The Buggy Ball seemingly blew up everything in its path, but that wasn't focused on. What was in focus was Zoro and his struggle with his stab wound, who decided to heave Luffy (and the cage) onto his back. At that, Nami asked who that guy is, more or less strength/wise, and Zoro asked the same question about her. Luffy just answered Zoro and told him she was their navigator.

'You were in the crew whether you wanted it or not, I guess, ' Chopper giggled.

'If she genuinely would've told me she didn't want to, I would've left her alone. '

'But didn't she tell you that? '

'Yeah, but it was because she felt like her village would've been in danger if she had. And the whole pirates killing a person she loved, the thing. It wasn't because she wasn't interested. '

'Stop. Reading. Me. Like. A. Book! ' Each pause was accented by a hit to the head. But after that, Luffy got a rare hug from Nami, leaving him confused but a bit satisfied.

'Desperate situation! Beast Tamer Mohji vs Luffy! '

Zoro persisted and carried Luffy forward, while Nami wondered why a pirate would go this far for someone. At that moment Mohji showed up. Mohji was a man sitting on a giant lion. And he had hair that grew all around his face. He offered to take Zoro 's head.

'Was he strong? ' Brook asked.

'I don't think anyone on his crew was strong, ' Zoro scratched his head. 'They were all just relying on tricks. '

Zoro kept dragging Luffy 's cage until he collapsed near a pet food store. In front of the store was a small white dog. Luffy very gleefully hopped his cage near the dog and made a face at it. Zoro collapsed again against the porch of the shop.

'Chopper, will you be able to translate what he says? ' Zoro suddenly asked.

'I-uh, I mean, I would be able to 'if he were real, ' the reindeer tried to answer. In pursuit of an actual answer, he looked at Ryo, who in turn shrugged, because he didn't know either.

'We 'll see, I guess? ' was the only thing provided, until he stayed quiet for when he was needed again.

'I guess? '

Luffy poked the dog, who in turn bit the boy's face. That made Zoro briefly freak out until he fell over from blood loss again.

'I've never seen you pass out that easily, Zoro-bro. '

'I was weak back then. '

'But you were feared throughout East Bl- '

'I was weak! '

Nami managed to find them and gave them the key to Luffy 's cage, in return for saving her. But before either of them could get the key, the dog ate it. This caused Luffy to almost kill the dog. But before that could happen, an old man showed up and ordered Luffy to stop killing the dog. He introduced himself as the town's mayor. He also noticed that Zoro needed to be taken to a doctor.

'At least someone has some sense in this world, ' a vaguely pissed-off reindeer doctor grumbled.

'How 's Zoro? ' 'He needs to see a doctor, but he said he 'd sleep it off and went to bed. '

Zoro was then shown to be deep asleep.

'NOT LIKE THAT! '

After Luffy asked what Chou Chou was sitting there for, the mayor explained that the dog was guarding the shop to guard it in place of its late owner.

'It's so sweet! ' Franky cried, forgetting to deny the tears flowing from his eyes. Usopp and Chopper cried along with him.

The mayor claimed that Chou Chou was a smart dog and knew that his owner was dead. The store was probably a treasure in Chou Chou 's eyes, and apparently, the small dog refused to leave his spot.

'Oh, this brings a tear to my eye, not that I have any, yohohoho!! I need to write a song about it! '

Nobody stopped Brook, because that little dog was worth all of it.

All of a sudden, the ground started shaking and roars were heard. The mayor identified it as Beast Tamer Mohji. Luffy looked unbothered as Mohji and his lion were towering over him. He only commented on Mohji 's hair.

'That's what you're focusing on? ' Zoro murmured

'Sure sounds like the Captain, ' Robin decided.

Mohji claimed that there wasn't any animal he wouldn't be able to tame. It was easily disproven by the fact that Chou Chou bit him. After shaking that event off of him, he asked where Zoro was, which Luffy refused to answer.

"Should've told him where Marimo was."

Not satisfied by the answer, Mohji ordered Richie to attack the cage that Luffy was in, effectively freeing him, but also hitting him through some buildings. Richie then approached Chou Chou who was barking desperately.

'I feel terrible for him, but on a mildly related case ' I cannot understand animals in this situation, ' Chopper acknowledged dejectedly. He wanted to provide extra knowledge.

'It's alright! I think we can all imagine what he was saying, ' Robin soothed their youngest crew member.

Luffy was completely alright and set on beating the Buggy pirates and making Nami his navigator. Nami on the other hand was surprised he was even alive. The mayor asked for a purpose for him being in his town. Luffy had just decided his purpose. It was to get the map for the Grand Line and to get a navigator.

'What else can a man want, I guess, ' Usopp chortled.

'Not a lot, ' Sanji retorted. 'Just a map, a navigator, and the title of the Pirate King. '

Both of them tried to laugh as quietly as possible.

Chou Chou flashbacked to a time when he was just a puppy and his owner had just opened the shop. This motivated the dog to do his best against the lion. After a while, the Buggy Pirates duo had set the pet store aflame. Luffy found Chou Chou sitting in front of the scene, howling.

'This is so sad ' ' Chopper and Usopp cried.

'But you got revenge for him, didn't you? ' Zoro proclaimed proudly.

'I sure did! ' Luffy affirmed.

Luffy quickly caught up to the man/lion duo and slammed Richie to the ground with a Gum-Gum Hammer. On top of having his only offense defeated, Mohji also learned that Luffy was a Devil Fruit user. And tried to grovel to him, but Luffy wasn't having it. Chou Chou 's treasure was already gone, and that's why he was going to beat the Beast Tamer 's ass.

'Beat him! Beat him! Beat him! '

Luffy 's fight with Mohji lasted just about as long as Luffy 's fight with Richie. The scene cut back to Chou Chou, with Nami looking on and saying that pirates are always the same. When Luffy emerged from his fight, she tried to attack him, as he was going to be the same kind of an asshole. But to her surprise, Luffy gently placed the only remaining pet food package in front of the white dog.

'This was the moment that I started to realize that not all pirates are bad, ' Nami admitted in a quiet voice, but everyone still heard. Nobody made a big deal out of it, though, and she was grateful for that.

Luffy told Chou Chou that all that was left was one bag of dog food. The dog grabbed the food and walked off, barking at Luffy once, to which Luffy responded:

'Yeah! Good luck to you, too! '

'How did you understand him? '

'I didn't. I just kind of guessed. But I seemed to hit the point. '

Mohji had made it back to Buggy to inform his captain that Luffy had beaten him. Buggy was rightfully pissed and ordered his men to find all the Special Buggy Balls. He planned to blow the town to smithereens.

'Does he not have any shame? ' Brook groaned into his hands.

'Nope. ' answered any Straw Hat who had ever met the sad clown man.

Nami apologized to Luffy for attempting to attack him, which Luffy accepted. She had been through a lot. The mayor though felt humiliated that he didn't help in the process of fighting against Mohji. When Nami tried to calm him down, the mayor told them about the process of making the town they were in right now.

'This is so sweet! '

At the same time, Buggy was firing another Buggy Ball, blowing away another part of the town. This specific one hit the mayor 's house, which just happened to be the one Zoro was sleeping in. But the swordsman was all right, just slightly agitated that he had been woken up.

'How-You know what, I 'm not even going to finish the question. '

Chopper had fully given up on Zoro.

The mayor had decided to fight Buggy himself because sometimes a man can't run from a fight. Luffy agreed to that full-heartedly, and Nami had to finally let him go because the old man wasn't going to give up. Zoro and Luffy both seemed excited. When Nami expressed concern, Luffy promised he wouldn't let the man die, and Zoro stated that an injury to his name was worse than an injury to his gut. So of course he was going to join the fight. Luffy offered Nami the position on his crew, but she counteroffered an allyship. The episode ended with the mayor confronting Buggy and the Straw Hats showing up to fight as well.

To be continued.

'This was rather intense, one might say, ' Brook said while wiping nonexistent sweat off his brow.

'I think it will get more intense, if we keep watching, ' Nami assured 'or threatened.

'Let's defeat Buggy! '