Lambo walks lazily on top of a roof top several buildings away from the giant trial of smoke that snaked its way towards the sky behind him.
"That was certainly interesting.", Lambo mumbles to himself, "I wonder who those three are? Hope they got out okay.
A small pang went through his right hand, the source coming from his pointer finger, from his Vongola ring. Lambo rubbed at the finger and his hand to sooth the pain then began playing with the ring itself, traveling deep in his thoughts as he traveled from roof top to roof top.
"I should probably contact the boss.", he mumbles as he twisted the ring around his finger, "Tell him what happened."
Lambo pauses in his place, before sighing, his hands falling to his side.
'I should go check to see if those three survived first.', Lambo thinks to himself.
Besides, he already stepped in to help, might as well go find them and check up on them to see how they are. Maybe even help a little more. Not to mention Tsuna and the others wouldn't want to be bothered with this kind of thing any way. They're still busy preparing for the gala in two weeks.
With that, Lambo immediately spun on his heels and speed walk back the way he came, circling the area of destruction for the odd trio he wanted to help, for some reason.
After several minutes of searching, Lambo found Zoro and Luffy, Zoro sitting against a store's patio and Luffy, still in his cage, staring at a small white stoic dog, standing guard in front of the store.
"I wonder if he's dead?", Luffy asks out loud, looking like he wanted to poke the dog.
"Yo~ Luffy, was it?", Lambo called out making his presence known, leaning casually on top of the cage, "Whatever you're thinking about doing, I wouldn't if I were you."
"Oh hey. You're that guy that helped us out earlier.", Luffy says, looking up at Lambo, "What's your name?"
"Yep, that was me.", Lambo said, lazily popping the 'p' at the end, "My name is Lambo."
"Cool, thanks for helping us out Lambo!", Luffy said with a big smile.
Lambo nods, "Sure, just don't go poking random dogs you meet on the streets."
Ignoring Lambo's warning, Luffy went back to staring at the weird dog and poked the dog on the forehead. Hard.
Suddenly the dog leapt at the boy and started to try, and mostly succeeded, to bite Luffy's face off.
Zoro and Lambo stared at Luffy and the dog in shock, Lambo wisely taking several steps away from the two.
Luffy shaking the cage, causing it to jump and rattle while the dog mercilessly attacked the boy.
"Luffy! Would you quit goofing around and get serious!?", Zoro shouts before groaning and then falling to the ground in exhaustion.
Luffy fell back in his cage in a similar state.
"Damn, dog.", Luffy groans out quietly.
"I don't feel good.", Zoro says breathlessly.
"Yare yare, don't tell me you dragged him all the way over here with that injury?", Lambo sates rather than question, hidden worry from his bored tone.
The blood stain that has grown increasingly large on Zoro's side and his exhausted state was answer enough.
Lambo's head perked up at the sound of heels to see Nami looking down at Luffy and Zoro curiously.
"Don't ask.", Lambo sighs, shaking his head at the two.
"Oh, it's you.", Nami said in surprise, "You made it out...uh..."
"Lambo.", he introduced himself.
"Nami.", the girl introduced herself as well.
"Oh, hi navigator.", Luffy says cheerfully.
"...navigator...?", Lambo mumbles in confusion, staring down at Luffy.
Are they in the same crew or something?
Nami just smiles and fiddles inside her pockets.
"I guess you can have this.", she said tossing something in front of Luffy, "You got me out of a pretty sticky situation."
A rusty silver key landed on the pavement.
"Great the key to the cage! Did you go and steal it for me? Thanks Nami!", Luffy exclaims cheerfully.
"I only did it so we'd be even.", Nami said nonchalantly, "Now I don't owe you anything, so we're square, okay?"
Zoro sat up with a smirk and a chuckle, Lambo just crossed his arms and looked away, hiding his smile.
Before Luffy could grab the key, a white blur snatched it up first. Luffy gaped as the white dog from earlier visibly swallowed the key, successfully eating it.
"Eh?", Lambo said in surprise as a small sweat trailed down the side of his face as he stared at the dog dumbfounded.
Luffy starts growling as he frantically shakes the dog screaming unintelligible things, most likely telling the dog to spit it out or something.
"Luffy, stop strangling the animal.", Lambo says irritably, his eye twitching.
"Hey! Stop it!", Lambo whirled around to face a man wearing wooden armor, white hair and green circular glasses rushing in their direction, "Stop picking on poor Chou-Chou right now!"
"Huh? And who might you be old man?", Zoro asks, eyes narrowed warily at the newcomer.
"Old man? Why I'm the mayor of this town!", the man, mayor, said proudly, "Who are you and why are you hurting Chou-Chou?"
That's when the mayor noticed Zoro's wound.
"My my, that's quite the injury you have there.", the mayor states, calmer now then earlier, "I take it you had a run in with Captain Buggy. We need to get you to a doctor."
Later, the mayor exits a building where he brought Zoro to treat him.
"Is Zoro going to be, okay?", Luffy asks worriedly.
"I told him he should really see a doctor but he insisted that he just needed rest and to sleep it off.", the mayor informs him.
Dog yawned and allowed Nami to pet him, Lambo thought it'd be wiser to keep his distance, even though he wasn't an aggressor like Luffy was upon their first meeting. He just preferred to play it safe and keep his fingers and toes, his face too going off the dog's first instinct when attacking Luffy was the face.
"So, his name is Chou-Chou?", Nami asked curiously.
"Hehe, why is he just sitting there like that?", Luffy asks nonchalantly with his usual smile, "He sure is a lazy dog."
"He's guarding the store.", the mayor told them.
"He's guarding it?", Nami repeated it.
"Yes."
Nami turned around and realization dawned on her.
"Oh... I see. It's a pet food shop!", she exclaimed.
"Hmm...", Lambo hummed in agreement, leaning on one of the poles in the front, head eyes staring down at the floor out of habit.
"That's right.", the mayor confirmed, heading inside the store, "And the man that used to run this store was a really dear friend of mine."
Not to long later, the mayor came back out with a bowl filled with dog food, placing it carefully in front of Chou-Chou.
"There you go.", the mayor said caringly.
Chou-Chou started digging into the food the moment it was in front of him.
'There you go!', a cheerful female voice rang in Lambo's ears, a gentle hand patted his afro, cut closer to his head than when he was a young kid, fondly while placing a plate filled with nice warm food in front of the child.
Lambo's eyes glittered as he gleefully ate the food on the plate, avoiding the cooked vegetables as if they were the plague.
'All done!', Lambo exclaimed cheerfully.
'Oh no you're not young man.', the voice playfully scolded, he could just see the person place their hands on their hips' in authority, but her posture had a playfulness mixed in it as well.
'You did not eat your vegetables young man.'
'But I don't wanna~!', Lambo whined, covering his lips with his small hands to hide the ever-growing smile on his lips.
'Oh, you don't wanna eh?'
Immediately Lambo's sides were attacked by wiggly fingers moving up and down his sides, causing him to fall back into the person's arms as the tickled him breathless, both laughing the entire time.
"When he passed, I assumed the responsibility of taking care of Chou-Chou.", the mayor said, starring down at the dog sadly.
"Did he pass?", Lambo asked carefully, quietly.
"Yes.", the mayor stood back up, picking up the dog food with him so he could put it back away inside the store, "Three months ago after fighting his illness for a very long time."
"Don't tell me that he's been waiting for his master the entire time?", Nami questioned sadly.
"That seems to be the consensus."
"Huh."
The mayor settled himself down on the porch, taking a pipe out of his pocket and placing it in his mouth. Smoking the pipe as he gathered his thoughts before speaking again.
"But I find that hard to believe.", the mayor told them somberly, "Chou-Chou is a smart dog. He's probably known for a while now that his master isn't coming back."
Lambo watched emotionlessly out of the corner of his eyes, Chou-Chou licking the last bits of his food from the bowl. The usual neutral line his lips rested in, tightened.
"Then why does he stay here at the store?", Nami asks.
"I guess it's because he has a connection to it. It's his treasure. He's guarding it.", the mayor answers before taking another drag from his pipe and exhaling the smoke out of his mouth, "His master left him with the shop, so that's why he protects it. I've tried to take him back to my place, get him out of the elements, but he wouldn't budge."
Lambo stared down at the dog, his heart giving out a pang as he couldn't help but empathize with the poor dog. Reminding him of something he forgot a while ago.
Lambo was brought back to the present when Chou-Chou picked up the empty bowl, and placed it carefully in front of the mayor with a small clatter. Which then continued to clatter and shake as heavy footfalls surrounded the area, causing the floor beneath them began to shake and tremble. Lambo could hear low growls and hisses as the thing, the beast, drew nearer to the group's destination.
"What's that sound?", Nami asked in shock, eyes wide.
"It's him! Beast Tamer Moji! Run!", The mayor, jumping back to his feet.
Both Nami and the mayor began to panic as the two ran away, ending up dragging Lambo away with them. He wasn't against it.
He was more on auto-pilot mode after listening to Chou-Chou's story.
'UGH! I don't get it!', Lambo shouts in frustration, slamming his head down on the table, shouting more words, but they were muffled from the table's surface.
An amused chuckle came from above him as a soft hand petted his curls, smoothing them out and bunching them back together.
'Why do I need to know Spanish anyway? I already know English and Italian.', Lambo whined, tears of frustration pricked the corner of his eyes, 'I don't need a third language.'
The person giggled again.
'I thought you said you would show them how much you changed?', the person said, the voice the same as from the last flashback, 'You can't do that with failing grades.'
'I can't really do it if they refuse to look at my report cards either.', Lambo grouchily, crossing his arms over his chest.
'You knew it wasn't going to be easy Lambo. Don't give up, or you'll just turn back to the little brat you were two years ago.', the person scolded lightly, encouraging him to continue forward.
'How can I grow if they won't let me?', Lambo asked with a sniffle, 'I understood it would be hard when I made the decision, they're just making it harder than it usually would be. It's not fair!'
Lambo curled into a small ball as arms wrapped around him and pull him close. Shushing him soothingly as she pets his hair and cheek.
'I know. I know.', she hushes his hiccups and sniffles as he struggles to calm down, 'Life isn't fair, that's one of the sadder parts of living, but fighting back, pushing to your goals, despite the odds, just shows what kind of character you have. It shows how strong you are.'
Ten-year-old Lambo sniffles as he finally calms down.
'Really?', he asks hopefully.
'Really.', the person gave him a soft bright smile, 'How about, whenever you receive your report cards, we'll look over them together here in the library, after school in our usual spot. We can got celebrate together, or we'll cry and work even harder together. Sounds good?'
Lambo smiles, snuggling close, 'Yes, thank you Ms. Motina.'
Lambo jumped in surprise at the sound of a giant crash, Nami and the mayor rushed ahead, leaving Lambo behind this time.
"What's going on?", he mumbles to himself before following.
"YOU'RE ALIVE!?", Lambo hears the mayor shriek as he found Nami and the mayor staring at an unscathed Luffy, finally free from his cage, in a middle of a giant wreckage.
"Just got lucky I guess.", Luffy replies nonchalantly.
Lambo huffs, hiding his growing laughter, "I just met you today, but you're definitely something else Luffy."
"Surviving an attack like that isn't normal.", Nami protested, "I thought I'd find you scattered all over!"
"Don't come to my house then. My famiglia is full of monsters that could easily survive that just like him.", Lambo says boridly, scratching his cheek.
Nami paused before whirling to Lambo.
"WHAT KIND OF FAMILY DO YOU HAVE!", Nami shrieks.
Lambo shrugs, unaffected, "Not a normal one obviously."
"Not normal?", Luffy repeats, brushing himself off.
"Why exactly did you decide to come to this town? And how did you run into those pirates?", the mayor demanded.
"All I'm doing is looking for a chart for the Grand Line and a good Navigator to join my pirate crew.", Luffy states nonchalantly with a smile before walking away.
"I think I heard that guy in the weird animal suite said he was looking for Zoro so I gotta go!", Luffy shouts back at the trio as he ran back to where he came, more like flew from.
Lambo turns to Nami with a raised brow, "He's a pirate?"
"...Yeah.", Nami said distractedly, still staring at Luffy's retreating figure.
"I'm guessing that Zoro is already a part of the crew and that he wants you to join as the Navigator?"
"Uh-huh."
Interesting, Lambo didn't see this coming. He just decided to help the group out on a whim. He didn't know he helped save another pirate crew. Lambo somehow found himself knee deep in trouble, but he can't seem to have the heart to care.
…...
The moment Lambo's eyes fell upon the sad pitiful figure of Chou-Chou mourning over the loss of his treasure. His eyes widened, eyes shrunk and shook with held back emotion, his right hand clenched to a fist while his left trailed to the cow-horn pendant hanging on top of his collar bone.
Clutching it gently, but tight enough that he could feel it biting into his skin. Tight enough, so he knew that it was still there, that he didn't lose it, that none of his famiglia stole it as some sort of prank. That it was still there, a symbol of his promise that he forgot long ago.
Lambo stared at the small rectangular box that sat in his lap, fiddling with it, turning it over and over in his hands, or sometimes he would play with the emerald green ribbon that kept it shut, careful to not pull at it so the bow would come undone.
'Aren't you going to open it?'
Lambo shook his head, refusing to look at the decaying figure lying in the hospital bed.
'I don't deserve it.', he mumbled.
'What do you mean 'you don't deserve it'?', Ms. Motina chuckled weakly with a small smile, 'You've worked so hard to bring your grades to where they are today. You more than deserve that.'
'. . .', Lambo didn't answer, eyes avoiding her as much as possible.
'Sweetheart, what's wrong?', Ms. Motina asks worriedly with a tilt of her head.
'... Are you going to die?'
Ms. Motina reeled in shock at Lambo's unexpected question, before relaxing and began to think carefully over her next words.
'Why would you ask that?'
Lambo shifts uncomfortably in his chair, fingers tracing over the cow hide pattern decorating the box Ms. Motina gave to him as a gift. A reward for the straight A's he got on his report card at the end of the school year.
At least, that's what she told him.
He couldn't help but feel like it was a little something more than just a reward for his good grades.
'Gokudera said that no one has ever survived the illness.', Lambo finally looked up at the gaunt and weak looking woman.
Chocolate brown eyes meeting young Jade green ones.
Ms. Motina's once lively curly dark brown, almost black, hair, now hung limp on her shoulders, her darkly tanned sun kissed skin, now pasty and pale, and instead of the usual sunny gold sundress she would wear, now replaced with a hospital gown.
But her smile, no matter how small, weak, or tired it seems, holds the same warmth, whenever directed in Lambo's direction.
'Does that mean you're going to die?'
Ms. Motina's gaze turned sad as she slowly nodded.
'Yes.'
It was barely a moment after she said those words that Lambo leapt into her arms, sobbing loudly for the loss that he'll no doubt have to endure.
"I-I don't w-w-want you to go...", Lambo manages to say between his sobs, sniffles, and hiccups, 'Ple-ease s-s-stay with me...'
Ms. Motina held him tightly.
It wasn't until Lambo felt an unfamiliar weight on his neck that he pulled back to look at her and down at his neck where the unfamiliar object rested.
It was a short necklace with a large cow horn pendant hanging at the end.
'Let this symbolize our hard work. As well as a promise I want you to make for me.', Ms. Motina said seriously, but gently as she gently cupped Lambo's cheek, wiping away his tears.
'O-okay...'
'I want you to promise me, that no matter what, you'll find another to help you achieve your goals. Whatever your goals may be, now or in the future, I want you to find someone who will believe in you and always have faith in your skills, just like I do. Who believes you can become strong.', Ms. Motina said earnestly, 'Promise me, won't you? Promise me you won't give up and find someone who will continue to support you in my place.'
Lambo nods determinedly, 'I promise.'
Ms. Motina pat his hair lovingly, a smile, clearly filled with adoration filled her tired features.
'Good boy.''
The two laid like that for what felt like forever, both falling into a comfortable peaceful slumber. A slumber that one of them would never awake from.
A loud beeping noise disturbed the silence as it rung continuously rung through the quiet hospital room.
Lambo's hand clenches, knuckles turning white as the handshakes from the force, he grits his teeth, just on the verge of grinding them into dust.
But his facial expression still looked bored, as if he wasn't bothered at all by the sight. As if he didn't remind him what Lambo was like when death took her from the world.
As if he didn't give a damn.
"This why I hate pirates.", Nami states, earning Lambo's attention, "They're all just a bunch of heartless bastards. They destroy everything people hold dear without giving it a second thought."
Lambo sighs, "Not everyone falls under the same category Nami. Even if they share the same title."
Nami ignores him as she stares hatefully at something besides Lambo. Following where she was starring, Lambo saw Luffy approach out of the corner of his eye.
"Oh, you're alive pirate.", Nami said spitefully, "You know, I thought for sure that 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!"
Luffy just stares at her with an unreadable expression.
"Maybe I should destroy you right now? Before you build a crew and destroy everything else!"
Nami rushes forward but the mayor holds her back, Lambo just stares at the scene before him, eyes vacant as he carefully goes through his thoughts over the situation. Unsure how to respond to Luffy's return and Nami's outburst.
"That's enough now.", the mayor tells her, trying to calm her down.
"As if you could kill me.", Luffy says seriously, walking away from the angry girl, a box in his hand.
"Maybe I'll try and see!", Nami screams.
"I said stop!", the mayor yells, "What's with you people!"
Lambo's eyes widened as he identifies the box in the older boy's hand as he stopped next to Chou-Chou.
This... he's never met any other pirate, no, person who's like this before. Not even Tsuna would do something like this. Not for someone he just met, not to get something as small, to him, as that.
Lambo has never met someone who would fight a giant man-eating lion, just to get a box of dog food for some dog they just met that day.
No, Lambo thinks shaking his head in awe at Straw Hat. It's not a box of dog food, he retrieved, Luffy brought back the last piece of a Chou-Chou's treasure.
Luffy places the box in front of the unmoving dog, both the mayor and Nami frozen in place at the sight. Then, without saying a word, Luffy sits down right next to Chou-Chou with a sigh.
"Sorry, but that's all I could save for yah, that bastard lion ate all the rest of it.", Luffy told the dog.
The Vongola ring burned for a moment, causing the young Guardian to shake his hand in a mute attempt to ride himself of the pain quicker before turning to face Nami. Gauging her reaction, he could tell that Nami was slowly starting to understand what Luffy just did.
Lambo huffs as he looks away, staring at the direction that the decimated Buggy base was. If this Moji the Beast Tamer survived, no doubt most of the others, especially the top-ranking crew members, survived the blast as well. No matter how mind boggling that is.
This means more may come for them if they don't, Lambo shakes his head quickly, if he doesn't contact Tsuna and get off the island as soon as possible.
Lambo felt a pull on his heart, causing a hand to reach up and touch his special pendant while eyeing Luffy and the wounded dog sit together comfortable in blissful silence.
Or, he could always stick around. Watch Luffy go teach Buggy and crew a lesson or two. Someone from out of town and not part of Luffy's crew should watch the novice captain kick Buggy's ass.
Who knows, maybe Lambo would join in on the fun if he thought himself to be up to the task.
"You fought well.", Luffy told Chou-Chou proudly, "Of course I didn't actually see your fight. But I could tell that you gave it your all."
Chou-Chou grabbed the beat-up box of dog food and walked away from Luffy and the remains of the pet store. Just before he left the square though, Chou-Chou dropped the box and started barking at Luffy.
Luffy turns, smiling widely while giving a little laugh, "Thanks, good luck to you too doggy!"
The white dog barked some more before picking up the box again and leaving for real, Barking goodbye.
The group all stood at a standstill, all stuck deep in their own thoughts.
Lambo's hand brushed over his pendant as he thought over the promise he made. It's been five years, and he has forgotten it till now, much less keeping it.
"Sorry about earlier.", Lambo's head popped up at the sound of Nami's voice, finally noticing that she had just made her way to standing next to Luffy.
"I didn't mean to yell at you.", Nami finished her apology.
Luffy lifted his head to give her a bright smile.
"It's okay, you've been under a lot of stress lately.", Luffy says understandingly, immediately forgiving the ginger as he got back up to his feet, "But hey, no need to apologize."
Lambo couldn't help the small smile that overtook his features for a moment as he shook his head at Luffy amusedly. This guy is definitely something else.
"I'm pathetic!", the mayor yells, though it sounded more like a growl, startling Lambo, causing him to jump in surprise, "Chou-Chou and the 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!"
Luffy and Nami run to rejoin Lambo and the mayor, both staring at the older man in shock by his outbursts.
"Calm down! It's not that bad!", Nami tries to placate him.
The Lightning Guardian doubted she would succeed; he could tell that the mayor's mind was made up. He has the same look in his eye as Tsuna does when he fights to protect Vongola or, more specifically, his loved and cherished ones the organization holds.
"Forty years ago, this area was nothing but barren ruggy land.", the mayor begins to tell the town's tale, "We all worked together to create fields for our crops. We opened stores and built everything from the ground up."
Lambo stares at the man with wide eyes, unsure on how to move forward with everything that has happened.
"This town is a treasure to me and all its citizens!", the mayor loudly proclaimed, "From here on out, I refuse to let Buggy and his crew terrorize us anymore!"
Should he stay or should he run?
Suddenly, a bright light consumed the land, as the ground beneath them began to tremble followed by a loud explosion. Lambo could hear the destruction of more houses, buildings and landscapes from another Buggy ball being fired upon the town.
Once everything cleared back up, Lambo opened his eyes to see mass destruction in front of the group.
"He'll...destroy it all.", the mayor said, grief and shock on his features.
"Aaahhhh! Zoro was sleeping in there!", Luffy exclaims in worried.
"Caro Dio.", Lambo mumbles in shock, his ring burning, his heart heavy.
There was no way the swordsman survived that blast.
"I'm sure he's dead now.", the mayor repeated Lambo's thoughts outloud.
"Zoro you in there!?", Luffy exclaims, stubbornly refusing to believe his crewmate is dead, "Are you still alive?"
"That's on hell of a way to wake a guy up.", a familiar deep voice said from the wreckage.
Then again, Buggy and his crew, most of them at least, survived the buggy ball at point blank. At this point Lambo is starting to think that the Buggy ball isn't lethal and just destroys things.
Lambo sighs in relief, closing his eyes, hiding the swirling emotions he's feeling, while Luffy laughs gleefully at a grumpy person exiting the wreckage.
"I could've used a few more Zs.", Zoro groans.
Someone likes his naps, Lambo observes.
Nami just stared at the swordsman in shock, eyebrow twitching.
"How did you survive that blast?", Nami asked incredulously.
"Alright! Your alive!", Luffy exclaims happily.
"I refuse to let him get away with this.", the mayor grunts quietly.
"Hm?", Lambo raised a lazy brow towards the older male.
"I won't stand for it.", the mayor practically spits out, "I can't let that scumbag destroy all of my towns people work for the last forty years."
Lambo watches as the mayor makes his decision, stating it clearly for the others to hear.
"I am the mayor of this town.", the mayor growls out lowly, "I WILL PROTECT IT AND ITS INHABITANTS, I SWEAR, WITH MY DYING BREATH!"
The mayor tries to run forward, trying to get to where Buggy and his crew are stationed, but Nami desperately holds him back.
"You can't defeat Buggy!", Nami protests, trying to desperately convince him not to go.
"Perhaps.", the mayor grunts out, as he struggled against her grasp, "But there are some fights a man can't run from. Ain't that right?"
Luffy smile widens, "That's right old man!"
"Shut up!", Nami scolds the rugged looking teen, "Don't egg him on, it's dangerous if goes Luffy."
"I KNOW IT'S DANGEROUS!", the mayor shouts, causing Nami to freeze in shock.
Taking advantage of her frozen state, the mayor sprints towards where Buggy's stationed.
"I'M COMING FOR YOU BUGGY THE CLOWN!", the mayor shouts as he runs.
Lambo watches as the mayor runs down the path that'll lead him to his desired enemy, respect shining clearly in his eyes, a small smile forcing it's way on his twitching lips.
Barely a day spent with this bunch and they managed to pull two smiles on him. This is the most comfortable he's felt with a group of people for a while, despite not knowing them for very long.
"The mayor was...crying.", Nami mumbles with surprise.
"He was?", Luffy asked knowingly, "Huh, I didn't notice."
"Looks like the party's getting more exciting.", Zoro comments with interest.
Luffy laughs, "It sure does."
"This is no time for laughter.", Nami said worriedly, eyes still focused on the spot they last saw the mayor.
"Don't worry. I'm starting to grow fond of that old man. There's no way I'd let him die.", Luffy reassures the girl.
"Besides..." Lambo sighs wistfully, thinking back to his boss and the little he remembers Tsuna during his middle school years, "He reminds me of someone I used to know."
"Well, if that's the case.", Zoro says lightly, walking past Nami, who followed shakily behind.
"You're going to go to? You're wounded!", Nami protests.
Zoro ties the bandana on his arm securely around his head.
"Yeah, so what?", Zoro said uncaringly, "The injury to my pride is a lot worst to the injury to my gut."
"Well, if we're going to go to the Grand Line, we gotta steal that chart back.", Luffy says confidently, Nami starring at him in shock.
Lambo walks past the older girl too.
"Mind if I tag along?", Lambo asks the pirate captain, "I may not offer a lot in terms of strength, but I'll give it my all if you'll allow me."
Luffy laughs with a closed eye smile, "Let's get going then, welcome to the crew!"
.
.
.
"Huh?", Lambo said in confusion before turning to Zoro, "Did I hear him right? I just asked him to join the fight not his crew."
Zoro shrugs with a knowing smirk, "Tell him that."
Lambo sweat drops at Zoro's smug expression.
"Why do I have a feeling that I just dug myself a hole I won't be able to crawl out of?", Lambo deadpans.
He had no idea how right he was.
…...
Lambo stood, or rather slouched, between Zoro and Nami, the swords man on his right and the navigator on his left, watching with satisfaction at the anger in surprise on Buggy's face upon Luffy's entrance, saving the mayor for the clown pirate's chokehold.
"I'm here to kick your ass just like I promised I would Buggy.", Luffy declared with his usual wide toothy grin on his face.