One Piece: Born to Betray

The peaceful morning shattered in an instant.

A massive seagull—wingspan wider than Luffy was tall—swooped down like a feathered torpedo. Before anyone could react, its talons snatched the straw hat right off Luffy's head.

"HEY!" Luffy's arm shot out, stretching to grab the bird—but his fingers only managed to latch onto its leg. The seagull let out an indignant squawk and surged upward, dragging Luffy with it.

"WAAAAAH! LET GO!" Luffy flailed, legs kicking empty air as the bird climbed higher. "MY HAT! MY HAAAAAT!"

Makoto nearly choked on his milkshake. 

Taiga's wooden spoon clattered to the deck. "That idiot—!"

Zoro sighed, already getting to his feet. "What the hell now?"

Above them, a seagull banked sharply, wings beating hard as it soared toward the distant outline of Orange Town—with a flailing rubber captain still dangling beneath it.

Makoto wiped the foam from his milkshake and grinned.

"Well, let's hope our journey doesn't end because a seagull killed our captain."

He quickly cranked the boat to full throttle and sped off in the direction the bird had gone.

…

The moment their boat scraped against the dock, Taiga leapt ashore, wooden sword already in hand.

"Alright. Which way did that damn bird go?"

Zoro stepped onto the pier behind her, scanning the silent streets with narrowed eyes.

"This place looks like a ghost town."

And it did.

Shops stood with doors hanging open, wind whispering through empty market stalls. Half-eaten meals sat abandoned on tables, drinks still cold.

Makoto stepped off the boat last, stretching like a man waking from a nap.

"You two search for Luffy," he said lazily, waving a hand over his shoulder as he turned away.

"I'll take a little walk. Taiga, stick with the moss-head."

"Hey!" Zoro snapped.

Taiga groaned. "Ugh, Not Again."

But Makoto was already gone, vanishing into a side street without another word.

…

Orange Town – Near the Ruins

The streets were still and silent, the air tense with a strange emptiness. Abandoned crates lay scattered near market stalls. Somewhere in the distance, the faint cackling of pirates echoed—but it was quickly cut off.

Near the edge of the town square, three drunken pirates staggered into view, carrying a heavy treasure chest between them.

"Can't believe that map was real!" one laughed. "Captain Buggy's gonna love this—"

THWACK!

A long staff slammed down from above, catching one of them square on the head. He crumpled instantly.

The other two barely turned before a slender girl dropped from a rooftop, landing lightly on her feet. Her orange hair swayed with the breeze, and her blue tattoo glinted against her shoulder.

"Sorry, boys." Nami twirled her staff with a grin. "I don't share treasure."

"I-It's the thief girl! Get her!"

They didn't get far.

One was knocked out cold by the next blow. The last dropped the chest and ran.

Nami dusted her hands off, glancing at the loot with a satisfied smirk.

"Not bad for five minutes of work."

She bent to pry the chest open—

—only to hear slow, deliberate clapping from nearby.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

The slow, mocking applause echoed through the empty street as Makoto emerged from the shadows. The flickering lamplight cast eerie shadows across his sharp features, his crimson eyes gleaming with predatory amusement.

Nami's entire body tensed the moment she recognized him. Her grip on the staff turned white-knuckled as she fought down the urge to drive it straight through his smug face. Memories of their last encounter flashed through her mind - his hands wandering where they shouldn't have, his breath hot against her neck before she'd sent him sprawling with a well-placed knee to the groin.

"Still stalking me, creep?" she spat, forcing her lips into a razor-thin smile. Every muscle in her body was coiled tight, ready to strike if he took one step too close.

Makoto stopped just outside her staff's range, boots crunching on broken tiles. He tilted his head, that infuriating smirk never leaving his face. "Now now, Thief-chan. Is that any way to greet an old friend?"

"We're not friends." Nami's voice could have frozen the sea itself. "In fact, if you value your ability to have children, you'll turn around right now."

Instead of backing off, Makoto had the audacity to laugh. The sound made Nami's skin crawl. "Feisty as ever. I like that." He nudged one of the unconscious pirates with his boot. "But really, I just came to thank you."

Nami's eye twitched. "For what?"

"Saving me the trouble of dealing with these idiots myself." His grin widened. "And because I need a navigator."

Nami's guard shot up higher. How the hell did he know she was a navigator? Her fingers twitched toward the hidden knife in her boot. "Not interested."

"Five million berries says otherwise."

The words hung in the air between them. Nami's breath caught despite herself. Five million was enough to buy three villages from Arlong. Enough to finally-

She shook her head sharply. "Bullshit. You don't have that kind of money."

Makoto moved faster than she could react. One moment he was several feet away, the next he was right in front of her, pressing a heavy purse into her hands. The weight was undeniable - this was real.

"Half now," he murmured, his breath disturbingly warm against her ear. "Half when the job's done."

Nami recoiled, her skin crawling where he'd touched her. She wanted to throw the money in his face. She wanted to stab him. She wanted-

The purse was heavy in her hands.

"One week," she heard herself say, hating how her voice didn't shake. "And if you so much as look at me wrong, I'll feed you your own intestines."

Makoto's grin turned wolfish as he stepped back, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Wouldn't dream of it, Thief-chan." His eyes raked over her in a way that made her want to shower in bleach. 

As he turned to leave, Nami's fingers tightened around the purse. Five million was five million, no matter how disgusting the client.

But as she watched Makoto's retreating back, she made herself a promise - the moment this job was over, she'd make him regret ever laying eyes on her.