One Piece has been around for decades, and in that time, Monkey D. Luffy has not been a big romantic. The pirate has never been like Sanji who lives and breathes romance. As far as Luffy is concerned, love isn't even on his radar, but the same cannot be said for his fans. For years, the One Piece fandom has shipped Luffy with a number of characters, and now series creator Eiichiro Oda has fans buzzing about the Straw Hat crew's most popular ship: Luffy x Nami.

Recently, the romance made a splash online with netizens, and we have a new anime to thank. One Piece in Love, a brand-new spin off series just went live in Japan. The lovey-dovey series focuses on a number of characters who share names with One Piece pirates. It is there Luffy and Nami appear as a couple, and the spin-off anime has fans speculating about the main series.

One Piece's New Spin-Off Anime Brings Luffy x Nami To Life

Eiichiro Oda Is Being Coy About The New Anime

To give additional context, One Piece in Love (also known as Loving One Piece), made its debut this spring on social media across Japan. The short series can be found from TikTok to Instagram, and it follows a group of students who are named after One Piece characters. In the spin-off anime, Nami and Luffy clearly share feelings for one another, and their schoolyard crush has shippers going wild.

After all, this One Piece anime is considered an official part of the franchise. Eiichiro Oda, the creator of One Piece, took to social media to affirm the spin-off with a special sketch. Drawing Luffy with the spin-off anime's leads, Oda had the following to say: "The anime One Piece in Love is here, so please watch it. It is so crazy. It's an official spin-off, seriously."

"The anime One Piece in Love is here, so please watch it. It is so crazy. It's an official spin-off, seriously."

As you can see, Oda's quote does not acknowledge Luffy x Nami in any specific way, but it does confirm One Piece in Love is an official spin-off of the series. So, while this may not be how you saw Luffy x Nami come to fruition, well - it is what we got.

The History Between Luffy And Nami Runs Deep

One Piece Fans Have Long Shipped The Couple

Of course, in the main One Piece series, Luffy is as single as can be. The captain of the Straw Hat crew is too busy facing off with the World Government to worry about love. However, the anime itself is not against romance. Not only has One Piece featured a number of couples to date, but Luffy has fielded affection from characters such as Boa Hancock.

While plenty of fans ship Luffy and Boa, there are just as many who want to see the pirate end up with Nami. One Piece set out with the two as friends, but the bond between Nami and Luffy has grown significantly since the East Blue saga. In the past, Nami's reflections about Luffy made Sanji balk, saying they sounded more like a love confession than a friendly compliment. In films like One Piece Film: Gold, Luffy has been forced to reckon with his feelings towards Nami. But after 30+ years in print, One Piece has not confirmed Luffy's romantic interest in anybody at this point.

Given the popularity of Luffy x Nami, you can see why the pair's relationship in One Piece in Love has sparked speculation. The romance is adding fuel to a fire that has been burning for ages between the pirates. But as for whether that heat spreads to the main series, One Piece fans will have to wait and find out.