The Opening Act

WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?!" Nami blared out in perplexity.

She, along with the swordsman, the dark haired girl, and the straw hatted boy still in his cage, were now making a run for it away from the Buggy pirates home base. Zoro had Luffy in his cage slung over his shoulder, heaving the massive structure by one of its bars.

The four ran down the cobble-stone streets of the abandoned town, before stopping to catch their breath.

"I think…we're far enough…!" Zoro gasped as he laid down Luffy and his cage down as gently as he could.

As the three pirates took their time, Nami thought now would be a good time to back out as slowly as she could. "Well, guys, thanks for the save, but I think I'll be on my way, so…"

The redhead didn't get far as a multitude of arms appeared on her body and clutched her tight, stopping her from leaving. "W-what the?!"

"Not so fast…" Tapping footsteps drew the thief back to the approaching dark haired girl, who was giving her a cold, hard glare. "I'd like to know exactly why you had my Luffy tied up and thrown into a cage by those savages."

"Your Luffy…?" Nami strained in the scholar's phantom limbs. She looked to the straw hatted boy, who was having his ropes undone through the bars by his first mate, then to the woman holding her in place without even touching her. "Wait! You mean you…and HIM…?!"

Robin tightened the grip on the girl, making her wince in pain slightly. "I didn't ask for your opinion of my love life, I asked why did you try to sacrifice Luffy?!"

"I was…trying to…gain Buggy's trust…!" Nami struggled to get her words out. "I was going…to steal…his treasure…!"

"So, you were going to let my Luffy get blown to bits for some berries?" Robin was not amused. She began to tighten her grasp on the redhead.

Nami cried out in pain. Any more tighter, and she was gonna snap!

"Robin, wait!" Luffy called out desperately. "It's not like that! She asked me for my help, and I gave it to her! She's my friend!"

Zoro had just finished undoing the last knot when his captain finished. "Say what, now? The girl tricks you, hands you over to a posse of insane clowns who wanted to shoot you with a cannon…and she's your friend?"

Luffy looked back to his first mate with a toothy grin. "She wasn't gonna let anything happen to me. I knew she wouldn't."

Out of all the things Nami expected the boy to say about her, that was certainly not it. He saw her as a friend? Really? After all she did to him?

Robin still had a frown on her face, but heaved a sigh as she let her phantom limbs disappear, releasing Nami from her grip.

Nami nearly fell to the ground but managed to catch herself, clutching her sore throat as she coughed from the lack of breath. "Thanks…"

"Don't mention it…" Robin returned harshly.

Nami looked at the dark haired girl with a hurt expression. Robin continued to stare daggers back at her, until they were interrupted. "Hold it right there!"

Everyone turned to see a glowering old man, wearing a tiny pair of glasses, a yellow flannel shirt and dark pants, with a set of copper pots and pans strapped to his body like makeshift armor. He was pointing a farmer's pitchfork at them threateningly, though the shaking of his legs gave away his unease. "Are you four with Buggy?!"

"Okay, old timer, just calm down…" Zoro waved his hand at the old man, about to push himself off the ground.

"I said don't move!" The old man shook his pitchfork at the green haired man. "Now answer me! Who are you? Are you Buggy's men?!"

"If we were with Buggy, why's he inside a cage?!" Zoro hiked a thumb at his still trapped captain frustratedly.

The old man saw the boy in the cage give him a friendly wave, and soon began to calm down. "I'm sorry…I thought that…I'm sorry…" He then stood at attention, holding the pitchfork at his side like a soldier. "Allow me to introduce myself; my name is Boodle, the mayor of…well, what's left of Orange Town."

Boodle then made his way over to the boy in the cage. "Here, allow me to help." He then shoved his pitchfork into the top of the cage, and began to push it down, attempting to break the top open. But being the old man that he was, he didn't have enough strength to make any effort.

Zoro took notice of this, and picked himself up off the ground. He came up to the old man's side and began heaving on the pitchfork as well. However, the cage seemed stronger than both of them thought, as the strain on the pitchfork became too much and it snapped in half. Zoro and Boodle both fell to the ground, while Luffy couldn't help but laugh again.

As frustrating as the situation was Robin had to chuckled herself. She was brought out of her chuckling when a hand holding a small key was offered to her, courtesy of the redheaded thief.

"Here…" She looked away from the dark haired girl as she talked. "This is the key to that cage."

Robin took the key, looking at it before going back to her. "And you kept it to yourself, because?"

"I was going to let him out!" Nami defended herself. "It just…wasn't the best time."

The thief ignored the disapproving look of the young scholar, as she walked away to help her man. It wasn't the first time someone looked at her that way, and it wouldn't be the last.

She didn't care…


"Oww…I think my leg's broken…!" An inflicted clown groaned as he rubbed his sore limb.

"WALK IT OFF!" Was the harsh reply he got from his red nosed, and now red faced leader.

Buggy was not a happy clown. He stomped over to the ledge of the tavern roof, darting his eyes about for any sign of those four that had escaped him. "I can't believe this is happening! First, my map to the Grand Line gets stolen, then I get stabbed in the back by that thieving little brat, Nami, who then goes on to insult me right to my face, and to top it all off, my men were just wiped out by…by…I don't even know what that was!"

The mad clown pounded a fist onto the side. "I would have been down too, if weren't for my-!"

A large pound from a massive paw came from behind Buggy, making the mad clown turn back. "Ah, Mohji! Glad to see you're still in one piece!"

"The same to you, Captain Buggy," A man wearing what appeared to be a hat and top made of white animal skin replied, whilst sitting on top of a giant monster of a lion, with green fur and a wild purple mane. "Richie and I are more than willing to hunt down those pests that got away."

Buggy's frustrated snarl turned to a grin of cruel glee. "How generous of you, Mohji; go into town and sniff out those upstarts!"

"With pleasure, sir," The animal man bowed in reverence. He then kicked his colossal cat like one would whilst riding a horse. "Come, Richie! Time to play a game of Cat and Mouse!"

The giant cat gave a deep growl in anticipation.


"Almost…Almost…" The mayor fiddled with the lock to Luffy's cage, his tongue sticking out of his mouth in concentration. Finally, a click was heard, and the cage containing the straw hat boy was open.

Luffy hopped out of the open top, grinning in delight. "Yes! I'm finally out of there!" He turned to the old man and his first mate. "Thanks, guys!"

"You're welcome," Zoro nodded, while the mayor wiped his brow from stress, giving his own smile in return.

Robin made her way over to the boy and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Glad to have you back." She then gave him a kiss on the cheek, making Luffy beam with happiness.

Nami just stayed to one side, awkwardly kicking at the dirt with her feet. She didn't get it. These guys were pirates! She helped the knuckle-head out of his cage, she didn't have to be here anymore.

…So, why was she?

"Hey, Nami!" The redhead looked up to see Luffy giving her his toothy grin. "Thanks for the key! I don't know how long it would have taken me to get out of there without it!"

The thief was perplexed by his thanks, and had no way of knowing how to deal with it. "Yeah, sure…"

"If it wasn't for her, you wouldn't have been in there in the first place," Robin inquired sternly from her place in Luffy's arms.

Nami shrunk under the young scholar's stare, turning her eyes to the ground. She hated being put into a corner like this, but as long as this girl could do…whatever it was she could do to her, the last thing she wanted was to get on her bad side again.

"Why are you even sticking up for her, Luffy?" Robin turned back to her love, curious to his reasoning about the redhead.

"She says she's a navigator!" Luffy answered. He let go of Robin and walked over to Nami, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We're gonna need one of those if we're going to the Grand Line. You said yourself you're not that good at navigating, right Robin?"

Robin frowned at Luffy's logic. He had a point, but if he was implying what she thought he was…

"Wait, you want the girl that nearly got you killed to be our navigator?!" Zoro bluntly went straight to the point.

"Well, yeah," Luffy complied. "I mean, she's got a map to the Grand Line already and everything!"

"Wait, hold on!" Nami spoke up. "I already told you, I don't wanna be a pirate!"

"But, weren't you just part of Buggy's crew?" Luffy asked quizzically.

"I was never part of Buggy's crew in the first place! I was lying to him, so I could get his treasure!" Nami explained with as much patience as she could muster.

"Ohhh, I get it now…" Luffy nodded sagely. Nami breathed a sigh of relief, glad to that the knuckle-head had finally realized the truth.

"…So, you really wanted to be on my crew the whole time then!"

The thief slapped her forehead. "NO! I don't want to be on your crew!"

"So, who's crew do you wanna be on?" Luffy was so confused right now.

"NOBODY'S!" The redhead exploded with frustration. "I DON'T WANNA BE ON ANYONE'S CREW! I DON'T WANNA BE A PIRATE! I HATE PIRATES!"

After her short rant, Nami was seething with rage, breathing heavily. It didn't help that the straw hatted boy was now looking entirely away from her direction, his head turned to one side. "ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?!"

Luffy merely raised his hand and pointed his index finger. "Who's dog is that?"

Nami was taken out of her fury when he asked such an out of nowhere question. Turning her gaze to where he was pointing, she saw that there was indeed, a small white fluffy dog, standing as still as a statue in front of an old, rundown pet shop.

"Has he been here this whole time?" Zoro gawked at the small canine.

"Must've gone unnoticed while we were caught up in getting Luffy out." Robin deduced.

"Yes, that's Shoo-Shoo for you," Boodle made his way over to the dog. "So quiet, you only notice him at the last minute."

"Shoo-Shoo?" Nami asked about the strange set of words.

"That's his name," The mayor petted the small canine on his head. "I was actually on my way to feed him, when I ended up running into you lot." The mayor stuck his hand into his pot and pan armor and pulled out a box of dog food, opening it and pouring out a heap for Shoo-Shoo, who immediately dove in.

Luffy walked up to the pup and reached a hand out, intending to pet him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Boodle advised quickly. "Shoo-Shoo's not very fond of strangers."

The straw hatted boy pulled his hand back in a flash, more than aware how painful it is to get bit by an animal.

"What's he doing here?" Robin questioned. "Shouldn't he be with his owner?"

Boodle gave a sigh. "He would…if his owner was around anymore."

Silence came upon the four when the mayor addressed this, as the puppy nibbled on his mound of kibble.

"…Did Buggy have something to do with this?" Nami clutched her fist tight when she asked this.

"No, thank goodness," Boodle picked himself up from where he knelt by the dog. "Shoo-Shoo's owner passed away long before Buggy and his crew got here. He and Shoo-Shoo were inseparable, the best of friends. They didn't go anywhere without each other." The mayor sighed at the happy memories. "…But, he always had a bad habit of pushing himself too far. Always wanting to help others. Soon enough, all that strain took a toll on him, and well…Shoo-Shoo has been standing guard of this old pet shop ever since. This place…is his treasure…"

The four were quiet as they listened to Shoo-Shoo's story. Each of them felt a pang of sympathy for the poor pup.

But soon their silence was interrupted by a thumping noise coming from afar, along with the ground shaking in rhythm of the sound.

"What's that?" Luffy looked to where the sound was coming from, as it slowly grew louder, and closer.

"Oh, no…It's Mohji!" Boodle panicked. "Quick! We have to get out of here!"

"Why?" Nami inquired, growing uneasy of increasing small quakes. "W-what's coming?"

"Mohji and his pet lion!" The mayor ran to the redhead and grabbed her wrist. "We have to go! Now!" He pulled her along with him as he ran, but soon noticed that the rest of the group were still out in the open. "What are doing?! Didn't you here me?! We have to run!"

"But I wanna see the lion!" Luffy argued like a little child.

"I'm quite curious to see this creature as well." Robin calmly explained herself.

"Gotta be pretty big to make this kind of ruckus." Zoro commented as he watched pebbles hop and shake with the jolting ground.

"But…But…!" The mayor babbled feebly, as Name took his hand and guided him away. "C'mon! They'll be fine! They can take care of themselves!"

As soon as Nami and Boodle were hidden behind a stray house, a giant, hulking lion appeared, prowling up to the pet store with a lone man riding on top. The man looked down from his perch and showed a smug smirk, rubbing his pet's head to make him stop.

"Well, that wasn't a long hunt," He peered down at the three in plain sight. "Richie here was looking forward to sniffing you all out one-by-one! Now, you've just ruined his fun!"

The three looked at him with confused expressions. The man thought that they were in awe of him and his magnificent creature, and let pride go to his head. "Allow me to introduce myself; I am Mohji, the beast breaker! Buggy has sent me to punish you for assaulting our crew, and too bad for you, it's Richie's lunch time!"

The gigantic lion licked its massive chops, growling in anticipation for its meal.

"Uh, 'scuse me!" The straw hatted boy called out, gaining Mohji's attention. "Can I ask you something?"

The costumed man scoffed. "A final plea for mercy? Well, all right, then," Mohji laid back on his spot on his lion's mane. "Speak! Let me know of your last request!"

"What's with the stupid costume?" Luffy plainly asked.

Mohji nearly fell off his pet. Of all the things he was predicting to hear, it certainly wasn't that.

Robin and Zoro burst out laughing at their captain's question. Boodle had dropped his jaw, while Nami had to slap her forehead.

"C-costume?!" The animal man barked, pointing to his appearance. "I'll have you know this is my hair!"

"Wait, your hair?" Robin stopped laughing when she heard that, looking the man up and down. "So all of that…even on your chest is…?" She had to cover her mouth as nauseousness overtook her.

"SILENCE!" Mohji roared. As he seethed, he noticed the small white dog perched in front of the rundown pet store. He pointed to the canine. "Who's dog is that? He hasn't looked in my direction since I got here!"

"That's Shoo-Shoo!" Luffy explained. "He just sits outside of that pet store, guarding it."

"I see…" The animal man mused. He then climbed down from his colossal cat, and made his way over to the pup.

"NO!" Boodle cried out desperately. He would have run out to stop the animal man, but Nami had clung onto him to hold him back. "Don't you dare lay a hand on that dog, you devil!"

"Calm yourself, old man," Mohji stood before Shoo-Shoo, towering over him easily. "I'm not going to harm him. I am merely going to demonstrate my power." The animal man then squared down to the pup's level, and raised his hand.

"Uh, I wouldn't do that," Luffy advised. "The mayor guy said he's a biter!"

"Nonsense!" Mohji huffed. "There isn't a creature alive with four legs that can withstand the dominion of Mohji; the beast breaker!"

The animal man reached his hand out to the dog, a confident grin on his face. "Paw!"

Shoo-Shoo bit Mohji on his hand.

"AAHHHH!" The animal man screamed as he flailed his air wildly, trying to throw the dog off his arm. "GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!"

Luffy and Robin had burst into laugher. Zoro chuckled with pride at the dog. Boodle was dumbfounded by the sight, while Nami quirked her eyebrow at the pitiful sight.

As Mohji continued to shake his hand in panic, his anger soon showed. "Get off me!" With one last sling of his arm, Mohji threw the dog off, who went flying into the front door of his pet store, hitting it hard before falling to the floor.

Luffy and Robin stopped laughing in an instant. "Hey!"

Mohji rubbed his wrist to numb the pain and growled. "No miserable mutt defies Mohji the beast breaker and gets away with it! Richie!" The monster lion raised his head in attention. "Have that dog as an appetizer!"

The colossal creature growled in delight, reaching its gigantic head down and opening its massive jaws wide, showing off rows of razor sharp teeth.

"SHOO-SHOO, NO!" Boodle managed to break out of Nami's grip and run toward the beast.

"WAIT!" The redhead ran after him.

"Seis Fleur…"

Six arms sprouted out around Richie's snout.

"Muzzle!"

The arms grabbed hold of each other and pulled, forcing Richie's mouth shut. The lion's eyes bugged out in surprise.

"What in the…?!" Mohji was dumbfounded by what he was seeing. "So that's how you took us all down!"

"Indeed," The dark haired woman affirmed. "I ate the Hana Hana fruit; allowing me to bloom any part of my body as many times as I want, anytime I want!"

"A-A devil fruit?!" The animal man blanched. "B-But I thought Captain Buggy was the only one!"

Luffy caught what Mohji said. "Wait, 'the only one'? Does that mean that-?"

Before Luffy could finish his thought, a figure suddenly leapt out of the silenced lion's mane and high into the air, taking everyone by surprise.

"Sting of the Unicycle!" The figure began to descend at a rapid pace, it's landing aimed to fall right on top of where Robin was standing.

Zoro was the first to notice this, and rushed to the scholar's aid. He quickly pushed her out of the way, pulled out one of his blades, and blocked an attack from the figure's own cutlass, pointed down to where Robin's head would have been.

When Robin was shoved away for her safety, she fell to the ground and accidentally let go of the monster cat's trap she was holding shut, her phantom limbs disappearing.

The man holding the cutlass had a dark green half-shaved hair-do, the other half cascading down his back. He wore a white and blue stripped scarf, a dark blue coat and white pants.

"Aww! You ruined my trick," The man mockingly complained with a smirk. "I was going to do an old favorite; sawing the lady in half!"

"Cabaji?!" Mohji blanched. "What are you doing here?! How long were you hiding in Richie's mane?!"

"I figured Captain Buggy only sending you wouldn't be enough to finish these fools," The attempted assassin chided. "So I thought I'd tag along and wait for the perfect moment to strike…Also, your beast could use a bath." He finished with a spit.

The man named Cabaji looked back to the green haired man who blocked his attack. "I'm impressed you managed to block me in time, Roronoa, and once more I'm quite glad!" The man then turned to face the dark haired woman behind the swordsman. "It would have been a shame to lose such a lovely flower." He finished with a 'charming' dart of his eyebrows.

Robin scoffed at the shameless flirting of the one who tried to kill her, and unbeknownst to the attacker, Luffy had a dangerous look aimed right at him.

"'Scuse me," Zoro spoke up, gaining Cabaji's attention. "I don't think you're in any position to be flirting, don't you think?"

Cabaji smirked. "Agree to disagree…" He then placed a hand on his exposed chest. "Allow me to introduce myself! I am Cabaji the acrobat! Master of tricks, and Captain Buggy's right hand man!"

"Hold on a minute!" Mohji spoke up. "I'm Captain Buggy's right hand! Why else would he have sent me after them?!"

"Maybe to have a laugh at your expense?!" Cabaji argued back. "Everyone in the crew knows that if it weren't for that giant fur ball of yours, you'd be nothing but dead weight!"

Both members of the clown pirate crew growled at each other, about ready to start fighting among themselves. Luffy, Robin and Zoro were left in awkward silence as the two circus folk bickered, until Shoo-Shoo started barking again. Cabaji and Mohji stopped glaring daggers at one another and turned to the canine.

"You call yourself Buggy's favorite, but you can't even take care of a stupid dog?!" The self-proclaimed acrobat pointed out.

"I would've, if it weren't for these three!" The animal man defended himself.

"Then how about this," Cabaji sneered. "Whoever finishes these three, along with that backstabbing redhead," Nami gulped. "And puts down the dog, becomes Buggy's right hand man!"

"You're on!" Mohji agreed. "Up and at 'em, Richie!" The monster lion lifted itself up and roared.

The animal man then snickered. "Let's tear down this pet store this mutt loves so much while we're at it!"

"Why?" The acrobat asked quizzically.

"Why not?" Mohji retorted.

"…Good point." Cabaji smiled cruelly.

Nami was aghast at first, but then frowned. Why was she surprised? This is how pirates are; heartless monsters that take what they want, and don't care about who gets hurt.

As Shoo-Shoo continued to bark, Luffy stepped up beside him, his hat casting a shadow over his eyes. The canine stopped barking and looked to the straw hatted boy.

"You're not gonna do anything to that dog's home." He stated.

Robin and Zoro walked up beside him next, the dark haired girl folding her arms in preparation, and the swordsman brining out all three of his blades at the ready.

Cabaji and Mohji stared at the boy and his cohorts before tuning back to each other, and grinned.

Nami was looking at the three pirates those clowns were about to take on. Were they really going to risk they're lives for someone they just met, and a dog at that?

She shook her head. There was no way that would be true. They could act like they care about that dog all they wanted, it was just an act. They're just waiting for the right moment to run away and leave him to his fate. Pirates were scum; nothing more, nothing less, including them.

…Right?

Mohji shot his finger out at the three. "Sick'em, Richie!"

The giant cat roared at his master's order and raised one of his claw covered paws.

The three acted quick; Luffy grabbing Robin by her waist and leaping out of the way, and Zoro dodging at the last second before the monster lion slammed his paw down to where they just were, missing by an inch.

Zoro looked to the lion to see if it was about to attack again, but by the odd sound of a squeaky wheel approaching him, he managed to block another sneak attack by the self-proclaimed acrobat. Casting his eyes down, the green haired man saw that his opponent was now peddling on top of a unicycle.

"How are you gonna fight me on that thing?" Zoro inquired confused.

"You'd be surprised…" Cabaji gloated.

The pirate couple landed a safe distance away, Luffy letting go of his girl.

The animal man sneered. "Can't seem to do much if your too busy protecting your girlfriend, aren't you?"

Luffy growled as Robin regained her stance. "Allow me to teach this beast some manners, Luffy…along with his pet lion." Mohji growled at the insult.

Luffy snickered. "Sure! Go get'em, Robin!"

Nami couldn't believe this. That straw-hatted kid was practically feeding his so-called girlfriend to that beast, and what's more, the girl is more than willing to take it on herself! All for the sake of a dog they barely even met or know! Who did these pirates think they were, heroes?!

Mohji scoffed as the scholar walked up to him and his pet lion casually. "Seriously?! What could a little girl like you do against my Richie?" He then showed a smug smirk on his lips. "Then again, what kind of man lets a woman do his fighting for him?"

Robin's eye twitched.

Nami wouldn't say it out loud, but she had to agree with the so-called beast breaker. The straw-hatted kid took down three guys on his own, sure, but there was know way he could take on the likes of that giant monster lion? The only one worth being wary of was the single female member of the three. The thief bet that he lets her do all the fighting and then take all the glory for himself. And the other guy; three swords? Who was he kidding?

The redhead then let a dark smile cross her face. Who knows, maybe all these pirates would end up killing each other in one go…

"I have to confess, Roronoa, I find your claim of wielding three swords at once to be a little hard to believe." Cabaji arrogantly chided. "I may be an acrobat, but you're so-called swordsmanship sounds like it belongs in an actual circus!"

"The only trick I've seen you do so far is flap your gums without stopping," Zoro chastised as he placed his white blade in his teeth, and clutched his other two in both hands at the ready. "So, are we doing this, or not?" Cabaji grit his teeth at the grand haired man's snide remark.

"Usually, I don't feed Richie desert before dinner, but I'll treat him just this once… Bon Appétit, Richie!" The beast breaker leapt off his colossal pet, as Richie roared and pounced for the petite woman in his sights.

"Treinta Fleur…" Robin crossed her arms and a stream of arms sprouted out of the ground behind her, growing longer and longer with each arm growing out of the palm of each hand. The large top of limbs reached the airborne beast, and encircled its neck before latching onto itself.

Cabaji paddled on his unicycle in place, gathering up dust around him, until he launched forward at a high speed. He held his cutlass out in a pointed angle, aiming to run the green haired man through.

Zoro crossed his arms in front of his chest, his swords held straight up in his hands. He closed his eyes in concentration, as if eating for the right moment to strike. "Oni…"

"LEASH!"

"GIRI!"

Cabaji was at the perfect distance to thrust his blade forward, ready to pierce Zoro in his heart. But as soon as he did, the sentoryuu master shot forward, swinging his blades in unison, along with shooting his head forward with the blade in his mouth.

The massive tether yanked the lion out of the air, slamming it to the ground face first, hard. The colossal cat's body slumped to the ground with a thundering thud, dust kicking up from its impact.

At the same time, Zoro seemed to slash right through Cabaji, the acrobat's blood shooting out of the large, freshly made X shaped wound in his chest, with a single horizontal line going out from the middle of the X.

"RICHIE!" Mohji wailed in despair. He ran to his pet's aid, shaking him to try and bring him back to consciousness.

Cabaji fell to his knees, his unicycle slipping out from under him and wheeling away behind him until stopping and falling from lack of momentum. The acrobat turned his head to the man who had bested him, careful as to not open the wound any more so.

Zoro placed his blades bak in their sheaths as he stared down Cabaji. "How's that for a parlor trick?"

"You…you stinking thieves…!" Cabaji spat, with a spray of blood flying off his lips.

Zoro turned to face the downed acrobat with steel in his eye. "Get this through your head; we're not thieves…We're pirates!"

Cabaji stared wide eyed at the sentoryuu master, before the pain of his wound became too much, causing him to pass out and fall to the ground.

"C'mon, Richie! Get up! Get up!" Mohji shook his down and out lion, pulling on his hair to get any sort of reaction from him. The feeling of someone coming up behind him drew his attention to the dark haired woman who brought his pet to the ground.

He put his back flat against his beast, legs wobbling in fear as sweat poured down his face. "How…How did you do that?!"

Robin stretched her arm out to one side, allowing a multitude of arms to grow in a wreath of limbs. "Why, with the power of the Bloom Bloom fruit, of course."

"A-A D-Devil Fruit?!" Mohji stuttered. He pointed his finger at the straw hatted boy. "But…but I thought captain bUggy was the only one!"

Robin quirked an eyebrow up in puzzlement. "Buggy? Wait, do you mean…"

This was more than Mohji could take. Forgoing his lion, the animal man made a break for it, bolting in the direction back to where the rest of his crew were hold up. He chanced to look back as he ran for his life. "When Captain Buggy hears about this, you're all done for!"

From right behind the dark haired girl, a hand shot out and grabbed the fleeing beast master by his neck, stopping him in his tracks and holding him in place. Mojhi was forced to look back, and in utter fright saw the straw-hatted boy had stretched his arm thurther than humanly possible, and now had him in his grasp.

"That's okay," The rubber boy smirked. "We'll go see him ourselves!"

Mohji screamed as he was pulled back toward the boy, as Luffy pulled his other fist back. When Mohji was right in front of him, Luffy gave the beast breaker a devastating right hook into his face. Mohji was out cold before he hit the ground, just like his monstrous pet.

The young pirate captain brushed his hands together, like he just got finished cleaning up the place. He then turned to Robin and wrapped her up in a hug, lifting her off her feet and dancing around on the psot. "That was awesome, Robin!"

The girl laughed as she was swung around in mid-air, her hair dancing in the breeze. "It was nothing, Luffy. That lion is nothing compared to the beasts back home."

"Yeah! I could of taken it out too if I wanted!" Luffy chuckled as he set her back down on her feet, but not without giving Robin an awarding kiss for her effort. Robin and Luffy stayed in their embrace as they turned to the swordsman of their small crew.

"That was an impressive display of swordsmanship, Zoro." Robin complimented.

"Yeah! That thing you did to take that guy out was so cool!" Luffy beamed.

"Thanks, but don't kiss me or anything okay?" The green haired man quipped with a grin.

As the three bantered, Nami was still on the side lines, her eyes wide as dinner plates. Those two had taken down a crazy acrobat and a massive monster lion like it was nothing. Then that kid in the straw hat says that he could of beaten that beast by himself if he wanted to. That was something the redhead found hard to believe. Right before she could make her opinion known, the old man by her side ran up to the three in a flash.

"That was amazing!" The mayor babbled in disbelief. "Simply amazing!" He went down a line of shaking each hand of the pirate trio, determined to show his gratitude. "Never have I seen such strength! Such courage!"

"Aw, it was nothing." Zoro waved the man's praise off like a batch of annoying flies.

"It was the least we could do after you helped Luffy out of his cage." Robin bowed her head thankfully.

Luffy snickered happily. "No way were we gonna let a bunch of jerks burn down that little guy's pet store."

"I can't thank you enough…" Boodle was close to tears. He then saw Shoo-Shoo pad up to the trio on his little legs. The dog made his way over to Robin and began rubbing his head against her ankle. The mayor smiled. "I think Shoo-Shoo wants to thank you too."

Robin looked at the tiny pup and smiled. She reached her hand down to the dog and gently pat the grateful dog on his head. Boodle was astonished to see Shoo-Shoo allowing anyone to pet him. No one has ever been able to come near him apart from him since his owner passed away. It was like a sign that things were finally going to get better.

Luffy frowned at the sight. "Why does Robin get to pet the puppy?"

"You can pet him next if you want, captain." Zoro patted the boy on his shoulder. "You'd make one heck of a chew-toy."

Luffy frowned deeper at his first mate's joke, when his expression suddenly turned to pure shock. He then dived for Robin and Shoo-Shoo. "EVERYBODY DOWN!"

Everyone present were confused at first, when the sound of a whistle in the air caught their ears. Luffy grabbed his girl and the door and beelined it away from the store. Zoro followed suite by grabbing the mayor and making a break for it. Nami watched as the group of five headed right for her, and she began to panic.

If anyone had been standing next to the pet store for any longer, they would have been engulfed in the same blast of whirling fire as the structure was. The store, along with the whole row of buildings from both sides, were demolished in a matter of seconds. Smoke and ash filled the sky, as the stone that Shoo-Shoo had spent so long guarding was reduced to smoldering amber.

"No…" Nami could barely speak as she took in the sight before her.

Shoo-Shoo leapt out of Robin's arms and sprinted toward the wrecked store.

"Shoo-Shoo, wait!" Boodle shot his hand out to the dog, but wouldn't dare get closer to the blazing fire where his old friend's home used to be.

Shoo-Shoo stopped in front of the burning building, and began to bark at the flames, as if trying to make them go out of pure will alone.

"Oh, Shoo-Shoo…" Robin watched the pitiful display the dog was putting on, sorrow filling her eyes.

"All that effort for nothing." Zoro closed his eyes as if accepting the sudden change of fortune, but an anger was bubbling inside his gut at the stolen victory.

But what he was feeling was nothing compared to how Luffy felt at that moment.

Nami managed to tear her eyes away from the fire and look at the boy, only to see an even more ravenous blaze flaring on the straw-hatted boy's face. His teeth bared and clenched tight like a wild animal. A vein had bulged at the top of his forehead, pumping fired up blood through his body. But what Nami take a step back the most, was his eyes. They were now dilated to microscopic focus, the whites of his eyes shining bright in the haze of the smoke.

The goofy, gullible, happy-go-lucky child she came to know was gone. Now she was staring at…at…she didn't even know where to begin to describe what she was witnessing!

All of a sudden, the straw-hatted boy made a break for the burning store, running past the barking dog and barging into the collapsed structure.

"LUFFY!" Nami called out for the rubber man, but was stunned to realize that she had voiced concern for a pirate, calling him by his name no less. Robin took a moment to look away from where her man had run off to turn her head quick at the redhead.

"What is he doing?!" Boodle cried out in despair. Zoro merely had his arms folded nonchalantly, as if waiting for his captain to come back.

Shoo-Shoo continued to bark at his blazing home, but one couldn't help but feel that the dog was also barking out of concern for the boy that blew past him.

As soon as Luffy had ran into the collapsing store, he was back out again, just in time for the place to completely fall apart. The straw hatted boy knelt on the ground, taking a moment to cough out the smoke in his lungs and catch his breath. His two crew-mates along with the mayor ran up to him in concern, while Nami stayed back, still in a stupor over what she just did.

"Are you alright, Luffy?" Robin asked in deep worry.

"What in the world were you thinking, boy?!" Boodle demanded in angered confusion.

"Back up! Give him some room!" Zoro guided the two back, seeing that Luffy wasn't done yet with whatever he was doing.

The straw-hatted boy walked up to the dog, who had given up on barking at his now lost home, and sat on the ground beside him. The two watched the fire dance into the sky, almost mocking them with their dance of destruction.

"I'm sorry about your house, Shoo-Shoo." Luffy spoke in a soft voice. "This place was your treasure, wasn't it…" The boy then dared to reach his hand out to the pup, and miraculously Shoo-Shoo let him place his hand on his head. He didn't seem to care about anything at that point anymore.

"No one should ever have to lose their treasure." The boy placed the item he managed to save from the house in front of the dog; a slightly burnt box of kibble. Shoo-Shoo saw this and shook his head free of Luffy's hand. He simply stared at the box, before turning his head up to the sky, and gave a mourning howl.

It was a sad sight to see for all. Nami brought a hand up to her face to hide her tears, Boodle had fallen to his knees and was openly weeping. Robin had her eyes closed and her hands clasped before her in solace, and Zoro watched the dog howl with an air of dignity.

After a few moments passed after Shoo-Shoo stopped howling, Luffy got to his feet and started walking away, passing his crew and the mayor. "I'll be back in a minute. You guys stay here."

Boodle watched the boy go, puzzled as to why he was now walking away. He wiped the tears from his face and turned to the swordsman. "W-where's he going now?"

Zoro watched his captain leave, a knowing gaze in his eyes.

"To pick a fight."


Buggy looked over the trail of destruction his recent Buggy Ball had conceived, but the scowl on his face showed that he was far from satisfied. Men! Load another Buggy Ball and prepare to fire again!"

"C-captain Buggy, sir!" A brave clown of the crew spoke up. "W-what about Cabaji and Mohji? Shouldn't we wait for them to come back?"

"If those two imbeciles managed to do their jobs like I told them too, they would be back by now!" The mad clown thundered. "But since they aren't, that means they failed! I do not allow failure in my crew! Ready anther Buggy Ball!"

Unwilling to continue down his captain's bad side, the clown pirate obliged and helped ready another bright red cannon ball into a cannon aimed straight at the town.

"Once were down blowing this town to smithereens, its off to the Grand Line!" Buggy laughed maniacally as he clutched the map to his goal in his hands.

"HEY, BIG-NOSE!"

That was more than enough to bring the clown captain out of his good mood. Snapping his head down toward the bottom of the street, he spotted the straw-hatted boy who'd escaped him, back and looking monumentally ticked off.

"Well, well, well!" Buggy sneered in spiteful delight. "Look who come crawling back to beg for mercy!"

"I'm not here for mercy, you stupid clown!" Luffy roared once again. "I'm here to punch you in your big, stupid nose!"

Buggy's eyebrow twitched at the mention of his most sensitive aspect, but shook himself out of his anger for the moment. "You want to take me on?! That's a laugh! What's the matter, did I blow your friends to bits?!"

"No! But you did blow up a dog's treasure, and I'm here to make you pay!" The boy retorted.

"A dog's…treasure…?" Buggy and his crew looked to one another, before bursting into mocking laughter. Luffy simply stood on the spot, unaffected by the clowns making fun of him.

"You're here for a stupid dog?!" Buggy wiped a tear from his eyes from all his guffawing. "What the heck's the matter with you?!"

"STOP LAUGHING AND GET DOWN HERE, YOU BIG-NOSED BUTT-HEAD!"

All laughter immediately stopped. All of Buggy's crew slowly turned to their captain in pure dread.

Buggy had stopped laughing as his face began to twitch more than ever. Like a bubbling volcano, it was only a matter of time before Buggy blew his top.

"BLOW THAT BIG MOUTHED BRAT OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH!"

The killer clown crew followed the raging captain's orders, aiming the cannon and lighting the fuse. All the crew took cover, except for Buggy. He wanted to see this…

Luffy continued to stand their like nothing was the matter, staring down the mad clown.

Soon enough, the cannon fired, the bright red ball with Buggy's jolly roger flying straight for the straw-hatted boy.

"GUM-GUM BALLOON!" Luffy suddenly sucked in a ton of air, inflating his stomach to gargantuan proportions. Buggy's eye popped out of his head at the sight, as the cannon ball landed right in the middle of the boy's bulging belly.

Buggy had a bad feeling for what was about to happen next.

Luffy looked Buggy straight in the eye, his cheeks bloated with the enormous supply of air in his body. And then he thrust his belly out forward, sending the buggy ball back in the mad clown's direction.

All Buggy could do was scream in fright as his signature weapon came back on him.

Where Buggy's base of operations was before, was now an exploding inferno of deadly payback.