Fate doesn't make mistakes, but it does love to play tricks on people.
The one who fell from the sky was Kaito Sakamoto, and unlike Luffy, Kaito wasn't as naive.
Nami's eyes lit up as she thought she had found a perfect target to frame, but before she could act, Kaito spoke up first.
"Big Sister!"
"I'm here to help, Big Sister!"
With that, he swiftly snatched the map of the Grand Line from Nami's hands. His speed was so fast, even Nami, the little thief, was stunned.
And it didn't end there. After taking the map, Kaito turned and sprinted off.
"Big Sister!"
"So there's an organization behind this? You thieving woman!!"
Nami watched Kaito's retreating figure as the furious voices of Buggy's men echoed from behind her.
Seeing their shadows on the ground, Nami swallowed nervously and immediately began to run.
But the leader of the group grabbed her by the collar just as she tried to escape.
"Think you can get away!!"
"You filthy woman!!"
Growing angrier, the big man raised his fist, ready to strike. Nami, helpless, closed her eyes in despair, bracing for the impact.
Just as the punch was about to land on her face, there were three loud gunshots: Bang! Bang! Bang!
Nami lost her balance and fell to the ground. When she opened her eyes, she saw three large men—one clutching his hand, and the other two holding their legs—screaming in pain on the floor.
Her eyes filled with confusion, shock, and a sense of terror.
"Oh dear, Big Sister, you're looking rather shabby," Kaito said, walking back towards her with a grin.
"Need a hand?"
Nami turned to look at him, scanning his waist and hands but not seeing a gun anywhere.
Slap!
"No need!" she snapped, slapping his hand away and rising to her feet on her own.
Kaito smiled but didn't seem to care, standing straight up.
.....
"Who are you, really?"
"Who do you think you are? Give me back the map!"
Nami reached out to snatch the map from Kaito's hands, but he sidestepped, causing Nami to nearly trip over herself.
"You little...!" Nami began to curse, but Kaito immediately held out the map toward her.
"My name's Kaito Sakamoto."
"You want it? It's yours. No need to grab it. I can't read it anyway."
Nami paused for a moment, then grabbed the map back from him with more force than necessary.
"You're still sensible," she muttered.
....
"Was that you who fired those three shots?"
"Why didn't I see a gun on you?"
After securing the map, Nami recalled the gunshots from earlier.
There were only four of them here—her and three of Buggy's men. So, who else could have been the one to shoot?
Kaito didn't answer. Instead, he stared up at the sky. A target appeared, and without hesitation, he lifted his hand and fired a single shot.
The bird that had been carrying him here fell from the sky, crashing to the ground just a short distance away.
"I've been waiting for you."
"Still daring to come back!"
Kaito cursed as he looked at the dead bird's body.
Meanwhile, Nami rubbed her eyes in disbelief as she watched the gun appear in Kaito's hands, then vanish just as quickly. Could she have imagined it?
"Let's go. We need to find a place to cook this up; I'm getting hungry."
Before Nami could react, Kaito had already dragged the bird's corpse over.
"Ah... okay..."
.....
"Soup's ready!"
Nami, watching Kaito's back, couldn't believe he was actually going to cook.
While she was still wondering about his identity, Kaito turned around and placed a pot of soup on the table. He untied his apron and sat down.
As Nami reached for the soup with a smile, Kaito casually drank from the bowl first.
Nami's smile froze, and her hand holding the spoon went still.
"...."
Frustrated, she ladled some soup for herself.
Hmm? It's actually quite good.
That was Nami's first impression as she took a sip.
"Cough, cough. I haven't introduced myself yet."
"I'm Nami. I'm a thief who specializes in stealing from pirates."
"This town has been taken over by the pirate clown Buggy. Everyone's hiding in shelters, which is why you don't see anyone around."
"And this map of the Grand Line? I stole it from Buggy."
"My goal is to gather 100 million Berries."
"The only way to do that is to travel the Grand Line and steal treasure from other great pirates."
"You're good with a gun. How about we team up and make some serious money?"
"Once we're done, we'll split it... 80/20. I'll take 80 since I know navigation, and you don't. I'll be doing most of the work, so I should get more. Sounds fair, right?"
After sipping half of her soup, Nami set the bowl down and explained her plan, hoping for a free bodyguard.
She picked up the bowl again and continued drinking her soup, waiting for Kaito's response.
Kaito chuckled to himself inwardly. 80/20? Does she think I'm some kind of fool?
"A thief who specializes in stealing from pirates."
"Should I be scared?" Kaito replied with a smirk, completely missing the response Nami had hoped for.
"What do you mean?"
"Because I'm a pirate too."
Kaito said calmly, leaning back.
Nami's eyes widened in surprise.
"So you're a pirate too!!"
"Forget everything I said!"
"Pirates are all the same! You're all a bunch of filthy scum!"
Kaito finished his soup, then looked up at Nami with a smile.
"Don't speak so definitively, Miss Nami."