Chapter 14:Orange Town Part 3
Luffy sat on a step, busy playing with a small white-furred dog beside him. The dog had thin drooping ears, small round black eyes, and a short brush-like tail. Chouchou, as he was called, sat calmly allowing Luffy's hands to ruffle his fur without protest.
The sound of a door opening.
Nami came out of the building across the way with an expression already formed before she had fully crossed the threshold. She walked toward Luffy with steps that didn't suggest anything good.
Luffy looked up with a cheerful face. "Oh, Nami! You're awake!"
Nami didn't answer. Her hand rose and landed squarely on top of Luffy's head.
Duk.
Luffy fell sideways, rose back up holding his head. "What was that for!"
"That's my question!" Nami stood in front of him with her hand still clenched. "Why did you suddenly jump off the roof?! I thought I was dead back there!"
"It just seemed like it would be faster."
Nami's hand rose again. This time harder. A second lump appeared on Luffy's head, and Nami stood straight with an expression that would accept no argument. "Don't ever do something that stupid again. Understood?"
No answer.
"Understood?"
"Yeah," Luffy finally answered, still rubbing his head which now had two bumps sitting side by side.
The sound of the door opening again. This time it was an old man in glasses with worn brown armor on his body. Luffy raised his head. "Oi, old man. How's Zoro doing? Is he okay?"
The old man closed the door behind him and walked closer. "He's fine. I've treated his wound. If he rests two or three days, he should recover."
Luffy let out a long breath. "Thank goodness."
Nami also looked slightly more relieved hearing that, though she didn't say so.
"By the way, who are you, old man?" asked Luffy. "Are you a native of this town?"
"Yes." The old man nodded. "I'm a native of this town. My name is Boodle, mayor of Orange Town."
"Heh!" Luffy turned toward Chouchou who had been sitting quietly in front of a shop across the street the whole time, not moving from his spot. "Then what is this dog doing? He's been sitting there all this time."
"Guarding the shop," said Boodle simply.
Nami, who had been stroking Chouchou's head, raised her eyes. "Guarding the shop?"
"Yes."
Nami looked toward the shop for a moment, hand still on Chouchou's head. "Is this a pet food shop?"
"That's right." Boodle walked into the shop, then came back out with a can of dog food in his hand. He crouched and placed it gently in front of Chouchou. "This shop belonged to a good friend of mine."
Chouchou began to eat. Boodle watched him briefly before continuing. "This dog's name is Chouchou. My friend's pet." He stood and went back inside the shop to put down the empty can. "My friend passed away from an illness three months ago. Since then I've been the one feeding him here."
Nami watched Chouchou eating quietly without lifting his head. "Here?" Her voice was quieter than usual. "Could it be he's always waiting for his owner to come back?"
"Everyone thinks that too." Boodle came out of the shop, closed the door, then sat on the floor beside Chouchou. He took a pipe from his pocket, lit it, and drew on it slowly before continuing. "But I don't think that. Chouchou is a smart animal. He must know that his owner is already gone."
"Then why does he keep guarding this shop?" asked Nami.
Boodle exhaled smoke, his eyes not leaving Chouchou. "Because he considers this shop his treasure."
Nami went quiet.
Luffy leaned against the wall, looking up at the sky without saying anything.
Then from the distance, a roar broke the silence of that street. Not an ordinary sound, but a roar that was heavy and deep, a sound that could only come from something very large.
Nami stood. "What's that roaring?"
"That's Mohji." Boodle rose from his seat hastily, his face changing. "The beast tamer."
Before Nami could ask further, Boodle was already running toward the sound. Nami immediately chased after him. "Wait a moment! Wait!"
Luffy didn't move. He was still looking at the sky, until a large shadow fell and blocked the light from reaching his face.
He looked up.
Before him stood a large lion with cold yellow eyes. On the lion's back sat a man in a thick sleeveless white fur outfit that wrapped around his chest and head, his hair jutting upward in a shape resembling a pair of animal ears.
"Left behind by your friends?" said the man in a mocking tone.
"Who are you?" asked Luffy, his voice as casual as someone asking for directions.
"I am a member of the Buggy Pirates." The man raised his chin. "Mohji, the beast tamer!"
Luffy looked at his costume briefly. "Your costume is weird."
"How rude." The vein in Mohji's forehead immediately appeared. "This is my real hair!"
"That's even weirder."
"You—!" Mohji drew a deep breath, trying to control himself. "You've been so calm this whole time. Do you even know who I am? There isn't a single animal in this world I can't tame!" His eyes narrowed. "Now tell me where Roronoa is."
"I don't want to," answered Luffy.
Another vein appeared on Mohji's forehead. He drove his heel into his lion's back. "Do it, Richie."
Richie roared and attacked. His claws, each as large as a tree trunk, struck Luffy with speed that left no time to think. Luffy tried to deflect but the force behind the attack was too great, his body launched backward and slammed into the wall of the house behind him. The wall collapsed.
Dust billowed.
From beneath the rubble, a hand emerged, pushing the debris piled on top of him aside. Luffy stood, brushing dust from his clothes and his hat now thoroughly covered in it. "Damn, he hit me out of nowhere."
"Impossible!" Nami arrived from the distance with Boodle behind her now carrying a spear, both staring at Luffy standing in the middle of the rubble with their mouths open. "You're still alive?!"
"Kid, are you alright?!" Boodle called out.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Luffy furrowed his brow at their expressions. "Why are you two surprised?"
"Of course we're surprised!" Nami stared at the collapsed wall behind Luffy then stared at Luffy again. "You just got hit by that lion hard enough to bring a house down!"
Boodle drew a breath before asking in a calmer tone. "What is actually your purpose in coming here? And how did you end up at odds with Buggy?"
Luffy picked up his hat, cleaned the dust from it, then put it back on. His smile appeared. "I came here to restock our food supplies and take the Grand Line map. But the navigator situation is settled because we already have one now." He turned toward Nami. "Right, Nami?"
"Only temporarily," Nami cut in immediately.
"Alright, alright," answered Luffy in a tone that didn't reflect him having listened at all, then turned back and walked toward where Mohji had been standing before.
Nami and Boodle followed from behind.
But before they had gone far, Luffy suddenly broke into a run. Each time his feet touched the ground, small cracks appeared in the stone street, and within seconds he had left Nami and Boodle far behind.
In the distance, Luffy saw it.
Chouchou was biting Mohji's hand with all his strength. Beside him, Richie was tearing apart the pet food shop with his claws, wooden boards falling one by one to the ground.
Luffy shouted from the distance. "Let go of that dog!"
Mohji raised his head. Seeing Luffy driving toward him at speed, his face changed. "You're still alive?! Doesn't matter, this time I'll make sure you don't get back up." With one rough motion he slammed Chouchou to the ground. Chouchou let out a cry of pain.
"Richie." Mohji pointed toward Luffy who was getting closer. "Kill that person now."
Richie turned and roared loudly, then charged toward Luffy.
Luffy's gaze changed. "Get out of my way."
"Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"
His arm stretched far back then shot forward, striking Richie's head hard. The lion the size of a house was launched into the air like a ball being kicked, flying across several streets before slamming into a row of buildings in the distance with a heavy thudding sound.
A hard wind from Richie's trajectory swept across the street.
Mohji was still standing with his hand raised pointing, but there was nothing left to point at. He slowly turned toward Richie now lying unconscious in the distance, then turned back to Luffy already standing right in front of him.
"You... could it be you're a Devil Fruit user like our captain?"
"Yeah." Luffy pulled his arm back for the second time. "I ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi. A rubber man."
"Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"
The fist struck Mohji's face and sent him flying after Richie. A cloud of dust billowed in the distance marking where he had landed.
The street went quiet again.
Luffy lowered his hand and looked toward Chouchou.
The small dog sat in front of the rubble of his shop, staring at the wooden boards scattered across the ground with eyes that didn't move. The shop he had guarded all this time, the treasure he had protected all this time, was now only wreckage.
Luffy sat down beside him.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I didn't make it in time."
Nami and Boodle arrived a few moments later. They stood in front of the shop's remains without saying anything.
Nami watched Chouchou sitting still. Watched Luffy sitting beside him with his straw hat tilted on his head. For the first time since meeting that man, something moved inside her that she couldn't immediately name.
Several moments passed in silence.
Boodle walked slowly toward the shop's remains. He stood in front of it for a long time, looking at what was left of the boards and fallen roof. Then his hand took the spear hanging on his back and gripped it tight.
"This can't be allowed to continue." His voice came out low but full. "I am the mayor of this town. It should be me protecting it. As a man, I have to fight to the end!" He glanced briefly toward Luffy. "Isn't that right, kid?!"
Before anyone could react, Boodle was already running toward Buggy's base gripping his spear. "Just you wait, Buggy the Clown!"
"Wait! Mayor!" Nami chased after him and tried to pull him back from behind. "Calm down first! Do you know what will happen if we go up against people like them!"
"That's exactly right, old man!" called Luffy from behind.
Nami spun around. "Don't encourage him!"
But Boodle couldn't be stopped. And before Nami could find the right words to halt him, the sound of a massive explosion thundered from the same direction Boodle had run toward. The row of houses and buildings on that street vanished in an instant, replaced by billowing smoke and thick dust.
Luffy immediately stood. "Ah, no — Zoro is still resting in there!"
He ran toward the collapsed building, calling out from outside. "Zoro! Are you still alive?!"
From behind the billowing smoke and rubble, a familiar voice was heard. "That's a pretty rough way to wake someone up." The sound of hands pushing debris aside. Zoro emerged from behind the rubble holding his head. "Ah, and I still wanted to rest longer."
Luffy immediately laughed. "Thank goodness you're alive!"
Nami watched Zoro standing in the middle of the rubble of the building that had just been on top of him, then looked in another direction. "Why is he still alive?"
Boodle stood in front of his collapsed building, his body trembling. The veins in his forehead growing more visible. "They even destroyed my house." His voice rose. "This cannot be forgiven!"
Without waiting for anyone, Boodle ran back toward Buggy's base again with his spear in hand.
Nami called after him but it was no use.
Zoro, watching all of this from where he stood, turned toward Luffy with a light smile. "Looks like today is going to be a busy one."
Luffy laughed. "Exactly right."
The two of them began walking in the direction Boodle had run.
"Where are you two going?" asked Nami.
"Obviously we're going to where Buggy is." Luffy passed Nami without slowing his pace. "And getting those supplies and the map while we're at it."
Nami watched their backs for a moment. Then her eyes shifted to Zoro. "You're going too? With a wound like that?"
Zoro paused briefly. His hand took the black bandana from around his wrist and tied it around his head with a movement that was slow but certain. Then he turned toward Nami with a smile that wasn't asking for anyone's approval.
"A wound like this..." he said. "Hurts my name more than my body."
Nami looked at him for several moments.
Then she walked after them.
End of Chapter 14