It took them a little bit of time, but they managed to make it down to street level and were now making their way through the town back to the ship. Or boat. Shang-Chi found it easier to move the cage around like this rather than on the rooftops so they made better progress. He finally took a break in a courtyard, breathing heavily. It was hard to do with mostly one hand. Whenever he tried to use the other, he felt bolts of pain shoot up his arm, messing up his concentration.
"Let's pause here for now and try to figure out a way to get you out of there," he said, stretching a little. As he did, he suddenly noticed that they weren't alone in the courtyard. "Huh."
The others all followed his gaze and spotted a small white dog watching them all.
"What's with this dog?" Zoro asked, leaning against the cage.
Luffy grinned. "Doggie!" he exclaimed before starting to shake the cage forward.
"Hey watch it!" Zoro complained as his resting place suddenly moved, but Luffy didn't care, waddling the cage over to where the dog was. It continued to just stare at them all, making no movements. Shang-Chi wasn't even sure it was blinking.
"Is it alive?" Sabine asked, eyeing it curiously.
"I can't tell," Shang-Chi replied. "By the way, where did Nami go?"
"She just took off," Sabine shrugged. "I don't think she will be our navigator. She's not too keen on pirates."
"Oh well. We'll find someone eventually. What are you doing?" he asked, seeing Luffy stretching his face at the dog.
"Trying to make it laugh," he said like it was obvious.
"Dogs can't laugh," Sabine argued.
"Well this one sure doesn't. It looks like it's frozen."
"Well I don't really give a damn, he could sit there forever for all I care," Zoro grumbled as he got up and took a seat in front of the building.
"I wonder if it's dead," Luffy said, still grinning. He reached out and poked it right in its forehead.
They soon realized it wasn't dead as its eyes suddenly narrowed right before it launched forward and bit down on Luffy's face.
"AHHHHHHH!" he screamed, struggling to yank his face back but the dog had a tight grip, seemingly determined to rip it off. Zoro, Shang-Chi, and Sabine all stared in shock, too bewildered by it to do anything. "Get off, get off, get off, get off, get off!" Luffy yelled, shaking the cage as he kept struggling.
"Luffy!" Zoro suddenly yelled. "Please quit goofing around and get serious! Oh," he mumbled, sinking back to the ground. "Yeah, this injury's bad," he muttered, looking at his seeping wound.
As he talked, the dog finally let go of Luffy's face and had gone back to its previous position of just staring at them all like a statue.
"Damn dog," Luffy mumbled.
"Well what do you expect!" Sabine told him from her position next to Zoro. "If you go around poking it in the face, of course it's going to do that. If you poked me in the face, I would do the exact same thing."
"You would bite his face like that?" Shang-Chi asked curious, eyebrows raised. "Wow, how savage."
"No, I wouldn't," Sabine argued. "I meant I would attack him, not bite his face off like that. Whatever, we need to find the hospital or medical center of this place, wherever the doctor lived, and see if we can get something to treat these…"
She trailed off as they all heard the sound of running feet. Fearing more pirates, they all turned, ready to fight, only to see Nami rounding the corner into the courtyard.
"Huh?" she mumbled, seeing the dog.
"Oh, hi navigator," Luffy grinned up at her from the cage.
Nami just smiled back at him softly. "I guess you can have this," she said, reaching into her pocket to pull something out and tossing it on the ground next to him. "You got me out of a pretty sticky situation."
"One you got us all into," Sabine reminded her.
"Let's not stress about the details."
Luffy wasn't listening to that as he focused on the metal key lying in front of him. "Great!" he said. "The key to the cage. Did you go steal it for me? Thanks Nami."
"I only did it so we'd be even," Nami replied. "And now I don't owe you anything so we're square, ok?"
The others all chuckled at her remark, already aware that once Luffy had set his mind to her joining the crew, there'd be no stopping him.
"Yeah, sure," Luffy said, already reaching for the key. However, before he could grab it, the dog suddenly leaned over and gobbled it up in one bite right before swallowing it whole.
"Wha!" Luffy gasped, staring at where the key had just been before looking at the dog which just stared right back at him.
Everyone had different faces on. Nami stared in bewilderment, not sure what she just saw. Sabine looked in complete confusion, trying to figure out why the dog had done that. Shang-Chi merely face-palmed, sighing deeply. Zoro grimaced and Luffy was practically seething with rage.
He lunged forward, grabbing the dog by the throat and shaking it wildly. "STUPID STUPID STUPID DOG!" he yelled. "Give it back, that's not food! Give me my key! Give it! Give it! Give it! Give it! Give it! Give it! Give it! Give it!"
"Hold on," Shang-Chi said, walking over. He swiftly grabbed the dog around the middle, held it down with his legs, and pried its jaws open with his hands. "Alright, just reach down there and get the key back."
"That's nasty," Sabine commented, sighing.
"My hand can't fit through there," Luffy complained, staring down the dog's throat.
"Well, it's either this, wait for the key to come out the other way, or slice open a third way. Your pick."
"Hey! Stop that!"
They all turned at the raised voice, seeing an elder man with triangular shaped hair walking towards them. He had strange clothes on that looked like it was supposed to be armor cobbled together from random items. "Stop picking on poor Chouchou! Leave him alone!"
Shang-Chi did not let the dog go but he did close its jaws, still holding on tight though so it wouldn't bite him.
"And who might you be, old man?" Zoro asked, hand grazing the edge of his sword. Next to him, Sabine's hand was resting on her pistol.
"Old man? Why I'm the mayor of this town. Who are you and why are you hurting Chouchou?" He stopped, looking down and seeing the bloody injuries on both Zoro and Sabine. "My my, those are some injuries you have there. I take it that you had a run-in with Captain Buggy. We need to get you both to a doctor."
"Three," Shang-Chi corrected, holding up his injured hand. While it wasn't as bad as the other two, he knew it could still do lasting damage if not treated properly.
"Here, come with me," the mayor said, guiding Zoro and Sabine into the building. He paused for a second, seeing Shang-Chi hadn't moved. "Aren't you coming?"
"No, treat them first. It's not too bad. Besides, with Captain Buggy and his pirates around and my captain still in a cage, I'd rather stay by their side for now. Also, I want to see if I can try some non-threatening methods to remove the key from, uh, Chouchou's stomach."
The mayor accepted that response with a nod before leading the other two inside. He came back out a few minutes later and handed Shang-Chi a small bottle and some bandages.
"All I can provide for right now," he said and Shang-Chi took them wordlessly.
"How's Zoro? And Sabine?" Luffy asked him.
"I told them they really should see a doctor," the mayor replied. "But they both insisted they didn't need to. Zoro's decided to just sleep it off while Sabine's patching herself and him up."
"So…" Nami said, peering down at the dog which had resumed his seated position in front of the store once Shang-Chi let it go. He let out a big yawn as Nami talked. "This dog's name is Chouchou?" She gave him a soft pet and he eyed her carefully, allowing it for now. Shang-Chi eyed him carefully, still thinking up ways to get the key out.
"Why's he just sitting there like that?" Luffy asked, grinning again. "He sure is a lazy dog."
"He's guarding the store," the mayor told them.
"He's guarding it?" Nami questioned.
"Yes."
Nami turned around and took a closer look at the store behind them. "Oh, I see. It's a pet food shop."
"That's right. And the man who used to run this store was a very close friend of mine." The mayor went into the shop and came back out a second later with a bowl full of dog food which he then placed right in front of Chouchou. "There you go." Chouchou instantly began chowing down on the food.
"When he passed, I assumed the responsibility of taking care of Chouchou."
"He died?"
"Yes," the mayor said. "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."
"That seems to be the consensus."
"A loyal dog," Shang-Chi commented. "And friend."
"But I find that very hard to believe," the mayor continued, surprising them. "Chouchou is a smart dog. He's probably known for a while that his master isn't coming back." As they talked, Chouchou finished his food and started licking the bowl. They all stared at him, mixed feelings rising in each of them.
"Then, why does he stay here at the store?" Nami asked, confused.
"I guess because he has a connection to it. It's his…treasure. He's guarding it." The mayor let out a long puff of smoke from his pipe before continuing. "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 away from here."
They all silently contemplated that, Luffy most of all. He knew what it was like, to do whatever it took to guard that which was most precious to you. It reminded him of better times, when it was just him and his brothers and everything they had done for each other. In that second, he didn't care that Chouchou had bitten his face or had swallowed the key to the cage. That dog was a truly one of the best.
Shang-Chi regarded Chouchou, watching as he picked up his food bowl and placed it in front of the mayor. For a second it seemed like he was asking for more but then he just went back around and resumed his post.
That kind of dedication to his master…it was truly remarkable. And all it did was remind Shang-Chi of his past and the promises he'd made…and broken.
But before he could think on it any further, there was a rumbling sound and the bowl shook suddenly. They were all instantly on alert as a loud growling sound echoed down the streets.
"What's that sound?" Nami asked, standing up.
"Nothing good," Shang-Chi replied, rushing over to Luffy's cage.
"It's him! Beast Tamer Mohji! We gotta go! Run!" the mayor yelled.
"What do you mean by Beast Tamer?" Nami asked but the mayor was panicking too much to reply, hurrying down the street. "Wait, hold on!" she yelled, chasing after him.
"So what's the plan here, Captain?" Shang-Chi asked, watching as something emerged from around the corner. This was not going to be good.
Luffy sighed deeply, looking at the dog. "Come on puppy, something's here. Why don't you just give me that key back?"
"It might be too late for that," Shang-Chi said, eyes wide as he took in the sight looming over them. Luffy looked back as well and saw a large albino lion towering above them, looking ready to gobble them down like kibble. Riding on top of him was a man with pure white hair that was cut short and shaped resembling a lion's mane with even ears popping out from the top.
"I see that your friends have deserted you, and after you just escaped," he said.
"Who the heck are you?" Luffy asked.
"Beast Tamer Mohji, I presume," Shang-Chi said, getting into a fighting stance. Two comrades out of commission and his captain locked away while he himself had an injured fist. Not good odds against a beast like this as well as its master.
"Ah, I see my reputation proceeds me. Yes, I am Beast Tamer Mohji, a member of the Buggy Pirates."
Luffy leaned back to get a closer look at him. "Whoa. That's a weird animal suit you got on."
For an instant, Shang-Chi was worried Luffy actually thought the lion was the one talking.
"That was rude! This is manly hair!" Mohji argued.
"Kay, that's even weirder."
"You shouldn't assume that you're safe just because you're in that cage. You must not know of my terrifying skill. There is no animal in this world that Beast Tamer Mohji can't bend to do his bidding."
Shang-Chi looked over at Chouchou and the mental image of Mohji walking over and attempting to get the dog to shake his hand only to get bitten appeared.
"You nameless thieves, I have no interest in killing you," Mohji suddenly said, shaking Shang-Chi from his thoughts. "Tell me where Roronoa Zoro is before I change my mind."
"No way," Luffy said firmly.
"What he said," Shang-Chi nodded at Luffy.
"Richie!" Mohji roared. "Attack!"
The lion leapt forward, preparing to crash right into the cage, but Shang-Chi acted first. During his training with his father, he'd fought against many wild beasts and he'd learned how to look for the signs of attack from them, the twitches and movements they made to indicate what they would do. So he knew exactly what Richie was going to do and launched himself right below him, his uninjured fist slamming into the lion's chin and knocking him back.
"Chouchou!" Shang-Chi called out. "If you are as smart as the old man said, please understand my words and cough up the key."
If Chouchou did understand, he made no indication of it.
"Damn," Shang-Chi muttered. "We need a new-"
"Shangy! Let him attack!"
Shang-Chi blinked in surprise. "Are you sure?"
"Trust me!"
Shang-Chi wasn't sure what his captain was thinking but right then it didn't matter. He was his captain and he did trust him. So when Richie came at him again, he leaped out of the way, letting the lion crash right into the cage, smashing it to bits. And, to his surprise, Luffy managed to dodge the lion's attack and the debris, leaping away from the broken cage.
"Hahaha! Yes, I'm finally out!"
"Not bad, captain," Shang-Chi murmured, smiling.
But their celebration was short-lived as Richie caught Luffy with his paw, smacking him across the street and into another building, creating a cloud of dust and debris.
"Damn it!" Shang-Chi growled.
"Nice work. Good boy Richie!" Mohji complemented. "Now defeat this weakling so we can go find Zoro and beat him and strengthen my reputation."
"You may have taken Luffy by surprise there, but you will not find me to be so easy an opponent," Shang-Chi warned, raising his fists.
"Hmm. We'll see."
Shang-Chi saw Richie tense up and instinctively dove to the side as the lion lunged at him. He landed smoothly on one leg and used it to throw his other leg forward, landing a solid kick on Richie's chest, sending him stumbling back and almost collapsing. Without waiting for them to even begin to recover, Shang-Chi leapt into the air, planning on striking Mohji out first, when the beast tamer looked up and grinned at him.
"Maybe you are too much for me alone. So what about him?"
Shang-Chi blinked once right before there was a rush of air and something struck him from the side. He felt all the air inside him explode out as he was sent flying through the air, crashing through the window of a neighboring building into what appeared to be a dining room until he smashed the table to pieces and smacked into the wall.
"Owwwww," he moaned. He tried to get up but gave up on that a second later, just leaning against the wall. What the hell had hit him? It had moved too fast for him to even see. All he knew was that it was fast and strong. He gingerly touched where he'd been hit. He had a strong tolerance for stuff like this so his bones didn't feel broken, but they still weren't too far off.
As much as he hated to admit it, he was out of the fight for now.
"Nice work, Pulver," Mohji said to the armored figure below him.
"No sweat," the man replied. "He never saw it coming. They never do."
"Alright Richie, now let's…what's wrong?" Mohji suddenly asked, hearing the slight whimpers coming from the lion. "I know the mean man hurt you, but I need you to tough it out until…oh it's a pet food store," he realized, looking at the building in front of him and understanding what Richie was feeling. "Make it quick then, let's go."
The lion started to move forward, growling as it saw the figure blocking it.
"Huh?" Mohji asked, seeing the dog. "Don't tell me this pathetic little thing thinks he can guard the shop?"
As they drew closer, Chouchou stood on all four legs and started barking angrily at them, prepared to defend the pet store to the death if need be.
Pulver laughed. "Looks like the little doggie's got some fire in him."
"Too bad. He's about to learn his place in the pecking order."
"Whew, that was intense," Luffy said, rubbing his head as he looked around at all the damage he'd caused while crashing through the building. Most of the wall was gone, a few frames still standing, and he'd knocked over most of the furniture. "At least now I'm out of that cage," he said optimistically. "Heheh. Now, first thing I teach those Buggy Pirates a lesson and then I convince Nami to be the navigator for my crew."
"Huh?" Nami said, suddenly appearing. After Mohji appeared, she and the mayor had hid away until they saw Luffy go flying. As they'd gone after him, they'd seen someone else rocket over them at incredible speed. The mayor had told her it was Pulver, one of the headliners for Buggy's crew. But before he could say more, they'd arrive to see Luffy in this state. "How did you survive that attack?"
"You're alive?" the mayor gasped in shock. He didn't think anyone would be able survive Mohji or his lion.
"I just got lucky I guess," Luffy replied, confused by their questions.
"Surviving an attack like that isn't normal. I figured you'd be scattered all over."
"It's not normal?" Luffy asked, confused. He'd survived way worse when he was a kid. He guessed all that training with his grandpa really had paid off.
"Why exactly did you decide to come to this town? And how'd you get involved with those pirates?"
"All I'm doing is searching for a chart of the Grand Line and a good navigator to join my pirate crew," Luffy answered honestly, already walking off.
Nmai stared at him as he walked by, completely flabbergasted that he just said all that.
"I think that guy in the animal suit said he was looking for Zoro so I gotta go!"
Chouchou had tried his best. He had stood his ground when Richie came, preparing to attack, but the lion was too fast and knocking him aside with one blow, nearly knocking Chouchou out and cutting him up pretty badly. But still he came back, ready to die for the store. He remembered all the moments he had with his owner, Hocker. The man had raised him, cared for him, treated him not as a pet but as an equal. And he had entrusted Chouchou with protecting this store. He could not let him down.
"Well, not ready to give up yet," Mohji commented, smirking as Chouchou barked angrily at him.
'Hold down the fort.'
Those were the last words Chouchou had heard from Hocker. And Chouchou would live up to them and make sure that their home was protected, no matter what.
He leapt forward, ready to fight with everything he had.
But it was all for naught.
'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.'
Those words thundered through Luffy's mind as he stared at the fire consuming the pet store, Chouchou barking in anger and frustration as it burned down before howling sadly, knowing he had failed.
And all Luffy felt in that moment was anger. But it grew tenfold in the seconds that followed.
"I'm…sorry captain."
Luffy turned and gasped as he saw Shang-Chi stumble out of the nearby building, clutching his side gingerly. "Shangy! What happened to you?"
"They got me good. Never even saw it coming," Shang-Chi growled in frustration. "I'm sorry. I couldn't even stop them when they did this." He stared at the smoldering wreckage and Chouchou's howling form. "That dog gave them everything and for that they tried to break his spirit. And I couldn't do a single thing to stop them. I failed."
"Don't worry about it," Luffy said, his voice sounding calm but was in fact bubbling with rage. "I'll take care of them, no problem. You just rest for now, ok?"
Shang-Chi nodded. His wound wasn't too bad. He just needed to rest for a little while and then he would find the bastard who'd done it and smack him into the ground. "Hey captain," he said as Luffy turned to go. "Make them pay."
Luffy cracked his knuckled, his aura promising violence. "That's the plan."
"Damn it, I can't believe that annoying little dog bit me!" Mohji complained as they walked down the street, glaring at the bite-marks on his arm.
"Hahahahaha!" Pulver laughed, holding his sides. "I didn't know you could squeal that loudly, Mohji. You sounded like a little kitten rather than a Beast Tamer."
"You shut up! Well at least that mutt got what was coming to it."
Richie kept on walking, the large box of food swaying from his mouth. He couldn't wait to chow down on it all.
But they were all interrupted when Luffy suddenly appeared in front of them, blocking their path.
"Wait, I thought I killed you. What are you doing still alive?" Mohji demanded.
"I'm afraid you can't get rid of me that easily," Luffy replied, smiling on the outside while still seething on the inside.
"This time crush his head into the ground Richie!" Mohji roared, leaping off his lion as Richie charged forwards, dropping the box of pet food and aiming right for Luffy.
"I'm not going to be beaten by a lion," Luffy declared, thrusting his arms forward and spinning them around each other to form a whirlwind of his own limbs until he grabbed hold of Richie's jaws, having formed a corkscrew with his own arms. "Now, Gum-Gum…HAMMER!" he yelled jumping up as high as he could and bringing Richie up with him. At the same time, he began retracting his arms, causing Richie to spin rapidly in midair. When he reached the peak of his jump, he slammed Richie back down to where Mohji was staring agape. The lion struck the ground, cracking it open and sending dust billowing around. Luffy's hat floated off as he looked down on his fallen foe, Richie completely knocked out.
"He knocked out Richie," Pulver said in wonder.
"What are you?" Mohji cried out.
"Well, I ate the Gum-Gum Devil Fruit," Luffy informed them.
"So then you have…Devil Fruit powers like Captain Buggy and Pulver but yours make you rubber?" Mohji asked, trembling in fear.
"Devil Fruit, eh?" Pulver grinned. "Then this should be fun."
Luffy turned his gaze to him and took in his appearance. In a flash, his gaze hardened. "Let me guess. You're the one who took out Shangy."
"Oh was that what his name was? Wasn't much of a challenge. Went down after one hit." Pulver matched Luffy's stare. "Let's see how long you last. Should be fun considering you're a Devil Fruit user too."
Pulver tensed and then shot off. Luffy didn't have time to react. One second he was standing up, the next, something powerful struck him in the chest, rocketing him backwards. He flew down the street, crashing into a wall hard. He fortunately didn't break through, but he had created a large crater in it.
He touched his chest. While he still felt the effect of that impact, it wasn't too bad thanks to his rubber powers. He stood back up, shook his head, and faced his opponent once more.
"Not bad. But you'll have to hit me way harder."
Pulver blinked. "You…you're already up? Wow." He grinned fiercely. "So you will be a challenge then? Good."
"Get him Pulver!" Mohji yelled. "Avenge Richie!
"So you ate a Devil-Fruit too, huh?" Luffy asked.
"That's right. I ate the Rocket-Rocket Fruit, and now I'm a Human Cannonball. I can hit you so fast and hard, that you won't ever get back up, just like with your friend back there. He never stood a chance."
"You don't what you're talking about," Luffy growled, raising his fists. "You attack from the sides, before your opponent can even see you. Like a coward."
Pulver growled right back. "What'd you say kid?"
"Be a real man and fight me head on why don't you?" Luffy cried out.
"Oh you want me to fight you head on?" Pulver asked, grinning as he lowered his head so that the metallic helmet was pointed right at Luffy. "You got it!"
He tensed his legs and then shot forward, rocketing right to the kid. Luffy's eyes widened but this time he was ready for it and just managed to dodge the attack. Pulver soared right past him and the started rolling midair, planting his feet midair against the wall he was about to crash into, absorbing the impact and then shooting right back to Luffy who wasn't fast enough this time.
"Gah!" he cried out as Pulver struck him in the shoulder, sending his body spinning around until he collapsed on the ground.
"Now just hold still, this will be over soon," Pulver said, skidding across the ground as he came to a stop. He tensed his legs again and shot straight to the sky. Luffy blinked, watching as the man went higher and higher right before there was a sonic boom and he suddenly came soaring right for Luffy.
"AHHHH!" Luffy cried out and whirled aside, Pulver crashing into the ground where he'd just been lying, pulverizing it.
"You're a quick one aren't you?" Pulver said just before rocketing forward again.
"Stupid quick dome-head!" Luffy growled, again just barely avoiding getting hit. The wind did cause his hat to go flying and he quickly reached out and grabbed it.
"This one will finish you!"
Luffy turned back just as Pulver came flying at him again. He couldn't dodge in time so instead he gritted his teeth and thrust his arms forward, meeting the blow head-on. He was instantly shoved back, the power of Pulver's attack nearly sending him flying away. But he pressed back harder, thinking of Shangy's fallen form, and pushed down against the ground, slowing his advance. Pulver's expression changed into shock as they kept slowing down until they eventually came to a stop, his legs falling back to the ground.
"Ho- that's not possible," Pulver muttered slowly.
"Heh."
Pulver's eyes widened right before Luffy's fist connected with his face, launching him a few feet into the air until he crashed onto the street, groaning. He blinked and rubbed his jaw. That kid…he was way stronger than he looked. Way more powerful. When they had looked at him in the cage, they had thought he was just some dumb weakling. But clearly not.
Still, Pulver would prove that he was the best around here. He stood back up and got ready to soar forward again. He wouldn't lose to some-
"Gum-Gum…"
"Huh?" Pulver looked up and his eyes widened at Luffy's outstretched arm behind him, going past all the buildings. "Oh no…"
"…PISTOL!"
The arm shot forward at breathtaking speed, rocketing right for him. He tried to use his powers, thrust up to escape or meet them he didn't know, but he was too late as the fist struck him right in the chest. In that instant, he finally realized what all his victims felt like when he struck them as he was sent flying away from the force, struggling to hold onto consciousness.
Luffy grinned as the dome-headed man flew a good while before crashing into a building, practically demolishing the wall and most of the interior. That would teach him.
Mohji gaped at the sight. First Richie in one attack, and now Pulver too. This couldn't be happening. Who the hell was this kid?
"Sorry!" he gasped desperately, trying to save himself. "I apologize for attacking. I don't want any trouble."
"There's no reason for you to apologize to me. Because of you that dog will never get his treasure back," Luffy said firmly, thinking of Chouchou's howls as the store burned down. He'd gotten his payback for Shangy. Now he'd finish it for Chouchou too. "And now, because of that, I'm gonna kick your ass."
Mohji only had time to grimace before Luffy's hand shot out and grabbed him by the throat before yanking him right back to where his other fist was waiting. Luffy let out a roar of anger just before striking Mohji down hard, planting him into the ground.
Nami stared out at the forlorn Chouchou who himself just stared at the burned wreckage of the pet shop, now nothing but ashen timbers. Shang-Chi was next to him, holding his side as he stared sadly at the wreckage as well. "Pirates are all the same," she murmured, anger and grief mixing together in her voice. "They're all just a bunch of heartless bastards. They destroy everything that people hold dear without giving it a second thought." She turned at the sound of footsteps, her anger taking hold when she saw Luffy coming. "Oh you're alive, Pirate!" she spat. "You know, I thought for sure that lion was going to tear your head off and end it all. And I wish he had because then there would be one less pirate in the world. Maybe I should kill you right now before you can gather a crew and destroy everything else!" she screamed, running right at him.
"Come now," the mayor stopped her. "There's no need for violence."
"As if you could ever kill me," Luffy replied, walking away.
Well maybe I'll try it and see!"
"I said stop! What's with you people?"
Luffy ignored them, walking right over to Chouchou and placing the item in his hands at the dog's feet. The stolen box of pet food, half of it already eaten.
Nami and the mayor's eyes widened at the sight, not sure what they were seeing. Shang-Chi smirked a little, expecting no less at this point. Luffy just kept surprising him.
"Ah!" Luffy said, taking a seat next to Chouchou. "Sorry, but that's all I could save for you. That bastard lion ate all the rest of it.
He…he fought the lion…in order to save the dog's food? Nami wondered, completely bewildered. Everything he was doing completely confounded what she knew about pirates.
"You fought well," Luffy said. "Course I didn't actually see you defend the store, but I can tell you gave it your all."
Chouchou responded by biting down on the box, picking it up and carrying it off. He turned a little ways down the courtyard back to Luffy and barked once.
"Thanks! Good luck to you too, doggy!"
Chouchou barked again, what appeared to be a smile on his face, before walking away again with the box. They watched him go until he had disappeared from sight, Nami letting out a big smile as he did. Maybe these pirates were different.
"Well done, captain," Shang-Chi said. "Did you also happen to nab the guy who got me?"
"I sure did!"
"Not too hard, I hope. I owe him my own payback."
Luffy laughed. "Don't worry, you'll get your chance."
"You were defeated!" Buggy cried. "How?"
"I'm very sorry Captain," Mohji moaned, hunched over in pain. "Sorry, we failed."
"That guy…was just too strong," Pulver muttered.
"Mohji, Pulver, I can't believe you were defeated by Zoro."
"No, it wasn't Zoro!" they both said hurriedly. "It was that Straw Hat."
"What? There's no way that skinny little punk could've gotten the better of both of you."
"He's eaten the gum…" Mohji trailed off as he slumped over into unconsciousness.
Buggy frowned before turning to Pulver who didn't look much better off. "The gum what?"
"The Gum-Gum fruit, captain. He's eaten a Devil Fruit too," Pulver managed.
Buggy's eyes widened at that. "A Devil Fruit, huh? That complicates things. Now I'm really pissed off. Alright, prepare all the remaining special Buggy balls. I'm going to blow this entire miserable town to smithereens."
"Sorry about earlier," Nami said to Luffy. "I didn't mean to yell at you."
"That's ok, you've been under a lot of stress lately," Luffy replied before standing up. Shang-Chi stood up as well, still wincing as he did so. "But hey, no need to apologize," Luffy said.
"I'm pathetic! Chouchou and these young ones 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!"
The others all rushed over to him. "Calm down, it's not that bad," Nami told him.
"Considering the Buggy balls they have, it could have been much worse," Shang-Chi noted.
"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. 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!"
"Fire a special Buggy ball! Blow this town away!"
The cannon lifted up and fired off, the Buggy ball demolishing another whole swathe of the town directly in front of Luffy and the others, sending streets, buildings, and everything caught in between up in blazing destruction, including one particular building.
"He'll…destroy it all," the mayor muttered, staring aghast at the devastation.
"Seems I spoke too soon," Shang-Chi said, glaring at where the blast had come from. "They are planning on using all the Buggy balls."
"Ah!" Luffy suddenly screamed, staring at one particular building in front of them. "Zoro and Sabine were sleeping in there!"
"They were?" Shang-Chi blinked. "AHHH! Get them out!" He rushed forward, ready to start tossing all the smoking wood and mortar aside for his crewmates.
"I'm sure they're dead now," the mayor said sadly.
"Zoro! Sabine! You in there? Are you still alive?" Luffy cried out
"Do not worry! I will get you out! Ow!" Shang-Chi yelped, shaking his burned hand.
"Don't bother!" a voice shouted from the smoke. A second later, an armored figure emerged, stumbling away from the wreckage. "We're both fine."
"That's one hell of a way to wake a guy up," Zoro groaned, rubbing his head.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Luffy cheered.
"Oh, good. I don't have to dig you out after all. That would have been painful," Shang-Chi said.
"Thanks for the concern," Sabine glowered at him through her helmet.
"I could have used a few more Z's," Zoro said.
"How did you survive that blast?" Nami wondered.
"My armor protected me just fine," Sabine told her. "Not sure how Zoro's still alive though."
"Alright! You're alive!" Luffy shouted.
"I refuse to let him get away with this," the mayor growled, drawing their attention. "I won't stand for it. I can't let this scumbag destroy all that my townspeople worked for these last forty years. I am the Mayor of this town! I will protect it and its inhabitants! I swear, to my dying breath!"
"Stop, you can't defeat Buggy!" Nami warned, grabbing hold of him in an attempt to stop him as he started to run off, also somehow acquiring a spear as well.
"Perhaps. But there are some fights that a man can't run from. Isn't that right?"
"That's right, old man," Luffy grinned.
"Shut up!" Nami glared at him. "Don't egg him on, it's dangerous for him to fight Buggy." She pulled even harder as the mayor struggled to run, beginning to even pull her across the ground.
"I know it's dangerous!" the mayor yelled, turning on her and she gasped, letting go as she saw the tears in his eyes. He instantly took off, spear raised high. "I'm coming for you, Buggy the Clown!"
"The mayor was…crying," Nami muttered.
"He was?" Luffy asked. "Huh, I didn't notice."
"Looks like the party's getting more exciting."
"Heheha! Sure does."
"He's almost certainly going to die," Sabine added.
"But his dedication is admirable," Shang-Chi said.
"We have to do something!" Nami cried out.
"Don't worry, I started to grow fond of that old man. There's no way I'd let him die," Luffy reassured her.
"Well, in that case…" Zoro said, walking alongside Luffy as they all headed off where the mayor had gone.
"You're going too? And you?" she turned on Sabine. "You're both wounded! And you are too!" she pointed at Shang-Chi.
"Yeah, so what?" Zoro asked, tying his bandana around his forehead. "The injury to my reputation's a lot worse than the injury to my gut."
"I still owe that jackass some payback for what he did," Shang-Chi almost growled, rubbing his side.
"I want to see if Buggy's as immune to bullets as he is to swords," Sabine added, checking her pistols.
"Well, if we want to get to the Grand Line, we'd better go steal that chart back," Luffy said.
"Yes, that is a good point. Any chart of the Grand Line will be invaluable," Shang-Chi added. "It will make our voyage that much easier. Though a navigator would be even more helpful."
"Exactly. So, you going to join our crew or what?" Luffy asked Nami. "Huh? Come on."
"I'll never sink so low as to become a pirate," she said firmly, slapping his outreached hand aside. After everything, no matter how nice these guys seemed, she couldn't do it. But she did smile at them, surprising them. "But I suppose we could team-up, in order to achieve our common goal."
"And what common goal is that?" Sabine asked, an eyebrow raised beneath her helmet. It was clear Nami was just going to use them to get that chart for herself.
"Don't worry about it," she said, flashing them all a grin.
Yeah, I'm worried, Zoro, Sabine, and Shang-Chi all thought simultaneously.
"Great! Now let's go save the old man!" Luffy cried and took off running, the others sighing and rushing to catch up with him. It took them less than a minute to reach Buggy's encampment but it seemed they were a little too late as Buggy already had the mayor raised up in a detached hand, strangling him.
"I'll never let you destroy this town," the mayor managed to growl at Buggy. "If it costs me my very life."
Buggy sniggered at that. "So be it. Gah!" he suddenly gasped as Luffy appeared out of nowhere, ripping his hand off the mayor and squeezing it. "That's Straw Hat! Not again!"
"I'm here to kick your ass, just like I promised I would, Buggy!" Luffy said, twisting the pirate captain's hand with his own for another minute, watching Buggy squeal and groan in pain, before finally releasing it and letting it fly back up to its owner.
"Damn you Straw Hat!" Buggy cried. He glared down at him as well as the rest of the crew who came up behind him. "How dare you! You can't just waltz up to me and treat me like this. I'm Captain Buggy and I won't stand for it!"
"What a baby. Not Helmeppo bad, but still pretty bad," Sabine commented.
"Probably an inferiority complex from his lower bounty in what's considered the weakest of the seas."
Sabine frowned. "How can a sea be weak?"
"I truly don't know."
"Enough of that," Nami snapped. "Listen to me, all I want is the chart and the treasure and then I'm out of here, you got it?"
"Yeah, I got it," Zoro replied easily.
"Hold up, why do you get the chart?" Sabine turned on her. "Seems to me like the chart doesn't belong to anyone since it's been stolen, making it fair game to whoever gets it first. Besides, we need it more than you do."
Nami's eyes furrowed but before she could say anything in response, the mayor coughed next to them, his throat still recovering from Buggy's strangling. "Get out of here," he managed. "Why'd you follow me? You're outsiders, leave this to me. This is my fight, and I need to be the one to protect my town." He reached over and grabbed his spear, ready to fight. It was his duty as mayor to protect this town and its people, and he had to die for it, so be it. "Buggy is my fight!"
As he talked, Luffy had been processing everything he'd been saying carefully and came to a decision. Just as the mayor jumped up, ready to attack again, he grabbed the back of his head and slammed him face first into the wall, knocking him out cold.
Nami gaped at the sight while Zoro just looked on. Sabine's eyes widened in shock and Shang-Chi merely tilted his head.
"Not the way I would have handled it, but it does get the job done," he commented.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Nami screamed at Luffy while he was clapping his hands together. "Why'd you knock out the mayor?"
"Because…" he said, almost innocently, leaving her gaping again.
"It's not a bad idea," Zoro told her. "If the old man had continued to fight, he would have died. It's for the best."
"Agreed," Shang-Chi nodded. "Personally, I would have had him go back and gather the townspeople to help drive the pirates out."
"Exactly!" Nami shouted. "We could have come up with a more humane way to deal with the situation!"
"Or at least a less violent one," Sabine said, kneeling next to the mayor to check that he was still alright.
Luffy ignored them, walking right beneath Buggy's perch, knowing exactly what to do to get the ball rolling. "Here goes," he said, sending warning bells shooting down Shang-Chi's spine. He took a deep breath and then yelled at the top of his lungs, "BIG NOSE!"
Every single one of the Buggy Pirates' jaws dropped in shock at the brazen insult, watching their captain's face contort in rage.
"Well, that's certainly one way to get his attention," Shang-Chi commented.
Nami grabbed her face, fear driving into her heart. "That's the worst thing you could have said to him."
"I think he knows that," Sabine muttered, shaking her head.
"Oh, you damn flashy idiot," Buggy growled, rage filling his entire being. All he wanted to do today was cause a little mayhem in this backwater town and have some fun. But instead, he was being attacked and ridiculed by this snot-nosed brat at every turn. "I won't stand for this. TAKE AIM AND FIRE THE BUGGY BALL!"
The cannon lowered, another Buggy ball already loaded, and aimed right for them.
"Why'd you have to say that?" Nami cried before running away.
"We should probably run," Shang-Chi noted.
"Right. Come on Luffy. We gotta go!" Zoro said.
"You go ahead," Luffy replied, not moving an inch.
"Are you crazy?" Sabine gasped.
"Time to die!" Buggy screeched.
"I'm fine, just watch," Luffy said, staring right back up at the cannon without fear. The others all noticed and couldn't tell whether he was brave or just crazy. But they didn't have to long to think it over as the cannon fired, the Buggy ball shooting right for them. The second it did, Luffy finally moved.
"Gum-Gum Balloon!" he cried out, his entire body expanding until he did resemble a balloon, the Buggy ball striking his massive stomach and holding fast there. Everyone stared in shock at the scene, the pirates all gaping at the kid's weird abilities and Nami just staring in complete shock and a little disgust. Buggy and Pulver who, while still shocked, were also frustrated.
"Damn it, he caught the Buggy ball," Buggy winced, fear taking over him for an instant. "This is going to be harder than I thought."
"I did not know he could do that," Shang-Chi muttered, a little surprised himself. "That power of his is actually really handy."
"I'll say," Sabine said, smiling.
Luffy leaned back his stomach before launching it forward again, causing the Buggy ball to shoot back out again right for the pirates.
"He could have warned us," Zoro muttered angrily.
"It's coming right for us!" the pirates screamed, Buggy himself now trembling in fear. They all shrieked and ran around just as the ball hit them. Fortunately, it didn't go off with as much power as the last ones though it still let off a large explosion that completely demolished the building, sending all the Buggy pirates crashing to the ground below, a massive smoke cloud enveloping them all.
"Hmm," Shang-Chi said thoughtfully. "Either that one was not as powerful as the others, or it didn't go off and it was just Luffy's strength that destroyed the building."
"That's a scary thought," Sabine said.
"Alright, I got them!" Luffy cheered.
"Yeah, I think it was the second one," Shang-Chi nodded. "That is some serious power there."
"What the hell kind of monster are you?" Nami demanded. "And how are the rest of you so cool about that?"
"I think we freaked her out," Zoro said.
Shang-Chi shrugged. "Well, we already knew he was strong and that he had Devil Fruit abilities. Still, the extent of it all is impressive."
"It would have to be," Zoro chimed. "Otherwise I could never accept him as my captain."
"Agreed."
"Heheh!" Luffy smirked.
As the smoke cleared, they saw that as far as they could see, all the pirates had been knocked unconscious by the attack, lying dazedly in the rubble of the building with barely a movement between them all.
"I knew that something was weird after you survived that fight with that lion! No human being can do what you do. Now explain yourself. What the hell was the balloon-inflatey thing you did just now? Does that have something to do with the Devil Fruit Shang-Chi mentioned?"
"Yep," Luffy nodded. "That was the Gum-Gum Balloon."
"I don't care what you call it, just tell me how you did it! What are you some kind of freak?"
"How can you call him a freak after you've seen what Buggy can do?" Sabine asked her. "Compared to him, Luffy is downright normal."
"What was that?"
They all turned and saw Buggy clambering away from the wreckage, two of his men in his hands, smoke coming off their prone forms. "How dare you insult me like that. And right after you tried to flashily do me in," he growled right before dropping his men.
"Unreal. Using his men as a shield," Nami said, shaking her head.
The others just looked on in anger, anticipating the fight to come.
"What in the world just happened here?" They all glanced over and saw Mohji had just woken up and was looking around frantically until he spotted Luffy. "No! It's you!"
"Hi." Luffy waved cheerfully at him.
"AHHH! It's that damn Straw Hay, AHHH! Captain Buggy, we have to be careful. He has Devil Fruit powers too! He's a rubber person. I saw it myself."
"I already know that, dimwit," Buggy growled. "Pulver told me everything."
As he said that, Pulver appeared behind him, having used Buggy and subsequently the other two pirates as a shield himself. Instantly Shang-Chi narrowed his gaze. He was the one who had knocked him out. Shang-Chi cracked his knuckles, more than ready for a real match between them.
"Rubber person?" Nami questioned.
"Yeah. Heh," he said, pulling on his cheeks so that they stretched outward, causing Nami to gasp and stumble in shock, a look of disgust crossing her face.
"Jeez Luffy, that's weird and gross," Sabine complained, looking away.
"So he's made of rubber, huh?" Buggy said thoughtfully. "Well, that may make him tougher than I thought but it doesn't make him invincible. I'll find a way to flashily end him and make him pay for insulting my nose."
Behind them, there was a rumbling sound as Richie emerged, smoke pouring from his mouth, unconscious. He was being held up by a new figure, a tall man with long green hair, a blue-and-white checkered scarf, and purple shirt with long white pants to match.
"How do you plan to respond to this insult, captain?" he asked pointedly.
"Oh Cabaji, I don't know. I'm too angry to even fart."
Sabine raised an eyebrow. "Ok, ew. And what does that have to do with anything? But mostly, ew."
"Put him down Cabaji!" Mohji barked. "What the hell did you do to my Richie?"
"This cat? I used it as a shield to keep my clothes from getting dirty," Cabaji replied right before dumping Richie on the ground.
"Richie!" Mohji rushed over, hugging the lion tightly. "No, Richie! Say something please! Richie!"
A second later, Richie woke up to find Cabaji right above him, staring down at him with an evil eye that made the lion sweat all over. Instantly, Richie leapt behind some debris, cowering away from Cabaji in fear.
"Richie!" Mohji cried, before turning on Cabaji. "Damn you! You bastard!" he yelled before attacking the man who merely dodged back effortlessly before kicking Mohji so hard, he was sent flying right towards Luffy. "Out of my way!" he cried out.
"How about…out of my way!" Luffy replied, his leg coming up and catching Mohji right in the face as he passed by, shooting him directly into the nearby wall where he crashed into the ground in a slump.
"Oh Cabaji dear, you didn't try any of that with my Pythagoras, did you?"
Cabaji laughed behind his scarf. "No, my dear Zelda, I did not. I would never be foolish enough to use your pet as a shield."
"Mind your manners, Cabaji. Pythagoras isn't a pet. She's my partner in crime, you know."
Another figure appeared, a woman in a long green dress that left her shoulders bare except for thin straps. Long sleeves adorned her arms and legs that shined almost like scales, which went along well with the large snake she had curled around her shoulders, its forked tongue tasting the air.
"The rest of the headliners, I'd imagine," Shang-Chi commented. "The toughest of the Buggy Pirates."
"Huh. This should be fun then," Zoro replied, readying his swords.
And we're back. I think I enjoyed writing this one the most cause it reminded me of the episode in One Piece that pretty much got me hooked which was Chouchou. The focus on him and his backstory was, to me, Oda's first attempt at an emotional backstory. Plus, I really don't think any of us will see Chouchou in the live action series so it was that much better for me to do it here. (P.S., that show actually looks really good so I'm excited.)
As for Pulver, the Human Cannonball, I brought him in from the Circus of Crime from Marvel Comics. Pretty obscure but I've kind of had a soft spot for those D-listers and he seemed like a perfect addition to Buggy's crew as well as Princess Python.
Anyway, hope you enjoyed it, please leave a review if you can, and I'll be back in two weeks. Happy One Piece Day!