The boy in the straw hat stared at his friend, a checkmark forming on his head. "So what the hell are you doing here?!" Zoro was to blame for being there. He said he wanted to be alone!
The green-haired boy stifled his laughter and replied, still chuckling slightly, "An old man told me to come and cut down a tree..."
…
"Damn.".
Luffy immediately burst out laughing, spinning around while Zoro glared at him: "Stupid Zoro! You can't cut down these trees!"
"I KNOW IT, YOU IDIOT!" Zoro shouted loudly. He immediately stopped and looked shyly to the side. "At least now I know..."
Luffy kept laughing, and Zoro, it seemed, decided to wait, frowning. The young man clutched his stomach, aching from the laughter. "That's jus-"
The conversation was interrupted by a howl from the other side of the clearing. Both Zoro and Luffy looked at the wolf sitting at the entrance to its cave, its gaze fixed on Luffy, as if urging him to approach and challenge it.
"Go," said the verdet, following the beast's gaze to its target, "It's obvious it wants to fight you."
Luffy looked at his battered friend and nodded. "Are you going to... Are you okay?" The green one looked pretty beaten up. A bit bruised all over, actually. Luffy was definitely going to give his friend a few punches.
"Yes, I'll be fine. I could have won if it had been necessary. But now that you're here, I'll let you take care of it. Anyway, I need to sit down," he replied, bending slightly in pain.
"Alright! Time to get my treasure! No way I'm letting that girl get it first!" Luffy exclaimed as he charged into battle. Zoro tried to say something as the boy left, clenching his knuckles again, but Luffy was so excited about the fight he was about to have and the treasure he was going to find that he didn't hear him.
The black eyes of the boy in the straw hat met the milky white eyes of the Lord of the Forest. Wow. They were a little like White's eyes. Only these were white and hers were black. How strange. The beast dropped to all fours, preparing to face its enemy. There was a hint of something in its face... It almost looked excited.
Luffy's steps were more like leaps as he approached the enormous wolf, closing the distance in seconds as the beast mirrored him with its own massive strides. The boy wasted no time, not even a thought, before leaping toward the Lord of the Forest, his hardened knuckles flashing. The wolf was no longer as fast, with the cuts Zoro had inflicted earlier, but it still had enough mobility to move out of Luffy's way. As the boy flew through the air, a giant paw slammed into his back, knocking him to the ground like a bullet.
The boy in the straw hat groaned from his position, buried in the ground, but moved just quickly enough to dodge a second paw that would have crushed him. It was a good thing he'd been getting stronger; otherwise, the blow could have shattered him. Luffy squeezed between the wolf's legs, dodging left and right as it continued trying to crush him. He moved just in time to avoid another massive paw slamming into the ground and saw his chance. He'd been waiting for a good opportunity, and it finally came. He drew his arm back and fired it at the wound in the wolf's leg in the blink of an eye.
The beast howled in pain as the punch sliced through its wound like butter. Luffy pulled out his bloodied fist and replaced it with the other, continuing to swing back and forth like a machine gun. The boy's fists blurred as he inflicted all the damage he could at that moment. However, it didn't last long, as the Lord of the Forest leaped into the air with a howl. Thinking quickly, Luffy grabbed the animal's fur and joined its escape. As the midnight-black figure streaked through the air, he clung on tightly, a crazy idea forming in his mind.
The wind began to die down as the two opponents approached the point where they would begin to fall back to earth, and the boy in the straw hat seized the opportunity. He started climbing the beast, strengthening his legs to speed up the process. Upon reaching the wolf's back, he immediately ducked and put all his strength into launching himself into the air as the wolf began its descent.
Luffy soared higher and higher until he reached his own peak, where he spun around and finally realized just how high he was. He could even see Zoro from up there! Speaking of Zoro, he still needed to hit the Forest Boy for him! He seemed to float in the air for a moment before he, too, began to plummet to the ground. The boy could only shout with joy as his eyes followed the dark figure descending below him. With his target in sight, Luffy strengthened most of his body and launched himself forward, one hand with four hardened knuckles leading the way.
The Lord of the Forest landed first with a loud crash, a shower of debris exploded in the air, and the boy in the straw hat was not far behind.
Luffy's fist began to heat up as he felt the air on his face. He'd never moved so fast in his life; he could barely process his surroundings at that speed. At the same time, he was glad the wolf was so big. Bigger targets were easier to hit. Well... at least in his experience.
"VERY GOOD, FOREST BOY! THIS IS FOR HURTING MY FRIEND!" shouted the boy in the straw hat before hitting the target.
A second explosion echoed through the air, and the ground shattered. Luffy's fist slammed into the black wolf's back faster than a cannonball. The beast rippled and buckled as it sank into the ground, Luffy's momentum driving it deeper and deeper.
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