Nakama

"Nakama" (仲間) means comrades, friends, or in the Context of a pirate manga, "Crewmates". Many of the main characters develop deep bonds with their Crewmates, which has led to the word gaining more clout in the Fanbase.

Most other pirates don't treat their so-called "nakama" with as much respect as one would normally expect. There are some exceptions, like Foxy's crew, Arlong Pirates and Buggy's crew, after Buggy's fight with Luffy. Others, like Don Krieg and Crocodile, don't have any respect for their crewmates/associates (but still knowing that they are essential for maximum success) while some pirates even willingly kill their own nakama such as Kuro. One would say that "good" pirates in One Piece treat each other with respect; the Straw Hat Pirates are the obvious example, but this is also exhibited by the Red-Haired, Whitebeard, Rumbar Pirates, and, oddly enough, Blackbeard's crew.

The word itself doesn't have any special meaning by it's dictionary definition, however Friendship has a deep meaning to the series as a whole which has caused some fans to feel the word has a special meaning in One Piece. Because of this, it's basically a Fan-term to the English fanbase, as it is almost non-existent in the official English anime and manga, nor has anyone on the Japanese side of production made any specific comments validating this.

Some fans, while doing fansubs, believe that the word has some kind of impact on the show, and that it shouldn't be translated. Some fans, however, prefer the word to be translated.