Ash and Rubber - Chapter 14 - mtnetsurfer (2024)

Chapter Text

Dorry and Broggy looked at their destroyed weapons after killing the Island Eater, and watched the Going Merry sail off into the horizon. Every volcano on the island erupted at once, as if to signal the end of their hundred-year duel.

"It seems Elbaf is satisfied with the outcome we came to," Broggy noted.

Dorry nodded.

"Now we can reclaim what we left behind. Thanks to the Straw Hat Pirates. May the god of war Elbaf watch over their journey, and bring them countless victories!"

It had already been a few hours since leaving Little Garden, and Nami was already starting to run a fever from the bug bite. Luffy ordered her to stay in the cabin and rest, giving Vivi temporary role of navigator until they get Nami treatment. She was now holding the Eternal Pose for Drum Island, the closest island to their current position with a harbor. Meanwhile, Zoro and Thomas were leading the rest of the crew in heavy training to make up for not being able to while on Little Garden.

"Holy crap," Mikita said as she watched the training, "These guys are monsters. No wonder they beat us."

Sanji was rushing back and forth helping Nami keep her strength up with large helpings of food and clean water.

"Our crew is really missing a doctor," Luffy noted, "Hopefully we can find one to join us at Drum Island."

Nami, meanwhile, was still trying to fulfill her duties, trying to get up or downplay her illness.

"Don't make us strap you down, Nami," Honey said, "Ash would only make things worse for you and you're getting enough water as is. Just rest up until we reach the island."

Luckily despite her illness, Nami was still able to innately predict the weather, helping the crew avoid a sea cyclone on the way to Drum Island. As snow started to settle in, Usopp noticed something odd.

"Hey, Thomas," he said, "Are there people on the Grand Line who can stand on water?"

"Not to my knowledge," Thomas said.

"Something like sounds weird even for this place," Nishijima agreed.

"Well that's exactly what I'm seeing right now," Usopp said.

Sure enough, there was a man dressed in a green jester jumpsuit and fur coat and armed with a bow and arrow, seemingly standing on the open ocean.

"Well there's something you don't see everyday," Brusa said, "Even out here."

"Hi there," the man said, "Chilly today, isn't it?"

"How are you standing on the ocean?," Luffy asked.

"I'm not," the man said, "I'm standing on my crew's ship."

The Straw Hats got confused, until something started to surface under the man. It turned out to be a large round ship, with the man standing on the mast.

"Hey, watch it!," Luffy said, "We've got a sick crew member on board!"

Metal plates on the ship lowered and a large hippo figurehead with a crown was raised. A Jolly Roger with the skull wearing a crown was revealed.

"It's a pirate ship!," Johnny realized.

"Just what we need right now," Yosaku muttered.

"Holy crap," Marianne said, "I think that's the Bliking Pirates."

A large man with a metal mouth laughed as he came onto the deck of the ship, carrying a large meat haunch on a sword.

"Sorry if my ship, the Bliking, startled you."

The Straw Hats suddenly found themselves surrounded by pirates with guns. Luffy looked nonchalant.

"You guys have five minutes to clear off my ship before my quartermaster and boatswain kick you off."

The large man regarded the crew.

"You seem pretty strange for pirates. Is it just the eleven of you?"

"Twelve," Brusa said, holding up Harvey, "And our navigator is hold up sick in the cabin. So that's thirteen."

The large man simply finished eating his meat, while also chomping down on the sword with it.

"Still seems pretty small for a pirate crew."

"I'm guessing you have a Devil Fruit," Thomas said, "Otherwise you wouldn't be eating a sword like it was a candy cane."

"Yes, as a matter of fact," the man said, "My name is Wapol, and the Devil Fruit I ate is called the Munch-Munch Fruit, which let's me eat anything. Regardless, we're on our way to Drum Kingdom. Do you happen to have an Eternal Pose or Log Pose? If not, I'll just take your treasure and this ship."

"You'll take nothing and return to your ship immediately," Thomas warned, "Trust me, none of your men or even you are a match for us. And right now we're in a hurry, so we don't have time to play nice. You still have two minutes to vacate."

Wapol regarded him, then laughed.

"Trust me, I'm not the sort of person you want to say 'no' to. Men, start cleaning them out. I'm feeling a bit hungry."

He made ready to chomp down on the Merry, only for his teeth to find solid carbon instead, curtesy of Thomas's ash powers.

"I wasn't asking. Alvida? Time to clean house."

Alvida whipped out her mace and swung it, sending several of the pirates right into the sea.

"Stop her or we fire!," one pirate warned Thomas.

Thomas just grinned.

"Then fire."

The pirate grimaced and did so, only for the bullet to pass through Thomas while leaving an ash trail.

"Like I said," Thomas said to the now scared pirate, "None of you are a match for us. Brimstone Cyclone!"

The pirates were all blown away by the ash cyclone, with Wapol barely able to hang on literally by his teeth. Several more pirates tried to attack from the Bliking, only for the rest of the crew to completely decimate them. Usopp shot their guns right out of the hands, Zoro slashed them multiple times, several had bruises from Sanji kicks. Wapol stared in shock as some of his men were rendering unconscious by Nishijima's poison barbs, while some had their weapons completely destroyed by Brusa's jaws. Johnny and Yosaku proved to be a whirling typhoon as they easily sent the pirates flying off the ship with their sword skills. Many wound up washed overboard by Honey's powers, or stunned into submission with Harvey vibrating sound waves through their eardrums.

"What kind of ship did I wind up on...?," Wapol asked in stunned surprise.

Luffy then walked up to him with a dangerous look on his face.

"It's time for you to get off my ship. Gum-Gum Bazooka!"

He stretched his arms back and let them snap forward to send Wapol flying, much to the shock of his crew, who quickly chased after him on the Bliking.

"Well, that was nuts," Mikita said.

She, Gem, and Marianne had been watching from the cabin.

"If that Wapol guy is lucky he'll land on something solid," Gem noted, "Otherwise he's dead once he hits the water. Devil Fruit users can't swim."

Vivi thought for a moment.

"Have I seen that man somewhere before?"

Carue just shrugged.

"Not that I remember. But he theemed like kind of a moron, tho let'th not worry about it."

Meanwhile, Smoker and Tashigi had been reassigned to the Grand Line after Marine HQ intercepted a transponder snail signal.

"Sergeant Major," Smoker said, "You've been out of it for some time. You okay?"

Tashigi has recently been informed that the man she had met at the sword shop was actually Roronoa Zoro. Which needless to say was causing her to have a crisis, since he had given her that excellent life advice. She was slightly mollified by finding a Ryo-Wazamono sword named Kashu.

"Just get over here," Smoker said, "Our black transponder snail just picked up a transmission between two men."

The message was the same one between Mister 3 and Crocodile from Little Garden.

"We got just enough to determine they have designs on Alabasta," an officer noted, "But most of it was indecipherable."

"Judging from we could get," Smoker noted, "It seems this was from Baroque Works."

He looked over to a man in a top hat they had captured that answered to the name Mister 11. They had managed to confirm he was part of Baroque Works, but couldn't get him to talk about anything else.

"It seems like the Straw Hats are currently at war with Baroque Works," Tashigi noted, "The recent TB was broadcast from Little Garden and had them fighting a man named Mister 3 and a young woman named Miss Goldenweek."

"And it sounds like this group has its sights set on Alabasta," Smoker said, "The Straw Hats are currently escorting Princess Vivi there, likely to stop the civil war currently raging. Judging from the impression I got from their captain and quartermaster, they're not the sort to take hostages or demand ransoms."

"I take it we're going to Alabasta as well?," Tashigi asked.

"Of course," Smoker replied, "Contact HQ and request an Eternal Pose for Alabasta at once. It's high time something was done about Baroque Works."

As the Merry continued to sail toward Drum Island, the climate started to turn colder and colder. Brusa and Nishijima started staying close to the heater to keep warm.

"Looks like we're almost there," Thomas said, "The Grand Line has four types of islands. Summer, spring, autumn, and winter. Drum Island is a winter island, so this level of snow and cold means we're close to it."

"Man, the Grand Line has a lot of mysteries to it," Usopp noted, "But if the islands have such drastic climates on them it's no wonder the seas between them have such unstable weather."

He looked out.

"So if the weather is starting to stabilize, then that means that... Ah-ha! Land ho!"

The island ahead looked like it was made of ice and snow, large mountains of white jutting up from the ocean.

"There it is," Thomas said, "Drum Island dead ahead."

"Wow, there's so much snow!," Luffy said, "I've never even seen snow before!"

"I hope the river doesn't freeze before we reach a town," Usopp said.

Suddenly, several people appeared with guns pointing at the crew.

"Stop right there, pirates!," one called out, "Leave this island at once!"

"We're not in a position to leave!," Luffy replied, "Our navigator is sick and we came here to find a doctor!"

"We won't fall for that trick, you filthy pirates!," another man called out.

Thomas sighed, then dragged the man over with his ash powers, bringing him in to see Nami. The man came out looking rather sheepish.

"They're not trying to trick us..."

The first man, known as Dalton, came aboard to see for himself.

"Apologies," he said, "We thought you were raiders trying to attack our village."

"It's not a good idea to jump to conclusions like that," Luffy said, "You're not going to make friends that way."

Dalton nodded.

"I suppose you're right. Follow me to the village."

The heavy winter weather meant most of the crew had to bundle up. This was especially the case for Brusa, Nishijima, Honey, and Harvey. Luffy didn't need winter clothes because he could just accelerate his rubber heart to heat up his blood and stay warm, while Thomas was naturally immune due to the inner heat from his volcanic ash body. The others were all bundled normally, with Nami carefully being carried to the village.

"Just to let you know," Dalton warned, "The only doctor in our village is a witch."

"Oh great," Thomas said, "Is this one of things you read about where alchemy and chemistry are mistaken for magic?"

"No, she's just a pain to deal with," Dalton clarified, "And tends to overcharge for her services."

"So she's a metaphorical witch," Sanji surmised, "Gotcha."

"I knew there was a country here on the island," Brusa said, "What do you call it?"

"It doesn't have a name," Dalton said.

They passed by a large bear Dalton called a hiking bear, and he instructed them to bow to it to show good manners. Eventually they reached the village of Big Horn, a thriving settlement. Most of the villagers that were with headed off, surprising Vivi.

"I thought they were this land's security force."

"They're just ordinary citizens," Dalton clarified, "More an emergency militia than anything else. For now let's get out the cold. My home is this way."

A huge woman about the size of the Hiking Bear arrived.

"Hey there, Dalton," she said, "I heard there were pirates showing up. Are you okay?"

"Everything's fine, Maria," Dalton said, "Turns out the pirates aren't malicious raiders."

The Straw Hats noted that everyone seemed to respect Dalton and even see him as a leader figure, though he was dismissive of this, claiming to be a sinful man.

Inside Dalton's home, Nami was carefully laid in the bed and bundled up.

"Forgive the heavy-handed introduction," Dalton said, "So what happened with your navigator?"

"She seems to have contracted an illness from the last island we visited," Vivi explained, "Her fever's gone up for three days in a row. It's at 42 degrees Celsius right now. All we know is that she seems to have caught it from a bug bite, but we don't know how to treat it."

"That's bad," Dalton said, "If she's not treated soon, she'll die. Our village doctor is up in the Drum Rockies, the large mountains you can see out the window there. She resides in the castle you can just make out on the tallest one in the middle."

"She lives in a castle?," Usopp asked.

"That castle no longer has its king," Dalton explained, "Instead it's the home of Doctor Kureha. People call her a witch, mostly because she's a hardass."

"We can't go all the way up there!," Sanji said, "Can't you call her down here!?"

"Unfortunately we have no means of contacting her," Dalton said, "But I assure you, her skills as a doctor are peerless. She's nearly 140 years old, likely due to her talents as a doctor coupled with a healthy lifestyle."

"So what do you do when someone in the village gets sick or injured?," Zoro asked.

"She comes down whenever something like that happens," Dalton said, "Somehow she can sense it. Or maybe she's just watching the village for fun. Who really knows? But she comes down, treats the patient, then takes whatever she wants from their house before leaving."

"Wow," Alvida said, "No wonder you call her a witch."

"How does she go up and down the mountain?," Honey asked, "It looks like a sheer vertical cliff face."

"I'm not sure," Dalton said, "But some people have claimed to see her riding a sleigh through the sky on moonlit nights. Others have seen her with a strange creature they've never seen before."

"Well we can't afford to wait for her to come to us," Luffy said, "Not only does Nami's life depend on it, but there's somewhere we need to get to quickly. Thomas?"

Thomas nodded.

"Brimstone Container!"

Dalton looked shocked as Thomas used his ash body to draw Nami in.

"I should be able to climb the mountain even with a person contained in my ash body," he noted.

"Be careful," Sanji said, "Don't go jostling her too much."

"I don't think you need to worry about that," Usopp said, "Speaking from experience it's a surprisingly stable ride in there."

"If you really need to climb the mountain," Dalton said, "I'd recommend going up the other side. This side of the mountain has Lapins."

"The heck's a Lapin?," Harvey asked.

"A carnivorous rabbit," Thomas explained, "Dangerous pack hunters, and a big problem for winter islands like this. Normally I wouldn't have to worry about them, except so long as I'm carrying Nami there's a big risk for her."

"Looks like you're gonna need backup then," Luffy decided, "I'm going to."

Zoro and Sanji nodded and agreed to come along.

"Will they be alright?," Dalton asked.

"I'm not worried about them," Usopp said.

"Those Lapins are as good as rabbit stew once Aniki gets his swords near them," Yosaku noted.

Dalton nodded.

"You know, this town used to have a lot more doctors. This region was even known as an advanced medical nation. But then a few months ago, the country was destroyed. All at the hands of pirates."

"The whole country!?," Usopp said in shock.

"Yes," Dalton replied, "As such the word 'pirate' is still too much for everyone to handle. There were only five people in that group of pirates. The captain called himself 'Blackbeard'."

"Teach?," Thomas asked, "Why would Teach attack an entire country with only five people?"

"You know him?," Dalton asked.

"He's a member of my father's fleet," Thomas said, "But Dad would never order the attack of an entire country. The name of Whitebeard would be sullied forever."

"Blackbeard claimed no connection to anyone named Whitebeard," Dalton said, "He claimed he was independent. But regardless, he and his four fellow pirates completely destroyed the country. Though some say it was actually a good thing. The monarchy that existed back then was appalling in the people's eyes. This country was once known as the Drum Kingdom. And it's king's name was Walpol. He was the worst king possible!"

"I can believe it," Luffy said, "We fought him some distance from here. Sent him flying into the ocean. The guy seemed full of himself, demanding things and not thinking about others."

Vivi looked shocked.

"I knew he looked familiar! I met Wapol once at a monarch meeting my father took me to. But when we met him yesterday he called himself a pirate."

"He must have trying to camouflage himself," Dalton suggested, "He's probably been wandering the sea trying to return here."

"I'm not surprised he was kicked out," Thomas said, "Marshall D Teach was one of the strongest members of Dad's fleet back when I was a kid. And he likely hasn't slowed down with age."

"It's not even that," Dalton said, "Wapol's army didn't even try to fight! The second he learned how strong the pirates were, he just up and abandoned the country and fled to the sea! The entire nation was thrown into despair."

That got Vivi angered beyond belief.

"Is that what the king of an entire country does!? That's sickening, boring, and maddening!"

"Well, at least it's all over now," Dalton said, "Those of us remaining in this now nameless country have come together in order to rebuild. But many still live in fear of Wapol's return."

"We should get going now," Zoro said, "Before Nami starts to get worse."

With no more time to spare Luffy, Thomas, Zoro, and Sanji raced up the mountain at high speed. Several Lapins tried to attack during this time, but were quickly dealt with. Thomas stayed in the back as Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji thrashed the giant rabbits. Down below, Maria walked over to Dalton's house.

"Hey there, Dalton. I heard you were looking for Doctor Kureha. It turns out she's in the neighboring town of Cocoa Weed."

There was a few seconds of silence.

"What!?," the remaining Straw Hats plus Dalton all called out.

Sure enough, Kureha had just entered a restaurant where a child was crying. With her was a large reindeer wearing a hat, vest, and pants. She listened as the boy's father kept berating him for not stopping.

"Such a mean father," Kureha admonished, "A child that's crying is obviously trying to signal that something's wrong with his body. Stay out here, Chopper."

She walked over to the door and punched it down. Naturally the adults in the restaurant were freaked out at her sudden arrival. The father quickly went shield his child.

"What are you doing here? My son's not sick or anything!"

"Why don't you let the actual doctor be the judge of that?," Kureha pointed out.

She started to examine the kid and noted that he complained about his hands hurting and that his legs also apparently hurt when lightly pressed.

"Hmm, he doesn't seem to have a fever... But there's a distinct swelling in his leg from purulent inflammation. Definitely a bone infection. Chopper, get me the antibiotics."

The reindeer nodded and went to do as asked while Kureha got out a syringe. One quick anesthetic later, and Kureha was now ready with a scalpel. Within minutes the boy was successfully treated.

"Make sure he gets plenty of rest and keep his legs bandaged tight," Kureha ordered, "Then keep them cooled. As for my fee, I'll just take whatever paper bags and toilet paper you can spare. Oh, and fifty percent of the restaurant's assets."

"That's a rip-off!," the villagers all called out.

Kureha sighed as the villagers hurled the usual insults, like the boy's illness wasn't as bad as it seemed, or that she was taking advantage of someone else's weakness.

"You kids keep on blabbering like you know better. Ha! I wonder if you'd say the same if there were more doctors on this island. Not to mention you have no idea how expensive medical equipment is."

The boy then sat up and smiled.

"Thank you, Doctor. I feel a lot better now."

Kureha smiled.

"Well now, that's good tip I just got. We'll make it forty-nine percent instead. Just make sure to remember that happiness you feel right now. Come on, Chopper."

She and the reindeer walked out of the restaurant.

Elsewhere, Dalton was taking the Straw Hats not currently climbing the mountain to Cocoa Village in a sleigh.

"So who exactly are you?," Usopp asked, "The manner in which you speak reminds me of someone from the military."

Dalton sighed.

"I used to be a subordinate to Wapol. I was captain of the security squad during the reign of the previous king. But when the king died, his son Wapol inherited the throne. That's when the country changed. Wapol got it into his head to exile all the country's doctors. He only kept twenty on retainer for his private use. His 'Twenty MDs' he called them. His magistrate Kuromarimo and minister of defense Chess both called him wise for this action, but I called him out for being foolish. I asked him what would happen when the people got sick. He just laughed it off, saying their illness had nothing to do with him, and that those who needed a doctor would have to prostrate before him and pay excessive medical fees."

He grunted at the memory.

"There was no one at the time who could go against him. Those who could actually agreed with him. I felt powerless."

"That's no better than holding the country's citizens hostage!," Vivi declared, "That's not true governing! It's no different than a crime!"

Dalton looked back at Vivi with a knowing look in his eyes. Little did they know Kureha was already traveling back up the mountain in a sleigh being pulled by Chopper.

At the same time, the Bliking had arrived on the island.

"Ah, finally returned!," Wapol said, "The Drum Kingdom at last!"

He and his men had taken out the small group of security officers that tried to stop them from arriving. Wapol looked up at the frozen mountain.

"My castle awaits me. Chess, how does it look?"

The jester known as Chess looked up using binoculars.

"Seems it's still in good shape, Lord Wapol. Just as we left it."

"Wonderful!," Wapol said, "Then let's return at once! Being a pirate is not the life for me. I much prefer the life of a king."

"If so you are, you join our crew."

"A-Are you nuts!?," Chopper said, "Look at me! I'm a reindeer, but I walk on two legs, talk, and have a blue nose! I'm a monster!"

The four Straw Hats looked at each other and laughed.

"What's so funny!?," Chopper demanded.

"Sorry, sorry," Sanji said, "It's just... You look too adorable to be a monster."

"And anyway, our whole crew is full of monsters," Thomas pointed out, "We have two fishmen, a woman with skin so smooth even fat cells slide off, another woman who's made of liquid. Heck we even have a talking transponder snail. And then there's me and Luffy."

The two of them demonstrated their Devil Fruit powers in comical ways.

"So yeah," Luffy said, "You'll fit right in with all of us. And we could certainly use a doctor on the crew."

Kureha chuckled.

"You're gonna find this world has way scarier monsters than you, Chopper. You might be better off traveling with these kids."

Chopper simply walked out of the room. Kureha sighed.

"You're gonna have a tough time convincing him to join. The boy carries a scar on his heart that I can't cure. You see, he was born with a blue nose. Which got him ridiculed by the other reindeer. He was always walking at the back of the herd all by himself, despite being a newborn. Things only got worse for him when he stumbled upon the Human-Human Fruit and ate it. Now the other reindeer saw him as even more of a monster."

"Talk about a case of wrong perspective," Thomas said, "When a human eats a Devil Fruit, sure they might get called a monster, but they never get flat-out ostracized from society. Quite the contrary, many are offered high-ranking jobs or go on to become legendary heroes."

"Well that's because humans better understand Devil Fruits," Kureha pointed out, "As far as the reindeer were concerned, Chopper was always a freak of nature and now he was just showing it better. So they pressured him to leave the herd."

"That's just too sad," Luffy said, "That little guy needs more friends! We should be his friends!"

"Funny you should say that," Kureha said, "Because Chopper always wanted friends. In fact he first went to a human village to find friends. But his appearance wasn't quite human or reindeer, just a mix of both. Between that and his blue nose, the settlers mistook him for a yeti. Now yetis are legitimately dangerous to humans, so the settlers jumped to conclusions and attacked Chopper thinking he would attack them. They shot at him and called him a monster. Now you have to understand that Chopper was just getting used to having human intelligence, so the situation was confusing to him. And he was forced to run. He caught between being human and being a reindeer, called a monster by both sides. And so he wound up living alone."

Thomas smiled.

"Well, don't worry, Doctorine. Unlike you, we happen to specialize in healing a scarred heart like that."

Luffy noticed Chopper was checking the open gate, upon which a nest of baby snowbirds was perched.

"So that's why the entire inside is frozen over."

He grinned.

"So he's compassionate, a doctor, and an awesome monster? Now I really want him on my crew!"

He then noticed Chopper dancing into the room, having apparently been listening the entire time.

"Y-You can't butter me up with high praise, you jerk!," he said happily.

Kureha cackled.

"I see what you mean! You might just be the sort of people who can heal the scar on Chopper's heart."

Luffy spent some time working to make Chopper his friend, which honestly confused the little reindeer after so much rejection. Luffy wound up chasing Chopper all around the castle, Thomas occasionally catching the former whenever he tripped and making sure his medical equipment didn't break in the process.

"Help me, Doctorine!," Chopper called out as he kept running from the exuberant Luffy.

Kureha couldn't help but laugh at the situation.

"Ah, that boy is going to have to accept it sooner or later."

"By the way," Nami asked, "How did Chopper come to be in your care in the first place?"

"Well, as it turns out there was one man who was willing to accept Chopper," Kureha explained, "Someone he was able to open up to when he was alone. His name was Doctor Hiriluk. The man was a quack, but he did care for Chopper. He gave Chopper his name and called him son."

Years ago, Hiriluk was being hunted down by Wapol's men on his orders. Fortunately he was very good at hiding himself, but he had a problem. He gave a heavy cough and noticed he was coughing up blood. Still, he continued to treat the sick and injured in defiance of Wapol's Doctor Hunt. The problem was he wasn't very good at treating them, most of his medicines being experimental and leaving many feeling worse than before. Not that anyone actually died, rather they wound up with hilarious side effects such as acting like a frog. For his part, Hiriluk never asked for any payment, just genuinely wanting to help. But he was constantly on the run from the soldiers, so he couldn't help much. During one such run, he ran into Kureha.

"Looks like the Doctor Hunts are reaching the final stage," Kureha noted, "You and I are the only doctors left in the country. Or maybe just me, since you can't seem to properly treat anyone."

"Admittedly quite a number of my concoctions have been failures," Hiriluk admitted, "But I won't let that stop me from saving this country with medical science."

"Or destroy it," Kureha said, "Either way we should get moving before the soldiers find us. See ya around, you old quack."

"Hope to never see you again, you thieving doctor," Hiriluk quipped.

Hiriluk ran into the snowy outskirts of the island, intending to remain free from Wapol's influence. As he walked through the snow, he saw a large wounded creature laying on the ground. It looked like a cross between a human and reindeer. Showing no fear, Hiriluk inspected the beast.

"Looks like a gunshot wound," he noted, "We'd better stop the bleeding or else you'll die. Hang on, I have this ointment I made three days ago that even works on broken bones. I'm guessing you're that yeti that people have been going on about."

He got out a special flintlock designed to shot tranquilizer darts instead of bullets. But the creature only saw the very thing that injured him and attacked Hiriluk. However, the man was too durable to fall to just one hit and got up as the creature walked off.

"Hey, hold on a second!," he called out, "You're in no condition to be moving around!"

He took off his clothes, much to the creature's shock, hoping to prove he had no intention of shooting the beast.

"My name is Hiriluk!," he declared, "And I'm a doctor!"

The reindeer human was busy processing what he was seeing that he wound up passing out from blood loss.

By the time the reindeer woke up, he had shrunk down to a tinier form and found himself in some kind of cave. He looked around and saw various beakers filled with colored liquid, and noticed his body was covered in bandages. Hiriluk was sleeping in a chair nearby covered in a blanket. The reindeer heard his stomach rumble and noticed some bread and water nearby. When he bit into the bread, he was shocked by new sensations on his tongue. Taste was no something he could comprehend. And the bread was delicious. So much so that eating it brough the reindeer to tears.

"T-Thank you... For the food..."

Those words woke Hiriluk up, surprised that his patient could talk.

"So why were you staying quiet for three days?," he asked.

"I thought you'd hate me if I talked," the reindeer explained, "When I tried talking to other humans they shot me. I mean, it's strange for a reindeer to speak."

"Well yeah, it kinda is, but that's not why they shot at you," Hiriluk said, "They thought you were a yeti, so they thought you were going to attack them. Stupid people never looking twice at what's right in front of them. Besides, Devil Fruits can grant all kinds of strange powers. Compared to some of what I've heard, granting the ability to speak seems practically pedestrian."

He then noticed one of his vials jostling.

"Oh crap! Run, Chopper!"

He and the reindeer wound up blasted out the cave by a chemical explosion.

"Damn it, another failure," Hiriluk said, "You okay, Chopper?"

The reindeer sat up.

"What did you say?"

"Well I gotta call you something, right?," Hiriluk said, "So I've decided to name you Tony Tony Chopper. I thought it fitting since you're a reindeer and you have antlers that could chop down trees. Sounds cool, right?"

The reindeer thought on it for a bit, then started laughing right along with Hiriluk.

And so Hiriluk adopted Chopper, and started teaching him how to be a doctor.

"Remember to always observe your patients," Hiriluk said, "So that you can give them proper treatment. Doctors are there to save lives, after all, so it's important that we act as such. Now, let's go save some patients."

And then the two of them got run out of almost every home they tried to enter. But at least they stopped shooting at Chopper. Even when Hiriluk kicked Chopper into the guards to act as a decoy.

"You almost got me killed back there!," Chopper called out.

Arguments like that tended to result in the two coming to blows in a comical manner, more to vent frustrations then anything else. Still, on that day Hiriluk offered Chopper a very special gift after their fight. A large fur top hat, which Chopper had to poke holes in to make room for his antlers and ears. Hiriluk had been spending a lot of time teaching Chopper about human behavior. Some of it was innate due to Chopper's Devil Fruit, but some had to be learned. It was his first time among humans, after all.

"I understand things are tough for a pair of outcasts like us," Hiriluk said, "But don't hold a grudge against the humans down there. They and the king suffer from a sickness of the heart. There are those that say you can't treat a sick country. But that's not true at all."

He grinned as he revealed his latest concoction.

"Once my invention is complete, the country will be saved! You see, Chopper, there used to be a master thief who lived in a country in the far west. But he suffered from a serious heart disease. He went to see every possible skilled doctor to be treated, spent every berri he had ever stolen. But unfortunately there was no cure for his disease. He passed by a mountain while frustrated and unsettled. There he saw a sight he had never seen before in his life."

"What was it?," Chopper asked.

"Cherry blossoms!," Hiriluk said excitedly, "The entire mountain was covered in vivid cherry blossoms as far as the eye could see! He then went to see another doctor, and got the surprise of his life. Miraculously, he had suddenly become perfectly healthy. Now I say it was a miracle, but I believe it has a basis in medical science. By being emotionally moved, some sort of change happened in the man's body! One health can be tied to their emotional state after all. That's why doctors need good bedside manner. That's why I believe there is no disease in this world that can't be cured. You only need to study it enough. People can call me a quack all they like, but I still intend to save this country as a doctor! Which is why I raised this skull against all disease!"

He showed Chopper a Jolly Roger with the skull and crossbones surrounded by cherry blossoms.

"What is that?," Chopper asked.

"It's a symbol of belief that nothing is impossible," Hiriluk explained, "By raising this, I declare my intent to fight just like pirates do!"

"What are pirates?," Chopper asked.

"They are incredible warriors of the sea," Hiriluk said, "Their bodies are well-trained, and their senses are sharper than any wild animal. Their voices command an authority that splits the sky like thunder!"

"Okay, I'm gonna have to stop you right there for a moment," Thomas interrupted.

Kureha looked at him in confusion.

"I get that Hiriluk admired pirates, and likely only meant the swashbuckling adventurer kind," Thomas said, "But pirates are far more nuanced than what he described. Being on a ship there's a lot of responsibilities. You need to someone to take care of your health, to look over the ship and resources, to keep the crew in line. You someone to make sure the crew is always ready for battle, and keep an eye out for enemies. And being on a voyage for days at a time can get boring, so it's important to have a musician on hand to keep morale up and keep things lively with singing and dancing."

"Wow," Chopper said, "There's a lot more to pirates than what Hiriluk said."

"That's why being a pirate is so cool!," Luffy said, "Because if you do it just right, you can be as free as the wind."

Chopper remembered Hiriluk also saying that pirates were the coolest thing ever. Kureha cleared her throat.

"If I can get back to the story?"

"Chopper, you should go out to sea yourself," Hiriluk said, "Then you'll see just how small your problems really are compared to the rest of the world. I'm certain your future lies beyond the horizon somewhere."

Chopper looked out at the horizon with wonder in his eyes. A year passed and Chopper's wounds finally healed, allowing Hiriluk to remove the bandages. He then tried to kick Chopper out in order to convince him to travel the world. But Chopper had grown too attached to Hiriluk. Hiriluk had to go so far as to shoot at Chopper in order to get him to leave, something he never imagined he'd have to resort to. Because the truth was, Hiriluk had come to love Chopper like a son. Once Chopper had run off, Hiriluk threw down the rifle in disgust.

"Forgive me, Chopper!," he wailed.

As it turned out, there was a very good reason Hiriluk had tried to force Chopper out. He visited Kureha, who noted his condition regard coughing up blood.

"Well, I hate to say it," Kureha said, "But you're dying."

"Yeah, I suspected as much," Hiriluk said, "How long do you think I have left?"

"5 pm, ten days from today," Kureha said, without hesitation, "After that you won't be suffering anymore."

"That should give me enough time," Hiriluk decided, "I'll be done with my research in only two days. Then I'll make cherry blossoms bloom in this country."

"I was wondering what you were researching for the last thirty years," Kureha said, "So you hope to recreate the miracle that saved your life all those years ago when you were still a master thief."

"Of course," Hiriluk said, "Call me a fool if you want, but fools are what drives this world."

"Well someone has to make all the mistakes for others to thrive," Kureha quipped, "Seriously, Hiriluk, this is a winter island. It's bitter cold all year around. The only reason we even have plants is because of the local evergreens. There's no way you can make cherry blossoms bloom here."

"Oh, you'll see," Hiriluk said, "I'll prove that there's no disease in this world that can't be cured."

And with that, he walked right out of Kureha's house. What he didn't know was that Chopper had been eavesdropping the entire time.

"Chopper remembered overhearing some of the guards talking about a mushroom that can cure anything," Kureha explained, "When he overheard that Hiriluk was dying he went through every reference book the quack had. At the same time Hiriluk continued to work on his crazy idea of making cherry blossoms bloom on the island. And Chopper traveled to find the mushroom he'd heard about, even fighting against any reindeer that tried to attack him."

"What sort of mushroom was he looking for?," Nami asked.

"The one he found was the Amiudake," Kureha replied, "Hiriluk was over the moon to see Chopper again when the lad returned with the mushroom in hand. Especially when hearing how Chopper fought like a pirate against the other reindeer. Around that time, Wapol showed more of his unnecessary cruelty. He ordered an official notice to the citizens that the Twenty MDs had all fallen ill."

"And the people fell for that?," Sanji asked.

"Heck no," Kureha said, "They weren't idiots. But there wasn't anything they could about it. Anyway, while that was happening Hiriluk managed to complete his research. He brought me the finished product, knowing he didn't have enough time left. He wanted someone to finish what he started, and thought I was the right person for the job. I was about to refuse him, when he made an addendum... He wanted me to teach Chopper medical science. He literally prostrated before begging me to let Chopper's kind heart become that of a doctor's."

"Let me guess," Zoro said, "You tried to turn him down."

"I certainly wanted to," Kureha said, "Even kicked him out on his rear when he begged. Then I realized what he was planning to do."

She sighed.

"He charged right at the guard post giving Wapol's notice and bombed it, then forced the guards to take the ropeway up to the castle. At the same time I learned about Chopper feeding him the Amiudake, and was horrified. You see, that mushroom is actually poisonous. Eating it will kill you in half a day."

To the group's shock, tears started streaming down her eyes.

"Hiriluk may have been a quack, but he wasn't stupid," Kureha said, "His medical books were the real deal. There's no way he didn't know the true nature of that mushroom. But he ate the soup Chopper made with it anyway, just to make him feel better."

"But how could Chopper have made such a mistake?," Sanji wondered.

"A silly thing, really," Kureha said, "He saw a picture of a skull next to the mushroom, and didn't realize it was meant to symbolize a poisonous substance. After all, he still remembered Hiriluk declaring the skull of the pirate flag as his way of standing up to disease. There's no medicine that can work for all disease in this world. I believe Hiriluk was right in saying that any disease can be cured if you only research it enough, but a single cure-all is just impossible. Otherwise there would be no need for doctors. A kind heart can certainly help with treatment, but it needs to be backed by actual medical knowledge and skills. I told Chopper all this, and bless his heart he tried to believe otherwise."

She sighed in regret.

"But in the end he couldn't deny it, and he just cried his eyes out. I knew then and there, that I needed to agree to Hiriluk's request."

"So what happened to Hiriluk?," Luffy asked.

"He went to the castle," Kureha said, "Wapol, in his arrogance, believed he had successfully tricked the doctor. But like I said, Hiriluk was a quack, not an idiot. Wapol thought he was luring Hiriluk into his own execution, but he chose to go out on his own terms. In his own words, a man only dies when people forget him. Dalton later explained to me what happened. Hiriluk spoke about how his dream would still come true and cure the country of its illness. His words brought Dalton to tears, but apparently their meaning was lost on that idiot Wapol."

She chuckled before drinking from her bottle.

"Hiriluk then let Dalton know that Chopper would be coming, and asked that he not be harmed. I think he knew Chopper would rush over when he learned what was going on. Hiriluk took one last drink, and then caused an explosion to go off at the castle. He made sure he'd go out on his own terms, and be remembered in the minds of all those soldiers."

"What caused the explosion?," Thomas asked.

"Knowing him an explosive concoction that he actually drank," Kureha said, "Like I said, he went out on his own terms. Hell, Dalton said that Hiriluk was glad the doctors weren't actually sick. Wapol laughed at Hiriluk's death, and that set Chopper off. He unleashed the full power of his Devil Fruit and charged at the castle. Luckily Dalton had already eaten the Ox-Ox Fruit, Model: Bison by then, so he was able to stop Chopper and convince him to back down. Otherwise I don't know if Chopper would be alive today. Dalton's tears were enough to convince Chopper of his kind nature, and he left without further incident. Dalton had apparently told off Wapol for laughing the incident off, saying there's no medicine that can cure fools."

"So it was after that you took Chopper in," Thomas surmised.

Kureha nodded.

"I saw him back at the forest, waving Hiriluk's flag and asking to be taught how to be a proper doctor. It was then that he stated his dream. To become the all-purpose medicine. To be a doctor who can cure anything, even a country. So I agreed to teach him. As for Dalton, he was imprisoned for his actions. Well, until Blackbeard attacked, that is."

Chopper's nose then picked up.

"This scent..."

Harvey's voice then came in over the group's ears.

'Wapol's heading up to your location! Usopp just spotted him climbing up using that giant hippo of his!'

"Looks like we need to teach that bastard his place once and for all," Luffy decided.

"We especially can't let him claim the castle while Nami is still recovering," Sanji said.

Outside, Wapol looked up at the castle and spotted Hiriluk's flag flying at the top.

"What is that strange flag and who dared to put it on my castle!?," Wapol demanded, "Where is the flag of Drum Kingdom!?"

"Oh that old thing?," Kureha said as she came out, "I had it burned."

"Well if it isn't Doctor Kureha," Wapol said, "The last survivor of the Doctor Hunt. Just what are you doing in my castle?"

"This castle isn't yours anymore," Kureha stated, "You abandoned it months ago when you fled from those pirates with your tail between your legs! Rotten brats like you can't possibly run a country! The Drum Kingdom is dead! You might as well leave."

"Gangway!," Luffy and Thomas called out.

Kureha quickly moved to the side as the two brothers charged forward.

"It's those Straw Hats again!," Chess called out.

"Gum-Gum Pistol!"

"Brimstone Bash!"

The duo unleashed their powers and slammed their fists into Wapol's face, sending him flying ass over teakettle right to the edge of the mountain.

"Lord Wapol!," Chess and Kuromarimo called out in shock.

They managed to grab him just as he fell off the cliff, then pulled him back up.

"But, Daddy, we can just wait for the castle fairy to fix the damage," Wapol said in a loopy voice.

Zoro and Sanji also stepped out of the castle.

"Y-You bastards!," Kuromarimo called out, "How dare you strike Lord Wapol, king of the Drum Kingdom!"

"Hey, we're pirates," Thomas pointed out, "Law and authority mean little to us."

Chess and Kuromarimo couldn't help but stare slack-jawed at how brazenly Thomas said that. Wapol managed to recover and wiped his nose.

"Okay, now they're really making me mad."

"By the way," Sanji said, "Is it just you guys? Where's the rest of your forces?"

Down below, the village was cheering at having beaten the soldiers with the help of the Straw Hats, sharing food and drink as several kids kicked the fallen soldiers where the sun don't shine.

"I've never seen the people so happy," Dalton said, "Now if your captain can just do something about Wapol himself."

"I'm sure we'll hear him come flying down the mountain before long," Brusa said.

"Probably beaten up by the rest of your crew," Wapol said, "I'll tend to that later, but right now the reclamation of my kingdom comes first! Starting with that strange flag!"

"That flag marks Hiriluk's grave," Kureha clarified, "What, do you think I took up residence in this run-down castle because I enjoyed it? But Chopper here insisted on flying Hiriluk's flag here, so I agreed."

"Doctor Hiriluk fought to save this country by raising that flag," Chopper declared, "This castle is where he died."

Wapol laughed at that.

"That stupid doctor's grave!?"

He continued laughing right up until a blast of cinder and ash slammed into his gut.

"Learn some tact, you phony king!," Thomas called out.

Chess and Kuromarimo both stared gobsmacked at what just happened. Wapol got up a growled.

"Damn it all! I want that flag burned and those dissenters executed!"

"You won't even make it inside this castle," Chopper said.

He shifted his form from reindeer to human.

"Wait a moment," Chess said, "That's the monster from the day of Hiriluk's death. The one Dalton stopped."

"This flag is Hiriluk's faith!," Chopper declared, "I won't let you take it down!"

"We'll clean up these small fries in no time!," Kuromarimo called out.

He launched a ball from his glove right at Kureha, but it got easily blocked by Sanji's kick.

"You better start keeping time. And a brother should never throw an afro at a lady."

"That's an afro?," Luffy asked, "Whatever it is, it's stuck to your leg."

Kuromarimo laughed.

"That thing's stuck you thanks to you thanks to static electricity!"

Zoro sighed as Sanji flailed his leg trying to get the afro off, then walked over and pulled it off.

"I'm okay with you only fighting with your legs, but there are other things you can use your hands for that don't involve punching."

Thomas then pulled the afro off Zoro's hand, before disintegrating his hand to make the afro fall to the ground harmlessly.

"Don't go handling something like that without an insulator," Thomas admonished.

"Oh there's a lot more of that coming," Kuromarimo taunted.

"Zoro," Luffy said, "Give him a haircut."

"With pleasure," Zoro said, drawing his swords.

"Just try it!," Kuromarimo called out, "Marimo Static Cling!"

He started pulling off his hair to puff up and throw, only for each pull ball to get sliced to pieces. Chess quickly started knocking arrows, this time on fire.

"Checkmate!"

He fired off the arrows, only for Sanji to knock them aside easily by spinning his legs with a powerful kick. Wapol looked over stunned, then realized Luffy was charging at him again. However, he then turned around and started running to Thomas. Wapol was confused, until he saw Thomas create a carbon wall.

"Brimstone Barrier!"

"Gum-Gum Rocket!"

Thomas had positioned the wall just in front of the gate so Luffy could stretch using it to launch at Wapol, slamming into him so hard he knocked into Robson and sent the beast flying off into the horizon. Kureha smirked as she took another swig.

"I never did like that hippo."

"Lord Wapol, are you alright?," Kuromarimo asked.

"No, Daddy, we can just get more clothes from the clothing fairy," Wapol said in a loopy tone.

"The sad thing is he really believes things magically appear before royalty just because," Kureha quipped.

"Damn it," Chess said, "We underestimated those bastards!"

Wapol got up.

"Alright then. It's time to show them the true power of the Munch-Munch Fruit! Munch-Munch Factory! Chess! Call out what I ate today!"

Chess got out his notebook.

"One butter-sauteed cannon and one raw cannon on the ship. A cannonball and gunpowder salad. And a toasted house from the village."

"Okay, I like to eat," Luffy said, "But that just sounds like too much."

"What can I say?," Wapol said, "The Munch-Munch Fruit leaves me with an eternal hunger. But it does come with some benefits, should I choose to regurgitate what I've eaten within the last twenty-four hours!"

He proceeded to turn his entire body into a house-like construct.

"Wapol House! But don't get surprised yet. Munch-Munch Factory!"

He proceeded to swallow Chess and Kuromarimo. Steam then came from the chimneys on his arms.

"Behold this miraculous union!," Wapol called out.

The front door on his stomach opened, revealing a strange new being.

"Behold the strongest warrior of the Drum Kingdom!," came a voice that sounded like a combination of Chess and Kuromarimo's.

The being looked like a weird combination of the two, with a larger afro and Chess's face on the chest.

"Chessmarimo!," the being called out.

"This is no different from them riding on each other's shoulders," Sanji noted.

"Don't take them lightly," Kureha said, "If they were really such weaklings, something stupid like exiling all the countries doctors would have been stopped by the citizens long ago."

"Drum Kingdom Constitution Article 1," Wapol said, "Those who don't do as the king wishes should die."

"And did your father write that article?," Luffy asked.

Wapol looked confused.

"What do you mean?"

"That constitution should have been around long before your time, right?," Zoro asked, "Unless you rewrote it."

"Someone's supposed to write it down?," Wapol asked.

"You write down your laws," Sanji said, "Didn't you write down your constitution?"

"You're throwing a lot of weird concepts at me that I've never heard of before," Wapol said, "So I'm just going to burn that flag and reclaim my castle!"

He fired a burning shot from his arm, only for Thomas launch himself up and deflect it right into Wapol's ship way down below. Wapol looked on gobsmacked at what just happened.

"Never disrespect the flag," Thomas warned, "That's Pirate Constitution Article 1. And it is written down."

Wapol just laughed.

"What point is there in respecting something that has no meaning?"

"Oh, it has meaning," Luffy retorted, "You can't just raise a flag as a joke and call yourself a pirate. The Jolly Roger is meant to be a symbol for that pirate crew, representing everything they are. What that is can mean different things, some good and some evil. But above all else, the Jolly Roger is a person's pledge to risk his life! It is a mark of faith! It is not something that can be broken and laughed at! And above all else... It is not ever raised as a joke!"

Luffy voice rang out so loud that Wapol and Chessmarimo wound up forced back, as if by a powerful aura. Thomas looked at Luffy in utter shock.

'Could he have the potential...?,' Thomas wondered.

Chopper was also staring at Luffy, but in awe. For the first time ever, he felt like he was looking at a true pirate. Thomas just chuckled.

"Hey, Chopper."

Chopper snapped out of it and turned to look at Thomas.

"I get that Hiriluk told you not to hold grudges towards humans. But here's the thing... That doesn't mean you need to stop fighting. After all... Fighting is what pirates do. So what say we kick that tin can all the way back to the beginning of the Grand Line!"

Chopper blinked, then grinned.

"Yeah!"

The duo charged at Wapol, only for Chessmarimo to get in the way, blocking Chopper's first punch.

"I won't let you lay a finger on Wapol!," he declared.

"Uh, Chessmarimo?," Wapol said.

The combined being turned, and both his jaws dropped. Luffy had stretched out his arm and was now touching Wapol with his finger.

"Shishishishi!," Luffy laughed, "Guess your loyalty to that idiot is worthless. This is why Dalton was the smart one in your court."

Chopper shrunk down to his hybrid form.

"Good hustle, Chopper," Thomas said, "But it looks like having the strength of a reindeer coupled with the fighting ability of a human just isn't enough. You need some real training."

"Not to worry," Chopper said, "There is one other advantage the Human-Human Fruit gave me."

Thomas looked at him out of curiosity, and Chopper brought out a small yellow ball.

"The most important aspect of a human is their intelligence," Chopper said, "And I've put that to use over the last six years to develop this. It's called the Rumble Ball. It's effect lasts for only three minutes, but the results... Well, they speak for themselves. Right now I'm in what I call my Brain Point, the hybrid-form between human and reindeer. In full reindeer form I'm in Walk Point, and in full human form I'm in Heavy Point. But this Rumble Ball has special properties that can alter a Zoan user's abilities."

Thomas chuckled.

"All right then, let's see it. Sanji, Zoro, Luffy! We'll be taking on these idiots! Keep that flag flying!"

"You got it!," Luffy replied.

"They aren't getting past us," Zoro agreed.

As Chopper bit down on the Rumble Ball, Chessmarimo pulled out two flaming arrows.

"Marimo's Snow Melting Arrow!," he called out.

"Walk Point! Leg Boost!"

Chopper shifted into his Walk Point, but was now much faster and more agile.

"Just a simple power boost?," Chessmarimo said, "I expected more! It's no different than Dalton's Devil Fruit!"

"Heavy Point! Weight Boost!"

Chopper shifted again.

"Don't even bother," Chessmarimo said, "I know everything about the three-form transformation of Zoan types. You've got nothing that can surprise me. Marimo's Super Surprise Quattro Hammer!"

He pulled out four hammers at once.

"Now that I've seen all your forms," he said, "Beating you will be a breeze!"

"Jumping Point! Jump Boost!"

He shifted to a slimmer form and leapt up far higher than normal as Chessmarimo brought his hammer down.

"W-What the hell is that form!?," Chessmarimo said, "Zoan user are supposed to only have three forms! Their normal form, hybrid form, and animal form!"

Chopper chuckled.

"But most Zoan types only have the power of wild animals. You seem to forget, I was born a reindeer. So now I'm a reindeer human, with all the intelligence that brings. Guard Point! Fur Boost!"

He puffed into a large furball, which was nonetheless extremely durable as it easily tanked Chessmarimo's hammer.

"What the hell's going on!?," Chessmarimo demanded, "What's with these crazy forms!? Zoan types are supposed to be limited to three forms. This is just cheating!"

"But Devil Fruits can have their wavelength interrupted or altered," Chopper pointed out, "Paramecia and Logia types do it all the time just based off whatever concept or element they possess. And don't forget that it's possible to flat out disrupt a Devil Fruit users power with Sea Prism Stone. Overtime I developed the Rumble Ball, a special drug that can change up the wavelength of a Zoan user's transformations. Through extensive study of that altered wavelength, I was able to learn four more transformation points. Along with the three natural forms of a Zoan type, that means I have seven total."

"That's so cool!," Luffy called out.

"It actually is very impressive," Wapol admitted, "I had no idea it was even possible."

"Who's side are you on, Lord Wapol!?," Chessmarimo whined.

"His side, obviously," Thomas quipped.

"Yeah, he gets it," Wapol said.

"Whatever!," Chessmarimo declared, "I won't be deceived by such a sham!"

He charged at Chopper, who bounced over to him.

"Arm Point! Arm Boost!"

He shifted into a humanoid form again, but with more muscular arms, which he used to completely shatter Chessmarimo's hammers.

"This forms makes my hooves as strong as iron," Chopper explained, "With it I can even break rocks!"

"Then try this on for size!," Chessmarimo declared, "Marimo Surprise Quattro Axe! Snow Splitting Blade!"

He pulled out four axes to attack with and dashed forward. Chopper dodged the first shot, which nearly hallowed out a wall of the castle.

"Be careful, you idiot!," Wapol called out, "That's my castle you're attacking!"

"Sorry, Lord Wapol," Chessmarimo said, "I won't miss this time. Omnidirectional Snow Splitter!"

Chopper quickly shifted between forms to dodge the attacks.

"What happened to your earlier enthusiasm?," Chessmarimo taunted, "You can't win just by dodging!"

Chopper smirked.

"I wasn't just dodging. Brain Point! Brain Boost!"

There was a certain glint in his eyes.

"Humans have a number of advantages over animals... Including the ability to analyze their opponent. I was looking for a weak spot. And I just found one!"

Thomas noticed Wapol attempting to slip into the castle, then getting slammed back out by Sanji.

"Wait your turn," Thomas admonished.

Chessmarimo was charging at Chopper.

"Fool!," he called out, "I have no blind spots! You're just a transforming idiot who can't even attack!"

"Was he paying attention to when Chopper was breaking his hammers?," Luffy asked, "Even I'm not that dumb."

Chopper waited patiently as Chessmarimo approached, then shifted into his Arm Point.

"Hoofprint Roseo!"

He slammed an uppercut right into Chess's chin, sending Chessmarimo flying, and rendering him unconscious.

"Awesome!," Luffy said, "You're amazing, Chopper! That was so cool!"

Chopper blushed, and got the biggest grin on his.

"Shut up!," he said cheerfully, "You can't make me happy cheering me on like that!"

"I just realized something," Zoro said, "Doctor, how are you going up and down the mountain? We didn't see any climbing ropes."

"Yeah, you old hag!," Wapol said, "What happened to my ropeway!?"

"As I recall you cut down your ropeway so no one could get to the castle," Kureha pointed out, "But when Chopper wanted to plant Hiriluk's flag up here, well I strung up a new rope that he could run up without issue. Goes all the way down to my house in Gyasta, which helps with my regular rounds."

Meanwhile, Wapol was trying to attack Thomas to get past him, only to wind up sinking into the snow.

"I think I gained a little weight," Wapol noted.

"How heavy were you before?," Thomas wondered.

"I need to slim down," Wapol decided, "Munch-Munch Factory!"

To the group's shock, he opened his mouth and actually consumed his own body, looking like a bucket for a few minutes. He then popped out in a much slimmer.

"Slim Wapol! There now! That should make things easier!"

He leapt at Thomas again, who quickly hardened his leg into carbon.

"Brimstone Snap Kick!"

He struck, and Wapol felt extreme pain right in his groin, hopping and down clutching himself.

"HIPPO-HOPPING MOTHER-TRUCKING BLACK-HEARTED JACKsh*t! HOW HARD IS YOUR FOOT!?"

"Hippo-hopping?," Thomas asked.

"I AM NOT COHERENT WHEN IN EXTREME PAIN!," Wapol declared.

Thomas shrugged at that.

"Anyway about your question... You ever try eating diamonds?"

"Ugh, do not mention that," Wapol said, "Those things are like jawbreakers to me. Delicious, but I can't properly chew--Oh, I get where you're going with this."

Luffy noticed a key on Wapol's belt that had fallen off after the attack and picked it up.

"I think that goes to the weapons locker," Kureha noted, "Come to think of it, Chopper also disabled Wapol's special Tin Titan Royal Crown Seven Barrel Cannon I cannot believe for the life of me I had to say that entire long-ass name. Anyway he's now using it as a bird's nest for snow birds."

Wapol's jaw dropped in shock when he heard that.

"That's what happens when you're not around to maintain you kingdom and castle," Thomas said, "Dalton was right, there is no medicine that can cure fools."

Wapol grit his teeth at that.

"That bastard. Trying to come off as a hero of justice for the people when he was just my retainer!"

"Hey, it's a retainer's job to reign in a king's tendencies," Thomas said, "If anything, your two goons over there were the ones not doing their job."

"Silence!," Wapol said, "I am the king! What I say goes!"

"And is that how your father ran things?," Thomas asked, "Or where you just so caught up in the royal lifestyle that you never paid attention to what he did?"

He sighed.

"But why am I even arguing this with you? It's just going in one ear and out the other. So I'm just gonna beat the crap out of you and get it over with. King or god, great or weak, it doesn't matter. As a pirate, if we see something we don't like... We wreck it!"

"Are you a fool?," Wapol said, "Drum Kingdom is a member of the World Government. Attacking a sovereign of a member nation is a world-class offense."

"Wow, you really don't listen, do you?," Thomas said, "Let me spell it out for you. I. Am. A. Pirate. I don't care about whatever laws the World Government puts in place. Heck, if I could I'd tear down the entire corrupt regime they have going on. So, with that in mind... I'm going to start beating you now. I don't know when I'll stop."

"Oh you'll stop right now!," Wapol declared, "Munch-Munch Shock! Tongue Cannon!"

He opened his mouth and his tongue turned into a cannon. Which Thomas promptly blocked with a heavy amount of ash. The resulting explosion returned Wapol to his normal form and left him with smoke coming out of his ears and nostrils.

"Ow...," he muttered.

He then freaked out as Thomas approached, cracking his knuckles.

"You know, there's nothing wrong with a country having a heart. What good is the system if the system is broken to the point where it collapses under its own weight?"

He started winding up as his arms turned to carbon.

"H-Hold on!," Wapol begged, "I can give you status! A medal! All the riches you want!"

"Oh spare me the whining!," Thomas said, "Brimstone Barrage!"

Wapol was slammed over and until he was sent sailing right off the mountain and right into the Bliking, which barely kept from capsizing. Kureha smirked.

"And that's that. The Drum Kingdom has truly fallen, defeated by the skull."

Once they saw Wapol hit his ship, which soon fled as fast as it could sail, the other Straw Hats took Dalton up the ropeway and into the castle. Dalton walked up to the now separated Chess and Kuromarimo, who were now freaking out at his arrival.

"So then," he said, "Who owes who an apology?"

"We're sorry for being poor retainers!," they both declared.

"How's Nami doing?," Vivi asked.

"She's recovering," Thomas said, "We managed to get her condition treated and she's feeling better. But it will still be a while before we can leave."

Vivi nodded, relieved that Nami was okay.

"Oh yeah," Luffy said, "We made a new friend."

He motioned for Chopper to step forward, and he reluctantly did so.

"This is Tony Tony Chopper," Luffy explained, "He's a doctor."

Usopp looked at the little guy in surprise.

"Is that a... Reindeer?"

"One who apparently ate the Human-Human Fruit," Sanji said, "And he's really learned how to make the most of it."

Dalton looked at Chopper in shock.

"It's you. The reindeer from all those years ago. To think you've been fighting all this time since then."

"You said I needed to get stronger if I didn't want to die in vain," Chopper said, "So I decided to do just that. Not just in body, but in mind as well."

Dalton felt tears form in his eyes and he sank to his knees.

"Thank you... With this, our country can be reborn."

Other people came out and were confused at the little guy, wondering who the strange creature was. Luffy just sighed.

"Anyone who tries to fire on Chopper gets punted off this mountain. Just saying that right now."

That got the crowd shrinking back, and Thomas chuckled.

"This little guy is a reindeer that ate a Devil Fruit, making him part human. He's the 'yeti' that you've all been afraid of. Seems kinda silly looking at him, doesn't it."

Dalton couldn't help but smile as the villagers took a second, then started talking about how foolish they were for thinking Chopper might be dangerous. Chopper for his part looked over to Luffy, and couldn't help but smile. For the first time in his life, he felt like he had friends.

Over the next two days, the crew kept busy waiting for Nami to recover. Kureha had taken control of the Twenty MDs. It turned out they had gotten disillusioned of Wapol's vision years ago thanks to Hiriluk's final words, and were more than willing to go back to being regular doctors for the people, much to everyone's relief. Nami managed to negotiate a free medical service by offering Kureha the key to the armory. As it turned out, Kureha needed the cannons inside for something important. As she directed the villagers to move them, she saw Chopper packing his bags.

"So you're really heading out to sea," she noted.

"Mm-hm," Chopper said, "Just like Doctor Hiriluk wanted me to. And... I've decided to go ahead and join the Straw Hats. They're the first people ever who made me feel good about being a monster. And... I guess I kinda became friends with them."

Kureha smirked.

"You're finally starting to understand what it means to become human. Just remember, pirates can die at any time."

Chopper nodded.

"But if that wasn't a risk, then they wouldn't need doctors would they?"

Kureha laughed at getting her own words thrown right back in her face.

"No. No they wouldn't. But before you set off, there's one last promise I need to keep."

She had the cannons all set up with the special dust Hiriluk had given her. As they started to fire, something amazing happened. The falling snow turned a vivid pink, making it look just like cherry blossoms. Chopper teared up at the sight.

"Doctor Hiriluk's research... His dream..."

He started wailing in both sorrow and joy as the Straw Hats all embraced him, making him a new member of the family. From down below, the people looked in awe at the sight of the mountain looking like a giant cherry blossom tree. Dalton smiled.

"I think, this country needs a new name. From now on, it shall be called... The Sakura Kingdom."

As the crew got on the ship, Vivi remembered something.

"Huh. I just realized I'd actually seen Dalton before."

"Oh really?," Luffy said.

"Yeah, at Reverie ten years ago," Vivi said, "It's a meeting off all the nation leaders subservient to the World Government that occurs every four years. They meet on the island of Mariejois to discuss current events. This time they were discussing growing concerns about the Revolutionaries and their leader Dragon. Wapol just dismissed the threat, stating how it had nothing to do with his kingdom. Now, Dragon had never had a problem with Alabasta during all that time, considering Father has always been a wise and compassionate leader, but even then I had a feeling Wapol would be a perfect target for him. Father even called him out for being a selfish monarch. And then Wapol slapped me to try and get a rise out of father."

Sanji had to be held back from leaping off the Going Merry to try and swim after Wapol. Vivi just giggled.

"Anyway, I played it off as me bumping into him, and he stormed off in a huff. But Dalton stayed behind long enough to apologize to me and Igaram. It wasn't until I was out of sight that I started crying from the pain."

"Wow, you're really strong," Nami noted, "I would have smacked that bastard right back."

Dalton then walked up to the ship.

"By the way, do you happen to know a man named Ace?"

"Oh yeah," Luffy said, "He's me and Thomas's brother."

The group looked at him.

"You have another brother!?," they said in shock.

"There's four of us in total," Thomas said, "Me, Luffy, Ace, and Sabo. So Ace was here, was he?"

"Just a week ago," Dalton said, "Strangely enough, it didn't snow that day. He was looking for Blackbeard, and was annoyed that he had just missed him. He then asked about a pirate wearing a straw hat or one with skull cap. No one knew either of them, so the man presented us with a pair of wanted posters, then said if either of them arrived here, to tell them that Fire Fist Ace was waiting in Alabasta for the next 10 days."

"One more reason to hurry there, I suppose," Luffy said.

"It'll be nice to meet back up with Ace after so long," Thomas said, "And knowing Sabo, he'll probably be heading there too. He is a scout for the Revolutionaries, after all, so all he'd have to do is say he's checking out the situation with the civil war."

With all that settled, the Going Merry sailed off, now with one more crew member. The crew all got out drinks to celebrate.

"To our newest crew member, Chopper!," Luffy declared.

"Cheers!," the crew called out together.

It had been a necessary diversion from their mission to Alabasta, but it worked out for the Straw Hats as they gained a new friend and crew member. But lurking in the shadows, Crocodile still had a grip over Vivi homeland. And the Straw Hats would certainly have their hands trying to liberate the kingdom and bring Vivi back her happiness.

Ash and Rubber - Chapter 14 - mtnetsurfer (2024)

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