Kidnapping Desire

Nami narrowed her eyes as the Sweet Pirates crew emerged from the card thrown by Desire. A total of fifteen people are now flanking her.

"Surprised? My Card-Card Fruit lets me store anything I want inside this card," Desire boasted, twirling a king of spades between her fingers. "People, weapons, even emotions. You thought you had me cornered?"

Nami sighed, rolling her shoulders. "I knew you were following me since I left the shop. I just wanted to see how many of you were before wiping you all out."

Desire's smirk twitched. "Cocky, aren't you?"

Nami clapped her hands, and the alley instantly darkened as storm clouds swirled above.

"Thunderhouse Tempo!"

CRACK!

A lightning bolt shot down, hitting the ground in front of the Sweet Pirates and sending shockwaves of electricity rippling through the alley. Several of Desire's crewmates collapsed instantly, twitching and smoking.

Desire gritted her teeth, flipping a new card.

She tossed a card into the air, and all of Nami's thunderclouds trapped inside her card,

"Not bad," Nami smirked, stepping onto her floating Cloud and rising into the air. "But I saw that you struggle with that."

She swept her hand through the air, and her cloud expanded, forming a dense fog. 

"Storm Veil!"

Desire's men, those who still stand, stabbed wildly, but their weapons met nothing but mist. Their vision blurred, and they could not see Nami moving between them.

"Cloud Bind!"

WHIP!

Tendrils of solid cloud lashed out, wrapping around their bodies like ropes, trapping them.

Desire scowled. "Tch!" She flipped another card, and a giant cannon appeared, already loaded.

BOOM!

He ordered a few of her crew who still stood to fire the cannon, it fired straight at Nami, but—

FWOOOSH!

Nami sliced through the air with her hand, and the wind diverted the cannonball into midair, sending it crashing into a nearby wall instead.

Desire staggered back, her confidence cracking.

"Face it, girl. You're outmatched." Nami landed gently, stepping forward with a grin. "Your power is interesting, though. I bet Jacob would love to have someone like you."

Desire clenched her fists, panting. "You talked as if I've lost to you!"

Nami chuckled. "You lost the moment you planned to rob me, girl."

With a flick of her wrist, the storm clouds swirled, and a lightning bolt shot straight at Desire.

ZAP!

Her vision went white.

When she came to, she was tied up, her cards scattered across the ground, and Nami stood over her, twirling one between her fingers.

Desire pleaded, hands trying to resist the sea stone handcuffs, "Don't throw them, please; I've stored important things in those cards."

Nami smirked, "Yeah… Jacob's definitely going to like you."

***

As Smoker shot toward Jacob, his body shifting into a billowing mass of smoke, Jacob gritted his teeth and raised his hand.

"Density Hiken."

A compressed fireball roared to life in his palm, pulsing with heat, ready to counter Smoker's attacks.

WHAM!

Before he could react, Yamato's fist slammed into Smoker's face, sending him rocketing backward.

BOOM!

Smoker crashed through three buildings, debris and dust exploding into the air.

The surrounding civilians stared in shock, their jaws hanging open. Marines gathering to support Smoker froze in place, unsure whether to advance or run.

Jacob blinked. "Oden, seriously?!"

Yamato grinned, resting her kanabo on her shoulder. "What? He was coming at you, so I hit him. Simple!"

Jacob sighed, shaking his head. "You don't just punch Marines Captain into buildings!"

Yamato pouted. "Well, too late now."

Jacob glanced at the ground and saw Smoker's Jitte lying there, the Seastone-tipped weapon reflecting the sunlight. Without thinking, he bent down and grabbed it.

"We're leaving."

Before more Marines could arrive, Jacob wrapped an arm around Yamato's waist and launched into the sky, his blue flames propelling them upward.

Civilians below pointed and gasped, and a few of them started calling Jacob the Fire Demon, their voices a mix of awe and fear.

Back in the rubble, Smoker groaned, pulling himself up. His face was bruised, but his eyes burned with fury.

He reached down, then froze.

His Jitte was gone.

"Damn it."

Smoke billowed around him as he clenched his fists. "Fire King… I won't forget this."

***

Jacob soared through the sky, Yamato hanging onto his back with an excited grin; he briefly caught sight of a journalist below. The man snapped a picture, the camera flash reflecting off Jacob's blue flames.

"Tch." Jacob scoffed. "Every damn journalist loves taking my picture."

Yamato laughed. "Of course! You're flashy as hell! Fire everywhere, flying through cities—what did you expect?!"

Jacob rolled his eyes but didn't bother stopping the journalist. The press was going to talk about him anyway.

As they neared the rendezvous point, Jacob saw Nami standing on her cloud, looking incredibly smug.

A red-haired girl was tied up at her feet and wrist, struggling against her restraints.

Jacob blinked. "The hell?"

Yamato's eyes lit up. "Ohhh! Who's the prisoner?"

Nami grinned and crossed her arms. "Her name's Desire. She leads the Sweet Pirates. She has good devil fruit that can store things in her cards. I figured you'd like her, so I brought her to you. Now, about my commission..."

Jacob groaned, pinching his nose. "You're treating this like a damn bounty job, huh?"

Nami smirked. "Well, I did do all the work. And I know you like strong women."

Jacob landed on the cloud beside her, his blue flames dissipating as he stepped forward to examine Desire.

The red-haired girl glared up at him, her blue eyes burning with defiance. "Tch. So you're the bastard who burned down Arlong Park?"

Jacob raised a brow.

Desire spat at the ground. "I don't give a damn who you are. Untie me and fight me, coward."

Jacob chuckled. "You fought one of my least combat-oriented crews and lost, and now you want to fight me." He turned to Nami. "Alright, fine. You get a cut of whatever we loot from her crew."

Nami beamed, and she kissed him passionately. "Pleasure doing business!"

Meanwhile, Yamato crouched beside Desire, inspecting her like a curious animal. "Hmm… she looks feisty. Are we keeping her?"

Desire gritted her teeth. "I'm not some damn pet!"

Jacob smirked. "That depends." He grabbed the ropes and hoisted her over his shoulder. "For now, let's get back home."

Desire kicked and cursed as Jacob took off into the sky again. Nami followed him on her cloud, and Yamato laughed at their new guest.

***

Jacob landed smoothly in his yard, his blue flames flickering out as he touched down in their hideout. Nami hovered beside him on her cloud, clutching a bag full of loot, grinning ear to ear.

Desire grunted and glared at everyone as Jacob dropped her unceremoniously onto the wooden floor.

Kaya was visibly deflated at the sight. Her jealousy had been eating at her for weeks, and now another girl was added. Her fingers clenched against her dress, but she kept quiet.

Nojiko sighed, shaking her head. "Another one, huh?"

Kuina crossed her arms. "At this rate, we should start charging rent."

Reiju chuckled, clearly amused.

Jacob ignored their comments and looked at Nami, who was smugly counting her money.

"70% of the loot?" Jacob raised an eyebrow.

Nami grinned. "Hey, I did all the work. You just showed up for the grand finale."

Jacob clicked his tongue. "Fine, fine. Keep it. But next time, you don't get more than half."

Nami shrugged.

Meanwhile, Desire sat up, her ropes still tight around her wrists and feet. "Oi, you're just gonna let these girls talk shit while I'm tied up?"

Yamato plopped down next to her, grinning. "We could gag you too if you want."

Desire growled. "Whatever. If you're gonna keep me prisoner, at least untie me, coward."

Jacob squatted in front of her, meeting her fierce gaze. "Prisoner? Nah. You're an investment. Whether you agree or not, I will keep you."

Desire narrowed her eyes. "Hah? What kind of nonsense—"

Jacob cut her off, standing up. "We'll talk later. For now, let's get some food."

As he turned away, Kaya quietly walked past him, not saying a word.

Jacob frowned, watching her retreat with her shoulders tense. Nojiko noticed and nudged him.

"You're gonna need to deal with that soon."

Jacob sighed heavily. "I know."

Meanwhile, Reiju poured herself a drink, enjoying the spectacle as the crew's dynamic grew crazier.