Beside the ruins, the scent of gunpowder hung heavy in the air.
Nami watched Chou-Chou, who was still barking furiously toward the distance, and her gaze grew incredibly dim. She crouched down, gently stroking the dog's trembling back, her voice low and bitter.
"Do you see now... this is what pirates are." She bit her lip, eyes flashing with raw hatred. "Pirates are bastards who take the things people cherish, the treasures they protect with their lives, and destroy them all!"
Standing nearby, Zoro's brow furrowed, but for once, he didn't argue.
Luffy dropped his usual playful grin. His expression turned solemn as he spoke. "No, Nami. Me, Viktor, Zoro—we aren't like those guys."
"How are you different?" Nami snapped, looking up sharply. "Aren't you pirates too?!"
Luffy adjusted his straw hat, his tone unwavering. "Yeah, but I told you, it's different. I'm a pirate to become the King of the Pirates and find the greatest, freest adventure."
"Sigh..." Mayor Boodle let out a heavy breath, tightening his grip on his spear. "The girl is right. Even if I believe you are different, most pirates on this sea live for destruction and plunder..."
The Mayor stepped forward to pick up Chou-Chou. "It's too dangerous, Chou-Chou. Come with me to the shelter."
Just then, Viktor, who had been staring into the distance, saw his pupils shrink. He immediately lunged forward and grabbed the Mayor.
"Again?!"
In his field of vision, another heart-stopping red glow lit up on the distant heights. It was the omen of a Buggy Ball launch. This time, the trajectory was aimed straight at them!
"Nami! Get out of there!!" Viktor roared.
Nami jumped at the shout. Instinctively, she tried to scoop up Chou-Chou to run, but the stubborn dog seemed to know what was coming. He dug his paws into the ground, refusing to leave the place filled with his memories.
"Go, Chou-Chou!!" "No time to waste!"
Chakra exploded beneath Viktor's feet. He moved like a blur, reaching the shop entrance in a split second. He scooped Nami up by the waist and, without a shred of "gentlemanly" grace, hurled her backward toward safety. "Move!"
Nami shrieked as she was tossed, rolling into a safe zone several meters away. Viktor then reached down and forcefully snatched Chou-Chou off the ground to retreat.
"AWOOO!! WOOF!!"
Chou-Chou let out a piteous cry. He didn't know where this human was taking him; he only knew that if he had to leave the shop, he would rather die. He opened his mouth and bit down hard on Viktor's left arm. Blood instantly stained Viktor's sleeve.
"Tch—! You dumb dog!"
Viktor hissed in pain, his pace faltering for a half-second.
"VIKTOR!! FORGET THE DOG!" Zoro screamed, his eyes wide with horror. "VIKTOR! RUN! GOMU GOMU NO—" Luffy yelled, lunging forward to help.
But he was too slow. The Buggy Ball was too fast. That half-second delay was all Death needed.
"BOOM-RUMBLE—"
The massive red cannonball, carrying a whistle of annihilation, instantly enveloped the pet shop and Viktor standing at its threshold.
"BOOOOOOM————!!!"
A titanic fireball blossomed on the earth. The explosion swallowed the small shop and Viktor's silhouette, drowning everything in a sea of flame and billowing dust. The shockwave swept outward, collapsing the surrounding row of houses.
The group stared blankly at the rolling inferno. Their eyes were wide, their minds blank.
"No..." Luffy stopped mid-step, staring at the debris. The shadow of his straw hat obscured his eyes.
Mayor Boodle collapsed to his knees, tears streaming down his face. "Child... Chou-Chou..."
"You're kidding..." Nami covered her mouth, her eyes shimmering with tears. "Viktor... is dead?"
Even the normally cool Zoro gripped his hilts until his knuckles turned white, staring at the ruins with his mouth agape. He couldn't believe his devious, smiling Vice-Captain had just vanished like that.
"Cursed Buggy!"
"Hey, hey. Why is the mood so heavy? You're making it feel like I actually died."
A lazy voice drifted from a pile of rubble behind the group. Everyone jolted, spinning around as if they'd seen a ghost.
There, sitting on a broken section of wall, was Viktor. He was tightly clutching a struggling Chou-Chou in his arms. Though his clothes were singed in a few places, he wore that familiar, annoying smirk.
Back in the center of the explosion, a charred log rolled out of the flames.
[Ding! Successfully rescued the dog Chou-Chou.]
[Reward: 100 Ninja Path Points.]
Viktor exhaled slowly. Thank God he was a man who possessed the [Substitution Jutsu]. If he hadn't bought that survival skill from the shop earlier, he wouldn't have been stupid enough to tank a cannonball with his bare body for a stubborn dog.
"SHISHISHI!! YES! VIKTOR!!" Luffy froze for a second before erupting into a joyous shout, his arms stretching out to pull him into a hug.
"Tch." Zoro let out a long breath, sheathing his swords and looking away. "I knew you were too lucky to die... What a shame, you bastard."
Nami wiped her eyes, looking at the unharmed youth. A strange sense of relief washed over her, followed by a wave of lingering fear.
Chou-Chou finally let go of Viktor's arm. He scrambled out of Viktor's lap and ran frantically toward the front. However, he was met only with black, smoking ruins. The shop that held every memory of his master, the "treasure" he had guarded for three months, was ash.
Chou-Chou stood before the debris, staring blankly. Then, he lowered his head and dug out a bag of dog food that was half-charred.
"Awooo... Woof..." He lay on the ruins, letting out a heart-wrenching whimper that echoed through the empty street.
The joy of their survival vanished, replaced by a deathly silence.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!!"
Mayor Boodle let out a sudden roar. He lunged to his feet, wiping the tears from his face. He grabbed his spear, his body trembling but his eyes burning with iron resolve.
"I am the Mayor of this town! This is my town! These people are my family!" He gritted his teeth, a flame of finality in his eyes. "Damn you, Buggy the Clown! Even if it costs me this old life, I will represent everyone in this town and have my revenge!!"
Without looking back, the sixty-year-old man charged toward the heights of the Buggy Pirates, spear raised high.
"Mayor! Calm down!" Nami cried, trying to grab him. "You're just going to your death!"
"I KNOW!!" Boodle wept, but he flung Nami's hand away. "I know I can't do anything! I know I am weak! But I cannot just watch my town be destroyed! I have a reason to fight!!"
Looking at the Mayor's stumbling but unyielding back, Nami froze. She turned helplessly to the three men behind her. "Hey... aren't you going to stop him?"
No one answered her.
Zoro silently tied his dark green bandana around his forehead, his gaze turning as savage as a predator's.
Viktor tore a strip of cloth from his shirt, leisurely bandaging the bite wound on his left hand. The tomoe in his eyes began to spin slowly.
"Luffy." Zoro crossed his arms, his voice deep and resonant. "Since you're out of the cage, I think it's time we settled the score with that Red-Nose."
Luffy didn't say a word. He tilted his hat lower, hiding his eyes. Only his tightly set jaw was visible. He slowly looked up, his gaze terrifyingly calm yet radiating a fury enough to flip the entire island.
"Yeah. Zoro. Viktor." Luffy clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking. "Let's go. I'm gonna kick that Buggy... all the way to the horizon!!"
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