Volume3 : The Unyielding Guardian
The air in Orange Town tasted of dust and despair. Mayor Boodle stared at the shuttered pet shop, his voice a low rasp in the quiet street.
"His owner… passed away months ago," Boodle confessed, his eyes fixed on the scruffy, spotted dog sitting loyally by the door. Chouchou's ears twitched, but he didn't turn. "But he still guards the store. Won't leave. It's all he has left."
Nami hugged herself, the weight of the town's plight pressing down. "We can't stay here. Buggy's men will tear this place apart looking for loot."
"I know," Boodle sighed, the sound heavy with a lifetime of regrets. "I've packed my bags to leave a dozen times. But then I look at him…" He gestured to Chouchou. "And I think, if a dog can be this loyal to a memory, what does it say about me if I abandon my home?"
A tense silence settled, broken only by the distant, careless laughter of Buggy's pirates. Then, the silence shattered.
**ROOOOAR!**
The ground seemed to tremble. It was a sound of pure, predatory hunger—the roar of Richie the Lion. It echoed through the empty avenues, clawing at their courage.
"They're here!" Nami gasped, all color draining from her face.
Boodle grabbed her arm. "Run! Now!"
They fled, shadows against the crumbling buildings, leaving behind the pet shop, the still-caged Luffy, the snoozing Zoro, and one very brave, very small dog.
Minutes later, the thunder of heavy paws announced their arrival. Mohji, perched arrogantly on Richie's back, swaggered into the square. His eyes landed on the cage and the boy inside, grinning like an idiot.
"Well, well! Left behind like trash?" Mohji sneered.
Luffy tilted his head, utterly unimpressed. "Your hair looks like a sick poodle tried to build a nest."
Mohji's smirk vanished. "You little—! I am Mohji, the Great Beast Tamer! Every creature obeys my command!" He pointed a dramatic finger at Chouchou, who had risen, growling low. "Even this mutt will—YOWCH!"
Chouchou lunged, sinking his teeth into Mohji's leg with a fury that belied his size.
"Richie! Crush that cage!" Mohji shrieked, shaking his leg.
The massive lion pounced, its weight smashing the wooden cage to splinters. But as the dust cleared, Luffy wasn't a bloody pulp. He was standing, brushing off his vest, freed by the destruction.
"Huh," Luffy said. "Thanks."
Mohji, nursing his leg, didn't even notice. "Ungrateful beast! Come, Richie! Let's find real treasure."
As they turned to leave, Richie's nose twitched. He let out a low, eager rumble, scenting the air. He was staring at the pet food shop.
Mohji grinned. "Go on, boy. A reward for your strength. Eat your fill."
They sauntered toward the shop, blind to the rubber-man stretching his limbs behind them.
***
From a hiding spot a street over, Boodle and Nami peered out, hearts pounding.
"He… he can't have survived that," Boodle whispered, voice thick with dread.
"That idiot… he might have," Nami murmured, a strange, reluctant hope flickering in her eyes.
Back at the square, Mohji reached the pet shop door. "Out of the way, mutt."
Chouchou stood firm, a tiny, trembling barrier between the pirates and the treasure within. He bared his teeth, a silent, desperate snarl.
"Richie. Move him."
The lion swiped. Chouchou was sent tumbling, yelping, fur flying. He hit the wall with a sickening thud but struggled back to his feet, legs wobbling. He positioned himself again, barking hoarsely, defending not just a store, but a kindness, a home, a master's memory.
Mohji laughed and kicked the door open. He and Richie disappeared inside.
Luffy, finally finding Zoro (who was now awake and annoyed), pointed. "Something's wrong over there."
They heard the crash of shelves, the sound of gluttonous chewing. Then Mohji emerged, looking pleased. Chouchou, bleeding and battered, tried to charge again, but Mohji easily kicked him aside. "Persistent little pest!"
As Mohji mounted Richie, Luffy's gaze shifted past them to the pet shop window.
A flicker of orange light.
Then a bloom of hungry flame.
The shop was on fire. The *treasure* was on fire.
And from inside the growing inferno came a sound that cut through the crackle of flames—a heartbroken, agonized series of barks. A eulogy for a lifetime of love, going up in smoke.
Mohji and Richie turned to leave, only to freeze.
Luffy stood in the center of the road, blocking their path. His straw hat cast a shadow over his eyes, but his mouth was set in a hard, flat line. The usual goofiness was gone, burned away.
"Y-You! How?!" Mohji stammered.
"You made him cry," Luffy said, his voice dangerously quiet.
"What are you babbling about? Richie, kill him!"
The lion charged. Luffy didn't dodge. He pulled back a fist.
"Gum-Gum Pistol!"
***THWACK!***
The impact wasn't just loud; it was *solid*. Richie's charge stopped dead, the lion's eyes rolling back as it crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
Mohji tumbled from its back, scrambling backward in utter terror. "A Devil Fruit user?! Like Captain Buggy!"
Luffy advanced, each step deliberate. Mohji held up pleading hands. "Mercy! Please, I'm sorry!"
"You're not saying it to me," Luffy said, his arm stretching out like elastic, wrapping around Mohji's torso. "You say it to *him*."
He swung Mohji through the air and slammed him head-first into the cobblestones right at the feet of the whimpering, watching Chouchou. Mohji lay still, groaning.
Just then, Nami and Boodle came rushing back, drawn by the noise and the ominous glow of the fire. They skidded to a halt, taking in the scene: the defeated lion, the crushed pirate, the burning store, and Luffy standing amidst it all like an avenging spirit.
Nami's eyes went from Luffy to the blazing building, her navigator's mind calculating the total loss. "The map… it was in there…"
But Luffy wasn't looking at the map. He was staring into the flames, at the small, devastated silhouette of Chouchou, barking helplessly at the pyre of his life.
Then, without a word, Luffy turned and walked straight toward the roaring inferno.
"Luffy! What are you doing?!" Nami screamed.
He didn't answer. He just adjusted his straw hat, took a deep breath…
**And marched directly into the blazing heart of the fire.**