Inviting Chopper!
As soon as Luffy finished speaking, various shouts and roars erupted from the shore.
"Who would believe your words? You hateful pirates."
"This trick is too clumsy; we won't fall for it! Shameless pirates!"
"This is our land; pirates are absolutely not allowed to land on the island."
"Raise anchor immediately and get out of here. Otherwise, we'll sink your ship."
The shore was filled with angry curses and roars telling Luffy's group to leave quickly.
This scene left the people on the ship perplexed.
"What's going on? They hate us so much at first sight?!"
"Even if we are pirates, they shouldn't be so angry and disgusted, especially since it's our first meeting."
"It seems this island must have been ravaged by pirates, right?!"
Everyone speculated.
Just then, an incredibly angry and agitated man aimed his gun at Luffy, trembling and roaring.
"You... you all get out of here right now! You hateful pirates, you're the ones who killed my family!"
"Get out!"
"Or... or else, I'll shoot!"
Luffy's hat brim obscured his vision, so he looked up at the man.
However, with that one glance,
The man seemed to be startled, his body uncontrollably recoiling, and his hand also trembled.
Bang!
A bullet flew straight towards Luffy, hitting him.
Seeing this, the others immediately exclaimed in surprise.
"Idiot, who told you to shoot?"
"Exactly, didn't we agree that we just needed to drive these pirates away?"
"What if we anger them and they fight us to the death? We no longer have that many guards to protect this country. If Wapol and his group come back, we're finished!"
The man's eyes held terror and remorse, and he stammered.
"I... I was scared by him, my hand trembled, it wasn't on purpose!"
At this moment, these "two-three-zero" people had no time to blame the man; they just looked at Luffy and his crew with worry, ready to face the wrath of these pirates and prepare for battle at any moment.
However, to everyone's surprise, Luffy, who had been shot, did not fall down; he remained standing upright.
Then, everyone watched in disbelief as Luffy suddenly raised his hand and covered the spot where he had just been shot by the pirate.
The next second, he opened his palm, revealing a bullet to everyone.
Then he slowly said.
"I told you we mean no harm."
"Let us land on the island!"
"You... are not our opponents!"
Luffy's voice was calm, but it filled everyone present with terror and fear.
"What... what's wrong with that guy?"
"Why is he completely fine after being shot by a bullet?"
"He said we're not opponents, is that true?"
"Certainly! If guns don't work, what else can we use to fight?"
"He doesn't seem angry; could it be that he really isn't here to attack us?"
While these people were guessing and wondering, Dalton suddenly spoke.
"I'll take you to the village, follow me!"
He had now seen Luffy's sincerity; with such strength, landing on the island would be incredibly easy.
Since there was no immediate conflict, he trusted Luffy.
After Dalton spoke, the others no longer obstructed them.
After all, in the hearts of these people, Dalton had already become their leader.
...
Led by Dalton, Luffy and the others successfully entered the village, leaving only Zoro and Karu to watch the Merry.
Along the way, Luffy and Dalton got to know each other briefly.
And learned about the situation here.
It turned out that a group of pirates had attacked here before, which was why they deeply hated pirates.
Furthermore, the former king of this country, Wapol, fled with his army without fighting when the pirates attacked, abandoning his people and becoming a pirate.
In addition, this Wapol was a tyrannical and incompetent ruler who had never cared about the lives of his people before.
So these people planned to establish a new country.
And they were also afraid that Wapol would return with his men and take back the country.
That's why they had been armed and on guard at the coast, preventing anyone associated with pirates from entering the country.
After everything was clarified, the misunderstanding between the two sides was resolved.
No one made things difficult for anyone else anymore.
Upon arriving at Dalton's house, Luffy immediately asked.
"Dalton, I need to take my companion to the mountaintop to find Dr. Kureha. Can you tell me the fastest way?"
Dalton looked at Luffy's worried expression, pointed in a direction, and said.
"Following this main road straight up is the fastest route."
Mid-sentence, Dalton suddenly changed his tone.
"However, I recommend you take the other path behind."
"On this shortest path, there's a brutal creature unique to our region, the Lapahn."
"These are particularly fierce carnivorous rabbits; if you encounter a large group..."
Dalton hadn't finished speaking when Luffy had already carried Nami on his back, securing her firmly with a rope.
Then, disregarding Dalton's astonished gaze, he said to the others.
"I'll take Nami to find the doctor; you all check the nearby villages to see if Dr. Kureha has come down the mountain."
"If she's down, tell her to hurry back to the castle."
As Luffy finished speaking, the others nodded in agreement.
Then, he alone carried Nami and walked towards the mountaintop along that path.
Dalton and the surrounding guards were stunned by this scene.
They looked at Uta and the others in disbelief and asked.
"Are you just letting him go alone?"
"You don't know the terror of the Lapahn; if there are many of those ferocious rabbits, even an army might not be able to defeat them."
However, they saw that everyone's faces showed no trace of worry, and they said with great confidence and composure.
"That guy is our Captain; he alone is enough."
"With Luffy, there will definitely be no problem."
"Let's move quickly too; let's go check the nearby villages to see if Dr. Kureha has come down the mountain. We can't let her miss Luffy and Nami!"
With that, Uta and her group also left the place.
Only Dalton and a group of guards remained standing rooted to the spot, watching Luffy's receding back, their hearts filled with curiosity.
Just how strong is that guy, after all?!
Icy cold, bone-chilling wind.
In sub-zero temperatures.
Luffy carried Nami on his back, striding quickly towards the highest peak ahead.
Because the temperature was too low and Nami was extremely weak, Luffy kept talking to her to prevent her from falling unconscious and sleeping.
Falling asleep in sub-zero, icy conditions was extremely dangerous.
"Nami, are you cold? If you're cold, hold me tighter. We're almost there."
Luffy said to Nami, who was on his back, as he ran through snow dozens of centimeters deep.
Nami looked pained and weak, her body utterly powerless.
Luffy felt her hand on his shoulder tighten slightly.
Then, a faint smile appeared on her pained face, and she said in an extremely weak voice:
"Lu... Luffy, I'm so happy."
"If... if I... die like this, I'll be very content!"
Luffy immediately cursed upon hearing this.
"Idiot!"
"You are my navigator. I won't let you die."
"You too. As my navigator, you are not allowed to die without my permission!"
The smile on Nami's pained face deepened.
"Die... even dying needs your permission? That's... unreasonable!"
As Nami spoke, she pressed her face tightly against Luffy's back, closed her eyes, and curved them into crescents.
...
"Nami, are you asleep?"
"...No..."
"Nami, we're almost there!"
"..."
"Did you hear me, Nami?"
"...Heard... you!"
...
Whoosh... whoosh...
The cold wind howled, and heavy snow flew.
Suddenly, countless rabbits, as huge as Kuma, appeared in front of Luffy.
Their pupils were red, full of rage, and their sharp claws were as keen as knife tips.
Looking at the tiny human in front of them, the rabbits curled their lips, their eyes filled with the excitement and playfulness of seeing prey.
One of them let out a unique call, and all the rabbits, as if mad, charged down the mountain.
Crack!
Crack!
Bang!
Bang!
Along the way, broken trees and rocks were everywhere.
Amidst the flying snow, shattered rocks, branches, and wood chips danced in the air.
As these rabbits got closer and closer to Luffy.
Suddenly, hundreds of frenzied rabbits leaped up, their eyes glowing red with excitement and playfulness.
"Get out!"
Luffy suddenly looked up and roared.
Immediately, an unparalleled aura burst forth, sweeping across dozens of kilometers.
For a moment, the entire forest fell silent.
Meanwhile, Dalton and the other guards, as well as all the villagers inside the village, looked terrified and shocked, staring in the direction Luffy had left, as if they had seen a ghost.
Although Luffy's Haoshoku was not directed at them, the aura it emitted was incredibly shocking and astonishing.
With the threat of the rabbits gone, Luffy continued forward.
"Nami, say something."
"...Not... not asleep!"
...
Crossing the forest, dealing with the rabbits.
He also dodged an avalanche, and finally, in the biting cold wind, climbed a five-thousand-meter-high mountain.
Luffy finally brought Nami to the castle.
After sensing two presences with Observation Haki, he directly pushed open the door with Nami and found the room inside the castle.
Creak!
The door to the room was pushed open.
Luffy's voice followed.
"Please... treat the patient on my back!"
As Luffy spoke, he began to untie the ropes on his body, preparing to set Nami down.
Meanwhile, inside the room.
An old woman, Dr. Kureha, wearing sunglasses and with many wrinkles on her skin, and a small blue-nosed reindeer, Chopper, wearing a hat...
Both of them were surprised and stunned to see someone suddenly burst in.
The next second...
Chopper suddenly reacted as if electrified, quickly running behind Dr. Kureha.
Then, in his unique hiding posture, with most of his body exposed, he peeked at Luffy.
Dr. Kureha also recovered from her daze at this point.
She looked at Luffy's dirty clothes and his frostbitten body, and couldn't help but marvel, asking:
"You... you didn't come from the road with the Lapahns, crossed the forest, and finally climbed the mountain, did you?!"
Luffy had already untied Nami and carried her in his arms, approaching the two of them.
"That's not important."
"You two, quickly treat her."
"She's been sick for several days already, and she looks very serious."
Upon seeing a patient, Chopper immediately stopped hiding, his expression instantly becoming serious.
"Bring her over quickly!"
...
Inside a room.
Luffy sat on a stool, Chopper was extremely nervous, constantly wary of Luffy, yet diligently treating the frostbite on his hands.
On the bed next to them, Nami lay resting, her complexion already much improved, now deeply asleep.
Dr. Kureha sat on the other side, holding a bottle of alcohol, her gaze fixed on Luffy, and she spoke:
"She was bitten by an insect called 'Keskia'."
"It's a poisonous parasite that usually lives only in hot and humid forests. After being bitten, it will lie dormant in the body for five days."
"After five days, the patient will die suddenly."
As she spoke, Dr. Kureha took a sip of alcohol.
"You two are really lucky. From the wound, today is only the third day."
Listening to Dr. Kureha's words, Luffy realized that Nami must have been accidentally bitten by this insect when they were in Small Garden.
However, seeing her complexion had recovered quite a bit, his mood also lightened considerably, and he thanked Dr. Kureha.
"Thank you, Dr. Kureha."
Then, Luffy looked at Chopper, smiling slightly as he said:
"Thank you too, Chopper!"
Chopper suddenly froze upon hearing this.
The next second...
His body swayed like seaweed.
His eyes narrowed into slits, his mouth curved upwards, and joy radiated from his entire being.
"Annoying... so annoying!"
"How... how could a human thank me?!"
"Don't be ridiculous."
"Hehehehe..."
Looking at Chopper like this, Luffy couldn't help but laugh.
"I am thanking you, Chopper!"
Chopper's body swayed even more violently.
"Da... damn it, you idiot."
"Even if you say that, I won't be happy."
"Not happy!"
"Hehehehe..."
Luffy looked at Chopper, unable to hold back his laughter.
At this moment, Dr. Kureha suddenly asked:
"Who are you people? Why would you go to a place with such insects? Normally, that kind of environment is not suitable for human habitation."
Luffy casually replied:
"We are pirates."
Upon hearing this, Chopper suddenly stopped 4.1, his eyes filled with curiosity, and he asked Luffy:
"Are... are you really pirates?"
"It's true."
"Do you have a sk... skull flag?"
"Yes, it's hanging on the ship."
After answering Chopper, Luffy suddenly asked:
"Chopper, you're very interested in pirates, aren't you?!"
Chopper, like a startled rabbit, suddenly recoiled, his body tensing and sweating, his eyes almost popping out, and he shrieked, baring his teeth:
"No, you idiot! No! Idiot!"
Luffy looked at his emotions clearly written on his face, smiled, and said:
"Chopper, we're currently short a doctor on our ship. Would you be willing to be the doctor for our pirate crew and set sail with me?"
"Ah?!!!"
Chopper was stunned at first, then immediately bared his teeth and shrieked,
"Don't… don't talk nonsense!"
"I'm a reindeer!"
"How can I be with humans?!"
"You… you mean you're not afraid when you see me?"
"I'm a reindeer, but I walk on two legs and can talk…"
"And I also have… a blue nose…"
"I… I'm a… monster!"
When Chopper spoke the last sentence, his eyes held a memory, filled with sadness.
Luffy knew that Chopper, as a reindeer, had been abandoned by his herd because of his unique blue nose.
Then he accidentally ate the Human-Human Fruit and learned to speak.
He then wanted to integrate with humans and find new companions.
But he was again treated as a monster by humans, attacked and driven away.
These reasons led Chopper to always be afraid to approach humans.
Just as Chopper was feeling sad and recalling these painful memories,
He heard Luffy speak.
"Chopper! How much do you know about the Grand Line…?"