The cannon fired and the explosion seemed to do even more damage than the first one. As the explosion concluded, leaving plumes of smoke, Zoro got to work carrying Luffy away. I quickly caught up to him as he went over the edge of the roof, pulling the cage.
"You okay, Zoro?" Luffy asked from inside the cage. "How bad are you injured?"
"Just shut up and don't worry about how I'm doing. I need to concentrate if I'm gonna get us out of this." Zoro declared. He struggled and grunted as he pulled the cage.
"Wouldn't it be easier if we just broke the cage?" I suggested. Luffy turned to look at me, his face blank.
"Not now, Takara. Zoro's trying to concentrate." Luffy ordered, placing a finger to his lips to tell me to be quiet. I threw my arms up in the air in a defeated gesture before crossing them. I then stood and waited as Zoro struggled and Nami joined us.
"Who is this guy?" Nami mumbled as she watched Zoro. I shrugged and shook my head from the other side of the cage.
"Hey, Luffy." Zoro grunted out. "Who's this? Who's the girl?"
"Oh, right. She's our new navigator." Luffy answered. Zoro then let out another pained groan and it looked like his knees were about to buckle. I quickly ducked under the cage and took some of the weight, Zoro giving me a little bit of space.
"Let me give you a hand." I stated as I took in the weight.
"I'm not so sure about that. Who are you guys anyway?" Nami replied hesitantly.
"Move. You're in the way." Zoro ordered. I wasn't sure if he was talking to me or not, but I stepped away and he let out another pained grunt as he hoisted the cage onto his back. He then began walking down the roof with the cage. Once he was out of the way I moved over to stand next to Nami.
"I guess even a lowly pirate can still rescue his friend." Nami muttered as she watched Zoro.
"We do more than just tha-... Wait a minute, where are you going?" I was cut off as Nami turned and started walking the other direction. When she didn't answer I paused.
Do I follow her or follow Luffy? I looked between the two options before running after Zoro. Zoro had gotten the cage down to the street and had left it to sit in front of a pet food store. I got to them just as Zoro collapsed.
"What's with this dog?" Zoro asked. I looked up to see a small white dog sitting in front of the store. He had his tongue sticking out and he just sat there.
"Doggy!" Luffy awed as he turned around to face him. I moved around the cage and took a seat near the dog as Luffy rocked his cage closer to it. When he had finished moving the cage he started making faces at the dog only to receive no reaction.
"He looks kinda cute." I smiled as I reached forward and scratched the top of his head. The dog didn't move, his eyes seeming to glare at Luffy. Zoro in this time had pushed himself up and walked over to lean against the front porch of the store.
"Zoro, it looks like this dog is frozen." Luffy stated.
"I don't give a damn. He can sit there forever for all I care." Zoro replied.
"What if one of Buggy's crew members shows up and starts attacking us and the dog out of revenge?" I asked.
"Then leave me alone until they get here." Zoro answered.
"I wonder if it's dead." Luffy said aloud as he reached out of the cage. He then poked the center of the dog's forehead until the dog launched forward and bit his nose. I jumped back at the sudden action and noticed Zoro's surprised face.
"WAHHHHHHH!" Luffy screamed as the dog growled and held onto Luffy's face. The cage began to jump as Luffy tried to shake the dog off.
"Luffy!" Zoro yelled. "Please quit goofing around and get serious."
Unsure what to do I waited. A moment later the dog had let go and Luffy had fallen onto his back in the cage. Zoro, after his yell, had collapsed and I think he was down for the count. The dog was back in his position a moment later, watching.
"Damn, dog." Luffy mumbled as I reached over to it. It suddenly turned it's head to look at my hand and I jumped slightly. He then sniffed my hand and licked it once before standing back at attention.
"I dunno. I think he likes me." I said with a grin as I looked back over at Luffy.
"Figures." Luffy groaned.
"I don't feel good." Zoro commented. The stab wound was bleeding quite a lot. As I looked around for some kind of medical supply store I noticed Nami walking up to us. She stopped and looked over us.
"Oh, hi navigator." Luffy greeted from his position.
"I guess you can have this. You got me out of a pretty sticky situation." Nami said as she threw the key towards Luffy.
"Great. The key to the cage!" Luffy cheered as he sat up. "Did you go steal it for me? Thanks Nami."
"You actually said her name that time." I said as I leaned back against the porch. I then watched the dog step towards the key.
"I only did it so that we'd be even, and now I don't owe anything so we're square, okay?" Nami stated.
"Yeah, sure." Luffy agreed as he reached for the key. Before he could grab it the dog ate it. I snorted slightly before letting out a huge laugh. Everyone began glaring at the dog as I laughed. In seconds Luffy had grabbed the dog by the neck and was shaking him.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid dog. Give it back. That's not food!" Luffy yelled as he shook the dog. "Give me my key! Give it! Give it! Give it! Give it! Give it!"
"Hey! Stop that!" I stopped laughing and turned to see a man standing down the street. He had white hair, a pair of glasses, and looked battle ready."Stop picking on poor Chouchou! Leave him alone." The man ordered. Luffy stopped yelling as the dog barked at him a few more times.
"Who might you be old man?" Zoro grumbled.
"Old man? Why I'm the Mayor of this town. Who are you and why are you hurting Chouchou?" The man questioned. He stopped his declaration to look down at Zoro, noticing his wound and then the blood on my hands from my palm. "My, my. That's quite an injury you have there. I take it you had a run in with Captain Buggy. We need to get you to a doctor."
The Mayor then took Zoro over to a building nearby. I tagged along and made sure Zoro didn't collapse again. Once Zoro was asleep the Mayor helped me wash my hands and cover the large cut in my palm. The cuts in my wrists weren't as much of a problem. I then followed the Mayor back out.
"How's Zoro?" Luffy asked once we got back over to him.
"I told him he really should see a doctor, but he insisted that he didn't need to and just wanted to sleep it off." The Mayor explained. I stood there for a moment before looking over at Chouchou as he yawned.
"So, this dog's name is Chouchou?" Nami asked as she stroked his head. I stepped over and took a seat on the other side of Chouchou, opposite Nami.
"Why's he just sitting there like that?" Luffy asked with a slight laugh. "He sure is a lazy dog."
"He's guarding the store." The Mayor declared. I looked over my shoulder at the store.
"He's guarding it?" Nami wondered.
"Yes." The Mayor answered.
"Oh, it's a pet food shop." Nami continued.
"That sounds like Luffy as a dog." I commented earning a laugh from Luffy.
"That's right, and the man who use to run this store was a very close friend of mine." The Mayor said. He then walked into the store and came out a minute later with a bowl of food. "There ya go." I moved out of the way as he set it down in front of Chouchou. "When he passed I assumed the responsibility of taking care of Chouchou."
"He died?" Nami asked as I reached forward and began petting Chouchou as he ate.
"Yes. Three months ago after fighting his illness for a very long time." The Mayor continued after he went back in to put the box of food away.
"Don't tell me he's been waiting for his master to return all this time." Nami wondered as the Mayor joined us back outside.
"That seems to be the consensus." The Mayor replied. He made sure to close the doors into the store before taking a seat on the edge of the porch. He then pulled out a pipe and lit it. "But I find that very hard to believe." The Mayor looked down at Chouchou as he continued to chow down. "Chouchou is a smart dog. He's probably known for awhile that his master isn't coming back." I backed away from Chouchou and pulled my knees to my chest as he finished eating.
"Then why does he stay here at the store?" Nami questioned.
"I guess because he has a connection to it. It's his… treasure. He's guarding it." The Mayor explained before taking a breath from his pipe. "His master left him with this shop, and that's why he protects it. I've tried bringing him back to my place so he won't be out in the elements, but he won't take so much as a step away from here." Everyone waited in silence for a moment before Chouchou picked up his bowl and carried it to the Mayor. He set it down and then returned to his spot.
Not soon after that the street began to shake as something big sounded like it was walking towards us. A low roar bellowed from down the street. I pushed myself to my feet, Nami quickly following. We both turned and looked down the road.
"What that sound?" Nami asked. The Mayor suddenly jumped up and with a terrified expression. Then he appeared between Nami and I.
"It's him! Beast Tamer Mohji. We gotta go! Run!" The Mayor yelled.
"What's going on?" I questioned.
"What do you mean by beast tamer?" Nami said as the footsteps got closer.
"Wait!" I called as we both quickly took off after the Mayor as he continued to yell at us. We called for him to wait, but he continued to run on ahead of us.
"Hold on." Nami added to no avail.
"What about Luffy?" I asked as I tried to catch up to the terrified Mayor.
"I'm sure he can handle himself." Nami replied as she caught up to me. Suddenly there was a loud crash, much different than the stomping. We all came to a stop and waited a moment.
"Come on!" The Mayor yelled as he took off once again, still in a panic.
"Wait up!" Nami yelled back as we tried to follow him. I quickly grabbed Nami's arm as I heard Luffy's voice. Together we walked around a few buildings to come across one that was completely demolished, Luffy sitting in its center and no longer in a cage.
"How did you survive that attack?" Nami questioned.
"You're alive?" The Mayor asked in astonishment as he walked into the same area.
"Just got lucky, I guess." Luffy replied.
"Or it's because you're rubber?" I suggested quietly.
"Or that." Luffy added, pointing a thumb towards me.
"Surviving an attack like that isn't normal. I figured you'd be scattered all over." Nami declared.
"It's not normal?" Luffy said as he stood up.
"Why exactly did you decide to come to this town? And how'd you get involved with those pirates?" The Mayor questioned.
"All I'm doing is searching for a chart of the Grand Line and a good navigator to join my pirate crew." Luffy explained as he started walking away. "I think that guy in the animal suit said he was looking for Zoro, so I gotta go." Luffy called back as he started running.
"Come on, let's go." I said, nodding towards where Luffy went. Before I could walk away Nami grabbed my wrist.
"What if we didn't and say we did?" Nami suggested, a fake smile across her lips.
"What about Chouchou?" I declared sternly, catching Nami's attention. We stood there for a moment our eyes locked together.
There were several crashes and I then I smelled smoke. We both turned and looked up to see smoke not to far away and we took off running. By the time we got there it was too late. The pet food store was gone, in a pile of burned debris. Chouchou sat looking at it and he seemed pretty beat up.
"Pirates are all the same. They're all just a bunch of heartless bastards. They destroy anything that people hold dear without giving it a second thought." Nami stated. I looked over at her for a moment before noticing Luffy walk into the area. "Oh, you're alive pirate! Y'know I thought for sure that lion was going to tear your head off and end it all, and I wish he had cause then there would be one less pirate in the world. Maybe I should kill you right now before you can gather a crew and destroy everything else." Nami took off running towards Luffy and I quickly stopped her as the Mayor did the same.
"Now, now. There's no need for violence." The Mayor grunted as he tried to restrain Nami.
"As if you could ever kill me." Luffy declared.
"Well, maybe, I'll try it and see!" Nami cried out. Nami launched forward slightly and I quickly grabbed her left arm and twisted it so that it was pressed against her back. The Mayor let go as Nami glared back at me. "Maybe I'll do the same to you." Nami said as I kept my face blank.
"I said stop. What's with you people?" The Mayor questioned as we watched Luffy. Luffy walked up to Chouchou and set what must have been the last box from the store in front of the dog.
"Not all pirates are heartless." I whispered to Nami as she stopped struggling and looked at Luffy stunned along with the Mayor. I then let go and walked over to join Luffy as he sat next to Chouchou. I took a seat on the other side of Chouchou. Luffy sighed and smiled down at the dog.
"Sorry, but that's all I could save for ya." Luffy explained as I reached over and stroked the dog's head. "That bastard lion ate all the rest of it… You fought well. 'Course I didn't actually see you defend the store, but I can tell you gave it your all." Luffy and I watched as Chouchou bit the top of the box of food and carried it away, stopping not too far away to bark back at Luffy. "Thanks. Good luck to you too, Doggy." Luffy grinned. Chouchou barked several more times before picking his box back up and leaving. I glanced back at Nami to see her smiling.
"Sorry about earlier." Nami said after a few minutes of silence. "I didn't mean to yell at you." Luffy turned and smiled up at her.
"That's okay. You've been under a lot of stress lately." Luffy replied as he stood back up. He offered a hand down and pulled me up to my feet next to him. "But hey, no need to apologize."
"I'm pathetic. Chouchou and this young one have fought so hard and yet I, the Mayor, have done nothing but sit back and watch our town be obliterated by Buggy and his despicable crew." The Mayor suddenly announced. We all quickly ran over to see what he was going on about.
"Calm down. It's not that bad." Nami tried to reassure the Mayor.
"Forty years ago this whole area was nothing but barren, rugged land. We all worked together to create fields for our crops. We opened stores and built everything from the ground up. This town is a treasure to me and all it's citizens. From here on out I refuse to let Buggy and his crew terrorize us anymore!" The Mayor declared. Not even a second later, we watched as what must have been another Buggy Ball went off, destroying more of the town. It was honestly way scarier when you were in town and not next to the cannon itself. "He'll destroy it all." The Mayor mumbled as he looked down at the ground.
"Oh no!" I shouted, noticing how close to the blast zone we were.
"AHHHHH! Zoro was sleeping in there!" Luffy yelled as we looked at the newly destroyed stripe of town.
"I'm sure he's dead now." The Mayor grumbled.
"Zoro? You in there? Are you still alive?" Luffy asked in a panic.
"That was one hell of a way to wake a guy up." I heard someone mumble. This caused Luffy to begin laughing. "I could have used a few more Zs." Zoro complained.
"How did you survive that blast?" Nami questioned.
"I was wondering the same thing." I mumbled under my breath.
"Oh, right! You're alive!" Luffy cheered.
"I refuse to let him get away with this. I won't stand for it. I can't let this scumbag destroy all that the townspeople have worked for this last forty years." The Mayor declared. "I am the Mayor of this town. I will protect it and it's inhabitants. I swear! To my dying breath!" The Mayor then started to leave, but Nami quickly caught him.
"Stop. You can't defeat Buggy." Nami announced.
"Perhaps, but there are some fights that a man can't run from." The Mayor continued. Nami struggled to keep him back. "Isn't that right?"
"That's right, Old Man." Luffy replied.
"Shut up! Don't egg him on Luffy. It's dangerous for him to fight Buggy." Nami yelled as she pulled the Mayor back.
"It'd be dangerous not to fight him." I commented just loud enough for Luffy to hear.
"I know it's dangerous!" The Mayor shouted. Nami let go in shock and in seconds the Mayor was running off. "I'm coming for you, Buggy the Clown!"
"The Mayor was crying." Nami told us.
"He was?" Luffy asked before shrugging. "I didn't notice."
"That's a little insensitive, don't you think?" I mentioned to Luffy, but only got another shrug.
"Looks like the party is getting more exciting." Zoro stated as he got up.
"Sure does." Luffy laughed.
"This is no time for laughter." Nami said, her voice panicked.
"Don't worry." Luffy began as he turned to Nami. "I started to grow fond of that Old Man. There's no way I'd let him die." Luffy grinned.
"Well in that case." Zoro said as he joined us.
"You're gonna go too?" Nami questioned Zoro. "You're wounded."
"You also got hit by a Buggy Ball." I added as he tied on his bandana.
"Yeah, so what? The injury to my reputation's a lot worse than the injury to my gut." Zoro declared.
"Well, if we want to get to the Grand Line we better go steal that chart back." Luffy stated.
"Sounds like a plan." I said as I crossed my arms.
"Are you gonna join our crew or what? Huh?" Luffy asked, turning to face Nami. "Come on." Luffy stuck his hand out towards Nami.
"I'd never sink so low as to become a pirate." Nami stated before swinging her hand forward to slap Luffy's hand. "But I suppose we could team up, in order to achieve our common goal." Luffy smiled and started laughing like he usually did.
Together the four of us made our way through the streets after the Mayor. Upon arriving we found the Mayor being lifted off the ground, Buggy's right hand around his neck. Luffy moved first. He pulled the hand off the Mayor and set him back on the ground, holding the two apart. The Mayor dropped to his knees and his head fell back, but Luffy held him up by his collar.
"That straw hat! Not again!" Buggy exclaimed.
"I'm here to kick your ass. Just like I promised I would, Buggy." Luffy stated.
Here ya go.
New day, new chapter.
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