Kaito Sakamoto smoothly blended into the enemy camp, feeling as comfortable as if he were at home.
Meanwhile, Nami had just decided to turn around and find Kaito to retrieve her map when, at a corner, she bumped into something.
She landed hard on the ground. Today had already been rough enough for Nami, and this was the last straw.
"Ugh! Why is everything going so wrong today?!"
She looked up at the two people she had run into, and they turned out to be none other than Luffy and Zoro, who had just arrived on the island.
"Ah, finally! Someone!" Luffy's first reaction upon seeing Nami was relief.
Zoro nodded in agreement. They should have known better than to let those three guys go earlier, which left them wandering around the town for ages.
"Hmm, there's also a little dog," Luffy added, noticing the small dog behind Nami and walking over to check it out.
Zoro, meanwhile, merely glanced at Nami without offering a hand to help her up. He figured she couldn't be that weak if she needed help to stand, right? Classic Zoro—a straight shooter, saved only by his good looks.
Nami dusted herself off as she stood up, and at that moment, she found herself thinking Kaito was much more of a gentleman, even if he was just as much of a jerk.
"Hey, lady, do you know what's going on in this town? Why is it completely empty?" Zoro crossed his arms and asked bluntly.
If this were Kaito's world, that attitude and the casual use of "lady" would guarantee Zoro being labeled a creep. Nami was furious, but the words stuck in her throat as she suddenly remembered Kaito mentioning he had two companions. She had never seen these two before—could they be the ones?
Hopefully. Kaito had stolen her map, and if these two were his partners, they could go head-to-head, giving her the chance to steal it back.
"Ow! Ow! Ow!!"
"You... who are you?!"
At that moment, three voices sounded at once.
The first was Luffy, who yelped as the little dog, Shushu, bit his hand.
The second was Nami, who was about to speak but got interrupted.
The third belonged to the town's mayor, who had come just in time to feed Shushu.
"Stop bullying Shushu!"
The mayor rushed between Luffy and the dog, separating the two. Shushu, seeing food, released Luffy's hand.
"Huh?" Luffy muttered in confusion. Who was bullying whom?
"Who are you, old man?" Luffy asked.
"I'm the mayor of this town. We built this seaside village with our own hands 15 years ago. It's our home, but now pirates have taken over."
The mayor became emotional as he spoke, as the town represented years of hard work, something they all built together. He saw it as their greatest treasure.
Though no one had asked about the town's history, he passionately shared his feelings anyway.
"Oh," Luffy responded nonchalantly, using his pinky finger to dig into his ear. For some reason, the mayor found that a little irritating but didn't say anything. Instead, he crouched down to feed Shushu.
"You said the townspeople are hiding in a shelter to escape the pirates, but what about this dog?" Zoro asked, puzzled. "Why didn't it go too? Why are you risking your life to feed it?"
"Shushu is guarding the pet food shop behind him. Its owner was my old friend, and I promised to take care of him."
"If that's the case, why didn't the owner take care of his own shop and dog?" Nami asked, feeling that Shushu's owner seemed a bit selfish.
"No... Shushu's owner passed away three months ago due to illness. I think Shushu knows that. But the dog is stubborn and won't leave the store, even though it's hurt from fighting off the pirates. It's been guarding the shop, keeping the promise it made to its owner."
"That's impressive. I won't blame you for biting me, Shushu," Luffy grinned widely, genuinely impressed by the dog's loyalty.
But the mood quickly shifted.
"Watch out!" Luffy and Zoro shouted simultaneously, their expressions changing in an instant.
Zoro leaped backward, pulling Nami along, while Luffy shoved the mayor to the ground.
A massive figure came crashing through the pet food store, narrowly missing them.
Nami landed hard on the ground again.
Luffy and Zoro stood up, staring at the newcomer.
It was Mohji, the beast tamer of the Buggy Pirates, riding his giant lion, Richie.
"Who the hell are you, weirdo with the strange hat?!" Luffy yelled.
"This is hair! Not a hat!" Mohji snapped, offended by the insult to his fashion sense.
Meanwhile, Shushu stood frozen, staring in shock at the shop he had guarded for so long. A giant hole had been smashed through it, and the store was on the verge of collapse.
"Roronoa Zoro! I've come to take your head!"
"And you, thief woman! Hand over the treasure! Hahaha! You didn't expect to be betrayed by your partner, did you? He's joined our Buggy Pirates now!"
Mohji mocked Zoro and Nami.
When Mohji mentioned her partner, Nami immediately thought of Kaito. That bastard had really joined the Buggy Pirates!
***********
Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 100+ at patreon.com/Esei01.