"Hey! Brats! Leave Chou-Chou alone!"
An energetic roar interrupted the chaotic scene. An elderly man in armor and round glasses marched toward them, brandishing a broom like a halberd. He placed himself protectively in front of the small white dog.
"Huh? Who are you, old man?" Zoro asked, crossing his arms with an impatient frown.
"I am the Mayor of this town, Boodle!" The old man glared at them suspiciously. "More importantly, who are you? And what are you doing here?"
Luffy, still pressed against the bars of his cage, grinned wide, showing off a row of white teeth. "I'm Luffy! The man who's gonna be King of the Pirates!"
Facepalm.
Viktor, Zoro, and even Nami reached up to cover their eyes in unison. This guy really felt the need to broadcast his pirate status everywhere he went, didn't he?
"What?! PIRATES?!" Boodle's face paled, and his grip on the broom tightened. "I knew it! You're just like Buggy's lot! Leave this place immediately! Pirates are not welcome here!"
"Look, old man," Zoro sighed. "We're not like Buggy. We're just passing through. Relax."
"I'll never believe a pirate's lies!" Boodle shouted stubbornly.
While the two were at an impasse, Viktor ignored the argument entirely. He knelt down and reached out, gently rua-ing the head of the small dog, Chou-Chou.
The fur was soft, if a bit dusty.
"A pet, huh..."
Looking into Chou-Chou's resolute, bead-like black eyes, Viktor's thoughts drifted inward as he opened the [Summoning Beasts] tab in the System Shop. As a ninja, how could he not have a summon?
However, when he saw the prices, his heart went cold.
[Ninja Hound]: 2,000 Points
[Messenger Crow]: 3,000 Points
[Mount Myoboku Toad (Mid-size)]: 5,000 Points
[Kurama (Nine-Tails)]: 10,000,000 Points
"Right..." Viktor looked at his measly three-digit balance and silently closed the interface. Forget it. He'd just go catch a Sea King and make do later.
Nami walked over, also giving Chou-Chou a gentle pat, then glanced at Viktor. "Hey, thanks for saving me back there. That fire-breathing thing... did you eat a Devil Fruit too?"
Viktor smiled and put a finger to his lips. "Don't mention it, Miss Navigator. As for that... it's a magician's secret."
"Hmph, cryptic as always." Nami rolled her eyes and changed the subject. "So, why is this dog just sitting here?"
"He's guarding the shop."
Noticing that Viktor and Nami meant no harm, Mayor Boodle's tone softened. He stepped forward and pulled a bag of dog food from his coat.
"Guarding?" Nami looked up. "Ah, this is a pet food shop, isn't it?"
"Yes. The owner was my dear friend." Boodle opened the shop door, skillfully pouring food into a bowl for Chou-Chou. "I come to feed him in his place."
"In his place?"
"Yes." Boodle's gaze dimmed. "The owner passed away from illness three months ago."
Nami froze, watching the small dog eating quietly. "You mean... he's been waiting for his master to come back this whole time?"
"That's what everyone says. But I believe that for Chou-Chou, this shop is the most precious memory of his master. It is a treasure he is prepared to defend with his life." Boodle's eyes were full of pity.
"Ah... that's so moving." Nami's voice softened with genuine emotion.
In this tender, heartwarming moment—
Gulp...
A loud, out-of-place sound of swallowing echoed.
Viktor turned his head. Luffy was pressed against the cage bars, staring intensely at Chou-Chou's dog food, drool literally pooling on the floor. "That looks so tasty..."
A vein popped on Viktor's forehead. "Luffy, that's dog food... is your palate really that desperate?"
Before he could finish the sentence, Viktor's expression shifted. He stood up abruptly, brow furrowed, his dark eyes snapping toward the end of the street.
"What is it?" Nami asked, startled by his sudden change.
"Nami, take the Mayor and get out of here. Now." Viktor's voice turned icy.
Beside him, Zoro sensed it too. His hand dropped to his hilt, and a battle-hungry grin touched his lips. "Yeah. Someone's coming with a lot of bloodlust. We'll take it from here."
"Enemies?" Nami turned pale. She grabbed Boodle's arm. "Mayor, let's go!"
Boodle tried to reach for the dog. "Chou-Chou! Come with me! It's dangerous!"
"Woof!"
Chou-Chou barked at the Mayor, planting his paws firmly at the shop entrance. He refused to budge.
"He won't leave!" Boodle cried frantically.
"There's no time!" Nami looked at the dust rising in the distance and gritted her teeth, dragging the Mayor toward the back alley. "Viktor! It's up to you guys!"
The moment they vanished around the corner—
"ROAR—!!!"
A deafening lion's roar shook the street. Then, the ground trembled violently.
CRASH!
A lion the size of an elephant dropped from the sky, slamming into the pavement in front of the trio and kicking up a cloud of debris.
"Whoa! A huge lion! That's a lot of meat!" Even from inside the cage, Luffy's priorities remained unique.
As the dust settled, a beast tamer with a fur scarf and a weird hairstyle sat atop the lion's back. Mohji looked down at them, cracking his whip with an arrogant sneer.
"So you're the brat with the red eyes and the Pirate Hunter, Roronoa Zoro? Hmph. I didn't expect you to stay put. Saves me the trouble of hunting you down."
"Loud talk for a nobody," Zoro snorted, slowly drawing Wado Ichimonji. "You think you're invincible just because you're riding a big cat?"
"Actually, it saves us the trouble, you fuzzy-headed idiot," Viktor added.
Veins bulged on Mohji's head. "NOBODY?! FUZZY-HEADED?! You insolent brats! I am the Vice-Captain of the Buggy Pirates, the Beast Tamer Mohji!"
"I want to eat meat!!" Luffy yelled from the cage.
This was the final straw for Mohji. "SHUT UP! Richie! Eat them!"
Mohji lashed his whip.
"ROAR!"
Richie the lion roared, his massive hind legs tensing before he launched his bulky frame into the air. He opened his maw wide, pouncing toward Zoro with a gust of foul-smelling wind!
The strike was heavy enough to make the air scream. Zoro narrowed his eyes, preparing to sidestep and counter-attack.
"Excuse me."
A voice whispered in his ear. Viktor didn't dodge; instead, he put his hands on the heavy iron cage containing Luffy and hoisted it up.
Chakra flared, reinforcing his physical strength.
"Since you're a lion, why don't you help me open this canned food!"
Viktor gave a mighty grunt. Instead of protecting Luffy, he threw the iron cage like a bowling ball, right into the path of Richie's descending strike!
"AAAH?! VIKTOR, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!" Luffy screamed in terror.
Next second—
CLANG—!!!
Richie's massive claw, powerful enough to shatter boulders, slammed into the iron cage. The "indestructible" iron buckled, twisted, and shrieked under the beast's monstrous strength before—SHATTERING completely!
"YOHO! I'M OUT!!"
Luffy bounced out of the broken cage, throwing his hands up in a victory cheer. "Nice one, Viktor! Finally free!"
However.
Before he could enjoy even one second of freedom, Richie's claw didn't stop. Carried by the momentum, the massive paw slapped right into Luffy's face.
SLAP!
"WA-GAAH—!"
The newly freed Luffy was swatted away like a fly. He turned into a blur, crashing into a nearby ruin with a resounding BOOM.
Silence fell. Mohji, sitting atop his lion, watched the flying rubber man and let out a smug snort. He slowly raised one finger.
"One down."