Italics Indicate Thinking

Bold is For Attacks

Steve's POV

We had been walking for a while when we finally got far enough to feel safe.

"This is it I can't go any farther" Zoro groaned as gave up dragging Luffy's prison.

I decided to take a break as well and took a seat atop the cage holding Luffy.

"Please don't sit on my head." Luffy begged

"To bad this is what you get for getting stuck in this thing in the first place."

"Oh look a doggie."

I looked down and saw there was a small cream-colored dog sitting in front of Luffy's cage.

"Will you stay focused Luffy, we need to find a way to get you out of this cage. You can play with the dog later."

But Luffy disregarded me and kept poking at the dog which only made the thing angry, so angry that it bit him.

"Ahh it bit me!" screamed Luffy.

"What did you expect you were poking it in the face? Will you get serious for a minute?" I said scolding my friend.

I looked around to see the state of my team. Zoro was barely conscious, Luffy was tired from his scrap with the dog and I was mentally drained from trying to find a way to free Luffy and figure out why Buggy was so familiar to me. I had given up and decided to rest for now and think a way out of this mess later.

"What are you guys doing? If you sit in the middle of the road like that Buggy will find you for sure." I looked up and saw the orange haired girl from earlier.

"It's our navigator" Luffy said noticing her presence.

She then got very defensive and said that she wasn't here to join us just repay a debt. She threw a key on the ground.

"What's that?" I asked.

"The key to your friend's cell. Consider us even."

We all thanked the women for her generosity. I went to pick up the key so that I could free Luffy when disaster struck.

"YOU DAMN DOG!" "NO THE KEY!"

Sure, enough the dog ate the key to Luffy's cage. Needless to say, Luffy was not happy about being trapped in the cage any longer and took his frustrations out on the dog.

"Luffy don't hit the dog that's not nice."

"But he ate the key now I'm stuck in here." Luffy kept trying to choke the dog out in an attempt to get the key back when someone began yelling at him for abusing the poor animal.

"Hey you don't hurt ChouChou." said a man dressed in some form of crude wooden armor.

"Who are you mister?" Zoro asked the man.

"I'm the Chief of this village, the Mayor, Boodle."

"On the topic of introductions, I'm afraid I still don't know your name Miss" I said addressing the orange haired girl.

"I'm Nami." she replied.

"I hate to continue to bother you Mr. Mayor sir, but do you have a place I can put my friend so that he can rest." I pointed to the half-conscious Zoro who needed to have his wounds looked at.

"Oh dear he's in bad shape," The Mayor observed "bring him here he can stay at my house."

LATER

After carrying Zoro into The Mayor's house and getting him settled in bed I went back outside to converse with Boodle, Nami, and Luffy. I really needed some relief. I was glad that Zoro was asleep I was sick of fighting with the guy. First he carries the cage despite his injuries and then refuses to have them looked at properly and insist he'll just ""sleep it off."

Being a Pirate is a lot more stressful than I thought.

"Why are you here anyway?" Luffy asked The Mayor.

"I came to feed Chou-Chou" he said walking up to the dog.

"Why do you come all the way out here to feed a dog why not just take him home with you?" I asked

"It's because he won't stop guarding the store."

"I'm afraid I don't understand" I said perplexed.

"Well you see this store is owed by a friend of mine as is Chou-Chou. He's guarding the store because it holds many precious memories. Just look at the scares and wounds on his body they show that he's been fighting the pirates to protect the store." The Mayor said giving a long winded answer.

"Why doesn't the owner just come protect the store himself why make his poor dog do it for him. If he's just at the shelter than he can come do it himself." Nami spoke.

She's right who makes their dog defend something without helping themselves.

"No, I'm afraid that the owner has already moved on to the world beyond this one." Boodle explained with a look of sorrow covering his face.

"So is the dog just trying to fulfill the last task he was given, to protect the store?" I asked.

"That's what a lot of the villagers say, but I see it a different way I think he knows his master won't be coming back but he guards the store because it's important to him, it's his treasure."

Suddenly an earsplitting roar shook the very air.

"What was that?!" Nami screamed.

"It's the Beast Tamer Mohji! We gotta get outta here." Boodle said running away with Nami.

I wasn't gonna leave Luffy behind so I tried pushing the cage so we could both get out of there.

"Just leave me, I'm slowing you down."

"NO! I won't leave my friend behind to save myself. No true friend would abandon someone they care about in a time of need." I yelled.

"It's my own fault I'm the one who got myself stuck just go so I don't hold you back. I don't want you to get hurt because you were trying to help me." Luffy fought back.

"I'm not leaving and that's final." He didn't say another word.

"Well look what I found" said a man riding a large lion "sucks to be you to get caught anyway even after all that running."

"What's with that weird hat?" Luffy insulted.

"This is my natural hair!" the man screamed back at him.

The man stared rambling about being the great animal tamer Mohji and attempted to demonstrate his skills on Chou-Chou. "Now shake."

*BITE*

"OWWWW!"

"Tell me where Zoro is" he commanded acting as if he hadn't just been mauled by Chou-Chou.

"I don't wanna." Luffy spoke acting like a child.

"KILL HIM RICHIE!" Mohji screamed.

In a stroke of pure luck the attack missed Luffy and shattered his iron prison, but Luffy still got sent flying across the town. Mohji then turned his attention towards me

"Come on Richie before you eat finish the job and take this guy down"

"You got lucky fur-guy. If Luffy wasn't in that cage he would've kicked your ass."

"GAHH! What did you just say?! Richie tear him to pieces!"

I got ready for a fight as the lion charged right at me.

"I'll show you how to tame a beast." I taunted, "Whip Crack!"

I struck the lion directly in the side but the creature barely flinched.

"What the hell! How did it barely feel that? I've swung hard enough to shatter stone!"

Thinking back why didn't I just crush the cage so I could free Luffy?!

"You'll find that Richie is a very brave lion who takes commands for no one but me. Now Richie crush him!"

I'm in a bad spot here I can't get the oversized housecat to back down.

"UGGHH' I groaned as a claw collided with my side and I slide across the ground. In the distance I heard barking. I looked up and saw that Chou-Chou was attempting to defend his store but wasn't fairing any better than I had. I wanted to get up and try and help the poor thing but I couldn't move no matter how hard I tried. That poor dog was being ripped to shreds and there was nothing I could do to help it.

So, this is what being helpless feels like. Dammit I'm stronger than this…

LATER

Mohji and Richie walked away from what was left of the store with their prize in hand as I sat there thinking. By the time I was even able to sit up they were long gone.

"What happened to you?" I heard I voice I recognized as Luffy's ask me. "I don't wanna talk about it."

"You sound like Zoro now, just doing your own thing not listening to anybody."

"Since when are you the one who lectures me," I joked still not even having turned to face my friend "Just take care of it."

"I was going to do that anyway. I'll be back soon." he said walking away.

It wasn't long before Nami and The Mayor showed up and saw the burning pile of ashes that had been the pet store.

I turned to face The Mayor "I'm sorry this place was destroyed because of me."

"Just like pirates to destroy everything others hold dear" Nami said insulting a whole way of life.

"Shut up" I said calmly "you don't understand anything."

"Oh and look here's his partner in crime" She said alerting me to Luffy's return "come to help your friend destroy more of this town."

Luffy said nothing and walked past Nami and up to Chou-Chou. He placed a slightly charred and misshapen box in front of the dog

"I'm sorry this was all I could save that lion ate the rest."

"It's fine" I told him "It never should've been taken to begin with this was my mistake and Buggy and his crew will pay for it. You fought well dog; you lasted longer than I did, so please let my fight the next battle for you."

At that our canine friend picked up his food and walked away sending one last bark my way "Thanks" I answered "I'll need all the support I can get if I'm gonna beat Buggy and reclaim your town."

AN

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Till Next Time!