Chapter 9: Drum Island
Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece
Standing in the medical bay, Luffy looked down at Nami and Mikita as they seemed to struggle to breathe as they lay in their respective beds. Their fever was climbing, and they had no way to help them. "Vivi, I know we promised to help you save your country, but Nami and Miki need help."
"You're right," Vivi had to admit that Luffy was making the right call. She knew this was coming but welcomed it all the same. She was already asking them for so much with only vague promises to give them in return. The princess wouldn't be able to live with herself if Nami and Miki died because of her impatience. "Hopefully we'll find a doctor that can help soon."
"Yeah." If Luffy had an eternal pose that would lead back to the Ikaros, he'd be out flying all over the Grand Line until he found a doctor. Leaning over and kissing Nami on her forehead he walks to the door, leaving the infirmary. These two needed their sleep and didn't need him worrying about him. Looking over at Nojiko made him feel worse. He's already promised to do everything he can to help Nami. But seeing how stressed and worried she was… he couldn't blame her.
Walking onto the deck, storm clouds had blocked out the sun and there was a light snowfall. Johnny, Yosaku, and Gin were trying to keep the deck clear of snow while the rest of the crew kept their eyes on the horizon, looking for any signs of an island.
"How are they doing?" Desire asked, her usual jacket was quickly replaced with a thick snow jacket she kept zipped all the way up.
"The same." Seeing the redhead shiver, Luffy raised his body temperature, warming up Desire.
"Thanks for that." Giving him a soft smile, Desire could see how worried her captain was. "We'll find someone, I promise." If there was a bright side to this otherwise bleak day, it would be that the climate has changed so drastically. With what they've been told, that means they're at least within range of another island. The problem though is that they didn't know what the range was.
"Here's some coffee, Des." Silk said as she came out of the kitchen. "Would like a cup of coffee, Luffy?"
"I'm good, thanks." Despite being made of the same stuff that made up the sun, Luffy has never been a fan of coffee. It was always too hot for him.
"Let me know if you change your mind." The blonde said as she ran cups of coffee towards everyone else on deck. Most of the crew have been looking out for an island ever since Nami and Miki fell sick. The only exceptions were Desire because she had to man the helm and Sanji and Silk so that they can run the kitchen.
"Can't you use your Haki to find an island or something?" Desire asked after she took a sip of her drink.
"Maybe if we were closer to the island." The range on Luffy's Kenbunshoku Haki was absurd compared to most Haki users. Unfortunately, the only thing that he can sense is just how many fish are surrounding them. And for some reason, there's a school of fish that are confusing the hell out of him.
"That's a shame." Looking at the log pose around her wrist, Desire rolls her eyes in annoyance. The damn needle was still bouncing all over the place.
Holding a pair of binoculars to eyes, Usopp shivered uncontrollably. He had already put on multiple jackets, yet the cold was still unbearable. Breaking him out of his shivers, Usopp pauses as something catches his attention. Focusing the binoculars, he sees a man standing out on the ocean.
"What the…?" Usopp didn't know if the cold was getting to him. "Hey Bartolomeo, do you see that guy?"
"Do I see wha… what the hell?" Moving over to where Usopp was and looking off in his direction, the barrier man was equally confused. "What's that freak doing out there?"
"Cold weather we're having, is it?" the man asked. He's wearing a checkered green blue costume with purple lining and a white winter cape.
The two Straw Hats tilted their heads to the side. "Now that you mention it, it is really cold." Being so confused, Usopp forgot about how cold he is.
"What kind of stupid question is that you freak?" Bartolomeo crossed both of his arms over his chest, something about this guy was pissing him off.
"How the hell are you standing on water?!" Both Straw Hats yell in unison, catching the rest of the crew's attention.
"Guess you're right. It was kind of a silly question." The water erupted beneath the man as submarine baring a black flag emerged from beneath the water's surface. The doors open, releasing dozens of men. In only a moment's time, they had stormed the Ikaros and had their rifles trained on the Straw Hats.
Everyone that was on deck had grabbed their weapons and was ready for a fight. They may have been outnumbered, but they have these idiots out matched.
"What are you guys doing on my ship?" There was something in the way Luffy had said that that had caused his crew's eyes to widen ever so slightly as they felt an unnatural cold chill run down their spines. That tone was one they rarely heard.
"What a nice ship you have here." A loud, boisterous voice all but shouted as an overweight short man. He has a metal cylinder shaped jaw and is wearing tin plate armor with a white hooded cape, a pair of purple and orange woolen shorts, and brown gloves and boots. "Now, would any of you happen to have an eternal pose pointing towards Drum Island, would you?"
"No and you still haven't answered my question. What are you doing on my ship?" the Straw Hats could tell that Luffy was starting to lose his patience.
"Well that's a shame. Guess we'll take everything you have of value instead." He said as he walked over to the railing, his men clearing a way for him. "This is a nice ship you have here. Don't mind if I do." He said as he opened his mouth, opening it wider than Luffy could manage himself at his hungriest.
"Hey!" Moving to bite a chunk out of the ship's railing, the man stopped to look back at Luffy. Before he could process what was happening, his eyes bulged as he felt the air in his lungs rapidly exhaling out of his gaping mouth. The pain in his gut compared to nothing that he has ever felt before. "Get off my ship."
Time moved in slow motion for everyone aboard the Ikaros. The invading pirate's eyes widen as they watch Luffy's fist imbedding in their captain's gut. "Guh," Spit flies out of his mouth as his body starts to catch up to Luffy's actions. As the force catches up to him, the invading captain is sent flying off into the horizon.
"King Wapol!" His men shouted in horror as they rushed back to their sub and chase after their quickly disappearing captain.
"That was annoying." Zoro placed two of his katana's back in their scabbards.
"Yeah, who were those bastards?" Sanji lit another cigarette. Looking at their flag, it would have passed as a basic jolly roger that any ordinary person would describe with ease. Their flag lacked any kind of flare that every other pirate crew has. It looked as though their 'captain' chose the most basic design he could think of.
Unseen by everyone, Vivi froze on the spot. The rest of the crew seemed to miss when those 'pirates' yelled "King Wapol". The man had looked oddly familiar but the bluenette wasn't able to place where she had seen him initially. But now she remembers him, she had met him when she was a little girl accompanying her father to the Reverie. He was a spiteful/greedy man that smacked her then and nearly caused a war in the process. Why would he become a pirate?
Time Skip
Luck had taken a change for the Straw Hats as they had finally found an island. The island blanketed in snow was a welcome sight. As they pulled in closer to the island, they followed the shoreline, looking for a port. The Straw Hats couldn't help but notice that the island was surrounded by this feeling of despair.
"What happened here?" Nojiko asked no one in particular. This is one of the few times that she had left Nami's side since she had fallen sick.
The more experienced members of the crew had grown eerily silent. Zoro and Gin had placed their hands on their weapons while Luffy, Reiju and Sanji wouldn't take their eyes off the cliffs that surrounded them.
"What's wrong guys" Yosaku noticed how some of the crew were so on guard. Exchanging a look with Johnny, they tried to look for whatever those guys were looking at.
"We have company." Proving Sanji's point, a group of armed 'guards' appeared on the ridge, all with rifles trained on them.
"Good job, shitty cook. Couldn't you have said a group of doctors or something." Despite their situation, Zoro isn't going to pass an opportunity to give the Sanji shit.
"Shut it, Mosshead."
"Not now, boys." Reiju noticed that their welcoming party were literally shaking in their spot and not from the cold. They were nothing more than civilians trying to put on a front.
"Halt, no pirates are welcomed here! Turn back or we'll open fire." Shouted the one person who was shaking in their boots. He is a tall man with slicked back black hair and a goatee and is wearing a white fur-lined green tunic with armor plates along his arms.
"We're not here to harm you guys. We have two crewmates that are sick and need a doctor." Luffy was trying to play this carefully. All but one of these people looked ready to overreact with how on edge they seem to be.
"You will find no help here. Leave, now!" The leader all but shouted, not breaking eye contact with Luffy.
"Please, we'll pay!"
"Didn't you hear what Dalton said?!" one of the villagers said as he leaned forward. "Leave! We don't want you here!" In his excitement, the villagers accidentally pulled the trigger, shooting the deck of the Ikaros.
The Straw Hats drew their weapons and were ready for a fight.
"Remember why we're here!" Vivi hissed as she slammed Luffy's face onto the deck. Bowing next to him, the princess managed to defuse the tension. "Think about Nami and Mikita." Vivi hadn't grown to like Miki, not yet at least. But no one deserves to go through what those two are experiencing.
Luffy grunted in annoyance. Vivi was right. They didn't come here to pick a fight with random. "Please, we didn't come here to harm your people. We just need help." One by one, the Straw Hats stood down.
Dalton glared at the person who fired his rifle. The idiot nearly got them killed. Looking back at the pirates, he took a moment to weigh his options. The bay turned uncomfortable quiet as everyone saw the gears turning in Dalton's head. "Fine. But don't try anything. We've already suffered enough because of pirates."
"Thank you." Luffy said as he got up. A few of the pirates ran into the medical bay. A moment later Luffy and Sanji came out with Nami and Miki strapped to their backs while also being properly bundled up. Zoro and Desire stayed back to watch the ship. They remembered their experience with Wapol, they know he could show up at any time.
"Sorry about that. Our people don't have the best history with pirates." The tension in the air was tense to say the least. Dalton tried to break the ice, but as they walked through town, the Straw Hats saw how everyone was shooting them dirty looks.
"What happened?" Silk wasn't naïve enough to believe that all pirates were as good as their merry band of misfits. She had seen firsthand what happened to her village.
Dalton told them the story of how their nation was attacked by the Blackbeard Pirates. Their king, Wapol, fled the nation, bringing their army and doctors with him. Dalton was ordered to flea with them but refused to leave the people to die.
Sitting in his home, with Nami and Mikita being forced to share a bed, the crew reflected on the story. Most of them felt horrible that they were about to attack. The only one that didn't was Luffy. He was too focused on the safety of his crew.
"What kind of a king would abandon his people." Vivi was mortified. Her father cared greatly for his people. He always put their needs and safety first. When the drought first started, he had looked for any way to help his people. He even contacted nearby nations in the hopes of buying water from them. The idea of him abandoning his people for his own safety couldn't cross her mind.
"Wapol's father was a model king. He would have died for his people if it meant their safety." Dalton didn't know what had gone wrong with Wapol. Making 'his' people practically pay for their lives just to receive help from 'his' doctors. Wapol had bled the nation dry of wealth. Dalton thought his opinion of his former king couldn't get any lower. How naïve he was. "I know you want to help your friends. But we only have one doctor left on this island."
"Where can we find them?" Hearing the desperation in Nojiko, everyone winced, if only slightly.
"Good question. Doctor Kureha travels around the island, helping anyone she can." For all Dalton knows, she could be heading here right now. She could also be on the opposite side of the island.
"Where's her house? She must have somewhere she sleeps."
"Yeah," Dalton looks out the window towards the giant cylindrical mountain. "That mountain is where the palace is located. Dr. Kureha moved in after Wapol fled."
"Great, so we're on a wild goose chase." Even if there are only a few towns on this island, it comes down to luck on whether they find the right one at the right time.
"I'll take Nami and Miki to the palace." Luffy said as he stood up from Nami's side, beside Nojiko. "You guys split up. If you find this doctor, tell her to head to the castle."
"Not the worse idea I've heard." The more Gin thought about it, the more I agreed with it. If they split into two groups, and head in two different directions, the odds of finding Kureha increases. It's still a matter of luck and their odds aren't good, but what else can they do.
"I'm going with you Luffy." Nojiko said, staring her captain in the eyes, telling him there is no room for discussion. Luffy only nodded.
"I'm coming too." Whether it be helping with carrying one of the girls or protecting the group to keep Luffy from fighting, Sanji figured this was the best path for him to be helpful.
"Hey Dalton, is Wapol some fat guy with a metal jaw." Luffy asked. With Dalton helping them, he might as well return the favor in some way.
"How did you know?"
"We ran across him a few days ago. He was asking for an Eternal Pose leading here."
"We're going to need to step up our patrols and keep an eye for him." If Wapol is this close to returning, Dalton needs to be ready to protect everyone.
"Silk, Johnny, Yosaku. Stay here and help these guys out." They have plenty of people to spare.
"Got it." The three swordsman said in unison. They saw no reason to argue with Luffy. From what they've seen, Dalton is the only one here that can fight.
"Leave it to us, Big Bro." Yosaku said jovially.
"We won't let anything happen to this people."
Silk couldn't stop herself from being amused with her fellow swordsmen. They are always so positive she couldn't help but smile when around them. "We'll protect them."
"I'll take Usopp and head west." With Usopp's eyes, he and Gin should have no problem missing anything.
"I'll take Vivi and Barto and head east." Reiju said before turning her attention to Dalton. "Do you have any recommendations for where we should look?"
"Last we heard; Dr. Kureha was spotted in Cocoa Weed." Dalton said pointing to a village East of Bighorn.
"Looks like we got a plan." Sanji said before turning to Luffy. "How are we doing this? Same as before?"
"I should warn you." Dalton caught their attention. "There's a species of carnivorous rabbits called lapahns."
"Carnivorous rabbits? Oh no, Sorry Gin. My I-don't-want-to-get-eaten-it is acting up." Usopp said as he backed away from the door.
"That sucks, I bet this doctor has a cure for it." Grabbing the hood of the sniper's jacket, Gin dragged Usopp out the door.
"Nooooo! I don't want to get eaten!" everyone ignored Usopp's please.
"How dangerous are these lapahns?" Vivi never heard of rabbits that ate meat. All the rabbits that she had either heard of or seen were herbivores.
"Very. They're pack hunters and can easily overpower most humans." Surprisingly enough, whenever someone goes missing, it's usually a safe bet to assume that the lapahns had got to them.
"We'll be fine. Let's get going." Reiju said as her Vivi and Barto left.
"Here, Sanji, let me help." Silk said as she went to help her fellow blonde chef. Nojiko was busy helping strap Nami to Luffy's back. Dalton was lost in thought about the prospect of Wapol now inevitable return.
"Thanks, Silk." Sanji knows that he'll be able to carry and protect Miki. This is just an extra precaution given how much running they're going to do and help make Mikita even slightly more comfortable.
"I know this should have been asked earlier, but would you like a jacket?" Dalton asked Luffy.
"No thanks, I'm good." It's been years since Luffy has felt cold. He's almost jealous of the others. He's forgotten what it feels like to be cold.
With Desire and Zoro
"Hey Zoro, is that the ship of those pirates that invaded our ship a few days ago?" Desire asked as she sipped her Hot chocolate. Standing there in her fluffy jacket with a cup full of the liquidized substance of her favorite snack, the redhead was enjoying her down time.
"Looks like it." The invading pirates were still a ways away from the coast. If it wasn't for the training they've done with Luffy, they probably wouldn't have noticed it until it was much closer.
Taking another sip from her cup, Desire gave the ship an unamused look. "I'll bet you a bottle that you can't cut that ship in half from here."
"OK, bet." Jumping onto the railing, Zoro focused on his grip. Taking a deep breath, the swordsman thought back on the process that Luffy has hammered into his head and helped him refine the technique for use with his sword. "Rankyaku!" Zoro shouts, sending a blade of condensed air soaring across the water.
Though the pirate's ship was too far away, the two Straw Hats could have sworn they could hear them screaming from where they were.
The Bliking pirates screamed in terror as they rushed to get the lifeboats out of their compartments. Their ship had almost been cut in half, but due to the force of the water rushing into their ship, whatever wasn't cut was ripped apart by the force.
"Damn, I thought I got the hang of that attack." Zoro had wondered how Mihawk had done it. He had slaughtered Gin's old crew single handedly while leaving them so scared they willingly treaded the Calm Belt just to get away.
"Close but not quite." Desire looked pleased with herself. She thought the odds of Zoro winning the bet would have been 50/50. He's skilled but never attacked a ship so far away. "Take your time getting me a bottle of wine." She teased watching as the pirates fought over the life rafts. One was dedicated to Wapol, a giant hippo-like creature and two of his officers. Everyone else was desperate to get out of the freezing waters, a few doing so at the expense of their crewmates. "Want to toy with those guys?"
Both Desire and Zoro shot each other a sinister smirk before turning their attention back to the pirates. Luffy chased them off before they got back at them for invading their ship. Why were those pirates coming to this island, they didn't care. But, if they want to come ashore, they're going to have to work for it.
"Did Usopp finished making those Buggy balls?"
"Yep." Not only did Usopp replicate Buggy's special ball, but he's also managed to make a surplus of them.
With Luffy's Group
"Luffy, you sense that?" Sanji asked as three of them ran towards Drum Rock.
"Yeah," Looking towards the side, Luffy could see giant rabbits that rivaled bears because of their size.
"Those bust be the Lapahns." If it was only one or two of them, Nojiko wouldn't have given them a second thought. But there are dozens of them with more appearing the farther into the forest they got. With Luffy and Sanji being busy carrying Nami and Mikita, it's up to her to protect them.
"Don't worry about them." Luffy didn't see a reason to worry about the numbers.
"Have any idea on how we're getting up that mountain." The bluenette asked, resulting in Luffy and Sanji's face to go blank. "You guys didn't think about that did you?" To be fair, she didn't either, but they don't need to focus on that part.
"Ugh, we really should have asked Dalton how to get up that mountain." Dr. Kureha was said to be the best doctor around, despite being the only one. No one has mentioned anything about physical skill. It would have been helpful to ask if Dalton knew how she got up the mountain.
"I have a couple ideas." When it comes to Geppo, Sanji is one of the most adept at the skill amongst the Straw Hats, second to Luffy and tied with Reiju. Problem is, Sanji is adept enough to jump to the top of the mountain. Nojiko, while no slouch, more than likely wouldn't make it up a third of the way on her own.
While talking, the Straw Hats were ducking out of the way of a juvenile lapahns was jumping at them.
"Why does that make me nervous?" Nojiko could feel herself loosing her patience as she ducked underneath the young lapahn's strike.
"Because Luffy's ideas usually end up being dangerous whether they work or not." Sanji almost tripped as he stepped over the lapahns as it went for one of his legs.
"It's worked for me in the past." He was able to stand on a solar wind he created back in Goa kingdom. He doesn't know if the others would be able to do it or not. But it would be an easy, albeit longer way up the mountain. "Would you cut that out!" Luffy punches the young lapahns in the head, causing it to slam into the ground with a giant bump on its head. "Sorry about that, Nami." Luffy said as he tried to readjust his grip on the redhead.
"It's… ok."
Feeling a teer welling up in the corner of it's eyes, the young lapahns winced as it tried to touch the lump on it's head. "WAAAA!" It let out a loud cry of pain, causing the older lapahns to turn their collective focus towards the running Straw Hats.
"Shit!" Luffy, Nojiko, and Sanji shout as they ran faster to get away from the swarm of Lapahns chasing them.
"You just had to punch one, didn't you Luffy?!" what looked like about a dozen full grown lapahns turned into significantly more.
"Quit complaining and run!" Nojiko screamed. Her grip tightened on her knife as her knuckles turned her white. "We need to do something!"
"Enough!" Luffy screamed.
Nojiko and Sanji nearly tripped as they felt this almost oppressive feeling wash over them. There was a chill that ran down their spines that left them feeling colder than the weather did. Behind them there was no sound of the hoard of lapahns running towards them. Turning around, their eyes widen in shock and confusion when they saw that every lapahn had passed out.
"What was that?"
Sanji was left speechless, mouth agape with his cigarette disappearing in the snow.
"You said we had to do something." They didn't have time to deal with the lapahns. Running wouldn't get anywhere and fighting was too risky for Nami and Mikita's sake. "I did something."
"What…" Sanji would have asked what that was if a loud groan caught their attention.
The three turn and see all the snow that had shifted from the mountain.
"Avalanche!" They scream.
"Guys, jump!" Luffy said as he took the lead.
Nojiko and Sanji looked at each other before using Geppo.
"Drop!" Luffy shouted as he stopped kicking.
Following his lead, they dropped down and landed on a layer of fog. The heat radiating off it would have been unbearable if not for the cold weather.
"What the hell is this?"
"It's a solar wind. I use this whenever I don't feel like using Geppo." In truth, other than creating a strong gust, Luffy didn't really know what to do with this power. At least it was useful when he did use it.
"Anyway, can you turn down the heat?" Nojiko felt the heat through her boots and could feel her feet sweating because of it.
"Sorry, I don't know how to do that." Because of how dangerous Luffy's Devil Fruit is, it was hard for him to find a place to train where he could truly test his limits. Unfortunately, his solar winds were a new addition to his arsenal so he didn't have it as refined as he would like. As soon as the avalanche died down, Luffy let the fog dissipate.
Landing in the snow, there was a bit of steam coming up.
"Alright let's get going." Hearing some whimpering, they turned and saw the juvenile lapahn desperately trying to dig out a bigger one. Walking over, the younger lapahn stood defiantly in front of the bigger one, ready to do what it had to. Reaching forward, the lapahn closed its eyes and moved its arms to protect itself. Hearing the sound of snow shifting, it turned around and saw Luffy pulling the bigger lapahn out of the snow. "Now we can get going."
At Bighorn a few minutes prior
"Hey, Little Sis! We have company." Johnny and Yosaku stared at the group of pirates, or soldiers as they learned, approaching the village. At first glance, many of them looked soaking wet and their numbers weren't nearly as high as a few days ago.
"Think they ran into Des and Zoro?" Yosaku asked.
"Looks like it, it would explain a lot."
"Wapol! Leave now! You're not welcome here anymore!" Dalton said, glaring at the former king as he pulled the giant spade that he had on his back.
"What are you talking about, traitor? This is my kingdom; I can go wherever I want!" Wapol was in no mood for any more games. Just making it to land was a nightmare. He had lost half of his men in the attack. They had to reroute to another shoreline just to survive the onslaught they dealt with. It was only by some miracle that they didn't lose any of their doctors.
"You still call yourself king after abandoning these people." It was taking everything Dalton had not to attack this bastard.
"Of course, the king is the most important person in a kingdom. It was imperative that I'd survive."
"Your father would have died for these people! Don't you dare put yourself on the same pedestal as him!"
"Enough! Men, put this traitor down and anyone that stands with him." Wapol was losing what patience he had. They'll cut this traitor down, return to his castle, restock from his armory, and get back at those bastards in the bay. There was a lot of work to do and blood to spill.
Transforming into his Ox-Hybrid form, Dalton rushed the soldiers as they raised their rifles. Breaking through their lines, he swung his spade left and right, knocking away soldier that made the mistake of getting to close to him.
"Chess, aim for the people." Wapol knows Dalton, he'll never let them get hurt.
"But Sir…" Chess started to say but stopped talking once he saw the glare directed at him. Knocking a series of arrows, he let loose on the people watching the fight.
"You cowards!" Dalton roared as he raced towards the arrows. He managed to get in front of the people and crossed his arms in front of him. He waited but was never hit. Opening his eyes, he was shocked to see the arrows cut in half with the blonde pirate standing in front of him.
"Protect the people, we'll take care of this trash." Silk hated what she saw. Using his own people as a diversion, despicable.
"Well said, Little Sis." Johnny had rested his sword on his shoulder as he stood by her side.
"Yeah, we got this." Outnumbered ten to one, Yosaku grins. Big Bro Zoro would have taken them down by himself with a single sword without breaking a sweat. Still, with just the three of them, these guys still didn't stand a chance.
Dalton wanted to tell the pirates to not kill the soldiers. He used to believe that they merely followed orders, not knowing how long they would be gone. But each one of the soldiers made the choice to leave. They chose not to stay. If any of them live, he'll give them a chance to atone for their mistakes.
Rushing forward, the soldiers were taken aback by how not worried the swordsman was.
Raising her sword high into the air, Silk cut a rifle in half before spinning her sword to the side and slammed the dull side against the skull of one of the soldiers.
Moving back, Silk side stepped a hammer from another soldier. The soldier raised his hammer to take another swing.
Blocking the strike, Silk smirked at what she saw. This soldier had terrible footwork. Swiping her leg across her leg across his feet, the soldier fell back on his back. Kicking him in the face, the soldier was unconscious before the hammer hit the ground.
Chess raised his bow and aimed for the blonde. Letting loose a few arrows, many of his men scrambled to get out of the way.
Silk side stepped the first arrow and cut the next two arrows in half. She would have rushed forward and attacked Chess if it wasn't for the group of soldiers before her being too numerous.
Standing back-to-back Johnny and Yosaku were blocking a group of swordsman that had tried to gang up on them. One by one, they worked in tandem block attack after attack. Watching each other's blind spots. Where one of them moved to attack, the other was there to follow up. When a soldier struck from behind, one of the pair would be there to block.
With how cohesively they moved together, the soldiers were convinced that they shared a brain.
Both former mercenaries were surprised that how unskilled these soldiers were. That or they really have been getting stronger.
Despite how numbered they were, the pirates were holding their ground.
"Kuromarimo, quit standing around and get in there." Wapol couldn't understand how three nobodies were holding back his forces. Were they always this week. Why would he put up with these losers for so long?
"AVALANCHE!" some of the citizens yelled in terror as they quickly ran back into their homes.
"Johnny, Yosaku, quick get on the roofs!" Silk shouted as the three of them got to higher grounds.
"You got to be kidding me!" Wapol shouted as him and his men were hit by the avalanche, many of them being trapped under the snow.
With Luffy's group
"Are you sure about this?" Nojiko asked as she helped tie Miki to Luffy's front.
"Yep, this was the quickest way up." If they had brought Barto, he could have made a ramp with his barrier, and they could just run up. He could try making another Solar Wind for them to run on, but the heat was getting to Nojiko after only a few moments. What would happen with how long it would take to run up to the top?
"Why don't we just use Geppo?" Sanji didn't like any part of this plan. The only reason he was going along with it is because he knows Luffy is thinking about the girl's health.
"If you guys can make it up there, you won't be walking for a while." Luffy wasn't convinced that he'd be able to walk after jumping the height of this mountain.
"Miki, are you good?" The bluenette asked.
"I'm fine." Her breathing was becoming more labored. If it wasn't for her proximity to Luffy, Miki would be shivering uncontrollably.
The three Straw Hats gave each other a look, just looking at Miki and Nami told them they were running out of time.
"Ok, let's just do this." Sanji relented. He was thankful that Zoro wasn't here.
Picking up Nojiko and Sanji, Luffy ignited pillars of flames under his feet. Taking a second deep breath, Luffy flies them towards the top of the mountain.
With Gin and Usopp
"What did you say?" Gin asked as he stared at one of the den den mushi's they borrowed from Dalton. If he had to guess, he and Usopp had made it halfway across the mountain by now.
Usopp was on the ground, hunched over in the snow, desperately trying to catch his breath. Gin hadn't given the sniper a break and had to run this whole way there. To make it worse, Gin didn't even have the courtesy to at least pretend to be tired.
"Wapol was here." Silk repeated herself. Dalton and the people were digging out the soldiers, seeing who had survived and who hadn't. Wapol, Benson, Chess, and Kuromarimo were nowhere to be found. Much to Dalton's surprise, the Isshi-100 were there providing medical treatment that was hurt.
Where Dalton held no love for the soldiers, the Isshi-100 were a different story. While they did flee with Wapol, they weren't combatants. Wapol was being a tyrant and would have threatened, forced, or even killed any of the doctors if they had refused him.
There was the added reasoning of the people needed more doctors other than Kureha to rely on.
"We haven't found him yet, so we're thinking he got away." The blonde looked over the soldiers that they had dug out. The glares from the people said so much about how they felt about their 'protectors'. Not a single soldier was able to look the people in the eye.
"That's annoying." Reiju said from her own den den mushi with Vivi and Barto nearby, listening in. "Any guess where they could have gone?"
Looking towards the mountain where the royal castle is supposed to be, Gin let out a huff. "I got an idea. Think the big bastard left any weapons in the castle?" If Wapol wants to retake the kingdom, he's going to need weapons. If they were in a rush when they fled, more than likely they had left something valuable behind. Even if they didn't, that castle would be important in retaking the island. It's easily defendable and difficult to get to.
"Isn't that where Luffy and the others went?" Vivi asked with a hint of concern in her voice.
"It is." Reiju didn't see a reason to be concerned. Luffy by himself meant they had nothing to worry about. Between him, Sanji and Nojiko, they have nothing to worry about. So long as they weren't busy trying to protect Nami and Mikita.
"We haven't found anything yet, what about you Reiju?"
"Yeah, Dr. Kureha was here not too long-ago helping people. Heard she headed back to the castle after taking some supplies." The people of Cocoa Weed were willing to tell every detail of the doctor's visit. To the pinkette, she sounded like a former pirate with how she handled payments.
"Seems like the castle is going to be a hot spot soon enough. We need to get up there."
"Dalton was telling me that there is a gondola near Bighorn that leads to the top of Drum Rock." The gondola was the main way for supplies to taken to the castle.
"Why didn't he tell us about it sooner!?" Barto shouted over Reiju's shoulder, earning an elbow to his gut courtesy of the pinkette. Knowing about it sooner would have saved Luffy's group so much time.
"He said that it been down ever since Wapol fled the country. They never moved to fix it because they didn't see a point." Silk winced at the barrier man's outburst.
"We're heading back, Usopp and I will get that gondola running." Gin grabbed the back of Usopp's jacket and pulled him up to his feet.
"At least give me a chance to catch my breath!"
"I'll see if anyone here can help too." Looking towards Dalton and the people of Bighorn, Silk hoped the people can spare some supplies.
"We're on our way. Don't go up the gondola without us." Reiju signaled Vivi and the groaning Barto to get ready. They had a lot of running ahead of them.
At Drum Castle
Nami let out a groan as she rolled over in her bed. Her body ached but she had felt more comfortable than she had all day. 'What the…' her mind began to catch up as she slowly opened her eyes. Looking around, she appeared to be in a fabricated infirmary. Next to her bed was Miki, still asleep but looking better than either of them had that morning.
On her other side, Nami felt a soft smile gracing her lips as she saw her sister sleeping in the chair next to her bed.
"How are you feeling?" A timid voice asked.
The navigator looked to the doorway and saw a… creature trying to hide behind the wall, but only hid a small part of his leaving the rest of his body exposed. "Yes, I'm feeling much better. Can't speak for my friend though. Are you the one that healed us?" As much as Nami wanted to tell the creature that he was hiding behind the wall wrong, she couldn't. It was too cute with how it was trying to hide.
"That's good to hear." The creature said as he took a few hesitant steps towards the redhead. He is covered in brown fur and is wearing a pair of maroon shorts and a pink hat with antlers sticking out the side. "Are you really pirates?"
"Yes, we are. So, who are you?"
"I'm Tony Tony Chopper."
"If you don't mind me asking, what are you? Did you eat a Devil Fruit?"
"I'm a reindeer that ate the Hito Hito no Mi. You don't seem to be shocked to see me?"
"You're far from the strangest person I've met." That would be Luffy by a long shot. Most of the misfits that make up their pirate crew also qualify but the strangest of them are still a distant second to their captain. "Have you seen my other two friends?"
"Those two have been chasing me around, trying to eat me." Chopper said as he jumped onto her bed. Placing a hoof on her forehead, he checked to see if Nami still had a fever. "That's good," he said as he reached for the stethoscope on the end table. Checking on her heartbeat, he let out a content little sigh. "Your fever is going down and your heartbeat is normal."
"That's good to hear." Nami said as she watched Chopper move over to Miki's bed and did the same thing to the blonde.
"It appears you're both doing much better."
"Hmmm." Nojiko muttered as she reached her arms upward and stretched out any stiffness that had accumulated throughout the day. "Nami! You're finally awake!" As soon as the bluenette was able to process what she was seeing, Nojiko had wrapped her sister in a hug.
Returning the hug, Nami held onto the bluenette. Ever since their mother was killed, Nojiko had very protective of Nami. "How did we get here?" Most of her time on this island was a blur to the redhead. The last thing she remembers was being surrounded by the lapahns.
"Once we got to the base of the mountain, Luffy flew us up here."
Nojiko was cut off as Luffy and Sanji burst through the door. Slamming it shut and propping themselves against it, the two of them looked utterly terrified. "Oh, Nami! You're awake."
"AHHH!" Chopper screamed and bolted out the opposite door.
Everyone watched the fleeing reindeer for a second, taking the time for things to process. Hearing something stabbing through the door, Luffy and Sanji slowly turn their heads to the side, staring at the blade of the axe that pierced through. The color drained from their faces simultaneously as their eyes shrank. "AHHH!" They screamed as they ran through the door Chopper had fled through.
"Those damn punks." A doctor in the prime of her youth said as she came through the door. She is wearing a white shirt with Sakura pedals on it that left her midriff exposed, showing off a naval ring, a pair of purple, low riding pants and a purple jacket with yellow stripes going down the arm.
"It's never quiet with this crew, is it?" Mikita said as she sat up in her bed.
"Not from what I can tell." The doctor said as she walked over to the beds. Lifting up Nami shirts, she nodded slightly as she before doing the same to Miki. "You both seem to be doing much better. Be sure to thank that captain of yours. If you got here any later, I doubt you two would have lasted much longer."
"Dr. Kureha, what happened to them." The doctor didn't say anything to them after hearing what their symptoms were. She ordered Luffy and Sanji to carry the girls into the infirmary and got to work immediately.
"You girls were infected with the Kestia virus. A very rare disease that died of centuries ago. You two were lucky that I just happened to know how to cure it. Where were you that you caught this disease?"
"Little Garden."
"That explains it." Out of all the islands… "You two will need to rest here for a few more days before I can say that you're completely cured."
"What?!" all three of them yelled in unison.
"Keep it down, we haven't even talked about payment yet." Nojiko shivered having been the only one of the three to hear how horrible the doctor is about collecting her payment.
"We can't stay here! We need to hurry and get to Alabasta!" Nami was rendered silent as Kureha quickly pulled out a scalpel and held it to the redhead's throat.
"There are two ways one of my patients leaves my care. Alive or dead. Which would you prefer?"
"Take that damned scalpel away from my sister." Nojiko said coldly as she pulled out her knife and held it to the doctor's neck.
"Ah, youthful vigor." Kureha wasn't bothered by this predicament in the slightest. "If you care about your crewmates health, you'll listen to me."
"Nojiko," Nami said, placing a hand on her sister's arm. "We'll figure something out."
"Fine." Placing her knife back in her scabbard, the girls tried to ignore the tension, a task that was easier for the doctor.
"At least one of you have a level head." Turning her attention to Nami, Kureha leveled a glare towards her, though it held no heat. "And you, you've been talking up my man." She teased, amused that the three of them didn't react other than confusion on the blonde's face.
"Didn't know you had called dibs." Nami returned the jab with an amused giggle behind her words. "So, what's the story with Chopper." The redhead could tell that a lot had happened to the reindeer. There had to be reason for him to be so skittish.
Dr. Kureha had lost her grin. Very few people had ever shown interest in her student and even fewer were interested how he became who he is? "You girls sure you want to know?" Seeing them nod, she let out a sigh. "Get comfortable then."
Kureha told them how Chopper was an outcast even back when he was a normal reindeer. Because he was born with the birth defect of having a blue nose, his heard practically left him for dead. Once he happened across his Devil Fruit, things only got worse. The heard, led by his father, had tried to kill him. Fleeing in his new human like appearance, Chopper tried to approach some humans, hoping they would be more hospitable.
Of course, when faced with the unknown, the people Chopper approached reached for their rifles and shot at him. a few of them had grazed the reindeer.
It wasn't until Chopper had met a quack doctor named Hiriluk did things start to change for the better. The man had risked his life and was nearly beaten to death just so that he could help the poor reindeer. From that point on, those two were as close as could be. It was because of Hiriluk that Chopper gained his interest in medicine and pirates.
One day, Chopper witnessed Hiriluk coughing up blood. Searching through the doctor's medical books, the Reindeer found something that he thought would help his surrogate father. Risking his life and finding the mushroom in the book marked with the skull and crossbones, Chopper brought it back to Hiriluk. The doctor had tears in his eyes as he hugged Chopper, mostly out of concerned for how battered Chopper was when he returned.
Turning the mushroom to soup, Hiriluk quickly tended to Chopper's injuries. Giving the reindeer a sedative to help him sleep, Hiriluk left Chopper with Kureha before leaving.
When Chopper finally came to, Kureha had asked why Hiriluk was acting so strange. When Chopper told her everything, Kureha punched Chopper. Punching him again and again, Kureha had tears rolling down her face as she explained what Chopper had done.
Chopper had given Hiriluk a poisonous mushroom. Chopper had accidentally sentenced his surrogate father to death.
Chasing after the man to, Chopper didn't know what he was going to do. He didn't know what he could do with his limited knowledge. Following Hiriluk's scent, Chopper approached the base of Drum Rock in time to see a massive explosion at the summit.
Returning to Kureha, he had convinced her to teach him everything that she knows about medicine. He swore that one day, he'll be able to cure all diseases.
"That's terrible." Nami was the first of the three to speak. The three of them had been crying as they had heard Chopper's story.
"He's a diligent student, he's learned just about everything I have to teach him." What Kureha wasn't saying was that the only way for Chopper to continue growing as a doctor would be for him to leave this island and travel the world. On a small island like this, even with a teacher like Kureha, there's only so much that Chopper can learn. What he needs now is experience to guide him. Knowledge without experience is a waste of time.
"Hey Nami, how you feeling?" Luffy asked as he and Sanji walked through the door, freezing as he sees the doctor glaring at him.
"There you two are." Dr. Kureha reached for the weapons that she had kept nearby. "You two done being disrespectful little shits?"
Both Luffy and Sanji held up their hands, a look of fear the girls had not seen on their faces. "We'll be good."
"Good." Whatever tension there was, disappeared.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Sanji moved to take a seat by the window while Luffy sat on Nami's bed.
"Man, that little raccoon guy is so cool." Luffy said as he threw an arm around Nami.
"He's not a racoon, he's a reindeer and his name is Chopper." Nami corrected her lover as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"Cool, think we can talk him into joining our crew?" And like that, the tension in the room returned as Kureha turned her attention towards Luffy. His crewmates recognized that look in his eyes. He's already made up his mind. Chopper is joining their crew.
"You know kid, I never caught your name." Loud, crass, unapologetic, this young punk reminded her of someone.
"I'm Monkey D. Luffy."
There was a flicker of amusement in Dr. Kureha's eyes that were hidden by her sunglasses. "Tell me, why did you set out to sea? What are you after?"
"The One Piece, I'm going to be the King of the Pirates." And there it was, the same smile that was last seen by the man who the whole world knew of.
Plenty of fools set out to sea, most end up dead within a year if they're lucky. Every now and then, one fool comes along that defies all expectations. With how long a life Kureha has lived, she's learned how to recognize one of those fools. There was no bravado or miss placed optimism with Luffy. He genuinely believed everything he said.
"You're welcome to try, but the choice is his." Kureha would never take that choice from Chopper. He had become like a son to her, and like any parent, she wants the best for him.
"Doctorine!" Chopper shouted as he came running into the infirmary. "It's Wapol, he's back!"
"Wapol's back!" Surprise filling her words, Kureha rushed to the window to see for herself. "Took the bastard long enough." The disdain in her voice told the Straw Hats just how highly she thought of her former king.
"This guy again?" Looking out the window, Luffy groaned in annoyance. "Great, I'm not done with that bastard."
"Stay here, you two." Nojiko said as she stood up. "We'll take care of this." The bluenette stopped as she felt Luffy putting something on her head.
"Don't worry we got this. Just look after Nami and Miki." Seeing that reassuring grin Nojiko was left speechless.
"I'm coming with you." Chopper said as he quickly followed after Luffy and Sanji.
Reaching up to head to see what Luffy had placed there, Nojiko's eyes slightly widen as she feels his straw hat.
"At least we have nothing to worry about?" Nami said as she smirked at her sister. Part of her was wondering if she had the same look of shock on her face when Luffy did the same thing for her. Since leaving Cocoyasi Village, Nojiko had spent most of her time either with herself or Luffy. Both have spent a lot of time training her so that she wouldn't be a helpless damsel in distress.
Then there were looks. There were subtle little differences in the bluenette's demeaner. If Nami wasn't so close to Nojiko, she would have missed it. When Luffy was either around or came up in conversation, Nojiko always seemed happier. Nami wondered if she wasn't with Luffy herself, would Nojiko be more interested in her boyfriend.
What was weird to the redhead, it didn't bother as much as she thought it would. At their fundamental level, both Luffy and Nami are selfish people. Nami grew up poor and as such she greatly values treasures of all kinds. Luffy didn't have that kind of love for bellis and treasure. They're more tools for him to acquire more food and booze. What Luffy values most is his friends. That's why they get along so well, their greedy desires don't overlap and conflict with each other.
"Hey," Miki said quietly, catching the attention of both sisters. "This might sound weird, but…" The blonde didn't know how to ask this question. She had always heard not to look a gift horse in the mouth. "Why did all of you try so hard to save me? It would have been easier to just let me die." Nami made perfect sense to save. She's an absurdly skilled navigator. The redhead's skill gave them a much higher chance of surviving the Grand Line. Miki on the other hand, she's somewhere between guest and prisoner. The effort to save her outweighed how much she provided the crew.
"What are you talking about?" Nami asked as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Luffy saved you because he wanted to. As far as he's concerned, your part of the crew."
"But… why?" They were enemies not long ago. Her and Mr. 5 attacked them with intent to kill them. She only asked to travel with them because she would have died on her own because of her failures.
"If you're looking for reasoning with Luffy, then give up." Nojiko chimed in, she hasn't known the captain for as long as her sister, but she can tell he does whatever he wants. Whether he has a good reason or not is irrelevant. "If Luffy wants you to be a part of the crew, then he sees something in you. Don't bother asking what that something is."
Mikita brought her legs up to her chest and held them as the sister's words played in her mind. Is Luffy that simple of a man? Is she good enough as she is?
"That dream of yours." Nami said, bringing the blonde out of her thoughts. "It's the type of dream Luffy likes. One you can't fulfill while your home."
At the castle's doors
"Wapol, you took your time crawling back." Kureha spat out. "Leave, your worthless ass isn't welcome here anymore."
"Well if it isn't the witch. What are you doing in my castle?" Wapol asked as he was flanked by his two strongest, most loyal men. This whole ordeal of getting back to the castle was too taxing. He had lost just about all his men. His ship was destroyed. And to make matters worse, there on top of his castle rested a pirate flag instead of his nation's flag. That insult was the worse part of his day.
"You're castle? You lost the right to call this your castle after you fled the country to save your life."
"I am the king of this country. My life matters more than all the people's lives combined. You could have joined me if you weren't such an evasive old hag and done as you were told." It's a well-known fact that Kureha is the most talented doctor on the island. And by a large margin as well. When he had rounded up the country's doctors, she had been the first one he ordered his men to capture.
"Doesn't matter now. Leave! This is your last chance."
"Not now. I'm going to rebuild this country from the ground up. I'll kill all the dissenters and make the rest watch so that they know who's in charge." All he needs are the weapons he has kept in his armory then the rest will be a cake walk. "My first order of business is removing that damn flag!"
"What an idiot." Luffy said off handedly. Just hearing Wapol speak was causing his blood pressure to rise. The snow around him had already melted.
"Don't get me started with you. You and your crew are dead?" Opening his mouth, the barrel of a cannon appeared. Looking upwards, Wapol fires the canon towards the flag that belonged to Hiriluk.
"No!" Chopper and Kureha yelled in unison as they moved out into the open. Looking up they waited for the smoke to clear. Standing there, holding the flag, was Luffy as he glared daggers at Wapol. The flag had a few tears in it but stood mostly in tact.
"Don't you dare disrespect a pirate's flag! A worthless coward like you can never understand what this means." This flag may have been a symbol of another pirate's crew, but Luffy will never allow another person to disrespect these flags.
"It's just the flag of some fool that isn't even alive anymore. What value is there?"
Even after years of masquerading as a pirate, Luffy couldn't believe that this so-called king still didn't understand what it meant to be a pirate. Wapol failed as a king, as a pirate, and in life.
"I'll take the big bastard on the right!" Sanji shouted as he rushed towards Kuromarimo. The chef knew he needed to act now before Luffy blew a fuse.
"I'll get Chess!" Chopper didn't want to be left out.
"About time I see some action." Kuromarimo said with a smirk. He had practically been on the sidelines all day.
Sanji, rushing in, he jumped up and tried to kick the afro man in the side of the head.
Kuromarimo ducked down narrowly dodging the kick, the blonde's leg went through the boxer's afro. "Fool!"
"Ah!" Sanji yelled out as felt multiple stabbing pains in his leg. Looking down, the chef sees a clump of Kuromarimo's hair sticking to his leg with multiple spikes sticking out of the hair.
"Can't rush into a fight with me, dumbass."
"And why's that?" A stabbing pain in his leg is nothing. Training under Zeff and Luffy was significantly worse than this. "Soru." Sanji said as he disappeared from his opponent's sight. Appearing before the afro man. Raising his leg high up, the chef yells "Collier" and slams the spike filled afro into the boxer's neck.
Coughing up blood, Kuromarimo felt the spikes tearing into his throat and chin. By the time the inertia caught up with his body, the boxer was sent flying off the mountain.
"Wow, that was boring." For a king's royal guard, Sanji didn't know what he was expecting, be guessed they would have given him at least a little challenge.
"Kuromarimo!" Chess and Wapol shouted.
"Don't leave yourselves open." Luffy said as rushed towards Wapol. Picking the bastard up, Luffy spins him around and slams the fake king head first into the ground.
While in his Heavy Point, Chopper threw a series of punches, all of which the archer had managed to avoid.
Jumping back, Chess knocked back half a dozen arrows. Firing them off in rapid succession, the archer is trying desperately to keep as much distance as possible between him and the monster.
Jumping up, Chopper changed back into his Brain Point. Holding his hooves together in a square shape, the doctor examined his opponent, looking for any weak point. Grinning, Chopper reaches into his pocket and pulls out one of his rumble balls. Placing the ball into his mouth and biting down, he transforms into his Arm point.
Ducking out of the way of more arrows, Chopper get's in low and close to Chess. The archer only had enough time for his eyes to widen in shock. "Kokutei Roseo!" Chopper shouts as he punches Chess in the chest, sending the archer flying back and off the mountain.
Transforming back into his Brain Point, Chopper dropped to his knee, out of breath and tired but overall fine.
Luffy sent one punch after another into Wapol's gut. Each punch caused more blood to fly out of the king's mouth.
"You bastard!" Wapol opened his mouth once again as the cannon stuck out through his gaping maw. Firing off in rapid succession, Luffy was hit with multiple cannon balls to the face. "Not so cocky now! Eh!" he shouted with the cannon still in its place. He tried to crawl out from below Luffy but was stopped as both of the pirate's hands grabbed the sides of the cannon.
In fear, Wapol tried to fire the cannon again.
Before it could be set off, Luffy crushed the barrel closed.
Wapol's eyes widened in terror. He couldn't stop the cannon from firing mid blast. Feeling the explosion in his mouth, shrapnel tore through his mouth, ripping out chunks as the metal flew out of his mouth. The only reason he still has a jaw is due to it being made out of metal.
Due to the beating, a silver key was knocked loose from Wapol's coat. Luffy, seeing it, grabbed the key and pocketed it. It probably led to something important and Wapol wasn't going to need it.
"You think this over?!" Wapol said as he struggled to get back on his feet.
"Yeah, not like you can do anything to me."
"I'll show you!" he shouted as he tried to run past Luffy and get inside the castle. He needs to get into his armory. Then he'll turn this around.
"Soru." Not giving him a chance to have his way, Luffy appeared in front of Wapol. Holding his hands out in an X pattern Luffy smirked at the former king, causing Wapol to shiver in fear. "Zuma Zuma no Mi: Nagareboshi!" He shouted as a massive beam of plasma blasted Wapol in the chest.
Wapol couldn't even let out a grunt of pain as he disappeared onto the horizon.
"Hey everyone! We're here!" The rest of the crew shouted as they reached the top of the mountain With Dalton and any of the villagers that came with them.
"Was that Wapol we saw flying off earlier?" Reiju asked. They had all seen the big bastard flying off into the distance. There was a reason they weren't worried for Luffy's group's safety.
"Yep, I sent him blasting off again."
"What's that!" Johnny and Yosaku shout as they point at Chopper.
With all the attention that Chopper was getting, he was readying himself to make a run for. Most of these humans had already reacted poorly to seeing him before.
"This is Chopper, he's going to join our crew!" Luffy said proudly as he through an arm around the reindeer.
The rest of his crew stared at them blankly for a few moments. The silence in the area had become awkwardly quiet for a few moments.
"Woohoo! We got another crew mate!" Johnny and Yosaku shouted in unison, their single braincell working overtime for them.
"Oh my god, he's so cute!" Silk shouted as she ran up to Chopper and hugged him. She couldn't get over how soft he is.
"Wait, I haven't agreed to join your crew though."
"Give it up, once Luffy decides you're joining, you're already part of the crew." Gin said before walking up to the captain. "So, how are the girls doing?"
"Much better. Dr. Kureha and I were able to administer a cure for the virus just in time."
"Oh, cool. You're a doctor." Luffy said casually.
"You didn't know he is a doctor!" His crew shouted in unison.
"Why did you want Chopper to join your crew if you didn't know what he could do?" Vivi asked, seeing Luffy as an enigma in every conceivable way.
Going back inside Nami and Mikita were greeted by the sight of most of the crew asking how they were feeling.
"Hey Dalton, do you know where Wapol kept the key to the armory." Kureha asked the Bull-Man
"He always kept it around his neck. He never trusted anyone with it." Dalton spat out in disgust. If they had access to those weapons, they would have done better against those pirates.
Hearing something about a key, Luffy handed the key he got off of Wapol and handed it to Nami.
"You wouldn't happen to be talking about this key, would you?" The Cheshire grin on Nami's face not only showed how happy she is with her boyfriend but also how happy she is with a way for her to get out of a bill.
"You little, give me that key!"
"Na ha, you were talking about your fees, right?" With the tone she was speaking in, some of her own crew had to resist the urge to strike down the redhead immediately. Far too often, they have suffered from Nami making a 'deal' with them. If it wasn't for Nojiko, many of them would still be in debt.
"Fine!" Dr. Kureha could only smirk, impressed with how she was just played. It's like the kids say. Game respects game. "But, you're still not cleared to leave until you're fully healed." Doctorine said as she swiped the key.
"That wasn't what we agreed to! Give that back!"
"I already told you how my patients leave. Now Dalton and the rest of you come help me out. I want to examine the armory." Dr. Kureha said as she lead Dalton and the rest of the villagers out of the infirmary. "I'm going to be busy for the next couple hours and I expect you two to stay right there."
The Straw Hats took turns looking at each other. Each one of them comes to the same conclusion.
"I got Nami."
"I got Miki." Luffy and Sanji say in unison as the pirates quickly try to rush out of the infirmary.
With Chopper
Chopper bounced around in place as he tried to work up the nerves for what he was about to do. "Dr. Kureha, can I talk to you?"
"What's on your mind?"
He needed to do this, but the reindeer couldn't leave without Doctorine's blessing. "I want your blessing to leave with those pirates." Chopper was practically shaking as asked that question.
Dr. Kureha let out a sigh. She knew this day would come and when Luffy said he wanted Chopper for her crew, so many scenarios played through her mind. She tried to figure the best way to get him to go. But that wasn't the problem. The problem was letting him go. She would be lying if she said she hadn't seen Chopper as the son she never had. She couldn't even convey how proud she was of him out of desire for not being too sappy.
She wanted to scare him off, but if this is the last time they see each other, and that is a possibility, she didn't want that to be the way he remembers her. "Of course, you have my blessing. Now hurry up and get out of here." Kureha said as she grabbed Chopper's back that she had packed, handed it to him and pushed him towards the door.
"Thanks."
And that's it for this chapter. Finally done with the two chapters I was looking forward to the least. I know this chapter was a little late, but I genuinely had no idea what to do with this chapter. I know I didn't change to much with this chapter, but the only important things with this chapter were things I didn't want to change.
Hopefully there were some good character moments.
Also, one thing I want to address. In the last chapter, I forgot to write the part with Miss Goldenweek. If you haven't done so, I've already updated the previous chapter with her section. Check it out if you want to.
I don't know when the next chapter comes out. Hopefully later this month. The next chapter is going to be a filler chapter, so hopefully it won't be too difficult for me to knock it out.
Before I forget, I have a question. Would all of you be interested in seeing Luffy eating a second Devil Fruit. I'll set up a poll and keep it up until the next chapter comes out. If Luffy does get a second Devil Fruit, it won't appear for a while. Probably after the Marineford Arc.
Onto reviews
biob1: Thank you
NinjaFang1331: Whatever will the Straw Hats do?
Nanonano15243: Well, I'm a dumbass and forgot to write her part.
InsaneMakaioshin: 1. She does, Robin was more amused that Crocodile was so distracted because of Doflamingo that he didn't realize he was talking to someone else. 2. You're right, Luffy is more trustworthy than Crocodile. But remember, Robin at this point didn't trust anyone. And by staying with Crocodile, she gets what she wants with minimal effort. 3. Unlikely the only game I've played is Odyssey and I never finished it. 4. Could he call for back-up, yes. Would Crocodile involve another Warlord, highly unlikely.
TheGreatBubbaJ: Nope, that was one of Mr. 3's wax bodies. I initially forgot to write her part in the last chapter.
Bahiagmc: I know, if this site had a easy way to fix it without taking the chapter down and putting back up I would have fixed it.
Xerzo LotCN: The honest answer is that I loved that gag and wanted to keep it. Was it the smartest decision, probably not. I could have skipped it and no one would have said anything about it. Luffy could have easily beaten Smoker and Dragon only interfered so that Luffy can set out on his journey without delay. I have thought about adding Silk and Desire to the harem, the only thing stopping me is that I don't know how big I want the harem to be. Honestly, I never been a big Alvida fan. Sure, she became hot, but considering how many attractive women are in OP, she just faded into the background. Don't worry about missing updates. Take your time in catching up, at least then you can binge read instead of waiting for my slow ass to update.
Guest: I forgot to write her part
Guest: I don't know how big the harem is going to be either but I'll think about adding Vivi and Rebecca. I like your idea of having Reiju and Nojiko spy, that could be a fun bit to write. The only thing I don't like that is that want their attractions to Luffy be more emotional rather than physical.
Guest: If Smoker knew that Luffy was Dragon's son, he would have either been more adamant about catching him or more willing to call back up just to make sure Luffy doesn't get away.
Jeanken95: Will do and Thank you.
Guest: I think people are going to like what the package is. Also, yeah, these last three arcs had been difficult to write because I just didn't know what to do with them. Outside of introducing Vivi, Nami getting sick and Chopper, nothing happens here.
Battlesny: short sighted writing on my part. The context clues helps fill in the blanks for people to figure out they're pirates or at least I thought they would. Also keep in mind, Genzo has been around for a while and how what kind of people openly opposes the marines.
A10riddick: I'll explain why Reiju went with Sanji but that won't happen for a while. Glad you liked the lemon and no, there won't be any pregnancies in this story.
erasenpai946: If enough people ask for her, I'll add her which is looking like it's probably going to happen.
jeremiahkelley93: Thank you.
Zzkaizer: Will do, thank you
Kingred1994: It's a possibility, but I'm not sure as of yet.
Starfall Shadow: I was trying to build hype and get people to guess what it was.
Guest: I didn't realize how big the Ikaros is until somebody pointed that out. Thank god Luffy has an extended crew. I think you're going to like what I have planned for this story.
DarkPirateKing69: That means a lot, thank you.
theeelderman5: Dude, go fuck yourself. I never claimed to be a better writer than Oda and this is nothing more than a fun project for me. If you want a 1 to 1 OP story than just read the manga or watch the anime.
Uchicha ASHU: Involving everyone is the single biggest challenge I have with this story and to see you say I'm nailing that part, Thank you. Gin is such a fun character to write because he's that experienced badass that experiencing new things. I can't say anything about Doflamingo yet, but you are going to be pleasantly surprised.
That's it for the reviews. Remember to let me know what you think of this chapter. If you have a question than feel free to ask in a review and I'll answer in the next update or PM me and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.
Remember to vote in the pole.
Till next time
Mreh