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Tony Tony Chopper—
At first, he was just a not-so-average reindeer.
Born with a strange blue nose that made him different from the rest of his kind.
Even as a calf, he was bullied and cast out by the herd.
He always trailed behind the others, thinking things couldn't possibly get any worse.
Until he accidentally ate a Devil Fruit.
The Zoan-type Human-Human Fruit.
That's when the nightmare really began.
He became neither reindeer nor human—rejected by both worlds.
The reindeer attacked him on sight. The humans just wanted to shoot him.
He never understood what he did wrong.
From the moment he was born, all he ever wanted…
Was a friend.
Then came that clumsy doctor—Hiriluk.
He took Chopper in, treated him like a son, and gave him his name: Tony Tony Chopper.
The story after that was long… but also kind of short.
Hiriluk, in his own absurd way, tried to save Drum Island with his life.
In the end, he failed.
But he completely changed Chopper's life.
To carry on Hiriluk's will, Chopper studied medicine under Doctor Kureha.
This very castle they lived in became Hiriluk's final resting place.
And hanging at the top of it…
Was his pirate flag.
The most precious thing in the world to Chopper.
Before he died, Hiriluk encouraged Chopper to sail out into the world.
He told him:
"A pirate flag is a symbol of belief!"
It took Kureha over an hour to finish telling Chopper's story.
Bai Ye was deeply moved—and also hoped he wouldn't have to hear it again.
"Once is enough," he thought. "It's the kind of story that makes you tear up every time."
As for Luffy—
BOOM!!!
Bai Ye casually let the golden glow fade from his right fist and said flatly:
"Please try to pay attention, Captain."
What he didn't expect was for Luffy to smile confidently and say:
"Yeah, I was kinda sleepy, but I got the gist of it."
He stood up, holding his straw hat, and looked at Bai Ye and Kureha.
"I'm gonna get Chopper to join my crew. I want him to be one of us!"
Kureha burst into laughter.
"You wanna get that kid on your ship?"
"Go ahead and try, but I'm telling you—he's been hurt badly. That kind of wound doesn't heal easy."
Luffy didn't flinch. His eyes were dead serious.
"Yeah. I know."
He clapped his hands together and said:
"Alright then, time to go find Chopper!"
He bolted out of the room and started searching the castle.
Not long after, they heard the sound of stuff breaking.
Bai Ye glanced at Kureha and sighed.
"I'll pay for all of it. Full price."
Kureha laughed heartily.
"If that brat really manages to get Chopper to join, I don't care if he breaks everything!"
But then she added with a slightly doubtful tone:
"Still… does that idiot really have what it takes?"
She didn't exactly have high hopes for someone so clueless about people.
Bai Ye, however, nodded seriously. He looked completely confident.
"If anyone can do it… it's him."
It wasn't long before they heard Luffy's voice from outside the castle:
"Join my crew, Chopper!!!"
His voice rang out, full of passion and determination.
"Quit screwing around, you jerk!!!"
Chopper's voice followed, but he sounded panicked and mad:
"Don't touch Dr. Hiriluk's flag! Are you trying to destroy it to force me into joining?!"
For the first time ever, Chopper was truly angry. That flag was his sacred line—he'd never let anyone harm it.
He was even ready to take a Rumble Ball and fight Luffy.
What happened was this—
After finding Chopper, Luffy dragged him outside the castle.
Then he jumped up to where Hiriluk's pirate flag was flying.
"Don't be ridiculous!"
Luffy shouted back.
"That flag is a symbol of that man's belief!"
"And belief can't be broken!!!"
His voice grew more and more serious, until he was practically yelling.
Chopper froze.
What… was this guy really trying to say?
Luffy flashed a bold smile, adjusted his straw hat, and shouted:
"You want to be a pirate, don't you?!"
In that moment, Luffy was practically glowing with confidence and determination.
"You want to go out to sea and find real friends, right?!"
Chopper just stood there, stunned.
Did he want to go out to sea?
Yeah. Yeah, he did.
But… could someone like him really—
As Chopper got lost in thought, Luffy suddenly reached up and grabbed the fluttering pirate flag.
And he shouted again:
"But that flag—that was his, not yours."
"When he died, his crew died with him."
Luffy's grin got even wider.
"You can't carry that flag out to sea anymore, can you?!"
"So get on my ship—"
"And be my crewmate!!!"
Luffy shouted those words loud and clear.
It was just one sentence—one simple sentence that Chopper might've been waiting to hear for a long time, but never dared to believe.
He suddenly looked up, staring at the boy with a smile that looked just like Dr. Hiriluk's.
His heart skipped a beat, panic bubbling up inside him.
"B-Bai Ye! You brought it with you, didn't you?"
At that moment, Luffy turned to Bai Ye, who was standing off to the side just watching everything unfold.
"Take it out," he said.
Bai Ye blinked in surprise.
But in the next moment, he understood.
A bit embarrassed, Bai Ye realized just now what Luffy had been planning all along.
And because of that, he couldn't help but look at Luffy with pride.
You're something else, Captain...
With a flick of his wrist, the item appeared in his hand.
Chopper turned toward him. And when he saw what Bai Ye was holding—his pupils shrank sharply.
No way… could that be...?
When Dr. Kureha saw the object too, she instantly got what Luffy was up to and took a huge swig of booze.
Hell yeah!!!
"Catch it, Luffy!"
[Wind Element Technique – Firefly Drift!]
Bai Ye let go, and the wind gently carried the object right into Luffy's hands.
Once he had it securely in his grip, Luffy beamed from ear to ear.
And in the next moment, with a sweeping motion, he threw it into the air.
A massive pirate flag—twice the size of Hiriluk's—fluttered high above the castle.
And in Chopper's eyes, that flag filled his entire world.
Because right in the middle of that flag... was a skull wearing a straw hat!!!
"This is my pirate flag, Chopper!!!"
Luffy shouted at the top of his lungs.
His voice carried through the wind and echoed across the mountaintop:
"My name is Monkey D. Luffy! I'm the man who's gonna become the King of the Pirates!"
"Join my crew! Be my crewmate! Carry my flag!"
"Let's sail the seas together!!!"
"CHOPPER!!!"
Luffy's voice grew louder and louder, but Chopper could barely hear anything anymore.
He was already crying uncontrollably.
Then, after a moment, he looked up with tears streaming down his cheeks and shouted back at Luffy:
"Can a monster like me really become a pirate?!"
At that moment, Chopper wasn't really asking Luffy for an answer.
He just wanted to let out all the pain, all the doubts, all the loneliness he had bottled up over the years:
"I'm a reindeer! I've got antlers, hooves, and a blue nose!"
"I'm not human at all! I'm a monster!!!"
His voice cracked as he yelled, full of pain and frustration.
"How could someone like me ever become a pirate?! How could I be one of you?!"
But the only response he got—was Luffy yelling even louder:
"Quit whining!!!"
"Come with me already!!!"
Chopper looked up, the snowstorm whipping harder than ever.
And in that moment, he felt like he could see it—something he'd never seen in his whole life.
Something so bright, so powerful, it lit up his entire world—
Hope.
"....."