Chapter 344: The Cat and Dog’s Promise, Pursuers Arrive

At the right belly fortress of Zou—

Since the central city was destroyed in the battle and the remaining poison made it unsuitable for the injured to recover, Roman's paper soldier army took on the role of "workers," moving all the wounded Minks to this location.

The Straw Hats' medical skills were absolutely top-tier! 

Not to mention that Chopper had trained under the legendary 141-year-old doctor, Dr. Kureha. Roman's recorded "Hormone Abilities" and "String-String Abilities" alone were enough to make any doctor cry—controlling a patient's hormone secretion at will, performing precise internal sutures without surgery…

Don't forget, before Chopper joined the crew, Roman had been handling all the medical care. With his Observation Haki granting him X-ray vision and his String-String abilities allowing him to repair internal injuries without opening up the body, this was something only he could do.

On top of that, Law had the Op-Op Fruit, Nami could unleash the Phoenix's "Healing Blue Flames"—as long as someone wasn't instantly killed, they could be saved!

And since the Minks were all natural warriors with incredible physical endurance, it didn't take long for the banquet to begin.

"No need for words, just eat and drink to your heart's content!"

"This is our specialty, 'Monkey Wine,' brewed from the fruits of the forest."

"Oh, this is good!"

Zoro eagerly accepted the drink, but when a bunch of Minks immediately crowded around him, sniffing and rubbing against him, he snapped in frustration.

"So annoying! How am I supposed to drink like this?" 

"Hahaha, this is amazing~~" 

Sanji was practically melting in the arms of the cat and sheep girls snuggling up to him, his face filled with bliss and hearts practically floating from his eyes. He was just one step away from saying, "This place is paradise, who needs the sea?" 

"This is our tradition, Rubbing faces is how we show friendship to your kind—those without fur." 

The female warrior Wanda, a dog Mink with golden fur and wavy hair, explained to the Straw Hats. She was one of the more diplomatic members of the Mink Tribe. Meanwhile— 

"Hehe, these bananas are delicious." 

"Right? I told you~~" 

"Squeak squeak squeak..." 

"Exactly!" 

Luffy was already playing around with a group of monkey and gorilla Minks, arms around each other's shoulders like old friends. Cultural differences? What cultural differences? 

"Yahh! Help me!!" 

Brook, on the other hand, was not having such a great time. A group of dog Minks had him pinned down, excitedly biting and licking him. 

"Is this part of your tradition too?" 

"Honestly, we never imagined a race like yours could be so... 'charming.' We dog Minks just can't resist bones~~" 

Whoa, whoa, whoa—why is this lady licking her lips? Roman rolled his eyes. The Minks all had certain animal instincts, so seeing a walking skeleton in front of them was basically irresistible. 

"This honored guest looks quite... tasty." 

"Duke Inuarashi, please don't drool on our guest." 

"Doctor Chopper, if—" 

Meanwhile, a few local goat doctors and fox nurses were taking notes, listening intently as Chopper taught them about medicine. The little reindeer kept switching between serious and excited—it felt really rewarding! No wonder Roman always liked playing the role of a teacher. 

Usopp, of course, had started bragging about his "great adventures as a sea warrior," embellishing the details a bit too much, but overall sticking to the truth. After all, his 200 million bounty was something he had truly earned. 

The whole place was filled with laughter, celebration, and toasts in honor of the Straw Hats for saving them from disaster! 

... 

"This straw hat..." 

Seated opposite Duke Inuarashi, the large and round Nekomamushi stared at Luffy's hat from a distance. 

"Seeing it reminds me of an old friend... Red-Haired Shanks, one of the Four Emperors..." 

"Hehehe, Shanks gave me this hat." 

Luffy's answer made both the dog and cat freeze for a moment before— 

"Gurururu, so that's how it is—" 

"Wahahaha, so that's how it is—" 

"Hmph!" 

The Straw Hats watched in confusion as the two, despite being covered in bandages, still found the energy to act stubborn with each other. 

"Thanks to all of you, our country was saved from total destruction." 

"Hmph, if it weren't for their poison gas weapons, I would've torn their throats out myself!" 

Duke Inuarashi was calm, kind, and diplomatic, while Nekomamushi was wild, aggressive, and hot-blooded. But both were men of honor, loyal to their friends, and always repaid their debts. 

"Well, in war, anything goes. But—" 

Roman took a sip of orange juice. 

"You probably won't have to worry about that kind of attack again. The guy who created those poison gas weapons, Caesar, well... we took care of him not too long ago." 

Putting down his cup, Roman turned to Duke Inuarashi. 

"And because of that, we also had a fight with the Beasts Pirates. So—" 

"Say no more, Roman." 

The Duke nodded. As one of Zou's two rulers, he was wise and thoughtful, quickly understanding the deeper meaning behind Roman's words. 

"If you ever decide to go against the Beasts Pirates, you have the full support of Zou!" 

"You're picking a fight with Kaido's crew?" 

Nekomamushi grinned, revealing his sharp fangs. 

"I like it! If you're going after them, count me in. I've got a little 'payback' to deliver for this leg!"

"What do you mean, 'he lost a leg'? It's Duke Inuarashi, and it's already been reattached. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?" 

Even though the two rulers of Zou can't stand each other, they're still the closest of allies. The reason they became enemies was all because of Oden. 

Forget it, no point thinking about unhappy things. 

Roman nodded after getting the two rulers' promise. With the Mink Tribe joining them, they'd at least be able to take down Jack and a bunch of the "Gifters" when they reached Wano. More fighters are always a good thing—especially when it's a personal revenge mission for them. 

Even though the Straw Hats arrived just in time, expecting zero casualties would be nothing but a fairy tale. In the face of the poisonous gas, the strong could hold on, but the weak, the elderly, and the injured... 

"By the way, can we take a look around your country?" 

Roman turned to Duke Inuarashi. 

"Our companion—" 

He pointed at the intelligent-looking woman standing next to Franky. 

"Robin is an archaeologist, and she's very interested in your country's history. If possible, could you provide us with a guide?" 

Having a local guide would not only help them learn about the country's history faster but also give the locals a heads-up. Roman knew very well that the place where the Poneglyph was kept also had Wano's "Raizo" tied up inside. 

Jack attacked Zou because of him. 

"No problem, Roman." 

Duke Inuarashi glanced at Roman. He had a strange feeling that this man already knew all of Zou's secrets. 

But... how could that be? 

—————— 

Meanwhile, at the "city gate," another group of people arrived at Zou. 

"W-What happened here?" 

A lion-like man in a pink suit and sunglasses, Pekoms, stared in shock at his homeland—ruined buildings, debris everywhere! 

"Damn it! Was this the work of the Straw Hat Pirates?!" 

They had managed to track them down because— 

"The vivre card is pointing to the right side of the city." 

A short man in a black-and-white striped suit, hat, and scarf, with a cigar in his mouth, glanced at the paper in his hand. His appearance resembled that of a mafia boss. 

"What's over there, Pekoms?" 

Capone Bege, captain of the Fire Tank Pirates, was one of the twelve Supernovas at Sabaody two years ago. He was now under the Big Mom Pirates, assigned to track down the Straw Hats alongside Pekoms. 

Side note: Capone Bege is only 1.6 meters tall, which in this world is practically "dwarf-sized." 

"The right side?" 

Pekoms froze for a moment before his fur stood on end. 

"That's where our ancestors used to live! Those damn Straw Hats! They even destroyed our sacred land—!" 

Pirates burning, looting, and pillaging wasn't exactly unusual, was it? Capone Bege glanced at the furious and uselessly raging Pekoms before stepping forward. 

"Now's not the time for tears. Don't forget our mission." 

Since Pekoms was born here, he quickly pulled himself together and led Capone Bege toward the right side of the city. They soon ran into a group of Mink warriors on patrol. 

"Mom! Dad! You're okay! Thank goodness!" 

Pekoms burst into tears and threw himself at his mother, a lion Mink, who gently patted his head. 

"Thanks to the Straw Hat Pirates, they saved all of Zou." 

"Pekoms, you brat, you actually came back to visit us, huh?" 

After a brief explanation, the two officers of the Big Mom Pirates finally understood what had happened here. The commotion outside also caught the Straw Hats' attention. 

"Hey, isn't that the lion guy we met back on Fish-Man Island? Yo—" 

BAM! 

Luffy got punched so hard he bowed his head in apology. Nami grabbed him from behind. 

"Don't just 'yo' him! Did you forget we're enemies with the Big Mom Pirates?!" 

"Are we?" 

Seeing Luffy's completely clueless face, Roman had no choice but to remind him.

"Luffy, you forgot that back on Fish-Man Island, you said you were going to beat them up, right? Then in Dressrosa, we fought them again because of Caesar..." 

"Oh yeah! That did happen." 

Seriously, Luffy, have you completely outsourced your memory now? 

"So, are you guys here to fight?" 

Luffy clenched his fist. "If we're gonna fight, let's do it out at sea. This country has already been through too much—" 

Whoosh— 

"Hawoo! I just wanted to show my gratitude!" 

"Let go, let go—" 

Luffy pushed away Pekoms, the lion man, who was rubbing his tear-streaked, snot-covered face all over him. Now he finally understood how annoying this must be for Roman all the time. 

"Anyway, what exactly are you guys here for?" 

"You two officers... I'll be blunt. If you don't want to die, don't make any reckless moves." 

Roman stepped forward and looked at Capone Bege and Pekoms. He already had a guess, but— 

"I'm more curious about how you even managed to track us here." 

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