The Sun of The Strawhat Pirates

6: Treasure

Zoro had been dragging the cage for what felt like an eternity, his muscles aching and his breath ragged. "Huff...Huff...I think we're pretty far away now. They won't be able to catch up now..." he said between gasps of air. He wiped the sweat from his brow and looked at Naruto, who was still trying to open the cage. "How's the escape coming, kid?" he asked.

Naruto was hunched over on top of the cage, his brow furrowed in concentration. "I'm trying to make a seal to melt the bars," he said, frustration evident in his voice. "But it's not working. I wish I knew fire jutsu! Then I could just melt the bars with my own hand!" He pouted, kicking at the metal bars in frustration.

Zoro suddenly stopped moving and fell to the ground.

"Zoro!" Naruto yelled in panic as he jumped off the cage and ran towards the moss-headed swordsman.

Zoro was struggling to get up and muttered, "This is it...I don't have enough blood. I can't walk anymore." Then, out of nowhere, a dog was staring at Zoro. "Eh? What's up with this dog?" Zoro asked, confused by its sudden appearance.

Luffy looked at the dog and said, "What is this? Is it really a dog?" He turned to his brother Naruto and asked, "Hey, Naruto, the dog isn't moving."

Zoro looked at the dog and said, "Whatever...What it does is up to the dog. Right now, you've gotta figure out how to get out of that cage."

Luffy ignored Zoro and poked the dog in the eye, thinking it would be funny. The dog, however, did not take kindly to this and bit Luffy's arm. "YOU STUPID DOG! WHAT THE HELL YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" Luffy yelled

Zoro had had enough of his idiot of a captain. "YOU IDIOT, DON'T YOU KNOW HOW SERIOUS THE SITUATION IS HERE?!"

After everyone calmed down, Naruto walked towards the dog. He bent down to the dog's eye level and petted its head gently. "Hey, buddy. Whatcha doing here?" he asked softly.

The dog wagged its tail and licked Naruto's face, making him laugh.

Feeling a little jealous, Luffy pouted as he watched his brother get all the attention. "He gets licks, and all I get is the bite? What's up with that?" he muttered to himself.

"That's what you're worried about?" Zoro asks.

What on earth are you guys doing?" said a voice behind them, interrupting their conversation. "Buggy will find you if you're just gonna lay around in the street."

Turning around to see who had spoken, the trio was surprised to find Nami standing there.

Naruto greeted her cheerfully with a smile, "Hey Lady!" he yelled.

While Luffy simply acknowledged her presence by saying, "Oh, it's our navigator."

"Says who?" Nami asks as she lets out a sigh. "Look, I just came here to repay my debt to you."

Naruto appeared confused and looked at Nami inquisitively. "Debt?" he repeated, unsure of what she meant.

Nami's expression softened as she explained, "You saved my life back there, so the least I could do is help you get out of that cage." She reached into her pocket, retrieved something, and threw it on the ground.

Luffy exclaimed, "It's the key! You stole the key!" He flashed a wide grin at Nami, appreciative of her efforts.

Nami let out a sigh, shaking her head slightly. "Although I think what you did was a bit reckless, I had to do something to repay you," she admitted.

Naruto's face lit up with gratitude as he turned to Nami and exclaimed, "Gee, thanks, lady!" However, his words made Nami feel uneasy, and she awkwardly shifted her weight.