Drumfinale
Luffy spent some time working to make Chopper her friend, which honestly confused the little reindeer after so much rejection. Luffy wound up chasing Chopper all around the castle, Rosa or Mifune occasionally catching the former whenever he tripped and making sure his medical equipment didn't break in the process.
"Help me, Doctorine!" Chopper called out as he kept running from the exuberant Luffy.
Kureha couldn't help but laugh. "Ah, that boy is going to have to accept it sooner or later."
"By the way, how did Chopper come to be in your care in the first place?" Nami asked.
"Well, as it turns out there was one man who was willing to accept Chopper, someone he was able to open up to when he was alone. His name was Doctor Hiriluk." Kureha explained. "The man was a quack, but he did care for Chopper. He gave him his name and even called him son."
That description made the Straw Hats smile warmly.
"…Honestly, Chopper was probably the best thing to ever happen to Hiruklik." Luna smiled as she watched the reindeer give Nami some medicine. "From what grandma tells me, he was a thief with an incurable disease before some doctor helped push the disease back."
She then looked out a window.
"Of course, no one knows the doctor in question, so Hiruklik then said the sight of cherry blossoms cured his sickness. And he then became dedicated to filling the kingdom with cherry blossoms. If anything you pirates would be the kind of people Hirulik would have adored and trusted Chopper too. Flying flags to show off their freedom and determination…"
"Okay, I'm gonna have to stop you right there for a moment," Kuina interrupted. "I get that Hiriluk admired pirates, and likely only met the swashbuckling adventurer kind, but pirates are far more nuanced than what he described. Being on a ship there's a lot of responsibilities."
"You need someone to take care of your health, to look over the ship and resources, to keep the crew in line. You need someone to make sure the crew is always ready for battle, and keep an eye out for enemies." Gin added. "And being on a voyage for days at a time can get boring, so it's important to have a musician on hand to keep morale up and keep things lively with singing and dancing."
"That's what I've been saying!" Luffy threw in her two cents.
"Wow, there's a lot more to pirates than what Hiriluk said." Chopper said.
"That's why being a pirate is so cool!" Sonson said. "Because if you do it just right, you can be as free as the wind."
Chopper remembered Hiriluk also saying that pirates were the coolest thing ever as Kureha cleared her throat.
"Can I get back to the story now?"
"Sorry ma'am." The Straw hats bowed.
"Sorry Grandma." Luna bowed as she looked over to Chopper. "Little buddy?"
"I'm okay. Keep telling the story, Doctorine." Chopper said, not fully listening as he examined Nami's temperature and gave her some fresh water and clothes.
Kureha sighed. "Sadly, the disease came back with a vengeance and Hirulik had no cure or doctor willing to help him out. Not wanting to burden and spare or little reindeer the heartbreak, he tried to shoo away Chopper, who remembered overhearing some of the guards talking about a mushroom that can cure anything," Kureha explained. "When he overheard that Hiriluk was dying he went through every reference book the quack had. At the same time, Hiriluk continued to work on his crazy idea of making cherry blossoms bloom on the island. And Chopper traveled to find the mushroom he'd heard about, even fighting against any reindeer that tried to attack him."
"Pretty sure he beat the crap out of his old herd," Luna smirked. "Serves 'em right for all I care."
"What sort of mushroom was he looking for?" Nami asked.
"The one he found was the Amiudake," Kureha replied. "Hiriluk was over the moon to see Chopper again when the lad returned with the mushroom in hand, especially when hearing how Chopper fought like a pirate against the other reindeer. Around that time, Wapol showed more of his unnecessary cruelty; he ordered an official notice to the citizens that the Twenty MDs had all fallen ill."
"And the people fell for that?" Sanji asked.
"Hell no, the people weren't stupid." Luna chuckled. "But there wasn't anything they could about it."
"Anyway, while that was happening Hiriluk managed to complete his research. He brought me the finished product, knowing he didn't have enough time left. He wanted someone to finish what he started, and thought I was the right person for the job." Kureha continued. "I was about to refuse him when he made an addendum... He wanted me to teach Chopper medical science. He literally prostrated before begging me to let Chopper's kind heart become that of a doctor's."
"Let me guess, you tried to turn him down," Zoro said.
"I certainly wanted to, even kicked him out on his rear when he begged. Then I realized what he was planning to do." Kureha sighed. "He charged right at the guard post giving Wapol's notice and bombed it, then forced the guards to take the ropeway up to the castle. At the same time, I learned about Chopper feeding him the Amiudake and was horrified. You see, that mushroom is actually poisonous. Eating it will kill you in half a day."
To the group's shock, tears started streaming down her eyes as Luna held her grandmother's hand to comfort her.
"Hiriluk may have been a quack, but he wasn't stupid. His medical books were the real deal. There's no way he didn't know the true nature of that mushroom. But he ate the soup Chopper made with it anyway, just to make him feel better."
"But how could Chopper have made such a mistake?" Rosa wondered.
"A silly thing, to be honest. He saw a picture of a skull next to the mushroom and didn't realize it was meant to symbolize a poisonous substance. After all, he still remembered Hiriluk declaring the skull of the pirate flag as his way of standing up to disease. No medicine can work for all diseases in this world." Kureha explained. "I believe Hiriluk was right in saying that any disease can be cured if you only research it enough, but a single cure-all is just impossible. Otherwise, there would be no need for doctors. A kind heart can certainly help with treatment, but it needs to be backed by actual medical knowledge and skills. I told Chopper all this, and bless his heart he tried to believe otherwise."
"But in the end, he couldn't deny it, and he just cried his eyes out." Luna sighed sadly, remembering a younger her hugging the sobbing Chopper.
"I knew then and there, that I needed to agree to Hiriluk's request," Kureha said.
"But what happened to Hirulik?" Rosa asked, legitimately invested in the story.
"He went to the castle. Wapol, in his arrogance, believed he had successfully tricked the doctor. But like I said, Hiriluk was a quack, not an idiot. Wapol thought he was luring Hiriluk into his own execution, but he chose to go out on his own terms." Kureha explained. "In his own words, a man only dies when people forget him. Dalton later explained to me what happened. Hiriluk spoke about how his dream would still come true and cure the country of its illness. His words brought Dalton to tears, but apparently, their meaning was lost on that idiot Wapol."
"Hiriluk then let Dalton know that Chopper would be coming and asked that he not be harmed. I think he knew Chopper would rush over when he learned what was going on." Luna said. "Hiriluk took one last drink and then caused an explosion to go off at the castle. He made sure he'd go out on his own terms, and be remembered in the minds of all those soldiers."
"What caused the explosion?" Mifune asked.
"Knowing him an explosive concoction that he actually drank. Like I said, he went out on his own terms. Hell, Dalton said that Hiriluk was glad the doctors weren't actually sick. Wapol laughed at Hiriluk's death, and that set Chopper off. He unleashed the full power of his Devil Fruit and charged at the castle." Luna said.
"Luckily Dalton had already eaten theOx-Ox Fruit, Model: Bisonby then, so he was able to stop Chopper and convince him to back down. Otherwise, I don't know if Chopper would be alive today." Kureha added. "Dalton's tears were enough to convince Chopper of his kind nature, and he left without further incident. Dalton had apparently told off Wapol for laughing the incident off, saying there's no medicine that can cure fools."
"So it was after that you took Chopper in," Sonson surmised.
Kureha nodded. "I saw him back in the forest, waving Hiriluk's flag and asking to be taught how to be a proper doctor. It was then that he described his dream; to become an all-purpose medicine, a doctor who can cure anything, even a country. So I agreed to teach him. As for Dalton, he was imprisoned for his actions. Well, until Blackbeard and his crew attacked, that is."
"It also helped that Chopper and I had pretty much bonded like siblings." Luna chuckled as she ruffled the reindeer's head. "Grandma took him in thanks to my convincing helping his case."
Chopper blushed and was about to try and wave Luna off only for his nose to pick up a scent before Gottfried's voice suddenly came in over the group's ears.
'Wapol's heading up to your location! Usopp just spotted him climbing up using that giant hippo of his!'
"Looks like we need to teach that bastard his place once and for all," Luffy decided as she stood up and punched her fist into her palm.
"We especially can't let him claim the castle while Nami is still recovering," Sanji said, adjusting his tie.
"Time to give that imbecile a lesson he won't soon forget." Mifune grinned as he took out Kabutowari.
"Filthy False King Wapol has broken the celery stalk on the back of the sea urchin!" Rolf said as he threw his shirt off and rolled up his arms like sleeves, showing bulging muscles.
-OP-
Outside, Wapol looked up at the castle and spotted Hiriluk's flag flying at the top.
"What is that strange flag and who dared to put it on my castle?! Where is the flag of Drum Kingdom?!"
"Oh, that old thing?" Kureha said as she and Luna came out. "I had it burned."
"Well if it isn't Doctor Kureha, the last survivor of the Doctor Hunt. Just what are you doing in my castle?" Wapol asked.
"This castle isn't yours anymore. You abandoned it months ago when you fled from those pirates with your tail between your legs!" Luna snapped.
"Rotten brats like you can't possibly run a country! The Drum Kingdom is dead! You might as well leave." Kureha sneered.
"BANZAI!"
Kureha and Luna moved away from each other to let Luffy and Sonson charge forward as Chess and Kuromarimo panicked.
"It's those Straw Hats again!"
"GUM-GUM PISTOL!"
"EIGHT TRIAGRAMS SMASH!"
Luffy and Sonson slammed their fist and staff respectively into Wapol's face, sending him sailing right to the edge of the mountain.
"LORD WAPOL!" Chess and Kuromarimo cried as they quickly caught him before he could fall off the cliff.
"But, Daddy, we can just wait for the castle fairy to fix the damage..." Wapol said in a loopy voice.
"Y-You bastards!" Kuromarimo called out. "How dare you strike Lord Wapol, king of the Drum Kingdom!"
"Hey, we're pirates. Law and authority mean little to us." Sonson smirked as Zoro, Sanji, Kuina, Mifune, and Rolf stepped out of the castle.
"Okay, now they're really making me mad." Wapol scowled as he regained his bearings.
"Good!" Rosa called out as she came in next along with Heart.
"By the way, is it just you guys? Where's the rest of your forces?" Heart asked.
-OP-
Down below, the village was cheering at having beaten the soldiers with the help of the Straw Hats, sharing food and drink as several kids beat up the fallen soldiers.
"I've never seen the people so happy. Now if your captain can just do something about Wapol himself." Dalton said.
"I'm sure we'll hear him come flying down the mountain before long," Axol said. "Then we'll all really give him one!"
"ANOTHER ROUND ON ME!" Eddy cheered.
-OP-
Wapol grumbled as he just now realized that Heart had a point about his forces. No doubt the rest of the Straw Hats had beaten them by now, but he'd worry about all that later.
"Right now, all I care about is reclaiming my kingdom, starting with that idiotic flag!"
"That flag marks Hiriluk's grave," Kureha clarified. "What, do you think I took up residence in this run-down castle because I enjoyed it? But Chopper here insisted on flying Hiriluk's flag here, so I agreed."
"Doctor Hiriluk fought to save this country by raising that flag," Chopper declared as he came up beside Kureha and Luna. "This castle is where he died."
Wapol laughed at that. "That stupid doctor's grave?!"
Wapol was suddenly hit by a large snowball thrown by Rosa, who had absorbed the snow around her to become a snow monster.
"Take that, you big jerk!"
Wapol got up a growled. "Damn it all! I want that flag burned and those dissenters executed!"
"You won't even make it inside this castle!" Chopper said angrily as he shifted his form from reindeer to human."HEAVY POINT!"
"Wait a moment, that's the monster from the day of Hiriluk's death!" Chess realized.
"This flag is Hiriluk's faith!" Chopper declared. "I won't let you take it down!"
Kuromarimo launched a ball from his glove right at Kureha, but it got easily blocked by Sanji's kick.
"You better start keeping time. And a brother should never throw an afro at a lady."
"That's an afro?" Luffy asked. "Whatever it is, it's stuck to your leg."
Kuromarimo laughed. "That thing's stuck you thanks to you thanks to static electricity!"
Kuina rolled her eyes and turned her hand into a flaming talon before grabbing the afro and burning it off, waving off the stray hairs afterward.
"Phew! That does not smell good!" Fuu gagged, pinching her nose as she and Nojiko had opted to stand guard by Nami.
"Oh, there's a lot more of that coming!" Kuromarimo taunted.
"Zoro, Mifune, Kuina, give him a haircut," Luffy ordered.
"With pleasure!"
"Just try it!" Kuromarimo called out."MARIMO STATIC CLING!"
He started pulling off his hair to puff up and throw, only for each pull ball to get sliced to pieces by the combined swordsmanship of the trio. Chess quickly started knocking arrows, this time on fire.
"CHECKMATE!"
He fired off the arrows, only for Sanji to knock them aside easily by spinning his legs with a powerful kick. Rosa grabbed one arrow and sucked the fire off of it, transforming into a being of pure fire afterward.
"FLAME ON, BABY!" The chubby girl cheered.
Wapol looked over stunned, then realized Luffy was charging at him again. However, she then turned around and started running to Sonson. Wapol was confused until he saw Sonson enlarge her staff and use it as a makeshift springboard.
"GUM-GUM ROCKET!"
Sonson had positioned her staff just in front of the gate so Luffy could stretch using it to launch at Wapol, slamming into him so hard he knocked into Robson and sent the beast flying off into the horizon.
"I never did like that hippo," Kureha smirked as she took another swig.
"No, Daddy, we can just get more clothes from the clothing fairy..." Wapol said, once more in a loopy tone.
"The sad thing is he really believes things magically appear before royalty just because," Luna quipped.
"Wow, is he functionally retarded or something?" Mifune asked dryly.
"Ho-Ho! The Phony Poo-Ba King is nothing but Bundtcake-For-Brains!" Rolf chortled.
Wapol soon got up. "Alright then. It's time to show them the true power of theMunch-Munch Fruit! Chess! Call out what I ate today!"
"One butter-sauteed cannon and one raw cannon on the ship. A cannonball and gunpowder salad. And a toasted house from the village." Chess listed off on a notebook.
"Sheesh, that's an appetite that can put you to shame, Luffy!" Sonson noted.
"What can I say? TheMunch-Munch Fruitleaves me with an eternal hunger." Wapol admitted. "But it does come with some benefits, should I choose to regurgitate what I've eaten within the last twenty-four hours!"
He proceeded to turn his entire body into a house-like construct.
"WAPOL HOUSE!"
He then proceeded to swallow Chess and Kuromarimo. Steam coming from the chimneys on his arms.
"Behold this miraculous union!"
The front door on his stomach opened, revealing a strange new being that looked like a fusion of Chess and Kuromarimo.
"Behold the strongest warrior of the Drum Kingdom; Chessmarimo!"
"That's not saying much..." Luna snarked.
"This is no different from them riding on each other's shoulders," Sanji noted.
"Don't take them lightly. If they were really such weaklings, something stupid like exiling all the country's doctors would have been stopped by the citizens long ago." Kureha advised.
"Drum Kingdom Constitution Article 1: those who don't do as the king wishes should die!" Wapol declared.
"And did your father write that article?" Mifune asked.
"What do you mean?"
"That constitution should have been around long before your time, right?" Zoro asked. "Unless you rewrote it."
"Someone's supposed to write it down?" Wapol asked.
"You write down your laws. Didn't you write down your constitution?" Sanji asked.
"You're throwing a lot of weird concepts at me that I've never heard of before!" Wapol roared. "As a king, I demand you cease doing such!"
There was a pregnant silence across the castle, nobody said a word...until the Straw Hats burst out into incredulous laughter.
"Wow, he CANNOT be this stupid!" Rosa guffawed. "This is actually hilarious!"
"Perhaps pounding his skull a few million times will charge up his brain cells." Heart smirked. "That is, if he even has any."
Angered, Wapol fired a burning shot from his arm aimed straight at Hirulik's flag but Sonson used her staff to smack it away like a baseball right into Wapol's ship down below, much to the false king's shock.
"Never disrespect the flag. That's Pirate Constitution Article 1, and it IS written down."
Wapol scoffed. "What point is there in respecting something that has no meaning?"
"Oh, it has meaning, you can't just raise a flag as a joke and call yourself a pirate. The Jolly Roger is meant to be a symbol for that pirate crew, representing everything they are." Luffy retorted. "What that is can mean different things, some good and some evil. But above all else, the Jolly Roger is a person's pledge to risk his life! It is a mark of faith! It is not something that can be broken and laughed at! And above all else... It is not ever raised as a joke!"
Luffy's voice rang out so loud that Wapol and Chessmarimo wound up forced back, as if by a powerful aura. Fuu gasped as she could feel it from inside the castle, having only felt this aura once before when she was a little girl back in Wano.
"That aura...it's like...the one Kaido uses...!"
Chopper was also staring at Luffy but in awe. For the first time ever, he felt like he was looking at a true pirate.
"Hey, Chopper, I get that Grandpa Hiriluk told you not to hold grudges towards humans. But here's the thing... That doesn't mean you need to stop fighting." Luna said to her little brother. "After all... Fighting is what pirates do. So what say we kick that fat lump of tin all the way back to the beginning of the Grand Line!"
Chopper looked up at his big sister before flashing a bright smile, realizing she was right.
"Yeah!"
The duo charged at Wapol, only for Chessmarimo to get in the way, blocking Chopper's first punch.
"I won't let you lay a finger on Wapol!"
"Uh...Chessmarimo...?"
The combined being turned, and both his jaws dropped. Mifune had warped over in a cloud of mist and was now touching Wapol with his finger.
"Guess your loyalty to that idiot is worthless. This is why Dalton was the smart one in your court."
"Guess you need to pull out the big stuff, Chopper," Luna noted to the reindeer as he shrunk down to his Hybrid Form and nodded.
"You got it." Chopper then pulled out a little yellow ball. "The most important aspect of a human is their intelligence, and I've put that to use over the last six years to develop this; The Rumble Ball!"
"Rumble Ball?" Rosa asked.
"The effect of it lasts for only three minutes, but the results... Well, they speak for themselves." Chopper explained. "Right now I'm in what I call myBrain Point, the hybrid form between human and reindeer. In full reindeer form, I'm inWalk Point, and in full human form, I'm inHeavy Point. But this Rumble Ball has special properties that can alter a Zoan user's abilities."
"Rolf is intrigued by this wonderous medicine!" Rolf noted. "We shall protect the fields from Shameless Hippo Wapol!"
As Chopper bit down on the Rumble Ball, Chessmarimo pulled out two flaming arrows.
"MARIMO'S SNOW MELTING ARROW!"
"WALK POINT: LEG BOOST!"
Chopper shifted into hisWalk Pointbut was now much faster and more agile. Chessmarimo got on guard, expecting it to be like Dalton's Devil Fruit but was shocked when Chopper quickly shifted into Heavy Point.
"WEIGHT BOOST!"
"Don't even bother, I know everything about the three-form transformation of Zoan types. You've got nothing that can surprise me!"Chessmarimo said as he took out four hammers at once.
"MARIMO'S SUPER SURPRISE QUATTRO HAMMER!"
"JUMP POINT: JUMP BOOST!"
Chopper suddenly shifted to a slimmer form and leaped up far higher than normal as Chessmarimo brought his hammer down, shocking the fusion.
"W-What the hell is that form?! Zoan users are supposed to only have three forms! Their normal form, hybrid form, and beast form!"
Chopper chuckled. "But most Zoan types only have the power of wild animals. You seem to forget, I was born a reindeer. So now I'm a reindeer human, with all the intelligence that brings."
"T-This is cheating!"
"Devil Fruits can have their wavelength interrupted or altered. Paramecia and Logia types do it all the time just based on whatever concept or element they possess." Chopper pointed out. "And don't forget that it's possible to flat-out disrupt a Devil Fruit user's power with Seastone. Over time I developed the Rumble Ball, a special drug that can change up the wavelength of a Zoan user's transformations. Through extensive study of that altered wavelength, I was able to learn four more transformation points. Along with the three natural forms of a Zoan type, that means I have seven total."
"And you forget that I'm in this party too!" Luna added.
Suddenly, the girl swelled up into a giant blue ball with only her head, hands, and feet intact. Her big round body was surprisingly durable as it easily tanked Chessmarimo's hammer swing.
"Well, that's interesting," Wapol noted. "I'm kinda tempted to sing a song now for some reason..."
"I'm suddenly craving chocolate..." Rosa noted as she looked at Luna's Blueberry Form.
Luna used her inflated body as a trampoline to bounce Chopper at Chessmarimo as he shifted into a humanoid form again but with more muscular arms.
"ARM POINT: ARM BOOST!"
Chessmarimo was shocked as Chopper's strength shattered his hammers into tiny pieces.
"This form makes my hooves as strong as iron. With it, I can even break rocks!"
"Then try this on for size!"Chessmarimo declared as he pulled out four axes."MARIMO SURPRISE QUATTRO AXE!"
"I don't think so!" Luna said before spitting out a glob of blue juice that hit the axes, gluing them together in a sticky blue web. Chopper then shifted into hisBrain Pointwith a glint in his eyes.
"Humans have a number of advantages over animals...including the ability to analyze their opponent. I was looking for a weak spot, and I just found one!"
"Fool! I have no blind spots! You're just a transforming idiot who can't even attack!"Chessmarimo called out as he charged forward.
Chopper waited patiently as Chessmarimo approached, then shifted into hisArm Pointand slammed an uppercut right into Chess's chin.
"HOOFPRINT ROSEO!"
Chessmarimo wasn't getting up after that, his unconscious body flying in front of the stunned Wapol.
"Awesome!" Luffy cheered. You're amazing, Chopper! That was so cool!"
"Shut up!" Chopper blushed cheerfully. "You can't make me happy cheering me on like that!"
"Oh, you dork..." Luna chuckled as she deflated back to normal.
"I just realized something Doctorine, how are you going up and down the mountain?" Zoro asked Kureha. "We didn't see any climbing ropes."
"Yeah, you old hag! What happened to my ropeway?!" Wapol demanded.
"As I recall you cut down your ropeway so no one could get to the castle," Kureha pointed out, making Wapoi tense as he did remember doing that.
"But when Chopper wanted to plant Hiriluk's flag up here, well I strung up a new rope that he could run up without issue. Goes all the way down to my house in Gyasta, which helps with my regular rounds."
Wapol angrily tried to charge at the nearest opponent in his way, which was Rolf, who got into a fighting stance to hold the false king off only for Wapol to suddenly sink into the snow.
"I think I gained a little weight..."
"Ah, the downside of too much munching with your munching fruit!" Rolf taunted.
Wapol scowled before shocking everyone by opening his mouth wide enough to consume his own body, looking like a bucket for a few minutes. He then popped out in a much slimmer.
"SLIM WAPOL!"
With his new slim physic, Wapol lunged at Rolf once more, only for the Son of a Shepard to rear his leg back and, much to everyone's surprise, cover it in a familiar black sheen.
"Wait, is that..." Mifune noted in surprise.
Rolf struck Wapol straight in the groin, making his eyes comically bug out of their sockets and his jaw to drop several feet as he fell back and began rolling around in pain.
"HIPPO-HOPPING MOTHER-TRUCKING BLACK-HEARTED JACKSHIT!
"Ooooh, that one hurt!" Rosa winced. "And I'm a girl!"
Luffy noticed a key on Wapol's belt that had fallen off after the attack and picked it up. Kureha also noticed it.
"I think that goes to the weapons locker. Come to think of it, Chopper also disabled Wapol's special Tin Titan Royal Crown Seven Barrel Cannon and I cannot believe for the life of me I had to say that entire long-ass name. Anyway, he's now using it as a bird's nest for snowbirds."
Wapol's jaw dropped in shock when he heard that as Heart laughed.
"That's what happens when you're not around to maintain your kingdom and castle. Dalton was right, there is no medicine that can cure fools."
Wapol gritted his teeth at that. "That bastard. Trying to come off as a hero of justice for the people when he was just my retainer!"
"Hey, it's a retainer's job to reign in a king's tendencies. If anything, your two goons over there were the ones not doing their job." Heart said.
"Silence! I am the king! What I say goes!"
"And is that how your father ran things?" Luna asked, making Wapol pause. "Or were you just so caught up in the royal lifestyle that you never paid attention to what he did?"
"No use trying to reason with this brainless hippo." Mifune scoffed. "It's just going in one ear and out the other."
"So, we're just gonna beat the crap outta you!" Luffy said, cracking her knuckles. "King or god, great or weak, it doesn't matter. As a pirate, if we see something we don't like... We wreck it!"
"Are you a fool? The Drum Kingdom is a member of the World Government!" Wapol snapped, a hint of desperation clear. "Attacking a sovereign of a member nation is a world-class offense!"
"And you seem to forget that we're PIRATES." Heart retorted. "None of us care about whatever laws the World Government puts in place. Heck, if we could we'd tear down the entire corrupt regime they have going on."
"And we would take the so-called Dragons of Celestial Being and give them a proper paddling with Papa's Shoe!" Rolf added.
"Oh, you'll stop right now!" Wapol declared as he opened his mouth and his tongue turned into a cannon."MUNCH-MUNCH SHOCK: TONGUE CANNON!"
Luna scowled and inflated herself into her Blueberry Form again, spitting out a massive glob of juice that got stuck to the cannon and clogged it. The resulting explosion returned Wapol to his normal form and left him with smoke coming out of his ears and nostrils.
"Ow..."
He then looked up to see Luna waddling over to him, her footsteps making big juicy stomps as she glared down at him with her crimson eyes.
"Uh...mercy?"
"Nope. Mind giving me a hand, Chopper?"
"With pleasure!" Chopper said as he enteredHeavy Pointand then used Luna as a makeshift hammer to pound Wapol into the ground.
After a little while, the false king was flattened to a pulp and whimpering in pain as Chopper then grabbed him before spinning him around, picking up speed with each spin before throwing him into the horizon.
"SO LONG, GAY WAPOL!"
Wapol screamed as he went sailing right off the mountain and right into the Bliking, which barely kept from capsizing.
Kureha smirked. "And that's that. The Drum Kingdom has truly fallen, defeated by the skull."
-OP-
Once they saw Wapol hit his ship, which soon fled as fast as it could sail, the other Straw Hats took Dalton up the ropeway and into the castle. Dalton walked up to the now separated Chess and Kuromarimo, who were freaking out at his arrival.
"So then, who owes who an apology?"
"WE'RE SORRY FOR BEING SUCH SHITTY RETAINERS!"
The two idiots were put to work for the townsfolk, who Dalton encouraged to be 'critical'.
"How's Nami doing?" Vivi asked.
"She's recovering. We managed to get her condition treated and she's feeling better. But it will still be a while before we can leave." Nojiko said.
"Oh, and we also made a new friend!" Luffy smiled as she motioned Chopper to step forward. "Everyone, meet Tony Tony Chopper and he's gonna be our new Doctor!"
"Is that a... Reindeer?" Usopp asked in surprise.
"One who apparently ate theHuman-Human Fruit. And he's really learned how to make the most of it." Sanji said.
"Oh, he's adorable!" Kaya cooed.
"It's you. The reindeer from all those years ago." Dalton said, recognizing Chopper. "To think you've been fighting all this time since then."
"You said I needed to get stronger if I didn't want to die in vain. So, I decided to do just that. Not just in body, but in mind as well." Chopper said.
Dalton felt tears form in his eyes and he sank to his knees in gratitude.
"Thank you... With this, our country can be reborn."
Other people came out and were confused about the little guy, wondering who the strange creature was.
"Anyone who tries to fire on Chopper gets punted off this mountain. Just saying that right now." Rosa said, cracking her chubby knuckles with a glare.
"You shall not treat this brave creature as a beast but as a hero!" Rolf said, preparing to throw down with anyone who so much as looked at Chopper funny.
"This little guy is a reindeer that ate a Devil Fruit, making him part human. He's the 'yeti' that you've all been afraid of." Mifune clarified to the crowd. "Seems kinda silly looking at him, doesn't it?"
Dalton couldn't help but smile as the villagers took a second, then started talking about how ashamed they were for thinking Chopper might be dangerous. Chopper for his part looked over to Luffy, and couldn't help but smile. For the first time in his life, he felt like he had friends.
"Poyo?"
Chopper then looked over to see Kirby giving him a look of intrigue. The reindeer leaned his head one way and Kirby copied him.
"Poyo!"
Kirby then hugged Chopper, who laughed
"Hey, hey! Don't expect me to like you just for being nice you bratty whatever you are!"
He then giggled as Calvin and Hobbes came in. For some reason, he seemed scared of Hobbes at first, but then smiled and introduced himself to Calvin and the toy tiger
"…IT'S TOO CUTE!" Hilda and Rosa beamed, fainting from the adorableness.
-OP-
Over the next two days, the crew kept busy waiting for Nami to recover. Kureha had taken control of the Twenty MDs, who had gotten disillusioned with Wapol's vision years ago thanks to Hiriluk's final words and were more than willing to go back to being regular doctors for the people, much to everyone's relief.
Nami managed to negotiate a free medical service by offering Kureha the key to the armory. As it turned out, Kureha needed the cannons inside for something important. As she directed the villagers to move them, she saw Chopper packing his bags.
"So, you're really heading out to sea."
Chopper nodded. "Just like Doctor Hiriluk wanted me to. And... I've decided to go ahead and join the Straw Hats. They're the first people ever who made me feel good about being a monster. And... I guess I kinda became friends with them."
Kureha smirked. "You're finally starting to understand what it means to become human. Just remember, pirates can die at any time."
"Good thing he's got me backing him up. The little furball wouldn't be anywhere if I wasn't there." Luna said, picking up Chopper in a one-armed hug.
"AHEM."
The two turned to see Kureha, a firm look on her face.
"Doctorine." Chopper said, shyly.
"Grandma?" Luna started.
The elderly woman then took the two into a hug, tears in her and their own eyes.
"Good luck, you two. Give the world hell."
"Oh, with our crew?" Luna managed. "I doubt that'll be a problem."
Chopper nuzzled Kureha's tears away and saluted her alongside Luna, the old woman wiping her eyes and then motioning them to wait a second.
"Before you set off? There's one last promise I need to keep."
She had the cannons all set up with the special dust Hiriluk had given her. As they started to fire, something amazing happened. The falling snow turned a vivid pink, making it look just like cherry blossoms. Chopper teared up at the sight.
"Doctor Hiriluk's research... His dream..."
He started wailing in both sorrow and joy as the Straw Hats all embraced him, making him a new member of the family. From down below, the people looked in awe at the sight of the mountain looking like a giant cherry blossom tree.
Dalton smiled. "I think, this country needs a new name. From now on, it shall be called... The Sakura Kingdom."
-OP-
"Huh. I just realized I'd actually seen Dalton before." Vivi noted as the crew got back on their ship.
"Oh, really?" Luffy asked.
"Yeah, at Reverie ten years ago. It's a meeting of all the national leaders subservient to the World Government that occurs every four years. They meet on the island of Mariejois to discuss current events. This time they were discussing growing concerns about the Revolutionaries and their leader Dragon. Wapol just dismissed the threat, stating that it had nothing to do with his kingdom."
"Sounds about right..." Ben muttered.
"Now, Dragon never had a problem with Alabasta during all that time, considering Father has always been a wise and compassionate leader, but even then I had a feeling Wapol would be a perfect target for him. Father even called him out for being a selfish monarch. And then Wapol slapped me to try and get a rise out of him."
"That bastard!" Sanji snarled. "If Chopper and Luna didn't already take care of him, I'd kill him myself!"
"Down, boy!" Noire scolded, hitting the blonde cook with a frying pan.
'Yes, ma'am…"
Vivi just giggled. "Anyway, I played it off as me bumping into him, and he stormed off in a huff. But Dalton stayed behind long enough to apologize to me and Igaram. It wasn't until I was out of sight that I started crying from the pain."
"Wow, you're really strong. I would have smacked that bastard right back." Nami noted.
"Ditto." Hilda nodded.
"By the way, do you happen to know a man named Ace?" Dalton asked as he walked up to the ship.
"Yeah! He's me, Sonson, Ben, and Draco's brother!" Luffy smiled.
"Whoa, just how big is your family?!" Gin asked incredulously.
"There's six of us in total; Me, Luffy, Ben, Sonson, Ace, and Sabo." Draco counted off.
"Wish we could count Uta..." Sonson noted silently.
"So Ace was here, was he?" Ben asked.
"Just a week ago. Strangely enough, it didn't snow that day." Dalton said. "He was looking for Blackbeard and was annoyed that he had just missed him. He then asked about a pirate wearing a straw hat. No one knew either of anyone like that, so the man presented us with a wanted poster, then said if they arrived here, to tell them that Fire Fist Ace was waiting in Alabasta for the next 10 days."
"And he didn't think to mention the rest of us? I'm hurt..." Ben sighed.
"We gotta hurry there!" Luffy said urgently. "We can't miss Ace!"
Draco nodded. "It'll be nice to meet back up with Ace after so long And knowing Sabo, he'll probably be heading there too. He is a scout for the Revolutionaries, after all, so all he'd have to do is say he's checking out the situation with the civil war."
With all that settled, the Going Merry sailed off, now with two more crew members. The crew all got out drinks to celebrate, even letting Marianne, Mikita, and Gem join in on the festivities.
"To our newest crew members, Chopper and Luna!" Luffy declared.
"CHEERS!"
It had been a necessary diversion from their mission to Alabasta, but it worked out for the Straw Hats as they gained new friends and crew members. But lurking in the shadows, Crocodile still had a grip over Vivi's homeland. And the Straw Hats would certainly have their hands full trying to liberate the kingdom and bring Vivi back her happiness.
Knightmare Lord A/N:
That should be all the refurbishments cleared up! Hope you're okay with this, Mrotrax!