Kaito Sakamoto had successfully infiltrated the enemy camp and felt as comfortable as if he were back home.
Meanwhile, Nami had just decided to turn around and retrieve the sea chart from Kaito when, at a street corner, she collided with someone.
She fell flat on her backside, frustration overwhelming her.
"Ah!!! Why am I so unlucky today!!!"
Rubbing her head, she looked up at the two who had knocked her down.
And, as fate would have it, the two were none other than Luffy and Zoro, who had just arrived on the island.
...
"Ah, finally, someone!" Luffy exclaimed upon seeing Nami.
Zoro gave a slight nod, agreeing with Luffy's sentiment. He was regretting letting those three guys go earlier—they had wasted too much time circling this town.
"Mm, and there's a little dog," Luffy noticed, spotting the small dog behind Nami. He immediately praised the dog and approached it.
Zoro glanced at Nami but didn't bother to help her up. He thought to himself that she shouldn't be this weak, right? Should he really be helping?
Typical guy—lucky to be good-looking.
Getting to his feet, he dusted himself off, and only then did Nami start to feel that Kaito had been a bit more of a gentleman, despite being just as much of a jerk.
"Hey, lady, do you know what's going on in this town?"
"Why is there no one around?"
Zoro crossed his arms and asked, his voice blunt.
If this were Kaito's world, with this attitude and calling her 'lady,' Zoro would have earned a reputation as a lowlife.
Nami, furious, bit back a retort, but just as she opened her mouth, she remembered what Kaito had said—that he had two companions.
She'd never met them before, but... could these two be them?
It would be just like Kaito to steal my sea chart. Maybe I can make these two take a dip in the water while I sneak the map back.
"Hey, ow, ow, ow!!!"
"You guys..."
"Who are you!!!"
Three voices rang out at once.
The first was Luffy, who yelped as the dog, Xiuxiu, bit his hand.
The second was Nami, who had just tried to speak but was cut off by the other two voices.
And the third came from the town mayor, who had come just in time to feed Xiuxiu.
"Don't bully Xiuxiu!" the mayor shouted, stepping between Luffy and the dog, separating them.
Xiuxiu, seeing the food, let go of Luffy's hand.
"Huh?" Luffy muttered, confused. "Who's bullying who here?!"
"Who are you, old man?" he asked.
"I'm the mayor of this town," the mayor replied, his voice filled with pride. "This coastal town was built by us fifteen years ago, with our own hands. It's our home!!"
"Too bad it's been taken over by pirates now," the mayor added, his tone filled with frustration. The town was their life's work, built with the efforts of many. He saw it as their treasure, their wealth.
Though no one had asked him about the town, he was sharing his thoughts anyway.
"Oh."
Luffy's response to the mayor's emotional rant was to dig at his nose with his pinky finger and say "Oh."
For some reason, the mayor felt his anger rising, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he squatted down to feed Xiuxiu.
"You said the people in this town went to the shelter to avoid the pirates, but what about this dog?"
"Why isn't it there? Why does it have to risk its life to get food?"
Zoro, walking over, asked, clearly puzzled.
"Xiuxiu is guarding this pet food store for its owner."
"His owner is an old friend of mine, so I promised to take care of him."
"Why didn't his owner come? Why send you instead?"
Nami joined in, feeling a little irritated at the selfishness of Xiuxiu's owner after hearing the mayor's words.
"No, three months ago, Xiuxiu's owner... he passed away."
"I think Xiuxiu can feel it."
"But it stubbornly stayed in front of the store, guarding it. The injuries it has are from fighting pirates."
"It made a promise to its owner to protect the store, and it's so stubborn that it would rather give up its life than leave."
"Wow, that's really impressive. I won't blame you for biting me, Xiuxiu," Luffy said with a wide grin, genuinely impressed by the dog.
But just as he finished speaking, both Luffy and Zoro's expressions shifted, and they both shouted at the same time.
"Watch out!!"
Zoro jumped back, pulling Nami with him.
Luffy quickly shoved the mayor to the side.
A massive figure crashed through the pet food store, passing overhead.
Nami fell on her backside once more.
Luffy and Zoro both stood up, eyes fixed on the new arrival.
It was none other than Mohji, the beast tamer of Buggy's Pirate Crew, riding his lion Richie.
"Who the heck are you, you weird hat-wearing guy!" Luffy yelled at Mohji.
"This is my hair, not a hat!!" Mohji snapped back, his hair standing on end, clearly annoyed at Luffy's lack of fashion sense.
Xiuxiu, meanwhile, was stunned. The pet food store that it had guarded so diligently was now destroyed in an instant. Its years of protection had been in vain.
"Roronoa Zoro!"
"I've come for your dog's head!"
"And you, you thief woman—give the treasure back! Hahaha, didn't expect your own subordinate to betray you, did you? He's now part of Buggy's crew!!"
Mohji taunted Zoro and Nami, mocking them.
Hearing Mohji mention his subordinate, Nami's mind flashed back to Kaito. That bastard joined Buggy's crew!!!