On the ruined rooftop of the bar, Buggy stood amidst the rubble, his face twitching with fury. He glared at his trembling subordinates.
"USELESS!" he roared. "Letting three little mice escape right from under your noses! What will happen to the reputation of the great Captain Buggy?!"
He took a deep breath, trying to regain his usual flamboyant arrogance. "But no matter. This is just a game of cat and mouse. I want this entire town to know that no one defies me and lives to tell the tale!"
He turned to the crowd. "ALL OF YOU, LISTEN UP! SEARCH EVERY NOOK AND CRANNY! FIND THAT STRAW-HATTED BRAT, THE SWORDSMAN, AND THAT LITTLE THIEF! WHOEVER FINDS THEM GETS A CHEST OF GOLD!"
The promise of gold reignited the pirates' spirits. They cheered and began to spread out through the town.
Just then, a large figure appeared. It was Mohji, one of the Buggy Pirates' top officers. He had a muscular build, wore a vest of animal fur, and had a ridiculously styled haircut shaped like two bear ears. He was riding on the back of a giant lion named Richie.
"Captain Buggy," Mohji said, his voice full of confidence. "There's no need to waste so much effort. It's just some small-fry swordsman. Allow me, 'Mohji the Beast Tamer,' to take care of him."
Richie let out a huge yawn, revealing a set of sharp teeth.
Buggy glanced at him. "Oh? You think you can handle that Pirate Hunter?"
"Of course," Mohji sneered. "With Richie and me, no prey can escape."
Buggy shrugged. "Fine. Do as you wish. But make sure you bring me his head."
Mohji bowed, then patted Richie's back. "Let's go, Richie! It's time to hunt!"
The giant lion let out a roar and leaped from the rooftop, beginning its hunt.
On a deserted street in town.
CRASH!
Zoro collapsed to the ground. The entire iron cage with Luffy inside fell with him, creating a deafening noise.
"Hey! Be careful!" Luffy yelled from inside the cage.
"Shut up..." Zoro panted, sweat pouring down his face. The wound in his side had started bleeding again. The exhaustion from days without food and an intense battle had finally caught up to him. He didn't even have the strength to stand.
"I can't go on..."
As the two of them lay sprawled in the middle of the road, they noticed another presence.
A dog.
A small, white, fluffy dog was sitting perfectly still in front of a shop. It sat there, unmoving, its determined eyes staring straight ahead, as if guarding something incredibly important.
Luffy, with his boundless curiosity, stared at the dog. "Hey Zoro, look. That dog is sitting so still, you can't even tell if it's real or fake."
He reached a hand through the bars and poked the dog on the head. "Hey! Doggie!"
Instantly, the dog, without changing its sitting posture, whipped its head around and bit Luffy's face.
"Aaargh!"
Because Luffy's face was rubber, it stretched out ridiculously. The dog chomped down, but couldn't do any damage.
"Hey! Let go! My face!"
Just then, Nami found them. She took in the scene—a swordsman on the verge of collapse, an idiot getting his face bitten by a dog—and let out a long sigh.
"What are you two doing in the middle of the road?! They're going to find us!"
She ran over, throwing a small brass key on the ground in front of Luffy. "Here! The key to the cage! I got it during the chaos. Now hurry up and unlock it!"
Luffy, overjoyed, let go of the dog to grab the key.
But the dog was faster.
It lunged, snatched the key in its mouth, and... swallowed it.
The air froze.
Luffy, Zoro, and Nami stared at the dog. The dog stared back, looking completely innocent, before returning to its original guard-posture.
A terrifying rage erupted within Luffy.
"YOU DAMN DOG!!!"
He snaked his rubber arms through the bars and started to choke the dog. "SPIT OUT THE KEY, RIGHT NOW!"
But the dog, despite being choked, didn't even flinch. It just looked at him with fearless eyes.
"STOP THAT!"
A stern voice rang out. An elderly man with a thick mustache, dressed in what looked like mayoral attire, was standing there. It was Boodle, the mayor of Orange Town.
"Let go of Chouchou immediately! He's done nothing wrong!"
Mayor Boodle had taken them to his house to hide from the Buggy Pirates. Zoro's wound was treated, and Luffy and Nami were told the story of Chouchou.
"He's not just any dog," Boodle said, looking out the window, where Chouchou was still sitting guard in front of the shop. "He's protecting his treasure."
He explained that the shop was a pet food store, opened by a close friend of his, who was also Chouchou's owner. Three months ago, the owner had fallen gravely ill and was taken to the hospital.
He never came back.
"Ever since then," Boodle continued, his voice low, "Chouchou has sat there. Every single day. Guarding the shop."
"He fights off anyone who tries to get near. You can see the scars on his body. He got those fighting Buggy's pirates to protect the store."
Nami didn't understand. "But... why? His owner isn't coming back. He knows that, doesn't he?"
"Yes, he knows," said Boodle. "He's not waiting for his master to return. He's protecting the memory of his master. This store... was my friend's treasure. And now, it's Chouchou's treasure too."
Luffy listened in silence. He understood. He understood perfectly what it felt like to have a treasure that couldn't be measured in money. Just like his straw hat.
"I've tried to take him away many times," Boodle sighed. "To leave this town, find somewhere safer. But every time I look at him, I just can't."
Suddenly, the deafening roar of a lion echoed from outside, cutting off the story.
ROOOOAR!
Mayor Boodle and Nami jumped. "It's... it's Mohji the Beast Tamer!"
They both scrambled to hide, leaving Luffy still in his cage, the injured Zoro, and Chouchou, who remained unmoving in front of the store.
Mohji and Richie had arrived. The giant lion landed on the ground, shaking the very street.
"Well, well? What have we here?" Mohji said, looking at Luffy in the cage. "A little rat caught in a trap."
Luffy looked at his ridiculous haircut. "Your hairstyle looks really dumb."
Mohji was infuriated. "Insolence! Do you know who I am? I am the great Mohji the Beast Tamer! All animals obey my command!"
To prove his point, he pompously held his hand out to Chouchou. "Come now, little doggie. Come and lick my hand."
Chouchou, completely unimpressed, trotted over and...
CHOMP!
...bit down hard on Mohji's hand.
"AAAAARGH! YOU DAMN MUTT!" Mohji screamed, trying to shake his hand free.
Enraged, he turned to Richie. "RICHIE! TEAR THAT CAGE TO SHREDS FOR ME!"
The lion roared and lunged, pouncing on the iron cage with all its might.
CRASH!
A deafening sound rang out. The cage was hit so hard that the door was blasted clean off its hinges.
Luffy, completely by accident, was free.
Mohji and Richie, in their anger, didn't even notice.
"Let's go, Richie," Mohji said, cradling his bleeding hand. "We don't need to waste time on a dog and a dying brat."
But as they were about to leave, Richie's nose twitched. He had smelled the pet food from inside the store.
"Grrr..."
Mohji noticed. A cruel smile spread across his face. "Oh? Are you hungry, Richie?"
He pointed at the pet food store.
"Go ahead. It's all yours."