From the upper deck of the floating casino, Nami paused beneath the glittering lanterns, her gaze sweeping over the sea of nobles, merchants, and pirates disguised in velvet and laughter.
She tugged lightly at the hem of her red dress, making sure it still fit perfectly against her figure. It wasn't her usual kind of outfit; she preferred something easier to run in, but in a place like this, subtlety was armor.
Besides, she knew exactly what kind of attention a red dress would bring.
A smile ghosted across her lips as she slipped the diamond-shaped earring back into place and muttered under her breath.
"Alright, Nami. In, take the map, and out. No trouble this time."
She'd heard the rumor two ports ago: one of the guests on the Floating Star had purchased a priceless map from a black-market auction.
A map of the Grand Line's hidden routes, they said, gave the location of multiple old treasures.
Besides, the information on these maps was enough to make any navigator's pulse quicken.
And if that map existed, there was only one person she would allow to have such treasure: herself.
Her heels clicked softly against the marble floor as she descended into the main hall. Everywhere she looked, pockets. Rings. Gold chains. Treasure begging to be liberated.
But Nami kept her focus. As tempting as it was to rob all of it, she knew it would cause more problems than it would solve.
The owner of that ship had an interesting Devil Fruit that allowed him to find jewellery that had been stolen. Carina had almost gotten herself killed once when she tried to steal a costume in there.
But hopefully the devil fruit powers wouldn't apply to maps, right? Nami was not sure; she just knew for sure the man could find stolen jewelry.
Anyway, her eyes grew wide as she saw him: her target, a shipping magnate from Loguetown, with terrible taste in clothes and an even worse taste in women, considering the two gold diggers he held in his arms.
The man was surrounded by admirers and pretending not to be drunk.
Nami's expression softened into a perfect smile, the kind that could disarm even a Marine captain or convince a pirate to hand over his loot.
She pushed her dress a little bit lower, deepening her cleavage, and drifted closer, a hand brushing his arm, her laugh warm and easy.
"Are you Mr. Generisc Richer?" Nami said with fake admiration, bending just in the right angle to flash him her perfect tits. "I heard you are the best in your field. Is it true you've been buying up old charts?" she asked sweetly, eyes wide with false curiosity.
The man puffed his chest, instantly boasting. Perfect. She laughed again, and while her fingers traced his sleeve, her other hand slipped into his pocket. Her pulse didn't even quicken as her fingertips brushed cool paper. There it was.
In one motion, she lifted it, folding the small, aged parchment beneath the curve of her palm.
Too easy.
She turned, already blending into the crowd, her smile fading into quiet satisfaction. Another few steps, and she'd vanish into the hallway, and…
A hand closed around her wrist.
The pressure was firm, but not rough. She froze, pulse skipping once. The crowd around them didn't notice. The music didn't stop, but for her, the world seemed to stop.
She turned, ready to flash a smile, an excuse, a lie.
Instead, she met a pair of calm, beautiful blue eyes that studied her with unnerving amusement.
Her heartbeat quickened, and her body froze as he approached her face.
"Don't worry, lovely thief, I'm not your enemy. All I ask for is a dance," Arlo whispered, his breath warm against Nami's ear.
With a resigned sigh, she let him draw her into the crowd. His hand settled low on her back, fingers splayed possessively, pulling her close until her body was flush against his.
"And to what do I owe the honor of an invitation from such a handsome man?" Nami asked, her voice a little breathless as his thigh nudged between hers with the rhythm of the music.
Arlo's mask made him suspicious, but his strong frame was definitely sexy, and Nami couldn't deny that his eyes were attractive.
However, she was not the type who would just fall in love with a man. She was always focused on how to get money.
Her hand roamed down, pretending to trace the line of his back muscles as it quietly approached the wallet in his back pocket.
Arlo, noticing the subtle movement, smiled lightly. She really was a talented thief.
"I was looking for you. I've heard of your... skills." His hand slid lower, cupping the curve of her hip. "But it seems your hands are as quick as your wit."
He shifted, pinning her in place. Her cheeks flushed as she felt the size of his bulge press against her flat stomach.
Her main concern, however, was whether she had been discovered. She couldn't tell, but for now, their intense dance continued.
"Don't you think you're being a little too bold?" she whispered, feeling his hand drifting even lower, from her hip to her sensual ass.
"I'm just keeping us even," he murmured, his lips close to her skin.
His gaze dropped to her mouth, and for a heartbeat, the world narrowed to the space between them, charged and hot.
Then, when Nami thought he would force a kiss on her, he just squeezed her ass, making a light moan escape her mouth. In the moment of distraction, he took his wallet back and gave it a step back.
"If you want what I have so much, just ask nicely," he said with a confident smile, his gaze dropping shamelessly to her cleavage.
In his hand, he showed his wallet.
Before Nami could answer, a scream, sharp and piercing, shattered the moment. The party erupted into chaos as pirates stormed the hall, tearing them violently apart.