Nakama

"Nakama" (仲間) means comrades, friends, or in the context of a pirate manga, crewmates. Though, the fanbase has taken the word to mean "people who are considered closer than family", though that meaning isn't there in the dictionary definition of the Japanese word. The term comes up a lot when Monkey D. Luffy is talking about his crew.

The apparent "Special Bond" the word has come to represent to the fans comes from the way Luffy's crew in particular treat each other. However, Luffy and his crew are simply good to each other. This is shown often as most other pirates don't treat their so-called "nakama" with as much respect. There are some exceptions, like the 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 know that they are essential for maximum success) while some pirates even willingly kill their own nakama like 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. Foxy however, treats his crew differently. He has a rather massive crew of 500, and is perfectly willing to risk his crewmates in several games known as the Davy Back Fight. In these games, one can be forced to become someone's "Nakama" against their will.

Conversely, one of the tightest knit crews in the entire Manga, the Whitebeard Pirates don't often refer to each other as "Nakama", but act as though they are Family, referring to their captain as "Father" (Oyaji). Implying that in the context of Oda's story, "Family" has more credence than "Nakama".

However, many fans, while doing fansubs, feel that the word has such an impact on the show,and thus the word nakama should remain as it is, and not be translated to something like "shipmate" or "crewmate". However, there is nothing in the Japanese language that suggests the word has this special meaning, so it is basically a fan-term to the English speaking fanbase, as Oda has never made any comments in interviews or SBS answers that would lead credence to it.