One of Oda’s conditions for One Piece live-action to take place is that there must not be any love between the members of the pirate crew.
Kodoani.com – Author Oda has set one of the important conditions for the project One Piece Live-action is not allowed to have romantic elements – love between the members of the Straw Hat crew. This also applies to the live-action versions of the series.
Although there was some intention of chemistry between the actors playing Zoro and Nami (Mackenyu and Emily Rudd) in scenes such as boarding the train, working together under Buggy’s direction, and choosing costumes, Oda did not must express opposition to the romantic element in the story. The author wants the relationship between these characters to remain at the level of friendship, and not develop into a romantic love.
Steven Maeda, co-producer of the live-action project, said Oda set this specific condition to allow the live-action adaptation of the work. Although there is chemistry between the two actors, romance is not a part of their personalities in this project. However, fans are still free to imagine and support the relationship between the characters in their own way.
Via: Kodoani.com