7 VS Clown Pirates.

After the Strawhats left the area, Buggy summoned one of his trusted subordinates.

"Mohji!" Buggy.

"Roronoa Zoro's head. Do you mind if I claim it?" Mohji spoke while ridding his companion Ritchie the lion.

"Hehe, not at all." Buggy.

Meanwhile, the Strawhats are walking down the street until they found a particular shop.

"Oh! A dog!" Luffy.

"A dog?" Nami/Zoro.

"What's a dog doing in here?" Nami.

"Beats me, you shouldn't touch him by the way. Doesn't look like a friendly dog." Kaizo.

Luffy doesn't pays attention and begins to make faces to get a reaction from the dog while Kaizo and Nami tend to Zoro's wrist.

"I'm no doctor but at the very least it doesn't look broken." Kaizo.

"We really need some medicine." Nami.

"I told you that I'm fine." Zoro.

Kaizo squeezes the area affected and Zoro squeaks in pain.

"Stop your bravado act and say 'Yes, you are right.'" Kaizo.

"Y-yes, you are right…" Zoro was holding his wrist in pain while saying those words.

"Hey…This dog doesn't move at all. Is it dead?" Luffy pokes the Dog's head and it bites him in return.

"AGHHHH!!! STOP IT!!! DON'T!!! AAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!! HELP, HELP!!!" Luffy screamed in pain before Kaizo grabbed the dog and gently put him back near the shop.

"You are a bad dog! Bad dog I say!!!" Luffy.

"Hey! Don't bother Shushu!" An old man yelled from the distance.

The old man is Boodle, the former chief of the village.

"We're not bothering him…exactly, Luffy wanted to pet him but got bitten instead." Kaizo.

"Oh, I see." Boodle.

"By the way, we are not with the Buggy Pirates." Kaizo.

"Oh, that's a relief." Boodle.

"By the way Ossan, why is this dog sitting here without doing nothing?" Luffy asked.

"He's guarding the shop." Boodle.

"Guarding the shop?" Nami.

"Yes. He used to run the shop with his owner, a good friend of mine, but unfortunately, he died three years ago. Since then, he's been guarding this store." Boodle.

"Is he perhaps waiting for his owner to return?" Nami.

"That's what everyone thinks." Boodle.

"I don't think that's the case." Kaizo.

Both Boodle and Nami look at him with a confused expression.

"A dog that's smart enough to know the meaning of protection wouldn't be dumb or oblivious enough to not realize what really happened to his owner." Kaizo.

"Oi, Kaizo! Aren't you being a little bit too harsh on the dog?" Nami.

"I am. However, it doesn't matter what I say or think. Shushu will keep guarding this store until he dies, the resolute look on his face says it all." Kaizo.

"The youngster is right, miss. Shushu has always been a smart dog, of course he would know when his owner had passed away." Boodle.

"Then, why would he guard this store?" Nami.

"For Shushu, this store is his treasure. This is the last belonging of his owner and for that reason he's protecting it. I've tried to move him several times but he just keeps coming back." Boodle.

Everyone decides to not pry further into the matter. Boodle entered the store and took a bag of dog food to feed Shushu. Suddenly, a giant lion beast appears at the distance, startling the group.

"He-he is the Beast Tamer Mohji!" Boodle escapes.

"WAAAA!!! A LION!!!" Nami escapes.

"He…I never knew that lions could be that big." Zoro.

"Should we eat it?" Luffy.

"Bad idea, lions and similar predators tend to have bad taste." Kaizo.

"Oi, don't ignore me pieces of shit!" Mohji.

"So, who should fight him?" Zoro.

"You can't because of your wrist and Luffy might get eaten for being an idiot so…ME." Kaizo.

"Oi! I'm not THAT helpless." Luffy.

"Ritchie! Crush them!" Mohji.

Ritchie raises his paw as high as possible to deliver a powerful blow.

"Ah! I've got an idea; I'll use this time to teach you guys about Haki. Take a few steps back and pay attention." Kaizo.

Luffy and Zoro obey and watch from the pet store. Ritchie slams his paw as Kaizo begins to close his eyes.

*BAM*

Ritchie's paw leaves a print on the ground and Mohji smirks, he believes to have killed Kaizo but he is a few centimeters away from the damage area completely unharmed. Mohji was speechless and ordered Ritchie to launch a full-scale barrage of paw attacks.

"Kenbunshoku/Observation Haki: By using this type of Haki, I can easily predict the direction of my enemy's attack." Kaizo explained while dodging the attacks with his eyes closed.

Zoro and Luffy were so amazed that none of them made a noise.

"Ritchie! Bite him!" Mohji ordered the tired Ritchie.

Ritchie lunged at Kaizo with his mouth full and bit him. Luffy and Zoro were surprised by the fact that Kaizo didn't dodged and tried to help him but, Kaizo was fine.

"Busoshoku/Armament Haki: It allows the user's body to become extremely hard and strong. So strong, that even the sharp fangs of a sea king wouldn't be able to pierce your skin." Kaizo explained while opening Ritchie's mouth and showing his black shining arms and torso.

"Unfortunately, I don't know if I have Haoshoku/Conqueror's Haki. So, I really haven't trained it at all. HAHAHAHA!" Kaizo.

Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Boodle, Mohji and Ritchie were surprised by Kaizo's strength. Luffy and Zoro somewhat knew that he was strong but they never knew that he was THAT strong. Nami and the rest were taken by surprised and almost faint.

'This is bad! I have to tell Buggy about this!' Mohji.

Before Mohji could run, Kaizo send a spiritual powered slash and knocked him down, he did the same with Ritchie.

"Luffy, Zoro, if you want to make your dreams come true, you must be at least this strong to enter the Grand Line. Afte that, you must become stronger." Kaizo.

Both Luffy and Zoro nodded and walked towards him to ask him more about Haki.

'The World's Greatest Swordsman, to defeat him, I need to master this first!' Zoro.

After a barrage of questions, Kaizo lays on the ground and begins to snooze off.

"Oi, what happened to you?" Zoro.

"Using that much Haki without proper technique really takes out your stamina." Kaizo.

"Weren't you supposed to be an expert or something?" Nami.

"When did I said that? I only learnt it a few months ago!" Kaizo.

"He…Well, I guess we'll kick that Baggy guy's ass or something." Luffy spoke as he was making his way towards Buggy.

"Take care of him major." Zoro.

Luffy, Zoro and Nami left Kaizo with Boodle.

"I should really be the one fighting Buggy instead of that youngster." Boodle spoke with a sense of regret.

"Don't worry. Don't take out the blame on yourself for things like this. Instead of thinking about your own weakness or uselessness, use that as a fuel to become better. Cause when the time comes, you may regret some unchangeable things of your past." Kaizo remembers a horrible experience of his past but shrugs off the memory.

Boodle begins to reflect about the situation and begins to take Kaizo to a house for him to recover.

(At Buggy's lair)

"As I promised, I came here to kick your ass!" Luffy.

"Ha! Without the punk with blue hair, you are nothing!" Buggy.

"So, who takes care of who?" Zoro.

"I'll fight the captain and you focus on the rest." Luffy.

"Fair enough." Zoro.

"To be clear, I'm only a thief so, don't expect any fighting from me." Nami.

"Didn't you fight them quite well with that staff of yours?" Zoro.

"That was different." Nami.

"Well, whatever. HEY BIG NOSE!!!" Luffy.

The Buggy Pirates, especially Buggy, are surprised and furious at Luffy's comment.

"You didn't have to provoke him like that!" Nami.

"You…fucking…brat! How…dare you…call me…that!!!" Buggy.

Buggy gets so furious that he orders his crew to shoot a giant "Buggy Dama" towards the trio. Nami runs for her life and so does Zoro, not before warning Luffy.

Luffy on the other hand, remains in the same place. The Buggy Dama is shot at Luffy but he uses a technique.

[Gomu-Gomu No: Fuusen/Balloon!] Luffy.

The cannonball makes contact with Luffy's body but it doesn't explode, instead, it gets bounced back towards Buggy's crew.

"Good, I send it back!" Luffy.

"What the hell are you!?" Nami.

"Don't scare people like that." Zoro.

"I knew that you were weird since you have that monster as your crewmate! Humans can't do such things! Explain it!"

"That Balloon that you just did, and the black skin your friend did, what was that?!" Nami.

"It was the Gomu-Gomu no: Fuusen/Balloon and Haki." Luffy.

"I'm asking what the hell is that! Are you some sort of monster?!" Nami.

From the rubble, Buggy comes out while using some of his crewmembers as shields and looks at Luffy.

"Those weird powers must be the effect of a devil fruit, am I right?!" Buggy.

"Yes, I ate the Gum-Gum Fruit." Luffy speaks and then stretches his face.

"This seems to be your greatest failure yet, captain." Cabaji, one of Buggy's top crewmembers came out from the rubble using another crewmember as a shield.

"Zoro, I'll take the red nose, you take the other one." Luffy.

"Aye-aye, Captain." Zoro.

Zoro begins to fight Cabaji, since he's not injured, the fight is quite quick and boring but he seizes the chance to learn some Haki.

'Kaizo told me that Haki is flourishes in battle, but battling weaklings like him won't do me any good. *SIGH* At the very least I'll draw out the battle until Luffy finishes his.' Zoro.

Meanwhile, Luffy is facing Buggy.

"That straw hat of yours makes me remember that damn red-haired." Buggy.

"Red-haired? Do you perhaps know Shanks?!" Luffy.

"So, what if I know?"

"Where is he?!"

"He…if I say that I know him, I know him. If I say that I don't know him then I don't know him." Buggy.

"What are you talking about? Are you an idiot?" Luffy picked his nose while asking.

"You are the idiot! What kind of person would believe his enemy?" Buggy.

"Then I guess I'll have to beat the information out of you."

"Try it, your gum-gum is useless against my knives, right?"

"Yes, it is."

[Bara-Bara: Nosenme!] Buggy.

Buggy separates his lower half and shoots it spinning aiming to damage Luffy with the knives attached to his shoes.

Luffy jumps over it and Buggy tries to attack him with his knives but, Luffy grabs a wood pole and evades the knives by retracting.

[Gomu-Gomu No: Pistol!] Luffy.

Buggy evades the attack and tries to cut Luffy's arm off.

[Gum-Gum No: Scythe!] Luffy.

[Bara-Bara Kinkyuu Dasu!] Buggy.

Luffy tries to lariat Buggy but he separates his head and evades the attack. Luffy crashes into some rubble while Buggy laughs at him.

Buggy shoots his hand while carrying some knives and Luffy catches it, unfortunately, Buggy separates it again and damages Luffy's hat.

"You bastard!" Luffy.

"Oh? Are you perhaps mad that I damaged that face of yours?" Buggy.

"How dare you damage this hat?!" Luffy.

"Eh?" Buggy.

"THIS IS MY TREASURE!!! I won't forgive anyone who damages my hat!!!" Luffy.

Buggy takes Luffy's moment of anger to attack him with his detached hand but misses and ends up damaging the hat.

"All that anger just for a hat?" Buggy.

"Shut up! That hat was lent to me by Shanks!" Luffy.

"Shanks?! Now I know why it has been bothering me since I saw it." Buggy throws the hat to the ground.

"You know Shanks?!" Luffy.

"We used to be Nakamas in the past as pirate apprentices. Just remembering him…PISSES ME OFF!!!" Buggy stomps the hat.

Luffy, enraged by the fact that Buggy keeps badmouthing Shanks and keeps damaging his hat, dashes towards Buggy.

"Shanks is a good man! And you were his friend!? Don't you dare to compare yourself to him!!!" Luffy tries to punch Buggy.

[Bara-Bara Kinkyuu Dasu!] Buggy.

Buggy separates his head again but Luffy changes from a punch to the fact to a knee at the gut.

"Don't ever say again that you and Shanks were Nakamas!" Luffy.

"I can say whatever I want about Shanks!" Buggy.

"Tell me! What happened between you and Shanks!" Luffy.

"Buzz off vermin! You wanna know? I'll tell you. He's the only one…I'll never forget!" Buggy.