"Don't worry, little ones…" whispered the young pirate, gently and carefully stroking the fur of my siblings. He had stopped sobbing, and somehow, he seemed to have regained the strength to keep going.
"When I was just a kid, I loved animals. I always brought them home, but my parents didn't like it. They said there were more and more pets every time, and that we couldn't take care of them all. At first, they accepted two, but then came the scoldings… and in the end, they were all thrown out — into the cold, into hunger. I know that at that time, I didn't have the means to save them."
He murmured those words with a warm smile, though his eyes revealed deep anguish. He was afraid of what could happen to my mother… and to my siblings.
"You know, I became a pirate because my dream was always to earn a lot of money, so I could protect as many animals as possible. I'd like to build my own shelter for them," he said with a big smile.
Hearing him, I noticed how passionate he really was about protecting defenseless animals. That's what I liked about this guy: most only care about their own kind, but not him. He knew that humans weren't always good, while animals have no malice; they are innocent and vulnerable.
"Take care and hold on, I'll try to get some food for your mother," said the young man, closing the small door behind him.
Several days passed. Every day, the boy came without fail at the same hour as always to feed my mother, but there was something on his face that worried me: scratches, cuts, bruises… all that he endured just to bring us food.
"Haha, they attacked me again, sorry, little ones. I wasn't careful. I tried to bring more food, but they saw me," he said with a faint smile, squinting his eyes as he handed a piece of meat to my mother, who devoured it quickly.
And that was his last visit, right when I turned one month old. The young man never came back, and I never heard from him again. It was as if he had died. His kind face and warm voice were etched into my memory — a memory that would stay with me as I grew up.
"Hey, we're under attack!"
"Damn it, fight back!"
"They're from the Marines!"
Several shouts echoed outside, mixed with blows, sword clashes, and explosions that made the ship shake violently. The metallic sound of weapons colliding and the creaking of wood filled the air as my mother moved nervously, protecting all of us puppies in a corner of the cabin. The tension was palpable; something told me this wouldn't be an ordinary attack.
I was right, because right beneath us the floor cracked, collapsing into the sea with a thunderous crash that echoed throughout the ship. The cold water engulfed us all; we were used to constant warmth, so the sudden change completely caught us off guard. The salty water hit my face, burned my eyes, and panic took over my body.
Unfortunately, several of my siblings weren't so lucky and died instantly. I tried desperately to swim toward a wooden plank floating nearby, clinging to it with all my strength as I felt the cold seeping deep into my bones.
I turned my gaze toward my mother, who was carrying two puppies on her back, swimming with all her might in the opposite direction. I saw her fighting the waves, but then something even more terrifying appeared: a huge metal block hung precariously above her, swaying with every movement of the ship. My heart stopped.
"NOOOOO!!!"
I screamed with all my strength, with a fear I had never felt before, and it was the first time I spoke a word in this world. My screams echoed in the air, mixing with the roar of the water and the chaos around, trying to get my mother's attention. She looked at me confused, not understanding what was happening, and I felt a stabbing pain in my chest.
The metal block fell slowly, as if time itself had stretched — suspended in slow motion. It dropped twenty meters, fifteen meters, ten meters, five meters… the air seemed frozen as I watched it descend closer and closer. And then, with a crash that shook my entire being, it crushed my mother completely.
"DAMN IIIIT!!!"
My scream was swallowed by the sea, and for a moment everything went silent. My paws trembled, my eyes filled with tears, and my heart ached terribly. Everything I knew at that moment, everything I loved, was gone.
I stared for several seconds until my consciousness faded completely, just as a plank fell on my head. I slowly closed my eyes, and the last thing I saw was the water around me turning red with blood.
When I woke up, I was on an island. I felt the sand stuck all over my body, the heat of the sun on my back. I was confused — I had no idea what was happening or how I had gotten there.
"Where am I?!" I exclaimed, startled, standing up quickly only to fall again due to the pain in my paws and the severe condition of my small canine body.
"No way!!!" I roared as the memories came rushing back. My family was dead — only I remained. Seconds later, I heard footsteps, and an old man with black hair appeared.
"What? A puppy? For a moment, I swore the scream I heard was from a person," said the man, who was actually the mayor of Orange Town.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!!!" I shouted. It didn't matter if the mayor heard me or not; I was too frustrated. Not being able to do anything, not having the strength to protect what you love the most… it's truly unbearable.
The mayor stumbled backward, tripping over his own feet and falling onto the sand. Why? Because never in his life had he seen — or heard — a dog speak.
"Y-you're… t-talking?!" he shouted, eyes wide open.
The mayor was completely shocked, though he soon realized I wasn't paying him any attention. Even without understanding the situation, he could tell how I was feeling at that moment.
"H-hey, are you okay?" the mayor murmured, still somewhat frightened.
"No! Everything! I've lost everything!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, letting out all the pain I'd been holding inside.
And that was how I came to know this town, and how I arrived here. I lived two years in peace. The mayor, who became my owner, gave me a purple scarf and a hat. He said they made me look serious, that the style fit me. I simply accepted it kindly.
I accepted his guidance and the roof he offered me. Over time, I met more people, grew fond of the townsfolk, and even of others of my kind, whom I often saw since I currently live in the pet food shop.
But fate didn't want me to rest for long. Pirates came to the town, trying to plunder it completely. However, what they didn't expect was that the citizens — including me — would defend it with our lives. Because that was our true treasure: not jewels, nor gold, nor diamonds… but the hard work of all the townspeople, their effort to build a place where peace could reign.