The Dog and the Old Man: Captain Showdown

"Hoo hoo hoo hoo~~"

After a mad dash, the three of them stopped on the town's main street.

"Escaped... we escaped..."

As Nami gasped for breath, Roman calmly began preparing a fitness plan for her while speaking.

"Even as our pirate crew's Navigator, you don't need to fight, but your stamina is just too poor."

"Who's your Navigator—"

Huh?!

Faced with Roman's suddenly icy gaze, Nami, crying inwardly, had no choice but to close her eyes and nod.

"Yes, yes, it's all my fault for holding you back..."

However:

This guy named Roman is so strong!

Not only did he move freely and seem invincible against the notorious Buggy Pirates, but he also ran at full speed with one hand holding her and the other carrying a large iron cage with the idiot 'Captain' inside, all without breaking a sweat.

Maybe, tricking this guy into dealing with...

"Wow, look, this dog isn't moving at all."

Luffy, who had broken free from his ropes while escaping, immediately started his usual antics as soon as he was out of danger. This time, his target was a dog by the roadside: just an ordinary mongrel, squatting motionlessly in front of a small shop.

"Is this dog dead? It's not a statue, is it~~"

"Rubber... Two-Finger Pointer!"

He stretched his arm out from the cage, inserting his index and middle fingers into the dog's eyeballs. Then:

Crack,

"Ahhh, that hurts!"

Oh, this...

Watching the man and dog go at it fiercely through the cage, Roman began to reconsider if he had fed Luffy too much.

"What an idiot!"

Beside him, Nami was also speechless at the 'man vs. dog' battle unfolding.

"But, the more I think about it, the more I feel like I'm just an idiot too."

Saying that, she patted her clothes, took out a key, and tossed it near the cage.

"While you guys were fighting, I stole the key," she said, the orange-haired girl pouting unhappily. "Seriously, I didn't get any treasure or sea charts..."

"Haha, that's great."

Luffy, who had been 'idling' in the cage, was overjoyed. "This cage has been terrible for me~~"

"Hmph, it's your own fault for being stupid."

Roman snorted speechlessly, but considering that the other party had 'recruited' a Navigator...

He snatched it—

Gulp!

"Ahhh, you damn dog, spit out the key!"

?

"Luffy, tell me honestly, did you eat the Rubber-Rubber Fruit, or the 'Dumb-Dumb Fruit'!?"

Not only does it lower one's own intelligence, but it can also lower the intelligence of surrounding creatures...

Roman sighed, rubbing his temples.

"Alright, let's have dog meat stew—"

"Hey!"

"You guys, don't bully Xiuxiu~~"

An old man, clad in leather armor and protective gear, with a spear on his back and wearing glasses, ran over angrily.

"So, you're the Town Mayor of this town?"

"This dog's name is Xiuxiu?"

"Then why is it squatting here~~" Facing the questions from the three, the old man sighed.

"This shop," the old Town Mayor pointed to the small shop behind him, "was opened by an old friend of mine, along with Xiuxiu."

"For them, this shop is their most precious memory..."

"But, pirates have arrived," Nami followed up curiously. "The people in town have all run out to take refuge, right? Why leave this dog here to guard it? Isn't your friend afraid it'll be killed by pirates—"

"He's already dead."

The old town mayor sighed again.

"A few months ago, my old friend fell ill and went to the hospital, and then..."

"So this dog has been guarding here, waiting for its owner to return?" Facing Nami's emotion, the old town mayor smiled.

"No, Xiuxiu is a smart dog. It must know that its owner is not coming back."

"It's just that this shop is its most precious memory, which is why it's been guarding here all along." As he spoke, the mayor covered his forehead, his voice trembling.

"What a stupid dog!"

"Heh, Uncle, aren't you pretty much the same?"

Roman, leaning against the door of the small shop with his arms crossed, raised an eyelid. "You coming to check at this time, doesn't that mean you can't let go of this town either?"

"In the end, you're not much smarter than this dog~~"

"Heh heh,"

Facing Roman's 'sarcasm', the old town mayor smiled and shook his head.

"That's right, this town was built by us – a group of refugees whose homes were destroyed by pirates – bit by bit from desolation! This place carries our efforts, sweat, joys and sorrows! So, so..."

As he spoke, he took off his glasses, and when he put them back on, only determination remained in his eyes.

"So, I'm old! I can't run anymore."

"If I must die, I hope to die in my own home..."

"Roman,"

Luffy, inside the cage, adjusted his Straw Hat, his usual cheerful demeanor gone.

"Let's go back."

He looked up, his eyes filled with seriousness! As if he had become a different person.

"I'm going to beat up that Red-Nose!"

What a willful guy...

"As you wish,"

Roman stood up and stretched his muscles.

"Captain."

"Hey, hey, hey, you three young people should hurry and take shelter~~" Seeing the three... no, two of them looking like they were about to 'pick a fight', the old town mayor hurriedly advised.

"And you still have one person locked in a cage—"

Snap, Roman, who was half-crouching, gripped the thick iron bars of the cage with both hands, and then:

Squelch, In an instant, Roman's arms bulged with veins, his muscles contorting. The originally loose sleeves were ripped apart by the strain! His arms, full of muscular beauty, rolled with power and suddenly pulled apart.

Crack, crack, crack—

With a piercing metallic sound, the thick steel cage was forcefully bent and deformed to the sides by Roman's hands! Finally, a large enough hole to crawl through was revealed.

"Done."

"Thanks, Roman!"

Luffy, now free, stretched his shoulders, looking excited and eager.

"Let's go beat up that Red-Nose and his subordinates!"

"We can do that."

Thump, The old town mayor, clad in leather armor, had already fallen to the ground in shock! Clearly, he was just a handsome and sunny youth, yet he possessed inhuman strength capable of bending steel...

Amazing!

Meanwhile, Nami gained a deeper understanding of the boy named 'Roman'. Such strength was already on par with those guys, wasn't it?

If this Straw Hat kid also had such strength, and she tricked them into coming to her hometown, perhaps she could...

However, looking at the two 'pirates' preparing to go back and cause trouble for the Buggy Pirates, Nami's eyes flickered.

Two pirates preparing to 'act heroically' were truly too foolish!

Can't stand it...

"Alright!"

The old town mayor next to him felt a long-lost 'surge of passion'! "As the mayor, if I don't protect the town, who will? I'll go too—"

Thump, Unfortunately, before his grand declaration could be uttered, Luffy grabbed the back of his head and slammed him against the door of the small shop.

His eyes rolled back, and he fainted on the spot.

"Luffy, what are you doing?!"

The young girl named Nami was furious that her teammate was sacrificed before the fight even began! If Roman hadn't been there, she would have given that straw-hatted idiot a taste of her large fist...

"Haha, this is a battle between us pirates."

As he spoke, Luffy turned to the stray dog by the shop entrance. "ShuXiu, protect your master's friends! We have some serious business to attend to—"

"Woof woof woof!"

"Do you think a dog can understand what you're saying?"

"Haha, didn't the old man say ShuXiu is very smart..."

Luffy and Nami's bickering could be heard from the side, not stopping at all, making Roman shake his head with amusement. This strange atmosphere, compared to the killing intent and greed that permeated before battles in the past:

It wasn't bad either.

"Hehehe, I thought you guys had already run away."

In front of the ruined houses in the center of the town, a group of dark-looking pirates faced the trio who had returned once again, their eyes practically spitting fire!

"Red-Nose,"

Luffy stepped forward, rubbing his fists with interest.

"I've decided, I'm going to beat you up!"

Dead silence!

Then:

"Aaaah, what did you say, Straw Hat Kid!"

"Don't you know Captain Buggy hates it the most when people mention his Red-Nose?"

"Yeah, Red-Nose is the Captain's taboo. Once he hears that word, he'll explode..."

"And what's wrong with Red-Nose? Isn't that a nose? This is appearance discrimination—"

"Red-Nose, Red-Nose, Red-Nose..."

Captain Buggy, who looked like a clown and had veins bulging on his forehead from anger, waved his hands: with a poof poof poof sound, several pirates who had been jumping around and shouting moments ago immediately 'crashed' on the spot.

"If you want to provoke me, you've succeeded—"

!!!

An aura like flames swept across the battlefield. The young man named Luffy looked at the pirates on the ground with small knives stuck in their backs. His face was full of anger.

"To casually harm your own nakama, someone like you—"

Whoosh—

A blur of motion, he suddenly rushed in front of Clown Buggy, his clenched fist launching the first attack!

"You don't deserve to be a captain!"