In one fluid motion, he slammed his palm onto the wooden deck and whispered:
"Chidori Stream."
ZZZZRAAAAAKKKK!!!
A tidal wave of lightning erupted from his hand, branching out like furious serpents across the entire ship. Pirates screamed as electricity crawled up their bodies, muscles locking up before they collapsed—smoking and twitching—onto the deck.
"Gah—! What the hell?!" one managed to choke out before face-planting into the wood.
In three seconds flat, the entire crew was down—unconscious, fried, or spasming like fish on land.
Luffy's eyes sparkled as his own arm stretched back. "Whoaaa! You can do lightning too? That's Super cool."
Only Alvida remained, her eyes wide in disbelief.
"W-What kind of monster...?!"
Alvida had recovered, slamming her mace down where Luffy had been standing moments before. The deck splintered under the force.
"Stay still, you rubber freak!" she snarled.
Luffy dodged again, bouncing off the mast. "Shishishi! You're slow!"
"RRRGH! I'LL KILL YOU!"
Makoto, meanwhile, had taken a seat on a barrel, legs crossed, watching the fight like it was entertainment.
"You're not helping?!" Coby yelped from behind a crate.
"Nah," Makoto said, tossing a lightning-charged apple core at a pirate who tried to sneak up on him. The man convulsed and collapsed. "Captain's got this."
Luffy, grinning, stretched his arms back. "Gomu Gomu no…"
Alvida swung again—MISS!
"ROCKET!"
BOOM!
Luffy's whole body launched like a cannonball, slamming into Alvida and sending her FLYING off the ship. She hit the water with a distant SPLASH.
Makoto strolled over to where Coby was still cowering behind a barrel. He crouched down to eye level with the trembling boy, resting his chin on one hand with a wicked grin.
"So...ugly little dwarf," he purred, lightning dancing between his fingers. "What's your brilliant plan now?"
Coby's glasses fogged with panicked breath. "I-I'm not—please don't—!"
"Don't worry," Makoto said sweetly, his voice dripping with false reassurance. In one fluid motion, he grabbed Coby by the collar and stuffed him into an empty rum barrel. "I won't kill you..."
Luffy was busy stretching his neck to peer at Alvida bobbing in the distance.
THUNK.
The barrel lid sealed shut.
"...The sea will do it." Makoto punted the barrel with perfect accuracy over the railing. It hit the waves with a crisp splash just as Luffy turned back.
"Hey, Where'd that pink puffball go?" Luffy asked, scratching his head.
Makoto wiped his hands together. "Had urgent business on Fishman Island."
From the floating barrel already drifting toward the horizon, muffled screams could be heard: "I CAN'T SWIIII—glub glub—HATE YOU BOTH—glub—"
Luffy's eyes sparkled. "Wow! He's so motivated!"
Makoto nodded solemnly. "Truly inspirational."
The barrel disappeared beneath a wave.
Then—
POP!
It resurfaced further away, the screams now accompanied by frantic kicking noises.
Luffy's arm stretched toward the bobbing barrel, but Makoto intercepted with a lightning-quick grab. "Nuh-uh," he chided, static dancing between his fingers. "Survival training builds character."
"But—"
"More meat for us this way."
Luffy's eyes transformed into sparkling stars. "You're a genius!"
As they turned toward the ship's galley, Makoto cast one last glance at the distant barrel. His usual smirk faded into something colder. The math was simple - either the sea would eliminate a future Marine hero today, or...
'If that brat survives,' he mused, watching the waves swallow the barrel again, 'maybe the world really wants me to lose.' The thought amused him almost as much as it irritated him. After all, what were the odds some sniveling cabin boy could withstand—
"HEY! The barrel's doing flips!" Luffy cheered, pointing at the distant speck now tumbling through waves.