Chapter 3: Pokémon Trainer vs Beast Tamer
After a few minutes of walking, they ended up in front of what appeared to be a pet food store, but everyone did not seem to be aware.
"I think… we're far enough from those clowns." Chiaki stated as Zoro put the cage that was holding his Captain in before falling to the ground face-first.
Chiaki proceeded to sit down and leaned on the cage. "Hey, Luffy! How are you holding up there?"
"Well, I'm still trapped in the cage." Luffy stated. "How are you and Zoro?"
"I'm fine, but I'm a little worried about Zoro." He answered.
"Well, don't be. I'm fine." Zoro stated.
"I'm fine too. All things considered." Hoopa chimed in.
"(That was something. I'm glad that we get to live through that.)" Rockruff added.
"Hey, Chiaki! Is that brown doggy one of your Pokémon? I like how it has fire inside his mouth and then throws rocks at those Buggy Pirates." Luffy asked.
"That's right." Chiaki said before he noticed something that caught his eye. "Hm?"
"Hm?" Both Zoro and Hoopa then also saw the same thing.
It was a small, white dog with small eyes. The dog was staring at them blankly.
"What's with this dog?" Zoro asked.
"And why is it alone by itself?" Chiaki wondered.
"Another doggy." Luffy grinned as he shuffled from inside the cage and made his way to the dog.
"Whoa!" Chiaki let out a short scream as he fell over because of Luffy moving his cage closer to the dog.
Once he was near the dog, Luffy proceeded to make some funny faces in hopes of getting a reaction out of it. But the dog kept a straight face.
"Hey, Zoro! Chiaki! Hoopa! This dog's frozen." Luffy remarked.
"Like I give a damn." Zoro muttered. "That dog could sit there all day for all I care."
"For a dog. It's really quiet." Chiaki commented. Seeing how different it is compared to his Rockruff.
"I wonder if it's dead?" Luffy wondered as he started poking the dog in the head.
Unfortunately, the dog did not appreciate the gesture as it immediately bit Luffy in retaliation.
"WHAAAAAAH! GET OFF! GET OFF! GET OFF!" Luffy screamed as he tried to shake off the dog as it bit him.
"LUFFY, QUIT GOOFING AROUND AND GET SERIOUS!" Zoro shouted as the loss of blood caused him to feel lightheaded and then he fell to the ground just as the dog let go of Luffy.
"Damn dog…" Luffy muttered.
"I don't feel good..." Zoro added.
'Huh… Are these really the same guys who want to go to the Grand Line?' Chiaki thought as he sweatdropped. He then heard footsteps from the side and saw that it was none other than Nami. "Oh, it's you. Um… Who are you, exactly?"
"That's Nami. She's a petty thief and our Navigator!" Luffy stated.
"Hey! I never agreed to that! And what did I tell you about calling me petty?"
"A thief and a Navigator, huh?" Chiaki said before he realized something. "Wait. What do you mean by 'our'? Don't tell me you are still planning on recruiting me to join your crew?"
"Come on! It'll be fun!"
"I said no!"
"Wait. You're not part of his crew?" Nami asked him.
"Nope. I refused the invite, but apparently he decided to follow me like a stalker." Chiaki explained. "I take it you're in the same can be said to you?"
"More or less." She confirmed. "So, who are you? And what's the deal with that talking wisp and the fire breathing dog?"
"I guess I never told you my name, huh?" The black and auburn haired young man. "The name's Chiaki. Kido Chiaki. And I'm a Pokémon Trainer."
"Pokémon Trainer? What's that supposed to mean?" Nami repeated before she moved on to another subject. "Anyway, here. You can have this." She then threw something on the ground in front of Luffy. It was a key. "You got me out of that sticky situation back there."
"Great! The key to the cage!" Luffy smiled. "Did you steal it for me? Thanks, Nami!"
"I only did it so we'd be even." Nami stated. "And now I don't owe you anything so we're square, okay?"
"Yeah, sure." Luffy reached out to grab the key only for the dog to snatch it with its mouth before swallowing it down.
"Oh, that's bad.." Chiaki commented.
"I think the dog did it just to spite you." Hoopa remarked as he and the others saw Luffy widened his eyes in anger.
"STUPID! STUPID! STUPID! STUPID DOG! GIVE IT BACK! THAT'S NOT FOOD!" Luffy growled as he violently strangled the poor dog into spit out the key.
"Whoa, Luffy! Don't do that! You'll hurt the poor thing!" Chiaki said but his pleas went on deaf ears.
"HEY, STOP THAT!"
The others turned to see a man standing on the side of them.
It was an elderly man with gray hair and glasses. The hair was arranged into three bumps: One at the top of his head and two on the sides. He wore a yellow lined shirt, green pants, and sandals. He also wore a brown leather chest armor that came with matching gauntlets.
"Stop picking on poor Chouchou! Leave him alone!" The man shouted.
"And who might you be, old man?" Zoro asked as the man approached them.
"Old man? Why, I am the Mayor of this town. The name is Boodle." The Mayor introduced himself. "Who are you and why are you hurting Chouchou?" He asked before he noticed the wound on Zoro. "My, my. That's quite an injury you have there. I take it that you have a run-in with Captain Buggy? We need to get you a doctor."
Instead of going to the doctor, they instead stopped by the Mayor's house. Boodle then stepped outside to join Luffy, Chiaki, Hoopa, Rockruff, and Nami.
"How's Zoro?" Luffy asked the Mayor.
"I told him he really should see a doctor, but insisted that he didn't need to and just wanted to sleep it off." Boodle answered.
Chouchou, the dog, let out a yawn.
"So, this dog's name is Chouchou?" Nami asked as she gently rubbed the dog on the head.
"Why's he just sitting there like that? He sure is a lazy dog." Luffy wondered.
"He's guarding the store." Boodle answered, surprising them.
"He's guarding it?" The thief asked.
"Yes." He said as Nami and the others realized what kind of store Chouchou was protecting.
"Oh, I see. It's a pet food shop." Nami stated.
"That's right." The Mayor confirmed. "And the man who used to run this store was a very close friend of mine." He then proceeded to put a bowl of dog in front of Chouchou. "There you go."
"So, that guy is Chouchou's owner then?" Chiaki asked.
"Yes. And when he passed, I assumed the responsibility of taking care of Chouchou." The elderly man stated.
"He died?" Nami asked.
"Yes." He nodded as he put the dog food back to a shelf inside the store. "Three months ago after fighting his illness for a very long time."
"Don't tell me he's been waiting for his master to return all this time?" The thief asked.
"That seems to be the consensus." Boodle said as he closed the door and sat down in front of the store's doorstep. "But I find that very hard to believe."
"Why's that?" Hoopa answered.
"Chouchou is a smart dog. He's probably known for a while that his master is never coming back." Boodle answered, who did not seem to mind the two Pokémon's presences.
"Then why does he stay here at this store?" Nami asked.
"I guess because he has a connection to it, it's his treasure." He stated. "He's guarding it. His master left him with this shop and that's why he protects it. I've tried to bring him back to my place so he won't be out in the elements, but he won't take so much as a step from it."
Chiaki could tell from Chouchou's face that he was, in fact, determined to protect the store in order to keep the memories of his deceased owner alive. To safeguard a legacy that was left behind by someone close to him. He could relate the sentiment with his own. He slowly reached out to the silver bracelet on his wrist and smiled. "How about that…"
"What's up? Is there something wrong?" Nami asked him.
"Nothing."
The moment was interrupted when they heard what appeared to be a roar in the distance and Chouchou's empty bowl suddenly shaking.
"RAAAAAAWR!"
"What's that?" Nami asked.
"It's him! 'Beast Tamer' Mohji!" We gotta go! Run!"
"What do you mean by 'Beast Tamer'!? Wait, hold on!" Nami asked before she came after the Mayor, who ran away. The only ones who were remaining were Luffy, Chiaki, Hoopa, and Rockruff.
"C'mon, puppy, something's here." Luffy said to Chouchou. "Why don't you just give me my key back?"
"Hey, Hoopa. Think you can use your powers to get the key back from Chouchou?" Chiaki asked Hoopa.
"First of all, eww! And second, I draw the line at that!" The Mischief Pokémon remarked.
"It was just a suggestion."
It was then that something big shadowed over them. When they looked up, they saw a huge, white lion with purple mane, red eyes, and sharp claws and teeth. And riding on top of the lion was a man with white hair and sideburns made to look like a teddy bear, white fur vest, blue pants, yellow sash, and white shoes that were made to look like the feet of an animal.
"I see that your friends have deserted you. And after you just escaped." The man riding the lion stated.
"Who the heck are you?" Luffy asked.
"I'm known as 'Beast Tamer' Mohji. A member of the Buggy Pirates." The man known as Mohji introduced himself.
"Whoa, that's a weird animal suit you got on." Luffy commented.
"Nice hat, pal." Chiaki smirked. "Did you get it as a punishment or what?"
Mohji's lion roared as it leered at Chiaki and the others.
"That was rude!" Mohji shouted before pointing his head. "This is manly hair!"
"Okay, that's even weirder." Luffy replied.
"Is it though? 'Cause, I don't see it." Chiaki added.
"I've seen weirder hair in my time, but this is the first time someone insisted that it's manly. Humans are so weird." Hoopa chimed in.
Mohji glared as he was insulted by the jabs directed at his hair. "You must not know my terrifying skill!" He jumped down from his lion and started walking at Chouchou, who was snarling at him."There is no animal in this world that Beast Tamer Mohji can't bend to do his bidding." Mohji then knelt down to Chouchou's level and put his hand out. "Shake."
Chouchou replied by biting the supposed "Beast Tamer" in the hand.
"Why does he hurt so bad!?" Mohji exclaimed as he tried to shake the dog off of him. Once Chouchou let go, he then set his sights on Rockruff. "And you. Sit."
"(How about I do this?)" Rockruff growled before it used Rock Throw at Mohji.
"Gaah! How can a dog throw rocks at me!?" The "Beast Tamer" continued. After that, He then shrugged and looked at them as if nothing happened. "You nameless thieves. I have no interest in killing all of you, but tell me where Roronoa Zoro is. And you better answer quickly before I change my mind."
"No way!" Luffy replied.
"Sorry, but I'm no sellout." Chiaki added.
"Even if you give me gold, I'd never tell you where he is." Hoopa chimed in.
"Richie! Attack!" Mohji just had enough of them as he ordered his pet lion, Richie, to attack them. Chiaki, Hoopa, and Rockruff dodged to the right as Richie slammed one of his paw onto the cage, destroying said cage and freeing Luffy in the process.
"Haha! Yes, I'm finally out!" Luffy cheered before he was struck with a follow-up attack from Richie, causing him to be sent flying to a building.
"Luffy!" Chiaki shouted before also being sent flying to a building, with the rubble crashing down on him.
"Chiaki!" Hoopa said as he and Rockruff went towards the direction where Chiaki was sent flying.
"Nice work. Good boy, Richie." Mohji complimented his pet. "Now, let's go find Zoro so I can defeat him and strengthen my reputation!" He then noticed his pet wasn't listening to him. "What's wrong?" He asked before he saw what Richie was staring at. "Oh, it's a pet food store. Make it quick then. Let's go!"
Despite how large his opposition was, Chouchou was not intimidated by Richie.
"Huh? Don't tell me this pathetic little thing really thinks he can guard the shop?" Mohji said as Richie approached the store.
Chouchou stood up and began barking and growling at both Mohji and Richie.
(With Luffy)
"Phew, that was intense. At least I'm out of that cage!" Luffy commented before grinning. "Now, first thing, I teach those Buggy Pirates a lesson, then I'll convince Nami to be my Navigator and finally get Chiaki into the crew!"
"I heard that last bit, you know!" Luffy turned to see Chiaki, who managed to survive having pieces of rubble falling on top of him. Accompanying him were Hoopa and Rockruff.
"Chiaki! You were sent flying by that lion too?" Luffy asked.
"You damn right I was…" Chiaki muttered. "Lion's tough, but he got nothing on my old man."
It was then that Nami and Boodle found them.
"How did you two survive that attack!?" Nami asked.
"You two are alive!?" Boodle exclaimed.
"Just got lucky, I guess." Luffy said.
"And so am I." Chiaki added.
"Surviving an attack like that isn't normal." Nami pointed it out. "I figured you'd be scattered all over."
"It's not normal?" Luffy asked.
"Well, I've been trained to take hits like that." Chiaki added.
"Why did you exactly come to this town?" Boodle asked. "And how did you get involved with those Pirates!?"
"I came here just so I can save this guy." Chiaki said, pointing at Luffy. "But from the looks of it, this town has a Pirate problem and I can't exactly ignore that."
"All I'm doing is searching for a chart of the Grand Line and get a good Navigator and Chiaki to join my crew!" Luffy said before he ran off. "I think the guy in the animal suit said he was looking for Zoro! So, I gotta go!"
"Hey, wait up!" Chiaki said as he went after Luffy with Hoopa and Rockruff in tow.
Richie roared at Chouchou but the dog refused to move. Seeing this, the bigger animal swiped his paw at the dog, sending him tumbling down to the side of the street as well as destroying the store sign. Despite the pain he felt, Chouchou quickly got up and ran towards the lion. As it ran down to keep the Pirate's pet from destroying the shop, his mind flashed back to one particular moment when his owner was still alive.
(Flashback)
"Chouchou! This shop belongs to the two of us now!" Chochou's owner, who was an elderly man wearing a beanie, told Chouchou. The man proceeded to slung a sack of pet food over his shoulder before carrying it somewhere.
Chouchou proceeded to go right and grabbed another sack of food in its before dragging it backwards.
The man appreciated how his pet was willing to help out in the store and proceeded to lift him up. "That bag is way too big for you, Chouchou."
(End of flashback)
Chouchou ran up to Richie and then bit him in the left paw, causing the latter to roar in pain. His mind flashed to another certain memory.
(Flashback)
Chouchou's owner was then towing some stuff in a wagon as Chouchou accompanied him. The man tried his best to pull the wagon before Chouchou decided to stand up on his hind legs and push the wagon's wheel. It worked but the dog ended up grabbing hold of the wheel and spun along with the wheel.
"Hahahahaha! Be careful, Chouchou! Don't hurt yourself." The elderly man said cheerfully as he picked up his pet, who had swirly eyes due to being dizzy. "Leave this to me."
(End of flashback)
Chouchou defiantly barked at Richie, who replied with a roar. Then, another memory with his deceased master resurfaced.
(Flashback)
"Bad Chouchou! I told you not to eat the merchandise." The man scolded him lightly as several pet food boxes that were ripped open were behind Chouchou. The man did not seem to be too upset about his pet's action as he pulled something that he hid on his back. It was a plate of assortments of meat. "Let's chow down!" He said before he and Chouchou bite into the same meat.
(End of flashback)
Richie retaliated by swatting Chouchou to a rooftop of a building. Despite that, the dog got off and jumped out from the roof before confronting the lion once more. No matter how battered he was, he refused to let the bigger animal ransack the shop that was left behind by his owner.
"Well, not ready to give up yet?" Mohji asked as the dog in front of him kept snarling at him and his pet lion.
The small, white dog stood against his adversaries as the last words of his owner rang in his mind.
"Chouchou, I'm getting unused now. I gotta go see the doctor for a checkup. But I'll be back, so guard the shop until I return. I'm counting on you, Chouchou! Hold down the fort!"
Chochou continued to snarl at Richie before jumping at the latter, only for the former to be swatted away as some of his blood splattered on the remaining sign.
(Later on…)
"The hell is this…!?" Chiaki muttered as he, Hoopa, and Rockruff saw the pet food store went down in flames. While he was glad to see that Chouchou survived, he could tell that the dog was barking in sadness over the loss of his treasure. Luffy was also there as he stared at the burning building.
"(It must be the work of that so-called 'Beast Tamer'...!)" Rockruff growled.
"It's one thing to rob the place, but to burn it too? That's just downright petty." Hoopa said as he and the others continued to stare at the burning building.
"He has a connection to it, it's his treasure. He's guarding it. His master left him with this shop and that's why he protects it."
Chouchou could only howl in sadness as the legacy that was left behind by his owner slowly burned away in front of him. Chiaki could only look at the dog with sadness as he clutched his silver bracelet.
(Flashback: a year ago)
"Here you go, old friend! Happy birthday!" Jim said as he gave a present to Chiaki.
"Aw, thanks man." Chiaki said as he took the gift and began unwrapping it up. Once he was done, the present was a small rectangular box. He opened it up and it was revealed to be a silver bracelet.
"I know it was nothing grand or 'cool-looking' as you put it, but I believe it's the thought of a gift that counts." Jim said.
"Dude. You make it sound like I'm gonna hate it." Chiaki said. "But you're wrong. I definitely love it!" He said as he immediately wore it on his left wrist.
"Ah. A perfect fit it seems. I'm glad you enjoyed it." His best friend said.
"Now that I'm 16, are we all set to go out into the open sea?" Chiaki asked his friend.
"Not quite, Chiaki. My birthday was five months away. " Jim said before he smiled. "But when that time comes, let's do our best to find the Mystic Archipelago!"
"You got it, man!" Chiaki said as he did a fist bump with Jim.
(End of flashback)
Chiaki clenched his fists harder as he looked towards Luffy. "Hey, Luffy!"
"Hmm?"
"Look, I know I have no right to order you, seeing as I'm not part of the crew. But…" Chiaki began. "Mind if I take on that piece of shit? He and that pet lion of his made it real personal for me."
(Meanwhile…)
Mohji and Richie were still roaming the town, looking for Zoro. Mohji looked at the wound that he received from Chouchou as Richie had a box of pet food in his mouth.
"Damn it! I can't believe that annoying little dog bit me!"
Richie stopped moving when Chiaki and Rockruff stood in front of him. Mohji saw who was blocking the path and was surprised.
"Wait. I thought I killed you! Why are you still doing alive!?" Mohji exclaimed.
"I'm just that tough, asshole." Chiaki smirked. "When you knock someone down, at least try to check and see if that someone stays down."
"(I hope you're ready, because now I will make you pay for the crimes against Chouchou!)" Rockruff barked as he glared at Richie, who roared in kind.
"Haha! Are you sure that small pooch of yours can take on Richie? It's just an ant compared to a real beast like Richie!" Mohji boasted.
"Oh, Rockruff's a lot tougher than he looks. Even stronger than that overgrown pussy cat. I know because I'm the one who trained him." Chiaki retorted.
"Train? This little thing? Get real! That mutt of yours will be swatted easily just like that other mutt! Richie, crush that fleabag and his master to the ground!" Mohji said as he dropped the pet food box on the ground and jumped off of his pet to allow him to lunge at Rockruff.
"How about I show you how it's done! Rockruff, use Double Team!"
"(Gladly.)" Rockruff stated as his body glowed white before creating multiple clones of itself.
"What is this!?" Mohji exclaimed, having never seen something such as this. "Richie! Crush them all!"
Richie roared as he swiped his paw at the clones, which instantly vanished as soon as they were hit. And he kept doing it until one Rockruff remained.
"There's that little mutt! Richie!" Mohji ordered as his pet lion slammed his paw at the last one, but only for that to turn out to be another clone. "Huh!? That was a fake too!? Where's the real one?"
Richie looked around in order to look for the real Rockruff. He noticed a shadow in front of him before looking up, revealing that the small Pokemon was in the air.
"How did it go up there!?"
"Alright, Rockruff. Use Rock Throw and then finish that lion off with Tackle!"
"(Got it, Chiaki!)" Rockruff barked in compliance as the rocks on his neck glowed white once before a white orb appeared on his tail. The orb then dissolved into multiple sparkles that turned into rocks which Rockruff then fired at the lion.
Richie did not appreciate being pelted by rocks as he was then slammed to the ground thanks to Rockruff using Tackle as the finishing move. This resulted in Richie slammed into the ground head first. Mohji gasped at the sight of seeing his precious pet lion go down despite the obvious size difference. He then saw Chiaki approaching him, causing him to back away.
"S-Stay back!" Mohji cried as he pulled out a whip and cracked at Chiaki. But the Pokemon Trainer simply caught it with his right hand before pulling said whip from the Beast Tamer's hand, throwing it aside. "Sorry!"
"Sorry? That's all you had to say?" Chiaki questioned, making Mohji fall on his backside. "You didn't seem sorry when you burned that pet food store down! That place was like a treasure to that little dog and you took that away from him! And now you have the nerve to apologize!? If saying sorry can bring that store back, then I wouldn't even be here!" He clenched fists harder before rearing back one of his arms. "Time to pay for your mistake, bitch!" He saw before he threw a punch across Mohji's face, knocking him out cold as he pathetically fell to the ground.
(Meanwhile…)
Nami simply stared at Chouchou as the dog stared at what was left of the store.
"Pirates are all the same." Nami commented bitterly. "They're all just a bunch of heartless bastards. They destroy everything that people hold dear without a second thought." She then turned around to see Luffy. "Oh, you're still alive. Pirate. Ya know, I thought for sure that lion was gonna tear your head off and then end it all." She then gave the boy a glare. "And I wish he had, 'cause there'd be one less pirate in the world!" Luffy could only stare at her without saying a word, which pissed her off even more. "Maybe I should kill you right now before you gather a crew and then destroy anything else!"
"Come now! There's no need for violence!" Boodle appeared as he kept Nami from hurting Luffy.
"As if you could ever kill me." Luffy scoffed at the claim as he walked away.
"Well, maybe I'll try it and see!" The angered thief retorted. "And what happened to that friend of yours!? The guy with black and auburn hair who has freaks of nature as companions? Did you send him to his death to that lion too? If not, maybe I should kill him too before he can get the chance to join your crew and be a Pirate!"
"I said stop!" The Mayor said, still trying to calm Nami down.
"Kill me? Is your hate towards Pirates so deep that you'll target anyone who is friends with one?" Everyone turned around to see Chiaki, who had returned with Rockruff. Hoopa was also there.
"Why not? Anyone who is friends with a Pirate may as well be in cahoots with one! Why else would you two be so friendly to one another?!" Nami retorted, still trying to get out of Boodle's hold. "At the end of the day, you are no different from scums like Buggy!"
"Hey, that's uncalled for!" Hoopa exclaimed as Rockruff growled at Nami, but Chiaki raised his hand to silence them. "But Chiaki—"
"It's fine, Hoopa. Don't bother with her." He told the Mischief Pokémon. "It's not like she knows what it means to be human. For her to have such a one-sided view on things, especially on Pirates."
"What was that?" Nami questioned, not liking the insult.
"You heard me. You see everything as nothing but black and white. So much so that you don't consider that there may be a third option. If even being a Pirate's friend counts as evil in your eyes, where does a petty thief like you come in? You said that we're no different from Buggy? Pot, meet kettle." He then turned towards Luffy. "Hey, Luffy? How did you get into that cage in the first place anyway?"
"Oh, yeah. I think it's because of Nami." Luffy answered bluntly as he was picking his nose. "She said something about wanting to join my crew but I have to do something for her. But all of a sudden, she tied me up with a rope. Then we met Buggy and the next thing I knew, I was put into the cage."
"You see? How are we evil when you used Luffy as the patsy? You're not exactly setting a good example yourself, I can tell you that much."
The Pokémon Trainer walked past Nami at those words, enraging the thief even more as she tried to free herself from the Mayor's grasp. He stopped at Chouchou's side and sat next to him.
"Here." Chiaki said as he put a pet food box, the same one that Richie had, in front of Chouchou. "Sorry about the store and everything. That box was the only thing I brought back. That stupid lion ate the rest of them." He sighed as he leaned back while his palms were down on the ground. "Listen, Chouchou, just because you lose your treasure physically, doesn't mean it's the end of the world. The memories of you and that store is what really matters. The happy times, the sad times. As long as you remember them, that treasure of yours will never disappear. If anything, I'm sure that's what your owner—No. That's what your best friend wanted."
"Chiaki…" Hoopa muttered, realizing he made the speech based on an experience that he knew all too well.
"(So, cheer up. I know you can make it through this. I believe in you.)" Rockruff chimed in as he saw his Trainer petted Chouchou on the head, with the latter replying by licking the former's hand.
Seeing this heartwarming moment made Nami calm down a bit. 'So, he fought the lion in order to save the dog's food…' She thought, having seen someone, who was friends with Pirates, would treat a little dog with kindness.
"Yeah, you did good." Luffy added, walking up to the dog. "'Course, I didn't see you actually defend the store, but I can tell that you gave it your all."
Chouchou took the box in his mouth and started walking away. "Arf! Arf! Arf!"
"Thanks! Good luck to you too, doggy!" Luffy smiled.
"Remember what I said, okay? I hope you have a wonderful day!" Chiaki stated.
"(Your future is looking bright, my friend! From one loyal dog to another!)" Rockruff barked happily at Chouchou.
Chouchou let out several more barks before he picked up the box of pet food once more before leaving.
Nami's anger completely vanished when she saw Luffy, a Pirate, comforting a little dog. 'Maybe there is such a thing as a good Pirate…'
(At Buggy's tent)
"You were defeated!?" Buggy exclaimed at Mohji, who was kneeling in front of his Captain with his unconscious pet. "How?"
"I'm very sorry, Captain…" Mohji said. "I'm sorry… I failed…"
"Mohji! I can't believe you were defeated by Zoro." The Chop Chop Devil Fruit user said.
"No, it wasn't Zoro!" Mohji claimed. "It was a guy who has a weird puppy that can make clones of itself and throws rocks!"
"What!?" Buggy exclaimed. "Are you saying that a small, brown pup managed to get the better of something that was as big as Richie? That he beat you in your own game!? Impossible! Then how about that boy with the straw hat? Tell him that you at least killed him, right?"
The only answer that Buggy got was the pained moan from Mohji as he fell and fainted on the ground.
"Now, I'm really pissed off!" Buggy declared angrily. "Prepare all the remaining special Buggy Balls! I'm going to blow this entire miserable town to smithereens!"
(Back with the others…)
"You actually used this brown doggy to beat up that bastard lion? So, cool!" Luffy stated.
"You can say that again. There's no way Rockruff would lose to that lion." Chiaki said.
"(He's big, but that's all there is to him. In the end, it was just an overgrown Meowth who is all roar and no bite.)" Rockruff added.
"Yeah! You really, really should join my crew!" The straw hat boy grinned.
"Okay, I think you got a little carried away there." He sweatdropped.
"Luffy, you really give up at this point." Hoopa said.
"No way! He's definitely gonna join my crew. Him and you." Luffy retorted before he looked at Hoopa. "You don't have Devil Fruit power, but you can still do magic."
"I mean, I am that amazing, if I say so myself…" The Mischief Pokémon flattered by the compliment.
"Hoopa, don't. He's baiting you so he can make me join the crew with you."
As the four were talking to each other, they heard footsteps and saw that Nami was approaching them.
"Sorry about earlier." Nami apologized to them. "I didn't mean to yell at you two."
"That's okay." Luffy replied. "You've been under a lot of stress lately."
"It's fine." Chiaki said with a smile. "I happened to know what it was like to lose someone that was close to you to a Pirate too. And I get where your anger and hate is coming from…" He continued. "But nothing good comes from having those feelings. Trust me, it won't end well for you."
"Is that so…" Nami stated, clearly taking those words to her heart. 'So he lost someone too, huh? Who knew…'
"I'm pathetic!" Boodle exclaimed as he clenched his fists hard. "Chouchou, these kids, and even another dog 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!"
"Calm down! It's not that bad!" Nami stated, trying to prevent the Mayor from doing anything reckless.
"Forty years ago, this whole area was nothing but barren, rugged land. We all worked together to create fields for our crops. We opened stores and built everything from the ground-up." Boodle explained. "This town is a treasure to me and all its citizens! FROM HERE ON OUT, I REFUSE TO LET BUGGY AND HIS CREW TERRORIZE US ANYMORE!"
As he said that, another huge explosion happened and it tore through the town once more, destroying more houses, including the Mayor's own house.
"Holy shit! That was another big one!" Chiaki remarked.
"AHHH!" Luffy shouted. "Zoro was sleeping in there!"
"Wait!? For real!?" Chiaki exclaimed.
"I'm sure he's dead now…" Boodle muttered, having been frightened by the blast.
"Zoro! Are you still alive?" Luffy called out his only crewmate.
"Hey, Zoro! Are you dead?" Chiaki added.
"That's one hell of a way to wake a guy up…" Fortunately, they received a reply, confirming his survival.
Luffy immediately let out a laugh, happy to found out the cannon fire did not kill off his only member of his crew.
"I could've used a few more Z's…" Zoro muttered, having been woken up abruptly.
"How did you survive that blast?" Nami asked as she was a bit impressed.
"Because his body is strong like iron, that's how." Chiaki stated. "I mean, how else did you think that me and Luffy survived being sent flying from buildings to buildings?"
"That's not much of an answer, but I'll take it."
"Alright! You're alive!" Luffy cheered.
"I refuse to let him get away with this…" Boodle began, having recovered from the sudden fright. "I won't stand for it. I can't let this scumbag destroy all that my townspeople worked for all these last 40 years!" He clenched his fists in frustration once more. "I am the Mayor of this town! I WILL PROTECT IT AND ITS INHABITANTS! I SWEAR TO MY DYING BREATH!"
The Mayor immediately grabbed a spear and was about to run off to face Buggy as Nami grabbed ahold of him before he could do so.
"Stop! You can't defeat Buggy!" Nami tried to reason with the now furious Mayor.
"Perhaps, but there are some fights that a man can't run from!" Boodle said as he turned towards Luffy, Zoro, and Chiaki. "Isn't that right?"
"That's right, old man!" Luffy grinned in agreement.
"Yup. That sounds about right." Chiaki added.
"If there's something worth protecting, then you better do it like your life depends on it!" Hoopa said.
"Shut up!" Nami scolded them. "Don't egg him on, you three! It's dangerous for him to fight Buggy!"
"I know it's dangerous!" Boodle retorted as he finally got free from Nami's hold as he ran off to where Buggy currently is with tears in his eyes. "I'M COMING FOR YOU, BUGGY THE CLOWN!"
"The Mayor was… crying." Nami muttered.
"He was?" Luffy asked. "Huh. I didn't notice."
"It looks like the party's getting more exciting."
"Sure does." Luffy grinned.
"You know, seeing that old man's determination gets my blood pumping!" Chiaki smirked. "We're hitting the climax in this chapter and oh am I gonna enjoy this!"
"This is no time for laughter." Nami said worriedly.
"Don't worry, I've started to grow fond of that old man. There's no way I'd let him die." Luffy assured her.
"In that case…" Zoro said as he walked a few steps forward to join Luffy, Chiaki, Hoopa, and Rockruff.
"You're gonna go too!? You're wounded!" Nami reminded him.
"Yeah, so what?" Zoro retorted as he tied the bandana around his head. "The injury to my reputation is a lot worse than the injury to my gut."
"Well, if we wanna get to the Grand Line, we better go steal that chart back." Luffy stated. "And since there's only one of that…" He turned towards Chiaki and Nami. "Are you two gonna join the crew or what?"
The two realized Luffy was right. There was only one chart of the Grand Line and it's currently in Buggy's possession. As for Nami, she initially thought she could just steal the map back from right under his nose, but she also believed that she stood a better chance if she worked with more people. In Chiaki's case, he was fully aware that he had no idea on getting another chart.
I'll never sink so low as to become a Pirate…" Nami slapped Luffy's hand away before she then smiled. "But I suppose we could team up, in order to achieve our common goal.'
"I hate to admit it, but I have zero idea on getting another one of those Grand Line charts…" Chiaki added. "So… I guess I can stick with you a little longer. Just until I get another one."
Luffy then grinned as he, more or less, agreed with those terms.
"I guess it settled then, huh?" Hoopa said as he turned towards Chiaki. "Are you sure about this?"
"I won't be a Pirate, but I'll make an alliance with him. If I can't find another chart, maybe I'll just stick with him until we enter the Grand Line. And when that happens, me and him, we'll both go our separate ways." Chiaki explained as he pulled out Rockruff's Poké Ball. "Thanks for the help, Rockruff. Now, go and get some rest." A red energy then shot out from the ball's button and basked Rockruff in it, where he was pulled into the Poké Ball.
"Wait, what!? That brown pup went inside that small ball?" Nami said, having seen it for the first time.
"I know right? That's one of the reasons why I wanted Chiaki to be part of my crew!" Luffy stated.
"Yeah, we'll talk about that another time." Chiaki said. "Come on, let's go!"
And with that, the five of them were off to confront Buggy one last time.
(Next...)
B: This town is no treasure! Treasure is gold, silver, and jewelry!
L: I'm here to kick your ass just like I promised I would, Buggy!
BDL: BUGGY IS MY FIGHT!
C: Looks like someone's hungry for money.
N: Hey, Chiaki. Why don't we just ditch them and just go to the Grand Line with me?
C: Oh, that's just not right...
L: YOU BASTARD!
C/H/L: Next time on The Straw Hats's Monster Tamer, Chapter 4: What is a Treasure?
L: I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!
And that's wrap for the second half of the double update. The next chapter is gonna be the final one to conclude the Orange Town Arc, it won't be long now!