"It seems like it's gonna snow tonight," Nami announced, looking up to the clear morning sky above.

Chopper took a double take. They hadn't encountered snow for weeks, and the one time they do, it's on today of all days…?

"Ehhh?" Luffy threw his head back as he whined. "But I'm on watch duty tonight, I'll freeze to death! Zoro!" He flinged himself at the swordsman, stopping just short of slamming right into him. He normally wouldn't have held back, but even he could tell that his wounds from Thriller Bark were still fresh and didn't want to open them back up. "Switch places with me!"

The swordsman pushed his face away by his cheeks. "No thanks. You can't just keep pushing your duties on others when you don't feel like doing them."

"Tch! Then, Nami! Switch!"

"Did you even hear what Zoro said…? No way. I need my beauty sleep." It took all her energy not to smack him up the head right there.

Sanji, however, was less averse to resorting to violence, stretching his captain's face by his mouth. "That's right, you shitty captain! Shove your chores onto Nami-san again and I'll kick you overboard!"

"But I'm the captain, you know! You gotta listen to what I say!"

The rest of the crew slowly inched away from the scene, not having the energy to refuse Luffy's demands so early in the morning.

Chopper, however, raised his hand as he spoke up, bringing all attention to him. "Then do you want me to go out in your place?" He had something he wanted to do outside anyways.

"Huh?! Really?! You'd do that for me?! Thanks, Chopper!" He didn't waste a moment as he picked Chopper up and squeezed him in a hug.

"I-idiot, put me down!" Chopper blushed at the sudden contact, but didn't put up much resistance. "It's no big deal, I'm more used to cold weather anyways."

"That's no reason to spoil him…" Nami expressed her objections, but shrugged it off for now. Anything to get Luffy off their backs. "But if Chopper's fine with it, I'll allow it… In exchange, I'm giving you an extra shift next week."

Luffy was about to protest, only for Sanji's deathly glare to silence him. "Aww, fine…"

Everyone had gone off to their morning chores, and Chopper was in the infirmary. However, today, he wasn't brewing some medicine or studying a medical textbook like usual. Instead, he was rummaging through an old box, searching for something.

"Where did Franky put it…" He muttered to himself. "Now that I think about it, I never thought about it ever since he brought our things to the Sunny…"

Just before he was about to give up and look elsewhere, he found what he was looking for, lying flat at the very bottom of the box.

"Nami-san, Robin-chan, your breakfasts are ready! " Sanji proclaimed out onto the deck.

"Breakfast? FOOD!" Luffy bounced towards the galley, only to be stopped with a firm kick to the face.

"Wait for your turn, you shitty captain! If I let you in now, you'll inhale up all the food meant for the ladies!"

Luffy only got up from the ground, unfazed by the force of Sanji's kick, and drooled at the aroma wafting from the galley. "Ahh, but I can't wait much longer…"

Fortunately for him, it didn't take long for the rest of the crew to come filing in, also attracted by the smell of the cook's next creation.

"Mmm, thish ish sho good, Sanji!" In between shoving piles of meat into his mouth, Luffy unintelligibly spat out what Sanji assumed were compliments.

Even as he claims to leave the failed batches of food for the males of the crew, none of them really noticed nor cared when even that was better food than any pirate could ever ask for. Sanji said he'd kill anyone who would dare waste his food, but he'd be caught dead before he wouldn't be trying to make that an easy process for his crew, female or not. And though he'd never admit this out loud, he took pride in seeing his captain so shamelessly swallowing his food without so much as a bite.

Which only made it more disconcerting when there was noticeably more food on the counter than he'd expected. Which could only mean one thing: one of the crew isn't eating as much, a rare occurrence since all the food in the room is always in danger of being piled into their ravenous captain's mouth at a moment's notice.

Doing a head count of everyone in the galley (which only grew more difficult with the more crew members they gained), he quickly realized that a certain crew member was inexplicably missing. All the others were too busy defending their own food from getting scarfed up to notice. Without any hesitation, Sanji gathered a section of the food onto a tray and headed for the exit.

"Hm? Where are you going, Sanji-kun?" Nami turned to him.

"Chopper's not here. I'm gonna go look for him."

Sanji knocked on the door to the infirmary with his free hand. "Chopper? Didn't you hear me? I said breakfast was ready!"

When he didn't hear a response, after a few seconds he opened the door to see Chopper at his desk, probably working on some medicine.

"Chopper? Are you feeling okay?" Once again, no response. Sanji figured whatever he was working on required his full concentration, but he wasn't going to let that be an excuse for anyone to skip a meal.

Walking up to the desk, he looked for a place to place the tray of food down before he glanced at what Chopper was staring at. Beside an assortment of chemicals and herbs was an old, worn-down notebook, opened to a page with a sketch of a cherry blossom tree, and below it some messy handwriting, a far cry from Chopper's usual, neatly organized penmanship.

Seeing the sketch, his mind went back to their time on Drum Island—the sight of the snow, lit in pink to resemble cherry blossoms, and the significance it had on the reindeer. He immediately knew that what Chopper was looking at was no ordinary book on medicine.

"Chopper?" Sanji knelt down and tapped his shoulder, finally prompting a response with Chopper jumping up and nearly falling off his chair.

"S-Sanji? When did you get here? D-don't sneak up on me like that!"

"I called out to you multiple times, I wouldn't call that sneaking… It's not like you to miss breakfast. Is something wrong?"

"Eh?" Chopper's nose twitched as he noticed the smell of the tray of food that Sanji placed on his desk. "A-ah, no, nothing's wrong, really…" His eyes shifted to the side, making a face not too dissimilar to Luffy's when he was attempting to hide something.

"You're a terrible liar." Sanji stood back up as the reindeer's body stiffened up. "Well, it's not my business if you don't wanna share. But I won't allow you to skimp on breakfast. Be sure to eat up."

"Ah, of course… Thanks, Sanji." The reindeer only looked back down at his notebook.

"And Chopper?"

Chopper stiffened up again.

"If you need help with anything, just ask us. We're your friends. Your problems are our problems, if you let them be."

Chopper watched as Sanji stood back up and walked back to the door. He knew that already, he'd say the exact same thing to all the others on the crew. But this, the anniversary of Hiriluk's death, was something that had nothing to do with them… None of them ever had the chance to meet Hiriluk. Much less know how much he meant to Chopper, and how crushing it felt for him to be torn away from him… It had always been a solitary, somber day for Chopper.

But now, Chopper had finally made the friends that he'd always wanted, that Hiriluk wanted for him. It didn't feel right to not share the love he feels towards Hiriluk with the crew who he's grown to love in the same measure.

Just as Sanji was leaving the room, Chopper called out to him. "Wait!" Sanji stopped in his tracks and looked back at him. "You're right… Can I ask for some of your help?"

A small smile plastered across Sanji's face. He knew he'd get it across to him.

As Sanji expected, Chopper was working on making some powder that would replicate the cherry blossoms that they saw on Drum Island. With Chopper suddenly rushing to concoct it, even willing to skip meals over it, he could hazard a guess as to why it's such an urgent matter for him. Having heard the whole story from the old hag on Drum Island, it was clearly some special day involving the doctor that first took him in and gave him his name.

"So, um, can I ask for some herbs from the pantry? I'll give you my allowance to make up for it, so-"

Sanji cut him off right there. "Don't worry about that. This is important to you, isn't it?"

Chopper stiffened up again, but upon seeing the gentle look on Sanji's face, a sudden warmth filled up in his chest and released the tension in his body. "…Th-thank you, Sanji…"

"Like I said, don't worry about it… That's what friends do. Need anything else?"

"Well… I'm kind of worried about the weather conditions tonight. It won't work as well if the snow's coming down too hard."

"Hmm, why don't you ask Nami-san for advice, then?"

"Eh? But…" It was already enough that he was wasting Sanji's time… He didn't want this to turn into such a big deal for the crew.

That reluctance didn't go unnoticed by Sanji. "You want me to come with you to ask her?"

"B-but…"

"You don't need to hold back. Remember what I said?"

Chopper only looked down, and knew protesting was only going to do more harm than good at this point. "Alright…"

Not only was Sanji happy for another excuse to interact with Nami, he also knew that she's the only other one in the crew who the old hag told Chopper's story to, which should make explaining things to her a lot easier. Finding her by her mikan trees, Sanji called out to her in his usual flirtatious manner.

Before he got too carried away though, he noticed Chopper dragging his feet with his hooves cupped together, an obvious sign that he was nervous. Sanji walked behind him to gently push him forward, encouraging him to speak up.

"Chopper?" Nami slightly tilted her head, worried about the reindeer's somber expression.

"Um, I just wanted to ask about the weather tonight…"

"Oh, was that it? Well, now that it's a bit later in the day I can give a more accurate forecast." Looking up to the sky, it only took her a few seconds to examine the clouds and turn her head back down. "Hmm, it actually seems like a blizzard tonight. It's gonna come down pretty hard. It's not too late to go back on the watch duty. I can force Luffy to go if you want."

Sanji smiled at the thought. Nami being the only one who could possibly have some semblance of authority over their rambunctious captain was yet another quality he admired about her.

"Ah, no, it's not that…" Chopper looked down at his feet, expression still unchanged. "Is there any time when the blizzard will die down?"

"Hmm, I don't think so… Is there something you wanted to do in the snow?"

"Ah, kind of…" He hesitated for a few seconds, but he held out the notebook he'd been carrying behind his back. Upon seeing the sketch, Nami immediately caught on at what was going on, a fact that daunted Chopper more than a little bit.

But sure enough, his uneasiness immediately faded away as Nami patted the top of his hat with a gentle smile. "So you wanted the same conditions as that night on Drum Island, right? Well, just before the blizzard comes in, there'll be a brief period of light snow. You'll get what you need if you just act during that period."

Chopper's expression lit up at that statement. There were so many things that could've gone wrong, the weather being one of them. Now knowing that there was a chance that it could work, a bright smile came upon his face. "Thanks, Nami!"

"As expected of Nami-swan to give such a detailed forecast! Ah, my love for you only deepens every waking moment of my-"

Sanji's soliloquy was interrupted by Nami holding his lips shut. "Don't ruin Chopper's sweet moment! Read the room, idiot!"

Chopper giggled at their antics. He thought they'd be acting differently for his sake, and it relieved him to see it was business as usual, even with his request. He shuddered at the notion that he was about to try this all on his own. Sanji was right. Chopper had friends now, and every single one of them wouldn't hesitate to help with what Chopper wanted. He's deeply grateful to Doctorine for teaching him actual medicine, but the only one who had unconditionally accepted him was Hiriluk. He hadn't realized how much he had been missing the feeling until he joined the crew and felt it again…

Noon was now approaching, and Sanji had to go off and prepare lunch. Chopper was back in the infirmary, mixing ingredients as per the notebook's instructions. Turning the page, he was greeted with a sketch of Hiriluk's iconic jolly roger, which he hadn't seen ever since joining the crew. A skull & crossbones, amid a flutter of cherry blossoms.

"This flag rejects impossibilities! It's the symbol of faith!"

Memories flashed through his mind, of Hiriluk indoctrinating a young Chopper on the flag's meaning, and the will that he left behind for Chopper to fulfill. To do the impossible, to venture out and see the world with his own eyes, and to become a doctor who can cure everything. In the same way that Hiriluk cured Chopper…

At that, Chopper got up from his desk and brought the notebook with him through the door.

"Um, Usopp?" Chopper scooted next to him in his factory as he was tinkering on something, hooves pressed together. "Can I ask you a favor?"

"Hm? Sure, what is it, Chopper?"

"Can you draw something for me? On a black flag… This jolly roger…" The reindeer held up his notebook, pointing to the symbol on a page's corner.

Luffy, who was sitting close by and admiring Usopp's work, perked up at the term. "Hm? A jolly roger?! Lemme see, lemme see!" Sitting next to Usopp to take a look, Luffy's eyes lit up at the sight of it. "Cooool! It's the same one from your island, Chopper!"

Usopp looked closely at it, then seemed to remember something. "Now that you mention it, I remember seeing a pretty worn-down flag on that old doctor's castle… What's with this all of a sudden, Chopper? Are you feeling homesick?"

"Ah, no, it's just… Even before meeting you guys, it was this flag that made me want to become a pirate…"

"The seas are filled with pirates! You must set sail one day and discover just how small your problems really are! This island is but a tiny speck in a world beyond imagining!"

It wasn't until after Chopper set out to sea did he truly understand what Hiriluk meant behind those words. Meeting devil fruit users were a common occurrence for them now in this vast, daunting world filled with the monsters he'd always feared of being. Had he stayed on his island, he never would have realized that there was a whole crew of monsters of their own kind who would accept Chopper for who he is, just like Hiriluk did so many years ago…

As Chopper expected, Luffy immediately saw the romanticism in the idea. "That's so cool! Do it, Usopp!"

"I would if I could, but we don't really have a spare blank flag laying around…"

"Awww, but you're our ship's tinkerer! I wanna see it, figure something out!"

"That's easier said than done…"

"Then I'll do it myself!" Luffy looked around the room, rummaging through drawers and throwing the various items out onto the ground, much to Usopp's annoyance.

Chopper was surprised Luffy was so on board with the idea, especially with flying another jolly roger on his ship. Now that he thought about it, that kind of thing would be mutiny, and he didn't want to betray the crew! "Actually, if it's too much trouble you don't really have to-"

Chopper was interrupted by Luffy's voice easily overpowering his own. "Ah! I can use this!" He pulled out a stack of small pieces of black paper from the drawer.

"Idiot, there's no way that's big enough for the flagpole!" Usopp snatched the stack from his hand. Looking down at them, though, he seemed to be in deep thought. "Actually… maybe we don't have to make a new flag."

Chopper perked up at that. Maybe it was fine to just draw the design on the paper and display it on a wall or something!

"Have you thought of something, Usopp?" Luffy was practically bouncing at the idea, which still confused Chopper.

"Well, we could paint the design on these and tape them over the flag we have. That way we could display it like it was real."

Chopper reeled back, an absurd idea that was even worse than flying another flag beside it! Covering up the Straw Hat jolly roger?!

"Oooh! You're a genius, Usopp!" Luffy took his hand and shook it vigorously up and down, so much so that it looked like his hand would fall off.

"Heh heh, no need to state the obvious, Luffy! Back at home they used to call me the Great Genius Captain Usopp!" He rubbed his index finger under his nose with a prideful smirk on his face.

"W-wait!" Chopper finally blurted out, pulling all attention to him. "A-are you sure you're okay with this, Luffy? It's our precious flag, and I don't wanna disgrace it by putting some other jolly roger over it…"

Luffy only stared at him with a blank look on his face, as if he didn't know what Chopper was going on about. "…What'd'ya mean, 'disgrace'? It's a cool design, right? Doesn't it mean something to you…?"

Chopper nearly gasped at the question. Despite how empty-headed he acted most of the time, Luffy always knew how to see right through them, no matter how many walls of façade they tried to build around them… "O-of course it does! It's just…"

"If you like it, then I like it! We could take it off whenever we want, right, Usopp?" He looked to the sniper, who nodded his head.

Chopper continued to be puzzled at Luffy's compliance, until what Sanji said that morning came to mind. "We're your friends. Your problems are our problems, if you let them be." Chopper wondered if that was the case here, too. This flag is as important to Chopper as the straw hat flag is to him. So in return, the flag must be as important to Luffy and the rest of the crew as well.

He then remembered a Luffy, back at Drum Kingdom, putting himself in harm's way to protect this very same flag, created by a man who he'd never met—purely out of respect for what the flag meant to him. At that moment, Chopper had never met a person who had resembled Hiriluk so much.

"That's what friends do."

After thinking it over, Chopper finally relented and was now beaming at the idea. "…Alright. Yeah! Let's do it!"

Usopp smiled as he took out his painting materials, and both Luffy & Chopper marveled at his skills, throwing compliment after compliment his way. Chopper relished in this moment, of sharing this symbol that's so precious to him with the crew he's come to love with his entire heart.

By the time Sanji came in to deliver their lunch and saw them, he couldn't hide the smile that grew on his face. The pieces of paper, glued together to the size of a full flag, proudly displaying a skull & crossbones, the very same one that flew on Drum Island. Its three creators, splattered with paint & glue, were taking a nap together right by its side with Chopper sleeping snugly on top of his captain's chest.

TBC