Luffy and Aya screamed as the fell from the sky. The blast from the cannon fire knocked Luffy and Aya away from each other. And now, they were rapidly plummeting to the ground.

"YOU IDIOT! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" screamed Aya as she continued to fall. "IF I DIE FROM THIS, I'M GOING TO HAUNT YOU FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!"

Luffy screamed in fear as tears ran from his eyes. "Aya! I'm sorry!" cried Luffy. "Don't haunt me!" Tears and snot were now running down his face. The two twins were descending faster down on the opposite sides of the island. Aya was too far away for Luffy to stretch his arm.

"Aya!" shouted Luffy.

"Luffy!" shouted Aya.

Luffy fell hard to the ground, landing on his head. Aya fell into a tree, crashing on every branch on the way down until she hit the ground. Aya closed her eyes as she fell unconscious.

Luffy groaned as he sat up, rubbing his head.

"That was...AWESOME!" He exclaimed, jumping into the air and landed on his feet. But, as soon as he turned around, Luffy noticed that he wasn't alone. A group of pirates and a young girl with orange hair was staring at him. Luffy's eyes widen when he recognized her. It was the same girl he saw back on the boat. He stared back at her. "She's kind of cute." thought Luffy to himself.

The girl smiled. "Hi, boss! Thanks for coming to save me!" She said in cheery voice. Luffy blinked and tilted his head giving her a confused look.

"Huh?" He asked. The girl giggled. "Who are you?" asked Luffy. Then the girl suddenly turned and started running away.

"They're all your's, boss! Have fun!" she shouted. Luffy scratched his head. "Girls are weird." thought Luffy. He turned to the three men who were glaring at him.

"Say, do you know a good place where a guy like me can get something good to eat?" he asked. The pirates glared at him narrowing their eyes into slits and raised their swords.

"You're dead, kid. You should've let your crony fend for herself." snarled one of the pirates. Luffy placed a hand on his stomach.

"Do you guys know of a good place to eat around here?" He said.

"Food's the least of your problems, kid!" yelled one of the men as he threw a punch at Luffy's head. Luffy gasped as the straw hat fell off his head. He made a fist and his arm stretched as he punched the guy in the face, sending him flying a few feet away. Luffy grabbed his hat and placed it back on his head.

"You better keep your hands off my hat!" He growled.

"You bastard!" yelled the other two pirates. They were in disbelief and shock at how strong the boy was. They charged at Luffy with their swords. Luffy bend back and shot two of his fist at them as he stretched his arms.

"Gum-Gum Pistol!" He shouted as he punched the two pirates in the face, knocking them out cold.

The orange-haired girl stared from the top of the roof in awe. "Wow! You sure are strong!" She called out to Luffy. Luffy looked up and blinked. "Even though they had swords, you beat them both bare handed. That's pretty cool." The girl said as she jumped off the roof and landed on her feet.

"Who are you? And why did you set me up?" asked Luffy.

"I'm a talented thief who steal from idiot pirates. The name's Nami. Say, wanna be a team?" asked Nami. Luffy crossed his arms behind his head.

"Nah, I'm good. Thanks for the offer though." He said and started to walk away.

"Hey, come on! At least think about it!" called Nami as she started to follow after the straw hat pirate.

Luffy felt his stomach growl loudly and he fell to his knees and sighed. "I'm still hungry." He mumbled as he rubbed his stomach. Nami held her hand out.

"Well, come with me and I'll get you something to eat." She said. Luffy jumped up on his feet with a wide grin on his face, his eyes sparkling happily.

"Really?!" He cheered. Nami blinked. "What a weird guy." thought Nami to herself.


Nami had lead Luffy to an abandoned house and fixed the pirate up a hamburger and some rolls. She placed them on the table and took a seat across from him. Luffy's eyes sparkled as he saw the hamburger in front of him and picked it up.

"Mmm! This is really good!" said Luffy as he happily ate his burger in one bite. "So...do you live here all by yourself?" asked Luffy as he chewed.

"No, this isn't my home. I'm just staying here for awhile. Everyone left when Captain Buggy and his crew showed up." said Nami. Luffy made a loud burp.

"Oh, I see. You're just a petty thief." He said.

"How rude! I don't steal just from anybody. Just people who deserve it. Like no-good pirates. So don't be comparing me to petty thieves and robbers." said Nami. Luffy took a big bite out of a roll as he munched down on it.

"A thief's a thief's, as far as I"m concerned." He said with a shrug. Nami looked out the window.

"My goal is to get hundred-million berries, and I won't let nothing or no one stop me from reaching my goal." She said. Luffy gulped down the rest of his food.

"Who do you need so much money?" He asked. Nami crossed her arms.

"That's a secret. But with this chart of the Grand Line, my goal will soon come true." She said. Luffy placed his hand on his chin.

"A chart? So you must be a navigator, right?" He asked. Nami smiled and nodded.

"Yep. I bet I'll be the most skilled navigator you'll ever meet." She said. Luffy smiled and stood up.

"That's great. How would you like to join my crew? I've been looking for a navigator." He said. Nami grinned.

"You mean it?" She asked. Luffy grinned and nodded.

"Yeah, you can be our newest crew member!" He said. The grin from Nami's face fell.

"No." She said as her voice went flat. Luffy's grin from his face disappeared. Nami frowned. "Let me guess, you're on a pirate crew, right?" asked Nami in a disdained tone. Luffy grinned.

"Yeah." He said as he took off his straw hat holding it in his hand. "I promised a guy who gave me this hat that I'll be a pirate and gather a strong crew!" He said. Suddenly, Nami's hands slammed on the table. She had a hard glare on her face.

"There's nothing more in this world than I despise more than pirates! I only like money and tangerines!" She yelled. Luffy placed his hat back on his head.

"Come on. Join my crew." He said. Nami stared at the boy with a look of disbelief. The more she stared the more Nami felt her heart flutter as unknown feeling overwhelmed her, clouding her mind. There was no possible way that she liked this boy, could she? Nami sighed then she looked away, out the window.

"No." She said as she looked out the window with her arms crossed. Luffy shrugged and began eating again.

"You're loss." He said as he ate his food.

Suddenly, Nami spotted some of Buggy's pirates searching around in the streets. When they walked away, Nami clenched her teeth. "Damn. I gotta ditch these losers somehow. But how?" she wondered then she looked back at Luffy. A smirk appeared on her face as she walked over towards the straw hat captain. "You know what, maybe I will join your crew. There's just a certain condition I have, though." She said. Luffy looked up.

"Really? Okay, I'll do whatever you want." He said. Nami's eyes danced with delight.

"Ok. I want you to come with me to meet Buggy the Pirate. Let me tie you up, so, um...you can look good in front of Buggy. These are how new pirates meet each other!" She said as she pulled out a rope from her pocket and began to tie Luffy up.

"OK! LET'S GO! LET'S GO! LET'S GO!" cheered Luffy as he beamed excitedly. Nami rolled her eyes and nodded.

"Ok. Just hold your horses." She said as she and the captain walked out of the house.


The men of Buggy's crew silently whispered to each other as Nami and Luffy passed them. They stopped at a giant tent, Nami pushed Luffy to the ground. Luffy landed on his face and Nami stuck her tongue at him. She walked into the tent holding out a map. "I brought the thief, Captain Buggy. Here's your chart back." said Nami as she walked over to a man. The man had light blue hair like the sky, small black eyes. He was wearing an orange coat and hat and clown makeup. And also, what stood out the most was that he had a big round red nose.

"Not that I don't appreciate it, but, why the sudden change of heart, little girl?" asked Captain Buggy as Nami handed him the chart.

"I never really liked my boss and I just got sick of it. I want to see if I can join your crew." Nami lied. Captain Buggy's face began to twist as he grew angrier and snarled. His crew began to mumble to themselves, worried.

"Uh-oh! The captain's angry!"

"He's gonna use his devil fruit power!"

"Really?" asked Luffy. He looked at Captain Buggy curiously wondering what his Devil Fruit power was. Then Captain Buggy began snorting and laughing like a maniac.

He calmed down and looked at Nami. "Fed up with, are you? Alright, you seem like a fine young lady. Of course you can join!" said Buggy as he began laughing again. Nami gave a fake smile.

"What a doofus! Pirates are such idiots!" She thought.

"Hey, guys...why am I in a cage?" asked Luffy, who was still tied up. He was now in a stone, metal cage. The crew snickered at him.

Buggy snorted. "What a fine day to be a pirate. Tell me girl, what's your name?" the captain asked Nami.

"I'm Nami." she said. Buggy threw his hands in the air.

"Then let's celebrate the welcoming of our new member, Nami!" He yelled. He and his crew threw a party and celebrated. The crew members were drinking sake and performing circus tricks. Nami sat across from Buggy from a table that was filled to the top with food. Luffy's mouth watered at the sight of it. He sighed, sadly.

"What's the matter, Nami? The party's in your honor so have some fun." asked Buggy as he took a sip of his drink of sake.

Nami smiled. "Thanks for the party, Captain." She said. "I'll just wait a little longer to get the that chart back. Maybe I'll steal some of Buggy's loot while I'm at it!" She thought as she took a bite out of her food. While everyone was partying, Luffy stretched his arm out trying to reach for a piece of meat. But, he couldn't reach it and his hand snapped back to him.

"Damn it!" cursed Luffy.

"Alright, men! It's time to perform the Buggy ball!" cheered Captain Buggy. The crew members cheered and they brought a giant cannon and a large red cannon ball.

"What are you gonna do with that thing?" asked Nami as she raised an eyebrow. The big nosed captain smirked.

"Just observe, my friend." He said. The cannon was lit and was aimed at the town. Both Luffy's and Nami's eyes widen in shock.

BOOOOM!

Zoro's raised his eyebrow as he stared at the burning building. He and the pirates found a port and docked the boat and saw the house suddenly explode from the Buggy ball. "That was a hell of any explosion." said the swordsman.

"That must've been Captain Buggy's most awesome Buggy balls!" said one of the men in awe. Zoro smirked and nearly chuckled.

" Buggy balls?" He asked. Then something caught his eye in the distance. He walked over and his eyes widen in shock as he saw that it was Aya. Zoro rushed over to her checking the girl over. She wasn't moving but he could see her chest rise and fall slowly as she breathed. Zoro twitched his eye. She was sleeping. He bent down to his knees and slapped the girl on the cheeks gently.

"Oi, wake up," said Zoro. Aya groaned as she opened her eyes and she saw Zoro staring at her. Her eyes widen and she quickly sat up. She accidently banged her forehead against his when she did. They both grabbed their forehands in pain.

"What the hell?!" shouted Zoro. Aya hissed through her teeth, holding her head.

She quickly moved away from the swordsman.

"What are you doing!?" shouted Aya as she scooted away but her back hit the tree.

"Um, you're the one who was lying on the ground unconscious, remember?" said Zoro. Aya blushed and she crossed her arms over her chest, embarrassed. Then she narrowed her eyes at the swordsman, glaring at him. Zoro shivered from her icy stare.

"Thank you for your concern. But, I'm fine." She said coldly. Aya began to stand up.

But, as soon as she did, Aya suddenly began to feel lightheaded and she began to fall forward. Zoro caught her just before she fell. Aya blushed as she realized her face was pressed close against Zoro's chest. She had never been this close to another man besides her brother.

"Stop moving around so much." said Zoro as he hold Aya's shoulders steadying her. Aya pushed the swordsman away from her. "Don't tell me what to do." said Aya.

"Fine then, the next time you fall, I won't catch you." said Zoro as he muttered under his breath. "Ungrateful brat."

Then suddenly Aya began coughing. Zoro raised an eyebrow. Aya clutched her shirt as she tried to stifle her cough but it kept getting worse.

"Are you alright?" asked Zoro. He reached a hand out to her but Aya slapped it away. Aya reached into her pocket and pulled out a small bag. Zoro saw her shaking it and a small pill plopped right into her hand. She took it and little by little her cough started to manage itself and eventually it went away.

"Are you sick or something? asked Zoro.

"Something like that." said Aya in a monotone voice. She put the bag back into her pocket. "As long as I take this, it should lessen some of the coughing."

"Does Luffy know that your sick?" asked the swordsman. Aya looked away from him.

"Yes." said Aya, as she answered simply.

Zoro looked at the girl with a serious look in his eyes. Something by the tone of her voice was off. She wan't telling the truth. There was something more than she was letting on. "Did Luffy know that there was something wrong with her? Why didn't he say anything? Did he even know how sick she was?" thought the Zoro to himself. He sighed. He was going to have to keep a close watch on Aya just in case something did happen. He growled in annoyance. Great, how did he turn from a swordsman into a babysitter? Zoro placed a hand on his face in frustration. Then he heard a snapping sound which made him break out of his thoughts. Zoro blinked. He saw Aya snapping her fingers in front of his face.

"Enough questions, we've already wasted a lot of time as it is." said Aya. She looked at the burning house that was hit by the Buggy ball. "And knowing my brother, we probably don't have much." She began to walk away.

"Hey, wait!" called out Zoro. Aya smirked. She turned around to him.

Aya hold her hand out. "You can hold my hand if you want. So, you won't get lost." said Aya in a teasing tone in her voice. A vein appeared on Zoro's head.

"Are you asking me to kick your ass?!" growled Zoro. Aya laughed.

"Come on, let's go find my stupid brother." She said.


Buggy's crew members cheered at the explosion and Captain Buggy smirked. "That was certainly flashy. With the power of my Buggy balls and Devil Fruit powers, nothing will stop me from conquering the Grand Line! Right, Nami?" asked Buggy. Nami made a fake smile.

"Um, yes! Of course!" She said.

"What? But it's my destiny to conquer the Grand Line!" shouted Luffy. Captain Buggy's jaw clenched as he turned to look at the straw hat captain in the cage, glaring at him. "And then I'll be the King of the Pirates!" said Luffy.

"Shut up, idiot!" yelled Nami. Captain Buggy chuckled.

"I see why you despise him as your boss, Nami. He seems quite the nuisance." He said. Nami smiled, nervously.

"Um, yep! He's so naive. He acts like a little kid." She said. Captain Buggy chuckled again.

"Then why don't I give you a Buggy ball to end his life?" He asked. Nami's breath hitched as she stared at the clown captain with wide eyes.

"What?" She asked.

"This is the perfect way to prove your loyalty. Boys." said Buggy. His men brought over the cannon and aimed it at Luffy. Luffy stared at it blankly. Buggy handed Nami a box of matches.

"But I-"

"Come on, take his life. You don't like him anyway, right?" Buggy interrupted her. Nami stared at the matches in his hand as the crew cheered around her. "Fire! Fire!"

"If I don't light it, then I'll get killed. But, if I do, then I'm no better than them." thought Nami with a worried look. She looked at Luffy who stared at her, who had an unreadable expression on his face. "I know you won't do it. You're not that kind of person." thought Luffy. Nami looked down as she clenched her fist tightly.

"Finish him, Nami!" yelled Buggy.

"What's the matter? You're hands are shaking." called Luffy. He had a light smile on his face. "That's what happens when you take on pirates with half-assed resolve." said Luffy.

"What resolve? To take a life of another? Is that the way of the pirate?" asked Nami. Luffy shook his head.

"No. You gotta be risking your own life." He said, smirking. Nami's hands continued to shake. Suddenly, the matches were taken from her as they were ripped out of Nami's hands by one of the crew members and lit the match. Both Luffy's and Nami's eyes widen and, in a flash, Nami quickly pulled out a long pole and smacked the guy on the head, knocking him out. Everyone went silent and gasped.

"Nami! What is the meaning of this!" yelled Buggy, furiously.

"I'm sorry!" shouted Nami.

"So now you want to save me?" asked Luffy, confused.

"No way, you moron! I will never stoop to these guys levels. Pirates took the life of someone very dear to me and I'll never join them! EVER!" yelled Nami. Luffy nodded, understanding.

"Ah, I see." He said. Suddenly, Luffy saw that the cannon was lit and was aimed at him. "Nami! Help!" He screamed.

"Get her!" yelled Buggy. His crew members ran at the girl with their swords. Nami easily dodged them and without wasting a second, she rushed over to the cannon and grabbed the lit fuse. Nami gritted her teeth tightly as she tried not to scream as the fire singed her skin. She sighed in relief as the flames went out.

"Look out!" yelled Luffy as he saw pirates coming at Nami from behind. They brought their swords down on her. Nami gasped and she closed her eyes.

But, nothing happened. Slowly, Nami opened her eyes and everyone let out a gasp. Zoro had blocked the swords from reaching Nami as he held them back. Aya walked up. "It's wrong to gang up on a lady." said Zoro. Luffy's face broke out into a grin.

"Zoro! Aya! Boy am I glad to see you!" He said, happily. Aya looked over at her brother in the cage. "Can't keep yourself out of trouble, can you?" asked Aya. "Maybe, I should just leave you in there. It'll save me the trouble." She smirked.

Luffy growled. "You better let me out of here! Aya this isn't funny!" shouted Luffy. Zoro looked at Nami.

"You alright?" He asked. Nami nodded her head slowly.

"Um, yeah, thanks." She said. Nami stared at Aya in shock. "There's two of them?" thought Nami to herself in disbelief. "And here I thought one was bad enough." Zoro nodded and looked at Luffy.

"This is just swell. First you get caught be a bird and now you're in a cage? Sheesh, you're a glutton for punishment, huh?" He asked. Luffy giggled.

"It's actually a funny story, really. I'll to you about it later." He said.

"The crew he mentioned earlier...are these two? And is that the great pirate hunter, Roronoa Zoro?" Nami wondered as she stared at the swordsman with wide eyes.

"Heh, so you're the legendary Roronoa Zoro? If you're here for my head, then that will be quite a problem for you." said Buggy. Zoro closed his eyes.

"No, I'm not interested. I gave up on pirate hunting. I'm here for my friend." He said in a low monotone voice. Buggy smirked.

"But, I'm interested, though. Killing you would boost up my reputation." He snickered. Then Buggy's eyes glanced over towards Aya. "Maybe, I'll go for the girl first." Zoro's eyes widen and he gave a cold glare.

"If you try, you die." said the swordsman. Aya tilted her head as she looked at Zoro. Why was he so protective over her all of a sudden? She thought to herself. Buggy crackled and pulled out six daggers, twirling them with his fingers.

"Is that so?" asked the clown pirate captain in a teasing tone in his voice. Zoro sighed in frustration and furrowed his eyebrows.

"I tried to warn you." He muttered. The crew members cheered for their captain as he licked the blade of his dagger. Zoro gripped one of his katanas between his teeth while he held the other two in his hands.

Then Buggy rushed towards the swordsman with his six daggers. He jumped into the air. Zoro leaped as well and his swords cut through the clown captain in one sweep, slicing him into many pieces. Zoro turned to the pirate lying on the ground. "That wan't much of a fight, was it?" He asked.

"Wow, he was weak. Way to go, Zoro!" cheered Luffy. Nami blinked when she noticed that Buggy's crew members were snickering.

"Why are they laughing?" asked Luffy, confused.

"Their captain's is dead and they're laughing?" asked Nami, confused as well. Zoro raised his eyebrow.

"Hey, fellas, why are you-" Aya interrupted the swordsman as she saw something move behind him. "Behind you!" warned Aya. Zoro's eyes suddenly widen as he felt a sharp stab of pain in his abdomen. "Ah!" He looked behind him and what he saw made Luffy, Nami and Aya gasp.

Buggy's severed hand, which was holding a dagger, was the one that stabbed the swordsman. Zoro fell to his knees as blood began to stain through his shirt. "Zoro!" cried Luffy. The straw hat's eyes widen as panic began to rush over him.

"Buggy's hand...it moved on it's own!" exclaimed Nami.

"But, how is that possible? He was dead. We all saw it happen!" shouted Aya.

Zoro shut one eye in pain as he turned his back. The severed hand flew back and reattached itself to the clown pirate, who was now standing completely intact.

"W-what the... hell?!" chocked out Zoro. He stared at the pirate in disbelief as his breathing began to become irregular. Buggy made snickered and made a sickening smirk.

"The Chop-Chop Fruit. That is the name of the Devil Fruit that gave me my powers. I'm a Chop-Chop person and I can never be defeated by a sword! Ever!" laughed Buggy.

"His body reattached himself. And I though the legend of the Devil Fruit was just a myth." said Nami.

"So he's a Chop-Chop man? That's pretty weird." said Luffy.

"You think that's weird? You're made out of rubber!" shouted Aya. Buggy began crackling.

"Wait, he has Devil Fruit powers too?!" exclaimed Nami as she looked at Luffy. "Yep." said the straw hat captain as he pulled back his mouth to show her. "See?" asked Luffy. Nami paled and she looked away from him.

"You're not really helping, right now, Luffy." said Aya. "You're freaking her out even more."

Nami was still trying to wrap her head around what she had saw. Then she looked at Aya "Please don't tell me you Devil Fruit powers as well?" asked Nami. Aya shook her head. Nami sighed in relief.

"I didn't hit any vital organs, but, it looks like my dagger stabbed you good. So that makes my the victor!" laughed the clown captian as his crew snickered along with him. Zoro gritted his teeth and shut his eyes.

"No, that makes you a cheater!" shouted Aya.

Buggy glared at the sea-foam eyed girl. "Do you want to die, girl?" Growled Buggy.

"Come and fight me then!" shouted Aya.

"Shut up!" shouted Nami as she struggled to hold Aya back.

"I...I let my guard down. That...that was a w-weak move." Zoro muttered as he gripped his wound trying to stop the bleeding as more blood began to pool out falling to the ground. Luffy clenched his teeth tightly as he glared angrily at the laughing clown pirate.

"STABBING HIM IN THE BACK WAS A COWARDLY MOVE, YOU BIG NOSE!" screamed Luffy at the top of his lungs.

Everyone went silent and stared at the straw hat captain, eyes wide and their mouths dropped.

"What's that? Did you... say...BIG NOSE?!" yelled Buggy as he threw his weapon at Luffy.

"Luffy!" yelled Zoro. Luffy smirked at looked up showing the dagger that was now clenched in between his teeth.

"Hey, Buggy. I'm gonna kick your ass as soon as I get out of this cage." He laughed. Luffy bit down on the dagger breaking it in half. Buggy began howling in laughter.

"You? Kick my ass? That's big talk, boy! If you want to do some ass kicking, you better do it quick. All four of you will die here by my hands!" said the clown pirate as he continued to laugh, his crew joining him as well. Zoro glared at him.

Luffy threw his head back and began to laugh. Buggy and the others stopped laughing. "I refuse to die! Zoro, get up!" yelled Luffy.

"What?" asked Zoro in disbelief.

"You better have a good reason or else we're dead!" yelled Nami. Luffy smiled at her then looked back at Zoro. The swordsman blinked then he smirked.

"I got'cha." He said. Nami nearly fell over. "This is why I hate pirates." she thought, worriedly. Buggy suddenly charged at Zoro and the two began to fight. Blades clash against each other. Then unexpectedly, Zoro jumps over him and made a dash towards the Buggy cannon. He lifted the cannon and aimed it at the clown pirates. Zoro fell back on his knees, placing hands on his wound, sweating dripping down his face. Aya walked over to the cannon and Nami tossed her the matches. She lit the match holding it in front of her.

Captain Buggy and the rest of his crew members gaped in horror. "NO DON'T AIM IT AT US! IT STILL HAS A BUGGY BALL!" yelled Buggy.

"Bye-Bye!" said Aya as she smirked and waved.

The fuse was lit and the cannon fired. The Buggy ball shot out of the cannon and fired straight towards the clown pirates, wiping them out and scattering them.

Zoro lifted the cage with Luffy inside of it.

"Zoro, are you ok?" asked Luffy in concern. He saw the blood dripping from his wound falling to the ground.

"Sh-shut up and don't worry about me. I'll...I'll get us out of this one way or another." muttered the injured swordsman as he struggled to walk, dragging the cage along with him. Then he notices Nami.

"By...by the way, Luffy, who's the girl?" muttered Zoro.

"Yeah, who is she? asked Aya. "You're new girlfriend?" Luffy blushed and he glared at her. Nami frowned.

"He/she is not my girlfriend/boyfriend!" They both shouted together. Aya rolled her eyes and shrugged.

"She's our new navigator." said Luffy.

"Seriously, who are you guys? You shouldn't be moving on that kind of injury." said Nami. A vein appeared on Zoro's head as he lifted the cage above his head with all his might.

"Get...out of the way!" He snapped. Nami blinked. "Even with a serious injury, he still doesn't want to leave his friends." she thought as she turned away and started walking away. Zoro carried the cage, with Aya following until they made it to the village square. He fell flat on his back on the ground, exhausted. He panted and breathed heavily trying to catch his breath.

"You okay?" asked Aya.

"Just need to rest." panted Zoro. For some reason, Zoro felt like he was being watched. He opened his eyes and saw a little white dog, sitting in front of the three. "What's with his dog?" asked Zoro with his eyebrows raised. Luffy's eyes lit up as soon as he saw the dog.

"Doggy!" squealed Luffy as he teetered his cage closer towards the canine. He pulled his eyelid and the corner of his lip, making faces at the dog. "Bleh!" The dog didn't move a muscle. "Zoro, this dog looks frozen." said Luffy. Zoro rolled his eyes.

"I don't give a damn. He can sit there forever for all I care." He muttered. Aya walked over to the dog and bent down, petting it. It still didn't move, not reacting, as she continued to pet it. Aya frowned. "What a weird dog?" she said to herself. Luffy giggled as he gently tapped the dog on the head with his finger. The dog immediately opened his mouth and sank his teeth on Luffy's head.

"AAHHHH! YOU DAMN MUTT! WHAT THE HELL?!" yelled Luffy. Aya laughed as Luffy tried to shake the dog off from his hand.

"STOP LAUGHING!" yelled Luffy. "WHY DIDN'T IT NOT BITE YOU, BUT ME?!"

Aya giggled. "Maybe, he just doesn't like you." she said. Luffy growled.

"Luffy! Get serious...or-" Zoro tried to get up but fell back to the ground. The white dog jumped back into it's guarding position.

"Damn mutt." Muttered Luffy, holding his hand in pain.

"I don't... feel so good..." groaned Zoro. Nami walked over and Luffy grinned as he saw her.

"Oh, hey, navigator." He said, cheerily. Nami smiled.

"I guess I should give you this. After all, you got me out of a sticky situation. Just make sure that this makes us even." she said. Nami tossed the key to Luffy's cage to the straw hat pirate.

"Awesome! You stole this for me? Thanks, Nami." said Luffy as he reached for the key. But, a pink tongue lapped it up as the white dog swallowed it whole. Zoro, Nami, and Luffy stared at the dog in shock. Aya snickered. Luffy grabbed the dog and started strangling it as he shook it wildly.

"You damn mutt! Give me back my key! Give it! Give it! Give it!" yelled Luffy.

"Hey, stop that! Stop picking on poor Chou Chou and leave him alone!" yelled a voice. The four turned and saw a man with white curly hair and glasses.

"And just who are you, old man?" asked Zoro. The man glared at the four.

"Old man? I happen to be the mayor of this town." He said. Then he noticed Zoro's wound and gave a concerned look. "My, that's some injury. You need to see a doctor." said the old man.


The mayor came out of his house that he led Zoro into and walked over to Luffy, Nami, Aya, and Chou Chou.

"Will Zoro be Ok?" asked Luffy, worried. The mayor sighed.

"I insisted he see a doctor, but, he said he just wanted to sleep it off." he said.

"So this dog's name is Chou Chou?" asked Nami as she petted the dog's head.

"Why is he acting so frozen? He sure is one lazy dog." joked Luffy.

"He's protecting the store." said the mayor. The three tilted their heads. "Chou Chou used to belong to owner of the pet shop. But, he passed away and he's been guarding it ever since thinking that he will come back. I've tried to get him to live with me but that dog's very adamant about protecting that store, like it's his most precious treasure. " explained the mayor. Aya looked at the dog sadly.

Suddenly, the ground started to shake unexpectedly. A loud roaring sound was heard. The mayor ran away and Nami and Aya chased after him. It eventually stopped. Luffy sighed.

"Come on, doggy. Something's here." He said. The dog just stared at him not moving an inch. Then, suddenly, a shadow towered over Luffy and he looked up. Blood-red eyes stared back into his as a giant lion stood over him. It had white fur and a purplish mane and there was also a man, with white hair, sitting on top of the lion's head in a furry suit.

"Who the hell are you?" asked Luffy, calmly, not even fazed by the gigantic beast.

"I am known as the Beast Tamer Mohji, a member of the Buggy pirates. Now, prepare to face your death!" yelled the white haired man. Luffy blinked and the lion slammed it's paw down, busting the cage, sending Luffy flying threw the air.


"Gum-Gum...!" yelled Luffy as he tied his hands around the lion's mane and threw him over his shoulder. "HAMMER!" yelled Luffy as he slammed the lion into the ground. Luffy's hat got knocked off in the process. He bent down and picked it up.

"What are you?!" yelled Mohji, completely terrified at what he had just witnessed. Luffy had his head lowered as his hat casted a shadow over his face. He looked up with a frown.

"Well, I ate the Gum-Gum fruit." He said in a low tone. Mohji flinched.

"So, you ate a Devil Fruit like Captain Buggy? Only your's make you stretch like rubber? I'm sorry! I don't want any trouble!" yelled Mohji. Luffy had his back to the lion tamer.

"There's no need to apologize to me. Because of you, that little dog will never get back his most precious treasure. And because of that," Luffy turned to him with a serious look in his eyes. "I'm gonna kick your ass." He snarled. Luffy grabbed the man by the chest and slammed him to the ground.

Luffy walked back to the pet shop that was completely demolished. Chou Chou was staring at it. "Oh, so you are alive, pirate. I thought that lion would rip your head off. But, since it didn't, maybe I should! Then there be one less of you monsters to exist!" yelled Nami as she ran with hatred in her eyes. The mayor and Aya rushed after her.

"Stop! There's no need for violence." said the mayor as he grabbed Nami's arm.

"As if you could kill me." said Luffy as he walked passed them.

"I could if I wanted to!" yelled Nami.

"Try it and you die." said Aya. Nami glared at her. "What did you say to me?!" she yelled. "That I can kick your ass and will if you try anything to my brother." said Aya, coldly. Nami stared at her with wide eyes. Luffy ignored them as he walked over to the dog. He lifted his hat and under was a bag of dog food. He placed in front of the dog and sat down next to him.

"Sorry, but that was all I could save. That bastard lion ate up all the rest." said Luffy, grinning at the white dog. "He...he fought the lion to save Chou Chou's food?" thought Nami as she stared in wide eyes in surprise.

"You fought well. Though I didn't see it. You're a really brave doggy." said Luffy as he petted Chou Chou's head. The dog grabbed the box of dog food and carried it off. It let out a happy bark. Luffy grinned. "Yeah, good luck to you, doggy." He said.

"Hey, sorry for snapping at you like that, Luffy." apologized Nami as she walked over. Luffy grinned and he stood up.

"It's ok. You've just been under a lot of stress. So there's no need to apologize." He said.

"It's all my fault! I'm the one who runs this town and I failed to protect it! I failed!" yelled the mayor. Suddenly, there was an explosion as the mayor's house was destroyed. Luffy's and Aya's eyes widen in shock.

"Zoro was in that building!" cried Luffy. He rushed over the demolished building and began pulling and digging through the rubble. "Zoro! Zoro! Are you ok? Please be alright! Please be alright!" yelled Luffy.

"He's probably dead by now." said the mayor.

"Don't say that." said Aya.

"No! No! Zoro is Ok! He's stronger than he looks! He's not dead! No way!" yelled Luffy.

"Ow...that's one good way to wake up." muttered a low gruff voice. Zoro groaned as he sat up, rubbing his head. Luffy quickly ran over to him, hugging him.

"You're alive!" He cheered. Zoro cringed as he felt some of Luffy's snot fall on him.

"G-get off of me, idiot!" shouted the swordsman as he tried to pry the rubber boy off of him. Aya laughed.

"That's it! I'll defeat Buggy and his crew once and for all!" yelled the mayor as he sprinted away.

"Dear god, what is this world coming to? That guy's going to get himself killed!" muttered Nami. Zoro stood up with Luffy, who still had his arms wrapped around him, clinging on to him tightly.

"Then I guess we're gonna go help him out. Right, Luffy?" asked Zoro. Luffy grinned.

"You bet! Are you coming, Nami?" asked Luffy as he held his hand out to her. Nami slapped it away.

"I would never stoop so low to join a pirate crew. However," The orange-haired girl smirked. "I guess we could team up in order to reach our goals." she said. Luffy smiled and nodded in agreement.


The four ran through the town until they saw Buggy along with the mayor. Buggy had his hands around the old man's throat his he choked him. Luffy shot out his fist stretching his arm and slammed it into Buggy's face, making the clown pirate let go of the mayor, knocking him back. Zoro stood next to him with his black bandanna tied on his head. Nami stood beside Luffy with a smile on her face. Aya stood in between Zoro and Luffy, holding up her fist, wearing her necklace around her neck.

Luffy looked up at Buggy with a smirk, tilting his hat.

"Good to see ya again, Buggy. Now, what was that promise I made to you? Oh yeah, I'm gonna kick your ass!" He yelled with a determined look on his face.