the whole world is a giant smiley face, I just don't know. I just think there should be...something here.
www.cbr.com
movieweb.com
