What is a tattoo? 

It is ink injected into the skin.  It can be done with tools as primitive as a sharp piece of wood and vegetable dye or done in the sterile environment of a professional tattoo parlor with the tattoo gun on the market. 

Do tattoos hurt?
The degree of the pain depends on how large the tattoo is, what part of the body it is going on, and the threshold of pain a person can endure.  The larger the tattoo, the more likely it is there will be pain.  If the tattoo is being put on a part of the body where there is little fat or where the needle will be close to the bone (a man's chest, on the top of the foot, on the shoulder blade, etc.) there is more pain.  And of course, the lower a person's pain threshold, the more painful it is.

After the tattooing process is complete, the skin in that area will be red and inflamed.  It may bleed and scab as well.

Why get a tattoo? 
The popular myth of the tattooing experience is of a plastered guy stumbling into a seedy tattoo parlor and hours later, waking up hungover and with his 'mother' misspelled somewhere on his body. 

This is funny but wrong.  Most people who are tattooed think long and hard before becoming so.  Tattoos take time, they are painful, they cost money, and for all practical purposes, they are permanent. Yet even considering the prohibitive factors, a significant part of the population of the world (sometimes estimated up to 20%) has gotten inked.

There are many reasons why people get tattoos - the umbrella reason is declaring a message.  A tattoo projects an image of a person's beliefs and connections with others.  Sometimes it can be as straightforward as a gang sign, sometimes it is subtler and gets across the idea of society's version of beauty.  Here is a short run down of some of the reasons people get a tattoo.

Religious reasons - Some religions encourage tattooing.  The men of the Gujarat region of India tattoo themselves with images of their gods and other lucky symbols. 

Social reasons - the Chicano inmates of the California prison system decorate themselves to proclaim gang identity and to gain protection from rival factions.  In Africa, some tribes do not recognize adulthood until a young man or woman gets their first tattoo - usually in a more painful area of the body, such as the face or the neck.

Anti-social - the elaborate, almost full body irezumi of the yakuza in Japan is not only for gang affiliation but flies in the face of social convention.

Cosmetic - some tribes in Africa find tattoos beautiful; some women get make-up, such as eyeliner, lip liner, etc permanently applied to their face. 

Remembrance - from the 'Mother' tattoos of biker gangs to the tear drops that mark a kill of a gang member to the abstract design that hints to its wearer of a higher principle, tattoos are a permanent reminder of past deeds, old friends, and future goals.

Why do tattoos have negative connotations?

At some points in history, tattoos and brands were given out as punishment, usually on the face or hands, to warn upstanding citizens of the crimes of the offender.  The offender would find that even if they were released back into society, they would always carry the stigma of their mark.  In such a way, tattoos became associated with the criminal class and begin to lose some of their acceptance in the mainstream, especially in Japan and most Western European influenced countries.  More recently, during the 50s and 60s, there was a spate hepatitis breakouts in unregulated tattoo parlors, causing hysteria towards the whole process.  Consequently, tattoos were associated with disease and the lower close.

That school of thought is gradually becoming more liberal as time passes and tattoos are slowly entering into the mainstream.

What are the ramifications of getting a tattoo?

Unless willing to undergo laser surgery or cut the tattoo out by hand, tattoos will be permanent.  They may fade, but rarely do they fade away completely.  Consequently, a tattoo is a mark that stays with a person forever; similar to a mole, a scar, or freckles.  Depending on how closely a person identifies their body with their true 'self,' it can have minimal or large effects on the psyche. For those that identify strongly with their body, their tattoos are sources of great emotion.  For those that live more 'in their head,' tattoos are of no more consequence than a new freckle

Social - Depending on the society, a person with a tattoo could be either welcomed into the society, truly becoming part of the 'tribe' or they could be stigmatized by bearing a mark of shame.  This social effect can be negated by covering the tattoo, something that is easy to do in body conscious parts of the world.  However, in societies where nudity is not shameful or where there are group-bathing traditions, hiding a tattoo is near impossible.

Psyche/Mental - If the tattoo is chosen, a person can gain greater self confidence from either being part of the larger group or from maintaining an individual identity.  If the tattoo is forced or if the person is reluctant, unsure, or was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, the tattoo can be a painful reminder of lack of self-control, helplessness, past misdeeds, and other negative memories.

Medical - Depending on the circumstances, tattoos can be life threatening.  Old needles can pass blood-borne pathogens to other people, causing infection or death.  Some people have allergic reactions to the ink; some people have skin that won't 'take' the ink, leaving a mess of scars behind.

What does this have to do with One Piece?

One Piece is full of pirates and what do pirates have?  Tattoos! 

Common sense says that the fewer identifying marks a pirate has, the harder it would be for the Marines to find him or her, thereby making the whole pirating process a bit easier. 

But this is the Great Pirate Age and what's the point of being a pirate if you can't run around proclaiming it to all and sundry?  Tattoos are a great way to do this - they're the original body billboards.

The following is a list of the tattooed personas of One Piece and a brief account of the story behind the marks they wear and any special meaning they may have.

Nami - Shame and Glory

Nami's tattoo is the most famous.  The story of her tattoo is a large part of the Arlong Arc. 

We do not see Nami's tattoo until she greet Arlong at Arlong Park.  In previous story lines, she is always wearing short-sleeved shirts that cover her tattoo. It is the symbol of the Arlong Pirates and proof of membership in his pirate gang.

As the story progresses, we find that Nami did not join the Arlong Crew under the best of circumstances.  Her tattoo was a rite of passage - by having it inked on her shoulder, she was officially recognized as a member of Arlong's Pirates, but she was also officially cut off from the village that raised her.  She wore it defiantly, but her tattoo was a mark of shame - a permanent reminder that she was connected to the pirate that had caused her and her village so much pain.

One of the most dramatic scenes of the arc is when Nami takes her knife and stabs it into her shoulder, screaming Arlong's name.  It is a futile gesture that emphasizes Nami's helplessness - she destroys the mark on her shoulder in the way that she would like to destroy Arlong himself.

Luffy stops her self-mutilation and answers her cry for help.  And barring Nami, anyone wearing the Arlong tattoo ends up in a world of hurt.

After the battle is won, the town celebrates.  Nami isn't finished though.  She gets herself checked on by the doctor.  He tells her that there will always be a scar on her shoulder and likens it to a different kind of tattoo.  Then she holds up a piece of paper and tells him that she would like another tattoo.  Once again, we do not see it until later.

Nami makes her spectacular exit on the Going Merry Go.  The people of Kokoyashi watch as the ship sets sail, and the doctor hands Gen a piece of paper with a symbol of an orange and a pinwheel on it.  The doctor explains that she got it 'against all reasoning.' 

Nami's new tattoo is a mark of love.  Nami could have left her shoulder bare, but she chose instead to use her body as a celebration of the people in her life who made her who she was.  She erased a shameful mark forced upon her and replaced it with her own - one that she would always wear with pride.

Nojiko - Solidarity

Nojiko watched as Nami was cast out of the village for joining the Arlong Pirates and taking their mark.  She listened as her sister cried about the shame of being 'branded' as a pirate.

Nojiko then receives her own ornate tattoo. "It's a decoration - just like yours," she tells her shocked sister. 

Perhaps that's what she tells others, but we know the truth.  Nojiko is the best sister a girl can have, one who isn't concerned about her appearance and willingly offers up her skin to save the feelings of those she loves.  She takes pride in being a 'tattooed thug.' After all, so is her sister!

Ace - Offering

Ace is the epitome of the loyal employee.

While on the Going Merry Go, he explains that he has given up his dream to find One Piece and is now fully supporting Whitebeard's bid to become the Pirate King.

Who would disbelieve him? He offered up his body to proclaim his affiliation with the Whitebeard pirates; his captain's mark is tattooed on his back. Not only is this a mark of identity, but it is also a statement about what Ace thinks of his captain.  If Ace changes his mind about Whitebeard, the removal process will be long and painful.

It appears that Ace has no desire for anonymity.  It was easy for Smoker to identify Ace in Nanohana, even though Smoker hadn't seen his face.  Usopp also knew Ace's employer without Ace having to say a word.

To conclude - Ace is a cheap billboard for the Whitebeard Pirates.

As for his other tattoo...that's a reminder to enunciate clearly when you're telling the tattoo artist what your name is.

Arlong Pirates and Baroque Works - Tribal Identity

The Arlong Pirate Fishmen are a tattooed bunch, all wearing the Arlong tattoo as well as many other designs. It is likely that the fishmen began their tattooing while they were still with many of their kind on the Grandline in order to more easily identify Arlong pirates from other fishmen.  The use of the tattoos as an identifying mark would be pointless in East Blue since being a fishman is much more obvious.  Only for Nami is it an identifying mark, she is the only human in the crew.

Baroque Works members sometimes are also spotted wearing the symbol of their organization.  Since BW is a secret organization, there must be some way for members to identify each other - tattoos are one way to do this.

So are secret handshakes, guys.

The author's "credentials";
She took a 'Body Politic' seminar where she studied the anthropological, sociological, and psychological effects of piercings, tattoos, circumcision, plastic surgery, fake breasts, make-up, branding, and scarring.  She learned about the evils of wearing logo Tees unless you really believe, how your first impression is the only impression that matters, and the real connection between strip clubs, auto parts stores, fantasy clothing, sex toy shops, and Chinese take-out restaurants.  She now knows that it's all been done before, usually with leather, wooden horses and whip cream.

Comparatively, tattoos aren't that bad.

She's watched people get tattoos, has helped designed tattoos, visited every tattoo parlor in her college town with a friend, and has her own tattoo, much to the everlasting horror of her father.  She'll show you where it is if you pay up front.

She's getting another.  It going to be the kanji for "Justice" done in giant size down her back.  It's cheaper than buying the jacket.

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