This is the last chapter! I really hope you did enjoy this. I know I'm not the best writer, but I hope that after writing this I have improved to some degree. Let me know what you thought!
Chopper couldn't even find it in himself to be surprised when the villagers showed up with baskets of Kudzu Root. Instead, the little reindeer just helped create and administer the cure for the illness—which was alcoholic poison, his brain scolded—to his sick crew mates. When he was all finished, he nodded his furry little head respectfully to the village elder.
"Doctor Chopper, I presume? You must be a great doctor for recognizing that Kudzu Root was needed to treat the poison," the elder commended. Chopper, astonished at the recognition, just stared at the man, too surprised to fall back into that old habit of insulted people who praised him.
"Did Luffy tell you my name?" Chopper asked, skipping past the compliment at his skills. He could address that later, when everything made sense.
The elder shook his head. "We, as a village, were bounty hunters. I've seen your wanted poster."
"Bounty hunters?" Chopper squeaked, feeling dread shoot through him. They couldn't possibly be here to capture them, could they?
The elder nodded gravely. "We were."
"If you don't mind me asking, Elder," Robin interrupted from her seat at the table, "you said 'were', implying that you aren't anymore. Do you mind telling me why that's changed?"
There was a knowing smile gracing Robin's lips that Chopper just couldn't seem to understand. She had a book next to her, put down when the villagers had come aboard to help treat everyone. If Chopper didn't know better, he would have thought Robin had known how this was all going to play out in the end.
The old man scratched his head, an ashamed look on his face. "Those friends of yours are very interesting, Nico Robin. Especially that swordsman of yours."
"Swordsman?"
"Zoro?"
The raised eyebrows behind both questions were implied.
The elder nodded. "He managed to change the village's mind about capturing Strawhat. He even convinced us to make a deal."
Zoro had done that? Chopper could only look to Robin in surprise. Even the archaeologist seemed caught off guard. Usually it was Luffy who changed the hearts of their enemies, not the stoic swordsman. Chopper thought back to the way Luffy had been acting. Now that he really thought about it, Luffy was probably much too caught up in his own world of darkness and depression to appeal to others. Zoro must have had to step up to the plate.
"Doctor Chopper," the old man cleared his throat, "how did you cure three people?"
Chopper blinked owlishly at the elder, mind racing. Three people. The only person he had cured was Zoro. Why would the elder get the impression that he had cured anyone else?
"I'm afraid that I don't understand, Elder," Chopper admitted.
"It's just, that when we got here, Miss Nico Robin was already half cured. And your cook, he was in practically the same situation," the elder explained.
Robin raised her hand. "I'm afraid that as much of an amazing doctor Chopper is, he could do nothing more without any Kudzu Root. I am resistant to most common poisons, so while I was sick for a few days, my body fought it off eventually. Sanji, on the other hand, has accumulated a high resistance to light poisons for reasons I'm not aware of. If I had to guess, though, I'd have to say it had to do with his work experience at the Baratie."
Chopper stared at the tall, dark-haired woman, stunned. That was the reason they were able to walk around when the rest were bedridden? Still bedridden, Chopper thought bitterly, as they were recovering from the stress of fighting off poison for days.
The reindeer was still berating himself even now. He couldn't believe he had made such a mistake. To mistake poison for an illness. He had to be much more careful in the future.
"I see," the elder said. "In that case, I will leave a basket of Kudzu root here, just in case your cook has not completely recovered."
Chopper nodded. "Thank you so much, mister! This was so helpful!"
"I was wondering, Elder," Robin stated in that roundabout way she had a habit of doing, "what this deal you and our crew mates have struck. Would you mind telling us?"
The elder nodded, but before he could get a word out, a cry of joy sounded form the forest.
"ROBIN!"
Chopper's heart skipped a beat, suddenly finding tears of happiness gushing out of his eyes. He knew that voice. Peeking over the railing of the Thousand Sunny, Chopper spied three figures. One, the tall, blonde chef, walked nonchalantly, hands in his pockets. Next to him was the hulking form of the Strawhat's very own swordsman. On his back was the grinning captain.
The radiance of Luffy's smile was so bright it practically blinded the reindeer. Chopper didn't dare look away, a light feeling settling in his limbs. Seeing that smile after a week of darkness, the world seemed to right itself. Luffy's dazzling grin brought a peace to Chopper that he hadn't realized he had lost.
Raising a hoof to wave at his crew mates, Chopper smiled back. "Luffy! Zoro! Sanji!"
"CHOPPER!" Luffy yelled, looking for all the world like he could just sprint to the ship to hug his fuzzy little friend.
Chopper turned back to Robin, giddy smile plastered on his face. It faltered when he realized that she was right next to him, grim face looking down at the approaching trio.
"What is it?" Chopper asked quietly.
"Why is Zoro carrying Luffy?"
Chopper's joy skips and then shatters at the historian's question. He looked back down at Luffy with new eyes. With his relief gone, his doctor half could take in everything that he had missed before. Eyes rove over cuts and bruises that Luffy shouldn't be able to acquire. The sheer exhaustion isn't surprising since Chopper knew the teen hadn't been eating nor sleeping well, but he's frozen in fear as recognizes the signs that shouldn't be there. Because Luffy's been reckless again, and after two years, hadn't Luffy figured out that sacrificing himself for his friends wasn't the way to fight a strong opponent?
And it could only have been a strong opponent because why else would Luffy use both gears at once. Chopper idly wondered why he hadn't heard any of the fighting if Luffy was using his third gear. Surely there must have been collateral damage. But there hasn't been a peep heard from the island since those wolves the night before.
When the trio boarded the Sunny, Chopper ran to the injured teen and immediately began treatment, blubbering on about how much of an idiot Luffy is for endangering himself like that.
"You're so stupid sometimes, Luffy," Chopper berated while tears flowed freely. "Why don't you use that head of yours sometimes?"
Luffy laughed jovially but said nothing, that grin still very much present on the young face. Chopper thanked Robin for bringing over his medical bag and began to take out the bandages and disinfectants he knows he'll need to use. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as Robin urges Zoro and Sanji to take some precautions and drink the remedy that Chopper and the villagers had prepared to battle the effects of the poison.
"Like hell I'm going to drink that stuff," Zoro immediately argued, but Robin didn't give any room for dispute when she all but forced it down his throat. Sanji, perhaps looking a little pale, eagerly took his share from Robin and downed the contents before the woman even had a chance to offer it to him.
Chopper turned his attention back to Luffy. He had dozed off, too exhausted to even stay awake long enough to finish the examination. Chopper sighed, but smiled, feeling a little better than he had moments before.
"Luffy," Chopper called, prodding the rubber teen's arm. "I need to ask you something."
Maybe he looked a little sad while looking into Luffy's face, but Luffy didn't question him, instead just sitting up straighter and looking at Chopper in askance. "What's up, Chopper?"
"Did you use both gears?" the reindeer asked. Because he needs to know if Luffy had caused himself danger like Chopper thought he did.
"Both gears? You mean at the same time? Like at Thriller Bark?" Luffy asked. Chopper only nodded. He held his breath, feeling like answering Luffy's question verbally would cause him to have to release it. If he did that, then he wouldn't be able to catch it when Luffy answered his question like he thought he would. Fortunately for Chopper's sanity, the teen shook his head, grimacing. "Nah. I was going to, but I felt too tired. I used second gear a little too long, though. And Haki."
And Chopper exhaled, finally finding some sort of real balance in his world. He found himself grounded now, knowing the damage wasn't going to be as bad as he first thought. But that didn't mean what Luffy did was right. While Haki wasn't necessarily all too harmful to the body, second gear, if used too long, could lead to heart problems. Luffy already put enough strain on his heart as is.
"Luffy-"
"YOHOHOHOHOHO!"
Chopper squeaked in surprise, turning to see Brook in the doorway to the men's cabin, looking exactly the same as always. Afro? Check. Guitar? Never left his fingers. All bones? Yep, Brook was still a skeleton.
Franky walked out next, yelling a oud "SUPER!" and doing his signature pose. The giant robot was loudly yelling about how he had a "SUPER" great nap after he took the antidote.
Usopp came after Franky, shuddering. The sniper was still pale, but looked much better than he had the day before. The man looked surprised to see the villagers aboard the ship, but Chopper didn't blame him. The sniper had been half-asleep when he had been administered the antidote.
"What the hell is with all the-? Luffy?" Nami barged out of the girls' cabin, looking like she could murder someone. The redhead had been the first to be administered the antidote as she had been faring the worst against the poison's affects.
Luffy's face lit up again at the sight of his crew, even though Chopper had already sworn that Luffy couldn't manage looking any happier than he already looked. His crew filed out of the cabins and suddenly, everyone gathered around. Even the elder, who Chopper hadn't realized was still onboard, knelt down next to the captain.
The elder put a grateful hand on Luffy's shoulder. "I guess you kept your end of the bargain."
Luffy nodded firmly. "He's defeated and he won't be causing you any more problems. Tobio captured him."
The elder smiled, taking a calming breath. "Thank you so much, Strawhat Luffy."
"What do you mean you couldn't find Corvi!" Chopper heard a little girl squeal. Chopper threw his gaze to where Zoro knelt next to a little girl, a rare sympathetic look on his face.
"I'm sorry Maki, but we couldn't find him. We looked all over, but he wasn't on the island," Zoro said.
"Corvi?" Robin asked, looking at the two with an odd gleam in her eyes. "Could this Corvi happen to be a white dog?"
Maki spun to face Robin, a hopeful look in those molten gold eyes. "Do you know where he is?"
Robin smiled at the little girl, nodding. Swiftly, she left, returning moments later with a white, furry dog in her arms. Maki squealed in delight, taking the dog from the archaeologist. "Corvi!" she yelled.
Next to him, Luffy started to laugh, taking in the scene with warm, loving eyes. The gaze moved to meet Chopper's own.
"It's good to have friends, don't you think?"