I don't own One Piece. I only own my OC, Aurora.
Chapter 28
Warm… why was she warm?
Aurora blearily cracked her eyes open. A stone ceiling met her gaze. The angel turned her head, taking in her surroundings. She was in a room by herself. There was furniture here and there, a nearby table littered with medical supplies. The berry-haired girl sat up, the blanket that had been covering her falling to her waist.
"Where am I?" she wondered. Memories of what had transpired earlier flooded back to her. She gasped. "The boys! Nami!"
"Finally awake I see."
Aurora's head whipped around, her gaze landing on the one who had spoken. An old woman with long dark grey hair stood nearby. She was dressed much like a woman Aurora's age would be. She had on a white midriff-baring shirt with a pink cherry blossom on the front and green sleeves and borders. A ring adorned her navel. The low-riding pants she wore were purple with a pink design on the left leg. Perched on her forehead were a pair of sunglasses and glasses, while bracelets and rings adorned her left hand.
"W-Who are you?"
"Dr. Kureha." She answered. "Call me doctorine."
"Doctor?" the angel looked around once more. "Then we made it to the castle. But… where are my friends?"
"They're in the next pair of rooms over." Kureha replied, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. She reached over, removing bandages that had been placed on Aurora's right wing. "Just as I expected. Your wound's almost completely healed. The powers of an angel never cease to amaze me."
Aurora froze. "I-I have no idea what you mean…"
"Don't play dumb with me, girl. I know an angel when I see one. Granted, it's been many years since I last encountered one." Kureha let out a chuckle. "Quite a spitfire, that woman. Wonder if she's still alive? She'd be about my age now…"
"… You've met another angel before?" Aurora gave up all pretenses of hiding her secret. She could tell this woman wouldn't buy any of her lies.
"Ah, yes. But that's a story for another time." Kureha waved her off, yanking the angel's wing towards her. "Based off of the marks you had earlier, I'd say you and your friends had a run in with the Lapins. Should've come the back way."
" My friends aren't exactly known for taking the easy route."
"That brings up another question I had. What on earth is an angel doing with a bunch of pirates? Hardly seems appropriate."
"They're not bad people!" Aurora was quick to defend her crewmates. "They're different from other pirates. They're… special."
Kureha blinked slowly. "Well, I'll take your word for it. Angels can sense if a person's good or bad, after all. Besides, that boy was willing to scale an entire mountain just to get you all help. He must not be all bad."
Aurora smiled softly. "Luffy's one of the best people I know."
She suddenly yelped, instinctively curling her wings closer to her body. Next to her, Kureha smirked, holding up one of Aurora's feathers. The angel frowned in response.
"I'll consider this payment for treating you. A feather from the wings of an angel…" Kureha breathed. "Something this rare is worth quite a bit of money."
"Maybe to anyone who believes in angels." Aurora grouched, rubbing the spot the feather had come from. "My kind are just a myth nowadays; a fairytale."
Kureha began to laugh. "Hahahaha! You honestly believe that? Anyone who's anyone knows that angels exist. I'm surprised your friends don't realize what you are."
"You can't tell them!" Aurora was alarmed.
"Don't worry, girl. My lips are sealed. It's not my secret to tell. But how much longer do you think you'll be able to hide the truth before someone else blurts it out?"
Aurora bowed her head, the room now silent. There had been some slip-ups here and there, enough to make Nami and Vivi suspicious. She'd gotten lucky with dodging the questions, one situation after another arising. Kureha was right. How much longer could she keep this secret?
'It's for the best.' Aurora thought, hand coming up to wrap around her necklace.
A loud crash came from the next room, causing the angel to jump with fright. Kureha got up, making her way out. Aurora scrambled out of bed and followed the doctor. She didn't plan on staying put. She needed to know where her friends were and if they were okay.
"What are you doing, Chopper!?" Kureha stepped into the neighboring room, a bottle of plum sake now in her hand. She chuckled. "Hahahahaha! You're awake. Feeling better, little girl?"
"Nami!" Aurora rushed over, throwing her arms around the navigator. "Are you okay? We were so worried."
Kureha shoved the angel aside. She reached a hand out, touching Nami's forehead with the tip of her finger. She held it there, pausing to take a long drag from her bottle of sake.
"Who are you?" Nami asked.
Kureha ignored the question. "38.2 degrees celcius. You're getting better." The doctor pushed her sunglasses up, having placed them back on her face sometime between visiting Aurora and checking on Nami. "I am Dr. Kureha. You can call me doctorine."
"Doctor? Then, this place must be…"
"You want to know the secret of my youthfulness?" Kureha randomly asked.
"N-No. She didn't say anything about that." Aurora sat on the edge of the bed, having to pick herself up off the floor from earlier.
"You're in the castle at the top of the mountain." The doctor told Nami.
"Where are the other 2 guys?"
"Sleeping in the room next door. They're snoring too loud. Don't they have any manners?"
Nami smiled, breathing a sigh of relief. The bed bounced as Kureha sat down on it. She unceremoniously shoved Aurora aside, taking her spot next to the navigator. The angel yelped, falling to the floor once more. She glared at the old woman, slowly getting up and coming to stand at the head of the bed. If anyone needed to learn some manners, it was the doctor.
Kureha lifted Nami's shirt up, exposing her stomach. "Let's see…"
"Eh?"
"This is the problem." She pointed out, a dark purple spot marring Nami's skin.
"What is it?" Aurora leaned over to get a closer look.
"You were bitten by the insect called Kestia. It's a poisonous insect that lives in tropical forests. When it bites someone, it'll spread bacteria into that person's body. Within 5 days, that person will suffer from a high fever. Later, it'll affect the heart, brain and every part of the body. Based on your wound, I guess this is the third day after you were bitten. Its poison is very powerful. If you leave it without any medical treatment for 5 days, you'll definitely rest in peace!" Kureha explained. "If you hadn't come here within 2 days, you'd be in heaven for sure."
"Huh!?" the tragic thought alarmed Nami.
"It used to be known as 5 day fever. However, Kestia have been extinct for 100 years. You're lucky that I still have some antibiotic." Kureha told the girl. "Where did you come from anyway? Did you just go and take a walk in an ancient forest or something? But that sounds impossible."
"Ah!" Nami realized that exact thing had happened on Little Garden.
Aurora ran a hand down her face. "I knew nothing good would come of you walking around without a shirt."
"You just remembered something?" Kureha took in the girls' expressions. "What a crazy girl you are." She shoved Nami, the navigator falling to the mattress. "Anyway, just go back to sleep. You're not completely cured."
"Thank you. But if my fever is gone, I should be fine soon, right?"
"Are you kidding?" Kureha retorted. "It usually takes 10 days to cure this sickness, but if you want to die that much then that'll be a different story. Even with my wonderful medicine, it'll take at least 3 days."
Nami abruptly sat up. "3 days? But we're in a hurry…"
Kureha moved swiftly, leaning over Nami and putting a scalpel to her neck. "There are only 2 cases in which I will let my patients go. One is when my patients die, and the other is when my patients fully recover."
"Eh!?"
Aurora squawked in disapproval. "Do you really have to be so forceful? What if you end up making her regress?"
Suddenly, Kureha was before the angel, scalpel directed at her now. Aurora gulped, sweat dotting her brow. The doctor cackled. "Guess there's some fire in you after all!"
"AAAH! HELP!"
Three figures came barreling out of the next room over. Luffy and Sanji were easy to identify. The third was someone Aurora hadn't met. Squashed between the two pirates was a… well, it appeared to be a toddler-sized reindeer. Atop his head was a large pale red/pink fuzzy top hat with a sideways medical cross and he wore a pair of maroon shorts. His most defining feature was his blue nose.
"Stop, meat!" Luffy was attempting to bite the traumatized reindeer, hanging off his left arm.
"Where are you going, little reindeer?" Sanji hung off the right arm, an evil grin on his face. "Luffy, just wait and I'll cook him for you. His meat must be very tender."
"Luffy? Sanji?" Nami breathed. "And that blue nose reindeer? What kind of creature is he?"
"What a surprise." Kureha commented, unfazed by the scene. "They recovered fast."
"STOP, YOU HUMANS!"
"Don't run away, meat!"
"Luffy, I told you that you can't eat him now!"
"I HATE YOU, HUMANS!"
"You asked me who he is, right?" Kureha reiterated. "His name is Chopper. He's just a regular blue-nose reindeer."
"A reindeer that can talk? How is that possible?" Aurora asked.
"I said stop!" Chopper growled, rapidly growing in size.
Nami was stunned. "He just…!"
Chopper smashed Luffy and Sanji into the ground. "I AM NOT YOUR FOOD!"
"He accidentally ate the Hito Hito no Mi." Kureha supplied, watching as Chopper ran out of the castle. "That's why he has human abilities. I teach him about my medical knowledge."
"Please come with us. I beg you. Please, old lady!"
Sanji, Luffy, Aurora and Kureha were situated around a table that the doctor had placed in the middle of the room. Food and drink were laid out for them to consume.
Kureha held a finger up. "Your name is Luffy, right?"
"Yes."
The doctor lashed out with a kick. "You'd better watch your language!"
"Ouch!" Luffy was launched face first into the wall, planted right above the doorway.
"I'm just 130 years old. I'm still young!"
"Wow!" Sanji was amazed. "What a strong old lady!"
Aurora slouched down in her seat when Kureha turned to the cook. "Oh no…"
The old woman attacked the cook next. He also hit the wall face first, sliding down slowly. Aurora winced but didn't move, lest she unintentionally incur the woman's wrath.
"You want me to become a pirate." Kureha scoffed. "That's ridiculous! I don't want to waste my time. Besides, I don't care about going to the ocean."
"It's ok if you don't care. Just come with us." Luffy continued to try and persuade the doctor. "Let's have an adventure together, old lady!"
"Didn't I just tell you to watch your mouth?" Kureha warned.
"Ah!"
"Eh?"
Luffy and Sanji's interest was peaked, the reindeer from before having appeared in the doorway. It looked like he'd been eavesdropping on the conversation. Only… he went about it the wrong way.
'He doesn't seem to understand the concept of hiding…' Aurora thought. Instead of his body being hidden behind the wall, Chopper had done the reverse. His body was sticking out and only half his face was hidden.
"Aah!" He realized his error too late, Luffy and Sanji once again fixated on the reindeer.
They started the chase up again.
"Hey! Reindeer, why don't you give up and let us eat you!?"
"AAAAAAAH!"
"STOP IT, YOU LITTLE BRATS!" Kureha bolted up, managing to grab some weapons along the way. She took off after the trio.
Aurora leapt back when the table went flying. She grabbed the chair nearest her and sat it down by the bed. She wasn't going to get involved in this. Quite frankly, Kureha intimidated her. She'd rather not get on the woman's bad side.
"Nami, Aurora, my loves, please wait a second. I'll cook some reindeer soup for you." Sanji called back.
"Maybe you'll be eaten by me before you can eat my reindeer!" Kureha charged after the two boys.
"AAAH! The old hag's coming after us!"
"She's brought her knife with her too!"
Nami and Aurora watched them flee, Kureha not far behind. They shared a glance, both sighing in exasperation.
"I don't want any reindeer soup. I just want some peace and quiet."
"Same here." Aurora agreed.
Nami perked up when cold air blew in, snow dotting the hallway. "Why is there snow in the castle?" She shifted, attempting to get out of bed. "It's cold. I'd better close the door."
"No, I'll go close it." Aurora protested.
"You'd better rest. You still have a fever." Chopper had reappeared, his head swiveling from left to right. "Are they around here?"
"No. But I think my fever is almost gone."
"You still need to rest anyway." Chopper told the navigator. "Because doctorine's medicine is very strong, your fever is almost gone. However, you still have Kestia's bacteria in your body." The reindeer made his way to the door, checking for Luffy and Sanji before closing it. "You still need an injection and more rest."
"Thanks."
"Huh?"
"Thanks for taking care of me."
"And for taking care of our friends." Aurora added.
"SHUT UP! I don't want any gratitude from humans! You're still human!" Contrary to his words, Chopper seemed flattered by the praise, doing a dance.
Nami sweatdropped. "You don't know how to hide your feelings at all."
"Are you pirates?"
"Yes."
"Really?"
"Really."
"Do you have a pirate's flag?"
"Yes. It's on our ship."
Aurora watched the verbal exchange silently. Chopper had moved closer to the bed, slowly reaching out to touch Nami's hand. He seemed quite interested in the fact that they were pirates.
"Do you want to be a pirate?" Nami suddenly asked.
Chopper reeled back, bumping into a nearby bookcase. "DON'T BE STUPID! Who told you that!?"
"Ok, ok. I'm sorry." Nami apologized. "Anyway, do you want to come with us?"
"WHAT!?"
"Just come and join us. How about that?" Nami attempted to persuade the reindeer. "If you're interested that would be a whole lot better for me. If I have a doctor on board, I don't have to stay here for 3 days. Besides, we don't have a doctor now."
"You must be feeling better if you're pulling your usual tricks." Aurora said wryly.
"Don't be ridiculous! I'm a reindeer! How could I live with humans!?" Chopper screeched. "But aren't you scared of me? I'm a reindeer, but I can talk and stand on two legs."
"Hahaha!" Nami laughed. "You want me to be scared of you?"
"My nose is blue, too."
"That's hardly something to be afraid of." Aurora drawled.
"YOU'RE OVER THERE, REINDEER!?"
"AAH!"
Luffy and Sanji were back. They'd reentered the room through another door. Their presence frightened Chopper, who sprinted away. The boys gave chase once more. Nami and Aurora sweatdropped.
"I can't believe those kids." Kureha was back, planting herself in a chair. "You're not a cute little girl after all. While I'm not here, you must've told my reindeer some stupid idea without my permission, right?"
"Eh? Do I have to ask you to flirt with a guy?"
"Hahahahaha!" Kureha chuckled. "No. Just take him with you."
Aurora blinked. "Really?"
"But it's not gonna be easy, because he has a wound inside his heart that even a doctor can't heal."
"What do you mean?" Aurora asked slowly.
"When he was born, he was rejected by his own parents."
"Eh?"
"Because of his blue nose, he was left to walk alone in the back of his tribe since he was young."
"That's so cruel."
"Until one day, he accidentally ate the Hito Hito no Mi. So, everyone treated him as an outcast and chased him away. He's no longer a regular reindeer. However, he still needs friends. So, he changed into a human. However, his human form is not perfect. Why? It's because of his blue nose."
"Hey! What is that?"
"That's so disgusting. Get the children inside!"
"That must be a snow monster!"
"Let's shoot him!"
"Get out of here, you evil!"
"And he didn't know whom he should blame. He just needs a friend, but people call him an evil. He's neither reindeer nor human. That's why he's always alone." Kureha turned to the girls. "Can you cure his heart?"
Aurora and Nami were silent, neither sure of what to say.
"However, there was a man."
"Eh?"
"The only man that he ever talked to." Kureha revealed. "His name is Dr. Hiluluk. He used to live in this empire. He's just a fake doctor who gave Chopper his name and called him a son."
"Fake doctor?" Aurora didn't understand.
"Doctorine! It's an emergency!" Chopper skidded to a halt outside the door, now in reindeer form. "Wapol is back!"
"Is that so?"
"Look! Nothing has changed! Finally, I will reclaim my throne!"
"Wait a minute, Lord Wapol. There's a weird flag at the top of the castle."
"Huh?" Wapol looked up at the aforementioned flag. "What is that pirate flag doing there? Where is Drum Empire's flag?"
"Hahahahaha!" came Kureha's cackle. "I've already burnt that flag."
"Finally, you show up, the last doctor in this empire, Dr. Kureha. Why don't you just die?"
"This castle is Hiluluk's tomb! It's not a place for a rotten kid like you. Just get out of this place! Drum Empire has already been destroyed!" she told Wapol, Chopper now at her side.
"Tomb? That stupid doctor's tomb!? Hahahahaha! That's not funny at all!"
Chopper glared at Wapol, taking offence to his words.
"It's him!" Luffy cried, Sanji and Aurora not far behind. "You got me bad last time!"
"Eh?"
"Lord Wapol, it's that kid!"
"Gomu Gomu…"
"Hey!"
"Ah!"
"Luffy, no!"
"!?"
"PUNCH!"
"AAAAH!" The thunderous punch struck Wapol. "AUGH!"
"LORD WAPOL!"
"YAAAH!"
"What's going on here?" Kureha was baffled, as was her reindeer companion.
"It's them?" Sanji huffed. "What are they doing here?"
"Did they follow us all the way up here?" Aurora wondered.
"Ugh… that was close." Wapol dangled over the edge, Kuromarimo and Chess each having a hold of his legs.
"You treated me badly the last time we met." Luffy suddenly grinned. "Hee hee… this time, I won't let you get away with it."
"How dare you hurt Lord Wapol, the King of Drum Empire!?"
"That's right! Didn't you realize that Lord Wapol is the king that governs this country!? How dare you fight against the king?"
"A king? So what?" Luffy stuck his tongue out. "I just know that I hate all of you very much."
"You know them, too?" Kureha spoke up.
"Of course! They're just annoying pirates who tried to stop us. He even ate my ship! I won't let them get away this time."
"Hey, aren't you cold at all?" Sanji asked the boy.
"Eh?" Luffy finally seemed to realize something.
"See?"
"Did they just say that he's a king? They're not pirates?"
"You just realized that!?"
Aurora huffed. "Everything goes in one ear and out the other. Honestly…"
"You fools!" Kuromarimo scolded. "You just realized that our master is the King of this empire?"
"It's cold here!" Luffy finally noticed the temperature.
"That's why I asked you before!" Sanji griped.
"It's -50 degrees now." Kureha told the pirates.
"They are insulting us!" Chess couldn't believe how nonchalant the pirates were being.
"AAAAAH!"
"Lord Wapol!"
"Hahahahaha! You really made me mad. I will eat you this time." Wapol threatened. "WHERE DID HE GO!?"
"Just wait a second, ok? He just went inside to grab his coat." Sanji informed the trio.
"Can I ask you something?"
Aurora turned to the reindeer. "Yes, Chopper?"
"That guy can stretch his body, right?"
"Mmhmm. He's a rubber man." The angel answered.
"What do you mean?"
"It means that he's a monster." Sanji answered this time.
"Dalton is already dead, and those brats and that witch, who always opposes me, are all here. We can take care of them all right now. There will be no one left to stop us."
"That's right, Lord Wapol." Chess agreed. "We can rebuild our empire again. Do not worry, sir. We'll take care of them."
Kuromarimo put up his fists. "I don't know what you're thinking, Dr. Kureha, but I must say that you are really brave to go take over our castle while we weren't here."
"Haha!" the old woman chuckled. "I don't want to live in this big castle, but this guy doesn't want to leave." She indicated Chopper. "No matter how hard I tried to tell him, he always insists that this castle is Hiluluk's cemetery."
Chopper began to grow in size.
"Lord Wapol, that's…!"
"An evil! The same evil that followed Hiluluk!"
"Doctor just wanted to help this country." Chopper stated. "That's why I can't allow you to get into this castle." He stood tall. "I will never allow anyone to take Doctor's symbol of faith down from here!"
"Hahaha! If you wanted to die that much, why didn't you just ask? I'll kill you all!" Wapol responded.
"What's this? I never wanted to get involved with them in the first place." Sanji turned to Kureha. "Are you going to fight them with us, old lady?"
Aurora moved out of the way when she saw the look on the doctor's face. Kureha punched Sanji in the head. "I will lend a hand if you're in trouble."
"… Thanks." The cook got out, his head throbbing.
"Do you have to be so violent?"
Kureha smirked. "No need to ruffle your feathers, your holiness. It's not like I mean any real harm."
Aurora's eye twitched at the new nickname. "Please don't call me that."
"How dare you use our sacred castle as a cemetery?" Kuromarimo interrupted. "Dr. Kureha, you will be the first one to die! Eleki-Marimo!"
"Doctorine!" Chopper cried out, the afro-shaped hairball closing in on his mentor.
Sanji jutted his leg out, blocking the hairball. "Hey, Afro Boy! A real man shall not throw stuff at a lady!"
"Haha… you're getting more polite." Kureha observed.
"When it comes down to it, Sanji's always willing to defend a lady." Aurora revealed, a small smile on her lips. Nearby, Chopper breathed a sigh of relief.
Kuromarimo smirked. "You fell into my trap."
"Aaah! What's this!?" Sanji shook his leg, attempting to remove the afro-shaped hairball. But it wouldn't budge. "I can't get this ball off! What's going on here!? Is it static?"
"Hahaha. That's right." Kuromarimo pulled a small tuft of hair from his afro. "I still have more. Eleki-Marimo!"
"Aah!" Sanji cried out, more balls now stuck to him. "Hey, come help me take these things off, reindeer! Don't just stand there and look!"
"Sure. Sure."
"Hurry up! They're disgusting!"
Chopper grabbed hold, but the hairball only managed to stick to him. "Aaah! It's stuck on me! I don't want it! You take it back!"
"No! It's just a ball! Why don't you take it?"
The two began an odd dance, rapidly exchanging the hairballs back and forth.
Kureha sweatdropped. "What are they doing?"
"Your teamwork is pretty pathetic." Chess held up his bow. "Let me tell you something. Those balls can easily catch on fire."
Sanji jolted. "He's going to burn these things."
"Bait plan!" Chopper ran away.
"Hey! Are you using me as your bait?"
"Checkmate!"
Aurora slid in front of the cook, using her powers to throw up a shield. The flaming arrow hit, but no damage was dealt. The angel swiftly turned to the cook. Using a small dose of her power, concentrated at her fingertip, she blasted the hairballs off the man.
"Get out of here!" Chopper showed up next to Chess, swinging at him.
"What?"
Wapol kicked him to the side, mouth open wide. "Get out of the way, Chess!"
"Lord Wapol!"
"Look out!" Sanji warned the reindeer.
"Chopper!"
"This jacket is so warm." Luffy came jogging through the castle door.
"Luffy, grab my leg now!" Sanji commanded.
"Your leg? Ok." The straw-hat wearing boy whipped his arms back, throwing them forward to grab the cook's leg. "Like this, right?"
"Don't let go, ok?" Sani kicked forward, propelling Luffy towards Wapol. "Armée de L'Air Gomu Shot!"
"YAHOO!"
"Huh?" Wapol froze, Chopper's legs sticking out of his mouth.
"Spinning to increase power!" Luffy slammed into Wapol, almost bending the man in half.
"UGH!" the force was enough for Wapol to spit Chopper out, the reindeer landing in the snow.
Luffy had long since separated from Wapol, the former king launched into his White Walkie steed. There was enough force to send the creature flying, now nothing more than a speck in the sky.
"Phew!" Sanji breathed. "Not bad at all."
Chess and Kuromarimo hovered over their leader. They couldn't believe what had just transpired. They were speechless.
"Thank you for helping me. You're very strong."
"Hey, Luffy. Isn't that Nami's jacket? Take it off!"
Aurora reached over, yanking the cook's hand away from her captain and just as quickly dropping it. "Sanji, please stop hitting Luffy. He probably just grabbed the first one he saw. I'm sure he'll give the coat back as soon as we're done here."
"As you wish, my love~!"
Aurora grimaced, still not used to such attention. In the background, Kureha could be heard cackling. It seemed she was enjoying the angel's discomfort.
"Hey, he's still alive." Luffy noted. "But that hippo is already gone."
"Are you ok, Lord Wapol!?"
"We're very sorry! We really underestimated them!"
"I will kill all of them." The former king growled.
"Eh?"
"I will show them… I will show you the real power of the Baku Baku fruit." He sat up.
"He can stand up after he got attacked by me?"
"He must be really strong."
"Lord Wapol!"
"Chess, why don't you tell them about my menu this morning?"
"Yes sir." Chess pulled out a small notebook. "This morning, you had 1 baked cannon, 1 fresh cannon, and cannon balls salad with gunpowder. Also, you ate one restaurant in the village."
Luffy sweatdropped. "What a weird breakfast."
"There's nothing weirder than that."
"Take a very good look at my power after my breakfast!" Wapol smirked.
"What's he going to do?" Chopper wondered.
"Those things I ate this morning have already digested and become part of my body. BAKU BAKU SHOCK!"
The man began to grow in size, a shape taking form.
"What is that!?"
"WAPOL HOUSE!"
Right before their eyes, Wapol had transformed. His body was now a house, complete with doors, chimney and windows. His arms were also transformed, now taking the shape of cannons. The chimney appeared to be a type of cannon as well.
"A house?" Sanji couldn't believe his eyes.
"That's so cool!"
Aurora sighed. "Luffy, now's really not the time for that…"
"It's too soon for you to be surprised! This is the real secret of my power!" Wapol turned to his two men. What happened next shocked them. He ate Chess and Kuromarimo!
"What!?"
"He's eating them!"
"He's eating his crew!"
"What kind of monster is he!?" Aurora was horrified. Wapol had eaten his own men. It didn't make any sense. Suddenly, it came to her. "Wait a minute… he ate a bunch of stuff earlier that became part of him."
"Hmm?" Luffy turned to the angel. "What are you talking about?"
"Think about it. He ate cannons, cannon balls and a restaurant earlier and they became part of him. That's why he was able to transform into a house. By eating those two, they become part of his body as well. I think he's trying to become one all-powerful being!"
"Be prepared for the ultimate result of combined bodies! Take a good look!"
The door of the Wapol House opened up. "We're the strongest fighter of the Drum Empire!"
Aurora stared at the figure standing before them. Her assumption had been a bit off base. Instead of Chess and Kuromarimo becoming part of Wapol's body, they'd been fused together into one entity. It was… unsettling.
"CHESSMARIMO!"
"Didn't you just let him sit on top of you?" Sanji sweatdropped.
"That's so cool!" Luffy gawked.
"What part is "so cool" about that!?"
"You'd better not underestimate them." Kureha piped up.
"Huh?"
"If they're weak, why didn't the villagers do anything to chase them away from this country?" The doctor had a valid point.
"The first rule of Drum Empire is whoever dares to go against the king must die. I am everything to this Empire because this Empire belongs to me, and so does this castle!" Wapol stated. "So, I won't allow anyone to put that stupid flag, that belongs to that fake doctor, at the top of my castle! It makes my castle look worthless!" the former king raised his arm, firing a cannonball at the flag atop the castle. It broke off.
"Ah!?"
Wapol began to laugh. "Hahaha!"
Chopper could only stare in wide-eyed disbelief.
"… Pirate flag!" Luffy turned to Chopper. "Hey, reindeer. That flag is…"
"WHY DID YOU DO THAT TO DOCTOR'S FLAG!?" Chopper charged at the men.
"That's stupid. Kill them." Wapol flippantly ordered.
"Yes, sir." Chessmarimo grabbed at Chopper, but the reindeer brushed right past them.
He began to transform. "Doctor… Doctor even thought about saving your life!" the reindeer latched onto Wapol. He pulled a fist back, but paused. "I will not hurt you. So, you better get out of this country!"
"Huh?"
"What are you saying, Chopper!?" Kureha was livid. "Do you think he'll understand what you're saying!?"
"But…"
"Hmph!" Wapol scoffed, an evil grin on his face.
"CHOPPER!" Kureha cried out, the reindeer having been blasted by Wapol.
"Hey, you, babbling mouth!" Luffy's voice rang out. He had climbed to the top of the castle. The pirate flag had been reattached with the sleeve of Luffy's coat. He stood tall, keeping hold of the flagpole.
"What's he doing?" Sanji wondered. Aurora craned her neck, keeping an eye on her captain. She silently wondered the same thing. What was Luffy up to?
"That kid!?"
"You're just a bunch of frauds! You became pirates without preparing to risk your lives. You will never understand the real meaning of this flag!"
"What did he just say?" Wapol seethed.
"He…" Chopper coughed.
"The true meaning of that flag? What's so important about that stupid flag anyway? It's just a stupid decoration for pirates."
"That's why you're just a worthless piece of crap."
"What did you say!?" Wapol was furious.
"This flag is not something that you can just play with for fun."
"You fool! Why do I, the King of this empire, have to play with that stupid flag anyway? And who told you to put up that flag again?" Wapol aimed a cannon at Luffy. "Didn't I tell you that this empire belongs to me? If you still insist on putting that flag there, I will destroy that flag for you!"
"Damn!" Sanji cursed. "He's using that cannon again!"
"Get out of the way!" Chopper shouted.
"Who will let you destroy this flag!? This pirate flag… IS A SYMBOL OF FAITH!"
The cannon was fired. An explosion occurred.
"Luffy!"
"He got hit!"
Wapol laughed maniacally. "Just die, you idiot!"
The smoke began to clear. At the top of the castle, Luffy remained standing tall with the flag still in his grasp. Not a scratch was on the boy, but that was most likely due to the yellow shield surrounding the immediate area.
Aurora hovered just before the straw-hat pirate, hand raised in front of her. She was the one who had blocked the attack. The angel glanced back at her captain, checking to make sure he was ok. Luffy merely grinned. Aurora smiled in response.
Down below, Chopper was rendered speechless.
"See? This flag will never be broken!"
"What? Are they out of their minds?" Chessmarimo cried.
"I don't know whose pirate flag this is, but… this flag is a promise of life! It's not just a thing that anyone can play with! A PERSON LIKE YOU DOESN'T HAVE A RIGHT TO DESTROY THIS FLAG AND LAUGH ABOUT IT!"
"Ahh!"
"Aaah!"
Wapol and Chessmarimo were both shocked by Luffy's demeanor. They certainly weren't expecting this from the straw-hat pirate.
"Hey, reindeer!" Luffy called. "I'm going to beat them up real soon. So, what are you going to do?"
"Me?" Chopper wasn't sure how to respond.
"You idiots!" Wapol held up a cannon arm. "If you really want to protect that stupid flag, I will destroy it and all of you together with it!"
"That's enough." Sanji growled, charging towards he former king. He grunted in pain, his back twinging in response.
Kureha noticed this. "His spine is dislocated? That's not a surprise since he used a lot of his power." The doctor leapt at the cook, striking him down. "DOCTOR STOP!"
"Argh!" Sanji choked out, falling heavily to the ground.
Aurora flew down, landing next to the fallen cook. "What was that for!?"
"He's still hurt." Kureha answered. "By keeping him out of this fight, I'm saving his life."
"Wha…?"
"Hahaha!" Wapol began to laugh. "What are you doing? That's so stupid. I will destroy all of you!"
"Lord Wapol, look out!"
"Huh?"
Chopper came out of nowhere, aiming for Wapol. "STOP IT!"
Chessmarimo managed to slide in front of their king, blocking the attack. They grinned in triumph.
"That's right! Just beat them up, reindeer!" Luffy cheered.
"Hahaha!" Kureha chuckled. "Finally, you have shown your courage."
"Hahaha… sorry, but I won't let you lay a finger on Lord Wapol!" Chessmarimo promised. "You're a very strange creature. You must be the snow monster that the villagers talked about. No one in this empire is like you. What a pathetic loser you are. You don't have a single friend in this place! Why do you bother to help this empire? It's so funny!"
"Shut up! Even though I don't have anyone, I will continue to fight! As long as doctor's flag is still here, I will…"
"Who said that he doesn't have anyone?" Luffy's voice rang out. The straw-hat captain had launched himself off the castle. "HE HAS ME! I'M HIS FRIEND!"
"Me too!" Aurora stood, making her way over to the reindeer.
"AAH!"
Luffy shot into the fray, taking down both Wapol and Chessmarimo. He knelt on the ground, holding his hat to his head. "Hee hee."
Chopper watched with wide eye. "Are you ok, straw-hat boy?"
"I'm fine because my body is rubber."
"Rubber?"
"Reindeer, do you think you can take care of that guy?" Luffy indicated Chessmarimo.
"He's just a weakling to me."
"Then that's a deal." Luffy set his sights on Wapol. "I'll take care of this babbling mouth guy."
"Stop jumping around. You're giving me a headache." Wapol complained.
"I will not be confused anymore." Chopper declared.
"You really think that you can defeat us?"
"I'll fight too." Sanji croaked.
Kureha pinned him down with her foot. "Just stay here. If you move, you might get more injured, and I cannot help you this time." The doctor grinned. "Don't worry. When my reindeer gets serious, even I can't stop him."
"My name is Tony Tony Chopper. The greatest doctor in the world gave me this name. Even though Doctor forgave you, I cannot forgive you for laughing at Doctor's death!"
"It has to be us who won't forgive you, you evil!" Chessmarimo retaliated. "We will crush you with our own feet!"
Chopper held up a hoof, a small yellow ball visible. "Rumble Ball. Rumble Ball will have an effect for 3 minutes. I will defeat you in 3 minutes."
"3 minutes? Don't make me laugh!"
"3 minutes. That's so cool." Luffy grinned.
"3 minutes? That's amazing." Wapol shared the sentiment.
"Haha! The fun is about to start." Kureha sat back to watch.
Sanji attempted to crawl out from underneath the woman. "Damn it. I want to fight too."
Aurora knelt down, laying her hand over Sanji's. "I think it's best if you sit this one out."
Sanji's eye took on its usual heart shape. "Yes, Aurora~!"
The angel slowly took her hand back, glaring at Kureha as she snickered in amusement. The old woman was enjoying this far too much.
Chopper tossed the ball into his mouth, biting down on it. "Rumble!"
Chessmarimo was ready, bows drawn. Flaming arrows were set to be fired. "A person like you? What can you do? Marimo's Snow-Melting Arrow!"
"Walk Point!" Chopper reverted to normal reindeer form, charging. He managed to evade the flaming arrows being fired at him.
"Isn't that just a regular transformation? In other words, you have the power of the Devil Fruit. You must be a Zoan type, just like Dalton. You're a reindeer-human."
"Heavy Point!" Chopper changed into human form, continuing to charge at Chessmarimo. "You're wrong. I'm a human-reindeer!"
"It doesn't make a difference anyway! I know that you can transform into 3 different forms. Marimo's Super Surprise Quattro Hammer!" The four limbs of Chessmarimo now held four hammers. They swung at the reindeer hybrid. "I've seen all of your forms, just like Dalton. It's just a normal transformation to increase power. That kind of power can't defeat me!"
"Jump Point!" Chopper's legs changed back to reindeer form. He used them to propel himself into the air.
"He jumped!?"
"He's so high." Aurora breathed. "It's almost as if he were flying!"
"What's this?" Chessmarimo came to an abrupt halt. "What is that form? Wasn't his human-animal form the little reindeer from earlier!? How impudent!"
"Guard Point!" Chopper began to drift back towards the ground. His fur rapidly grew, covering the entirety of his body except for his head and legs.
Chessmarimo swung their hammer. It hit Chopper, the mass of fur that was the reindeer now bouncing towards the castle. He rolled to a stop, his head popping out as he shook himself off.
"Again!?" Chessmarimo couldn't believe it. "That's impossible!"
"You can't hurt me."
"I was sure that Zoan-types had a limit of 3 forms. What are you!?"
"The Rumble Ball is a drug that creates wavelengths to disturb frequencies emitted by the Devil Fruit. I spent 5 years doing research on this drug and discovered that it can help me transform into 4 other different forms."
"You can transform into 7 different forms!?" Chessmarimo was incredulous. "So what? How can that power help you anyway!?"
"7 different transformations!?" Luffy's eyes lit up. "That reindeer is really interesting!"
"What's wrong with him?" Kureha eyed Luffy.
"He's just excited after hearing that 7 transformations thing." Sanji replied.
Aurora shook her head. "He's easily distracted by the simplest of things. Not much we can do about it. It's just who he is."
"Aren't you going to fight me?" Wapol loomed over the boy, trying to gain his attention.
"That stupid trick can't confuse me!" Chessmarimo cried out.
The muscles in Chopper's arms began to expand. "This is not just a trick. Arm Point!" The reindeer rushed Chessmarimo, breaking one of their hammer's in half. "Let me warn you first. I can destroy a huge rock in just one blow."
"How dare you…!? Snow-Splitting Blade!" Chessmarimo went on the offense. In place of hammers, they now wielded four axes. They sliced in Chopper's direction, a shockwave traveling along its path. The attack sliced through Chopper's left bicep, but the reindeer remained standing.
"Hey… the castle wall got hollowed out!" Sanji observed. It was true. The wall of the castle had been heavily damaged by the attack. It had sliced right through Chopper and continued onward.
"That attack was capable of destroying a wall… and yet, Chopper's still standing." Aurora breathed. "That Rumble Ball is certainly something."
"Tsk! He dodged it. Then, how about… this!?" Chessmarimo raised their axes once more, dashing towards the reindeer. "Multi-Directional Snow Splitter!"
Chopper had shrunk back down to normal size, proceeding to switch between his various forms as he dodged the rapid assault.
"What's wrong? Why are you running away? You should know that you can't defeat me by running away!" Chessmarimo laughed. "Hahaha! DIE!"
"Brain Point!" Chopper was now back to his normal size. "I'm not running away. But I'm looking for your weak spot."
"What?"
"This time, I will defeat you." Chopper brought his hooves together, forming a diamond shape. "Scope!"
Luffy gulped. "A… A beam! He'll definitely shoot a beam!"
"He won't, you idiot!" Sanji berated his captain.
"Shut up! It's definitely a beam! I don't care what anyone says! It's a beam!"
"Luffy, how could you possibly know that!?" Aurora joined in on the argument. "What has he done to show he can shoot beams!? It's illogical!"
"What else could it be!? It's a beam!"
"Then what kind of beam!?" Sanji was back in.
"I just know it's a beam! Beam!"
Having gone completely unnoticed, Wapol took this as his chance. He slipped away undetected.
"What can you do by just looking? I'm invincible! Let's see how you can escape from me now! I'll get you this time!"
"I saw it. His chin!" Chopper switched to Jump Point, soaring high above Chessmarimo. The combined being jerked to a stop, heads swiveling from left to right. They couldn't find the reindeer.
"Where'd he go!?"
Chopper burst up from underneath the snow. "Cloven Roseo!"
"UGH!" The attack hit Chessmarimo right in the chin, the weak spot Chopper had identified earlier. They were sent flying back, landing defeated in the snow.
Chopper turned his back on the duo, dusting off his hat. "3 minutes."
"Good job, reindeer!" Luffy cheered.
"Chopper, that was amazing!" Aurora applauded.
"Hey, Luffy! Where is he?" Sanji finally noticed that Wapol had disappeared.
"Huh? What?"
"He disappeared!" Aurora cried out. "He's gone! How did we lose someone that big!?"
"He used the snow hippo to climb up here. So, there's no way he can get down on his own. He must still be somewhere around here." Kureha deduced.
"Damn it!" Luffy cursed. "How come I didn't notice when he left!?"
"Because you were paying attention to that reindeer's transformation!"
Aurora bit her lip. "Admittedly, we're all guilty of that."
"That jerk!" Luffy huffed. "I swear I'll find him and beat him up!"
A realization stuck Sanji. "Is it possible that he went into the castle? Then, Nami is…" the cook began to crawl. "Damn it! If he did something to Nami, I'll cut him into hundreds of pieces!"
"Sanji, wait!" the angel grabbed hold of the cook's leg, trying to stop him. Even immbolized the way he was, Sanji still managed to take Aurora with him.
"Please don't try to stop me, my angel! I have to go save Nami!"
"Hey, where are you going?" Kureha sighed in annoyance. "Why does he want to hurt himself that much?"
"Sanji, I cannot, in good conscious, let you go!" Aurora managed to muster up some more strength, sliding the cook a few feet back. It wasn't much, but it would delay the man for a short time. Aurora hurriedly followed after Luffy, who was making his way back into the castle.
Suddenly, he flung his leg back, said appendage stretching. Aurora yelped in surprise, ducking so as to avoid getting hit. Luffy shot his leg forward. "I found you!"
"UGH!" Wapol grunted, Luffy sending the man into the central tower inside the castle.
Aurora fell to her knees beside Nami. The navigator had been in Wapol's clutches. If Luffy hadn't acted when he did… "Are you all right?"
"I-I'm fine."
"Hey, how come he's so skinny now?"
"Ah!" Nami got up, knocking Luffy upside the head. "Luffy, what have you done to my jacket?"
"Umm…"
"Do you realize how expensive this jacket is? It cost 28,800 beli! You've ruined it and it won't have any resale value!"
"Sorry, but that guy shot a bomb at me."
"You should've known it wouldn't come back in one piece if Luffy was wearing it." Aurora pointed out.
Nami sighed. "You're right, Aurora. I knew that when I lent Luffy my jacket, it wouldn't come back in good shape." The navigator turned away, an evil glint in her eye. "So, I'll charge you 3 times the original price. You owe me 100,000 beli, ok?"
"What!? So this was your plan after all!"
"Y-You really planned all this in that short amount of time?" Aurora couldn't even begin to understand how the navigator's mind worked.
"Just stop that nonsense! Hahaha!"
"Ho. He's really strong." Luffy was surprised to see the man back up.
"Behind me is a weapon room, and I have the only key to open it! Inside this room, there are many weapons that you can't even imagine! And if I eat those weapons, they will become part of my body. Be prepared for the ultimate human-weapon, the scariest weapon in this world!" the now slim Wapol turned to the locked door. "I will open it now!" he patted his pocket. "Ahh! Where's my key? What's this?"
Wapol slouched, staring at the three pirates blankly. Luffy, Nami and Aurora stared right back. Nobody moved a muscle. Not a word was said. They weren't sure what was going to happen now.
Wapol suddenly turned, dashing away. "I still have one last trick anyway!"
"He's running away! Stop!" Luffy gave chase.
"Nami, are you okay?" Sanji crawled up to the two girls.
"What? Key to the weapon room?" Nami held the talked about object up, ignoring the cook. "And I thought this was a key to the treasure room. That's too bad."
"Nami…"
"When did you have the time to steal that!?" Aurora gaped, also ignoring the cook. "You were only with him for, like, 3 minutes!"
Nami stuck her tongue out cheekily. "That's all I needed."
"Nami~!"
The navigator knelt down, the cook finally having gotten her attention. "What happened, Sanji? You're crawling… are you okay?"
Sanji's eye formed into a heart. "Nami? Are you really worrying about me!?" the cook began to inch towards her. "If I could just be embraced by that gentle warmth…!"
"DOWN!" Nami slammed Sanji's face into the snow covered ground.
Sanji croaked. "Nami…"
Aurora sweatdropped.
"Stop!" Luffy's voice rang throughout the castle. "Stop, stop!"
"Hey, Aurora." Nami called to the angel. "Go help Luffy, would you?"
"W-What!? N-N-No! He doesn't need my help! He can take Wapol down on his own!" she squeaked.
"At least go and make sure he doesn't get himself killed… or that he destroys anything. I'd rather not be in that old lady's debt."
Aurora's eye twitched. "So… that's what this is about."
"JUST GO!"
The angel squeaked in fright, scurrying away from the navigator. She began to run up the spiraling staircase, but knew at the rate she was going that she wouldn't catch up to the two. Continuing to run, Aurora shifted her wings, testing to see if they would work. Despite the bald spot that was still prominent on her right wing, the pain was no longer there. The angel jumped, spreading her wings and taking to the air. She managed to catch up with her captain, who proceeded to slam open the door Wapol was now hidden behind.
"I found you! I'll beat you up this time!"
"You're the one that will be beaten up! Just die!"
Luffy froze in the doorway, Aurora hovering just behind him. The room Wapol was in housed a large cannon. The former king cranked the lever and aimed the weapon at the two pirates.
"Huh?" Luffy gazed at the giant cannon in puzzlement.
Wapol had a wide-eyed expression on his face. Chirping could be heard from inside the cannon itself. Three birds proceeded to drop out, landing on the snow covered floor. A much larger bird, most likely the mother, sat perched atop the head of the cannon.
Wapol's mouth dropped open. "A bird… bird nest?"
"Cooo! Cooo!"
"Snow bird."
"Aww. They're so cute." Aurora cooed softly.
"How dare you insult me, the King of Drum Empire!?" Wapol began to scream at the bird. "Did you know that I am the King!?"
Luffy grabbed hold of Wapol's face. "Your game is over! I don't care if you're a King or a God. I don't care if you're great or just a simple person! Because…" Luffy squeezed. "I'm a pirate!"
"You said that you're a pirate and you don't care if I'm a king? You're so wrong, kid! Drum Empire is a member of World Government! Listen, if you hurt me, you will become World Government's enemy!"
Aurora blinked. "Are you honestly trying to talk your way out of this now? Have you learned nothing from our previous encounters?"
"I've already told you that I don't care because this is just a fight." Luffy responded.
"You fool! You better die!" Wapol opened his mouth wide. What he didn't count on was Luffy's fingers stretching with it. "Huh!?"
"Hee hee… just try and see if you can eat me."
"That's not all of the Baku Baku Fruit's power." A cannon emerged from Wapol's mouth. "MOUTH CANNON!"
"There's a cannon coming out of his mouth!" Luffy realized the danger he was in.
"Die!"
"Aaaaahh!"
Aurora lunged, tackling her captain to the ground just as the cannon went off. It missed their heads by a hair, blasting through the wall of the tower. The smoke was used to Aurora's advantage, the angel flying the two behind Wapol without him noticing.
"Hahaha!" he began to laugh, thinking he'd destroyed the two. "You underestimated me!"
Luffy clapped a hand on the man's shoulder. "Actually, you're the one who underestimated us." The straw-hat wearing boy grinned at his companion. "Thanks for the save, Aurora."
She smiled. "You're welcome."
"Wha…!?"
"Well…?" Luffy began to twirl his body, winding up his arms.
"Hey, what are you doing to me!? Let me go!"
"Gomu Gomu…"
"What are you doing?"
"BOWGUN!" Luffy rapidly untwisted, creating a snapback that sent Wapol flying upwards.
The former king went crashing through the ceiling, the point of the tower breaking off. "UGH!" Wapol was stuck, now face to face with the pirate flag atop the castle. He glared at the offending object, crying out in alarm when Luffy and Aurora suddenly appeared next to him. "AAAHH!"
Luffy pressed his knuckles together. "A person who isn't prepared to risk his life doesn't have the right to touch other's pirate flags!" He flung his arms back, stretching them to great length. "Gomu Gomu…"
"Wait! If you let me go, I'll give you a position in my government!" Wapol turned to the Aurora. "Same for you! I could even make you queen!"
Aurora snapped, her eyes wide with rage. Her hands began to glow with power. "I… AM… NOBODY'S…"
Wapol went back to Luffy. "I'll make you a second king!"
"QUEEN!"
"BAZOOKA!"
The two attacks hit simultaneously. Aurora blasted the man with holy power right when Luffy's hands slammed into him. The force sent Wapol flying, never to be seen again.
Aurora's entire body shook, the angel seething with rage. 'How dare he!? I am not some prize to be won! I am nobody's queen!' She breathed shakily through her nose, trying to calm herself down. 'In and out. Deep breathes. This isn't the past. He wasn't him. You're not being forced into anything.'
"YAAAAAHH!" the yell broke Aurora out of her thoughts. Luffy had launched himself off the roof, his body propelled towards two figures down below.
"What is that!?"
"Luffy!"
"Zoro and Usopp?" Luffy didn't realize it was his crewmates at first. He couldn't stop himself now though. He shot into the snow, burying himself and the two boys. "ARGH!"
Aurora flew down, landing next to the pile of snow that housed her crewmates.
Vivi suddenly appeared next to her. "Aurora! Are you okay? Your wing!"
The angel flexed her right wing. "It's fine. My powers have already healed it. The feathers just need some time to grow back."
Luffy popped out of the mound of snow he'd created. Usopp was next, followed by Zoro. The swordsman was enraged. "What the hell are you doing!?"
"I thought you were one of them because you're wearing their clothes." Luffy sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "So, you climbed up here to see us?" He turned to the sniper. "Didn't you say you didn't know how to climb, Usopp?"
"Are you kidding? A man like me can't be stopped by a mountain. Talking about that, this is one tough adventure."
"We just used a lift to get here." Vivi explained, interrupting Aurora's attempt to call Usopp out on his lie. "By the way, are Nami and Sanji doing ok?"
Luffy grinned. "Yep. They're fine."
"When that giant vulture tried to attack us, I was in a little shock. But as you know, I can take care of it." Usopp began to weave a tale, but no one paid attention.
"That's good to hear." Vivi breathed a sigh of relief.
"It flew directly at my heart, but I dodged its attack without getting hurt." Usopp continued to rattle off his made up story.
"What were you doing at the top of the castle anyway?" Zoro asked.
"I just chased that stupid king away. Aurora helped too!"
Zoro glanced at the angel. "Really?"
"Yeah! It was so coooooool! Her eyes got all bright and glowy and she shot this really big beam at him!"
Aurora blushed under the swordsman's scrutiny. "I-It was nothing."
"Huh? But you seemed really mad…?"
Zoro snorted. "Aurora? Mad?"
"Yeah! She looked like she wanted to kill him. Something about being his queen…?"
The angel slapped a hand over the rubber boy's mouth. "He just made a comment I didn't appreciate, that's all."
"If you say so…" the swordsman eyed her warily. There was more to the story than Aurora was letting on. She rarely ever got mad. Irritated, maybe, but not mad. And mad enough to want to kill someone? That wasn't the angel's style at all. 'Luffy said something about her being offered the position of queen. Why would that anger her to the point of wanting to kill someone?'
"That thing that just flew by was really Wapol?" A heavily bandaged Dalton exited the lift, coming face to face with Luffy. "How about the other two?"
"Oh, that reindeer already took care of them." Luffy turned to his crew. "Hey, listen up. We got a new crew member."
"What?" This got Usopp's attention.
"Reindeer took care of them?" Dalton caught sight of a creature amongst the trees. It was Chopper, who was attempting to hide behind one of the evergreens. Only… he was still doing it the wrong way.
"Blue nose… Wait." Dalton recognized the reindeer. He dropped to his knees, bowing. "Thank you very much. I am sure that from now on, Drum Empire will become a better country."
Luffy and Chopper merely stared at the man in silence. Several villagers exited the lift.
"Aah! Look!"
"What is that weird creature?"
"Reindeer? No, it's a monster!"
"Don't do anything to him!" Dalton ordered.
Usopp's jaw went slack, his eyes popping out of his head. "MONSTER!?"
Chopper froze, mouth agape and eyes wide. The tiny reindeer did not like the attention he was getting from the humans. He ran off, weaving through the trees.
"Hey! You idiot!" Luffy whacked Usopp on the head. "He's the new crewman that I talked about!"
"What did you say!?"
"You made him run away!"
"AAAAH!"
"WAIT FOR ME!" Luffy proceeded to chase the reindeer down.
Aurora bolted after the two. "Luffy, wait! You're just scaring him more! Chopper, stop running! They won't hurt you!"
It was a rather comical sight. Chopper was running in every which direction, Luffy on his tail. Just behind Luffy was Aurora, the angel attempting to grab her captain and stop him from chasing the reindeer.
"Hey, reindeer!" Luffy called out. "Just come and be a pirate with us!"
"Give it up, Luffy." Usopp told the boy. "We've been looking for him for a long time, but he's still running away."
Aurora collapsed to the ground, worn down from chasing after Luffy and Chopper earlier in the day. "Man, those two can run fast. I'm beat." The angel slouched, her head falling onto the shoulder of the swordsman next to her.
Zoro blushed, trying to ignore their closeness. Aurora, too tired to even realize what she'd done, burrowed closer to the swordsman's warm body. His face turned an even brighter red.
He turned his attention to Luffy, who was still shouting. "Maybe he doesn't want to become a pirate."
"How can you know that? I want to take him with me."
"THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT!"
Aurora whined, the loud noise assaulting her ears. "Can't you be more quiet?" She cracked an eye open, glaring at the two boys in annoyance. She burrowed her head further into the warmth she was pressed against, freezing when she realized it was another body. Aurora did a quick sweep of the immediate area. Usopp was off to her left, building a snowman. Luffy was just in front of her, continuing to shout out for Chopper. That meant…
Aurora jolted back as if burned, her face bright red. "S-Sorry!"
Zoro refused to look at the angel, a hint of a blush visible on his cheeks. Or maybe it was the cold? "It's fine."
"Reindeer!" Luffy kept shouting. "REINDEER!" He abruptly stopped, something having garnered his attention. "Ah! Reindeer!" He began to wave. "Hey, you want to become a pirate with me, right?"
"That's impossible." Chopper answered.
"Why is it impossible? A pirate's life is very fun, you know?"
"Hey, you don't make sense!" Usopp yelled. Off to the side, Nami and Vivi dragged an injured and unconscious Sanji out of the castle.
"I really want to thank you."
"Chopper…" Aurora murmured.
"But I'm a reindeer! I have hooves and horns! I also have a blue nose!" Chopper paused. "Actually… I want to be a pirate, too. But I'm not human! I'm a monster! I can't be friends with humans! That's why I came here just to say thank you!" the reindeer calmed down. "Thank you for asking me. But I'll stay here. If you're bored, just come visit me sometimes."
"JUST SHUT UP AND COME WITH US!"
Chopper began to tear up, snot dripping from his nose. The rest of the crew smiled, used to Luffy's antics by now. He had a certain way of persuading someone to join his crew. He was utilizing it now.
"OK!"
"Hey, why don't we go say goodbye to the doctor and that uncle?" Luffy asked, perched atop a large snowball.
"You'd better let Chopper go by himself. It'll be a very sad goodbye." Nami advised.
"Even though doctorine looks scary and mean, she's really a kind person." Aurora chimed in.
"So, we're going to leave without saying goodbye?"
"That's right." Nami told the sniper. "When Chopper comes back, we'll go to our ship and head to Alabasta." She turned to the princess. "I hope this is fine with you, Vivi."
"Of course. As long as we have a doctor with us, I'm ok."
"Doctor?" Luffy was confused by that statement. Didn't he realize Chopper was a doctor?
"That's right. I should prepare the lift. Luffy, lend me a hand, will you?"
He stood atop the snowball, rolling over to Usopp. "They have a lift? That's so cool!"
"STOP!"
"AAAAH!"
"DON'T RUN AWAY!"
The screaming reached the straw-hat pirates ears. A loud commotion followed suit.
"What's going on inside the castle?"
"Why can't they just have a quiet goodbye? It's already late."
"Doctorine shows that she cares in a violent way." Aurora sighed. "She doesn't do the heartfelt, mushy stuff. It's out of character for her."
Chopper came dashing out of the castle in Walk Point. He had a sled attached to him.
"What can you do after becoming a pirate!? Do you want to live with a stupid dream like that doctor!?"
"No! It's not a stupid dream! Doctor's research has already been completed!"
Zoro looked up. "He's coming."
"Eh? What's going on?"
"I'm being chased!" Chopper ran towards the pirates.
Aurora sweatdropped. "That doesn't surprise me."
"Hey, we've finished preparing the lift." Usopp popped up, Luffy next to him.
"Everyone, hop on! We're going down now!" Chopper ordered.
"STOP!" Kureha wasn't far behind, flinging knives at the reindeer.
"WHAT IS THIS!?" the pirates gaped in alarm. The only one who didn't react was Aurora. She merely sighed. Considering what she'd seen the doctor do earlier, this was normal behavior.
Even so, the angel hopped into the sled, her crewmates tumbling in after her. Chopper ran with all his might, traveling down the rope that was used to transport the lift. Kureha gave up the chase, staring after the group. They landed heavily on the ground below the mountain.
"YAHOO!" Luffy cheered. "That's so cool! Can we do it again!?"
"Are you nuts!?"
"We have to go now!"
"I thought I was gonna die…"
"Hey! Where am I?"
"Oh! You're conscious."
Loud noises sounded behind the group of pirates. It was reminiscent of a cannon being fired. But there were no cannonballs to be seen.
Chopper stood in the snow, looking back upon the castle that was his home. "WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAH!"
"That's so cool." Luffy was perched atop the edge of the sled, gazing up into the sky.
"It's so beautiful." Nami breathed.
Aah…" Chopper began to tear up. "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
The snow continued to fall, now a vivid pink, much like sakura petals. Kureha had sent her final farewell… and Hiluluk's too.
Hiluluk's sakura's spreading throughout the night sky of the unknown empire represents that this empire has been set free. And thus, Hiluluk's sakura has become a legend. Not long after the incident, this country has been once again born under this pirate flag.
"Hahahahaha! This is a great night! A full moon and sakura!"
The boys were all gathered around, laughing at Luffy who was dancing with sticks shoved up his nose. They were celebrating.
"Chopper!" Usopp called out to the reindeer. "How long are you going to sit there!? Come drink with us!"
"Look Nami." Luffy danced his way over to the navigator. "Do I look like Yosaku?"
"It's a very beautiful sakura night." Sanji quipped. "I never thought that I would see sakura in this winter empire."
"That's right!" Zoro poured more ale in the cook's cup. "We need to get drunk tonight!"
"Wait a minute here!" Nami halted the celebration. "Can you just keep it down and look here?"
"Carue! Why did you jump into the cold water?" Vivi had wrapped up the duck in a blanket, sharing her body heat as well.
"Isn't it ok that he's still alive?" Luffy didn't understand what the big deal was.
"Quack…. Quack…"
"Maybe he just accidentally fell into the water." Zoro provided an answer. "What an idiot."
"SHUT UP!"
"He said that he saw Zoro jump into the water and disappear. He thought that Zoro was in danger, so he jumped into the water to try to save him, but he became ice." Chopper translated.
Nami punched the swordsman. "It's all because of you!"
"Chopper, you were able to understand Carue?" Aurora turned to the reindeer.
"I used to be animal, so I understand the language."
Nami clapped. "That's so great Chopper. Not only do you know about medicine, you also have other talents."
Chopper stilled and Aurora had a feeling she knew what was coming next. It happened at the castle when she and Nami had spoken kind words to him.
"Damn it! Those words won't make me happy, you know?"
"If you're not happy, why do you act like that?" Luffy and Usopp sweatdropped at the reindeer's dancing.
"Nami, what do you mean by medicine?" Sanji asked.
Aurora cocked her head, her brow furrowed in confusion. "I thought you knew. Chopper's a doctor."
"What!? Chopper is a doctor!?"
Nami was irritated. "Why do you think I asked him to join us?"
"Because he can transform into 7 different forms."
"Emergency food supply."
"Ah!" Chopper realized something. "I forgot to bring my bag with me. All of my medical supplies are in that bag."
"Then what is this?" Nami held a knapsack up. "I saw it in the sled."
"My bag? But why?"
"We thought you were the one who prepared this bag." Aurora answered.
"It must be doctorine, then. I see." Nami hummed. "She understands what you're thinking." The navigator sat down next to the reindeer. "She's a really great person."
"When she's not shoving people around." Aurora grumbled.
"I'm sure it was an accident." Nami waved the angel off.
"Two times in a row? Not to mention she kept making fun of me."
"Just let it go, Aurora."
"Hahahahaha! Chopper! Come and dance with us!"
"Would you guys keep it down!?" Nami turned to continue her conversation with Chopper, only to see him mimicking the boys. "Why are you copying them!?"
"Alright, everyone listen up!" Usopp raised a glass. "For our new friend."
"Carue, you've been drinking too much!"
"Quack!"
"Hey, stupid chef. Bring me more food!"
"What did you say? How dare you order me around!"
"Here is a toast to our new doctor, Chopper." Usopp continued.
"Sanji, are we out of dinosaur's meat?"
"I…" Chopper was choked up. Nami and Aurora glanced at each other, sharing a smile.
"Let's have a toast!"
Usopp raised his glass higher, toasting their newest member. Vivi continued to fret over Carue, whilst Luffy went on celebrating raucously. Sanji and Zoro began to fight, which wasn't out of the norm for the two. Aurora and Nami grinned.
"This is the first time in my life that I feel happy."
"LET'S DRINK FOR OUR NEW FRIEND!"
The pirates all raised a glass.
"YAHOOO!"
The ship is heading to Alabasta, the desert country, with the fastest speed.
