"Chopper! How much do you know about the Grand Line…?"
Suddenly hearing Luffy's question, Chopper pulled his thoughts away from his sad memories, recovered, looked at Luffy, and muttered,
"The Grand Line?!"
"I heard Dr. Hiluluk say that there are islands on the Grand Line where miraculous cherry blossoms bloom…"
Hearing Chopper mention the miraculous cherry blossoms, Luffy recalled.
Hiluluk was the only person who approached Chopper and lived with him when he was at his most helpless and lonely.
Hiluluk once told Chopper a story about a pirate who had an incurable disease but, after landing on an island, saw the entire island covered in cherry blossoms, and after that, the pirate's incurable disease was miraculously cured.
In reality, the protagonist of this story was Hiluluk.
The miraculous cherry blossoms covering the island represented for him the belief of making the impossible possible.
And the pirate flag with cherry blossoms that Hiluluk later raised also became Chopper's belief.
This is also why Chopper is so interested in pirates.
He yearns for the Grand Line, for pirates, but because he is a "monster" in people's eyes, he dares not approach humans, dares not take that step.
Looking at the still downcast Chopper, Luffy smiled and said,
"Chopper, do you know?"
"On the Grand Line, there are all sorts of people."
"Humans, giants, dwarves, Fishmen, Longarm Tribe, and even talking animals like you, the Mink Tribe."
"This Grand Line has all sorts of incredible races. You are just one of them, like everyone else. There's nothing strange or special about it."
Chopper listened to so many races he had never heard of, his eyes filled with fascination, especially for the Mink Tribe.
He asked excitedly,
"Really?"
"Are there really other talking animals on the Grand Line?"
Luffy smiled and nodded.
"Yes, there are!"
"And do you know, Chopper?"
"On the Grand Line, only those who are incredibly strong can be called monsters!"
"Monsters… are a symbol of strength."
"Every pirate dreams of becoming a monster!"
Chopper listened intently to Luffy's words, his eyes filled with infinite excitement, and he muttered,
"Monsters… are a symbol of strength!"
"Every pirate dreams of becoming a monster!"
At this moment, Chopper suddenly looked up and asked Luffy,
"What about Luffy? 24"
"Luffy, do you also want to become a monster?"
Luffy smiled.
"I am already a monster now."
"But I am still striving to become the strongest monster in this world!"
Chopper's eyes were filled with excitement.
"Is Luffy also a monster?!"
"Won't everyone… dislike you because you're a monster?"
Luffy smiled again and said,
"Not only do they not dislike me, but they also rely on me a lot!"
"Chopper, once you meet my companions, you'll know… monsters are very popular."
...
Inside the castle, Luffy continued to chat with Chopper about things on the Grand Line, answering Chopper's various questions.
Meanwhile, on the sea approaching Drum Island.
A huge iron-plated ship with a hippopotamus figurehead slowly sailed.
"Oh, oh… I see it."
"Lord Wapol, I see our homeland."
A excited shriek suddenly came from the ship.
Soon, a corpulent, hippopotamus-like man immediately got up and looked in the direction the person was pointing.
Then, he burst into laughter.
"Ah ha ha ha ha…"
"Our homeland, our Drum Kingdom, is finally coming back!!"
.....
On the shore, Wapol stepped on a guard who was covered in wounds, snorting disdainfully.
"Hmph! There are still guards here!"
"This is my Drum Kingdom! A bunch of scoundrels!"
Then, he glanced at the highest mountain peak inland, where the tall castle still stood.
"Ah ha ha ha ha…"
"My castle looks perfectly intact!"
"Let's go! To the castle!"
"I'm going back to the castle!"
"I don't want to be a pirate, I want to continue being king!"
...
Dalton's village.
Dalton was patrolling the village with the guards.
Suddenly, a wounded guard limped over.
"Da… Dalton Captain!"
Seeing this, Dalton immediately ran over to support the guard and asked in surprise,
"What happened? Why are you so seriously injured?"
The guard, his face covered in blood, said in a weak and angry voice,
"Wa… Wapol is back!"
As soon as these words were uttered, the surrounding guards and villagers immediately showed shock and panic.
"That tyrant… is actually back!"
"It's over, this place, which had just regained a bit of vitality, is going back to those dark days."
"That scoundrel, let's go fight him."
"Where is that scoundrel now?"
The injured guard said with difficulty,
"He… they took their troops… back to the castle!"
As soon as these words were uttered, all the guards and villagers immediately became furious.
"Let's go fight that scoundrel!"
"Fight! Rather than being oppressed by him, it's better to fight him to the death."
"That's right! We barely saved this place from the brink of destruction and planned to establish a new country. We can't let him take it away again like this."
"Dalton Captain, lead us… let's go fight Wapol to the death!"
The guards held their weapons, gritting their teeth.
Dalton looked at the angry eyes of the crowd, then at the resentment and pain on the faces of the surrounding people, gritted his teeth, frowned, and said in a deep voice,
"It's time to put an end to this!!"
...
Inside the castle!
Dr. Kureha had been sitting there quietly, occasionally taking a sip of wine, a faint smile always on her face, watching the two people on the opposite side who were playing off each other.
"S-scary! Is there really a whale as big as a mountain?!"
Chopper looked at Luffy in shock and disbelief, exclaiming.
Luffy smiled and nodded.
"That whale is called Laboon. We agreed to fight again after I sail around the Grand Line once!"
Chopper's eyes were filled with yearning and anticipation, and he sighed,
"How wonderful! The Grand Line…"
"There are so many interesting things…"
Luffy looked at Chopper's expectant expression and invited him once more,
"Chopper, set sail with me! Be our companion!"
Upon hearing the word "partner," Chopper was momentarily stunned.
This was something he had always pursued.
"Look, Chopper! This skull is a symbol of conviction. I'm going to raise this flag and fight like a pirate!"
"Skull? Pirate?"
"That's right! There are many of these guys on the sea. If you have the chance, go out to sea! You'll understand then how small your worries are. The island you were born on is only this big! No, even smaller..."
Hiluluk's voice echoed in his mind, and only three words filled Chopper's thoughts now.
Partner! Skull! Go to sea!
Sniff, sniff!
Just as Chopper was about to make a decision, he suddenly caught a scent and twitched his nose.
"This smell is..."
The next second.
Chopper's expression changed abruptly, his eyes filled with rage.
"...Wapol!"
With a deep roar, Chopper quickly transformed into his deer form and ran towards the castle entrance at top speed.
Luffy and Dr. Kureha followed closely behind him.
...
At the castle entrance.
Wapol, leading his subordinates, stood at the entrance, admiring the long-unseen palace.
Looking at the magnificent, huge castle before him, Wapol spread his arms, his voice high-pitched.
"See, everything is just as it was!"
"Alright, the Drum Kingdom is about to be resurrected!"
"Ah hahahaha....."
As Wapol laughed, a subordinate suddenly exclaimed.
"Please wait, Lord Wapol!"
"Look at the top of the castle, there's a strange flag flying there!"
Wapol looked up at the sound and saw a cherry blossom skull flag flying at the very top of the castle.
His brow furrowed instantly, his eyes filled with both confusion and anger.
"Hmm?"
"What is that skull flag?"
"Where is the Drum Kingdom's national flag?"
Just then, the castle gate slowly opened.
At the same time, a voice drifted out from inside.
"Hee... hee hee hee hee..."
"That trash was burned long ago!"
Wapol looked over at the sound and saw Dr. Kureha holding a bottle of sake, a smile on her face.
Beside her were a reindeer and a man wearing a Straw Hat.
However, Wapol paid no attention to the others; instead, he stared intently at Dr. Kureha, his eyes filled with fury.
"You old hag! How dare you occupy my castle while I was away!"
Dr. Kureha ignored him, instead putting one hand on her hip, pointing her thumb over her shoulder with the other, and saying.
"This castle is now Hiluluk's grave. It's not a place for scoundrels like you.
Get out of this country, the Drum Kingdom has... fallen!"
Wapol heard her words as if they were the biggest joke, and scoffed.
"Grave? That idiotic doctor's grave?!"
"Ah hahaha... That's hilarious."
Upon hearing Wapol mock Hiluluk so, Chopper's eyes immediately filled with rage.
It was Wapol who had spread rumors that the country's doctors were all sick.
His goal was to trick Hiluluk into coming here and kill him, a doctor who would go to treat anyone he heard was sick.
Chopper's face darkened, and he abruptly transformed into his Human-Beast form, clenching his fists and saying in a deep voice.
"The doctor wanted to save this country, so I won't let you enter the city, and I won't let you destroy that flag."
"I will never let you defile..."
Chopper roared furiously.
"...the doctor's conviction!"
Wapol heard Chopper's words, and the mockery on his face grew even stronger; he looked at Chopper as if he were an idiot and laughed.
"You're saying that idiotic skull flag is that stupid doctor's conviction?!"
"Ah hahahaha..."
"You're killing me with laughter!"
"That stupid doctor was so foolish he ran here to his death!"
"Ah hahahaha..."
Suddenly, Wapol stopped laughing, and with an expression of enjoying a prey being played to death in his hands, he looked at Chopper and sneered.
"You say you want to protect that stupid doctor's conviction?"
"Then, show me!"
Wapol suddenly pointed his finger at the flag and commanded a row of his gunners.
"Listen up, blast that idiotic skull flag to smithereens!"
Then, he looked at Chopper and laughed loudly.
"Ah hahahaha..."
"Go on! Go protect that flag."
"Block those cannonballs with your body, just like that stupid doctor did, running to his own death."
"Ah hahahaha..."
As Wapol laughed uproariously, a dozen gunners had already aimed at the cherry blossom skull flag at the top of the castle.
Seeing this, Chopper's eyes immediately showed panic, and he became incredibly agitated, roaring furiously.
"Stop!"
However, his angry roar, of course, did not make those gunners stop their attack.
He knew he couldn't deal with so many gunners in such a short time, so he immediately twisted his body, tears in his eyes, and was about to rush forward, like Hiluluk who came to his death, to shield the flag with his body.
Just then, Chopper suddenly heard an incredibly deep voice beside him.
"My doctor told you to stop, didn't you....."
Chopper froze, his eyes turning towards the sound, and he saw Luffy, whose face was so grim it seemed to suffocate people.
Suddenly, he saw Luffy abruptly raise his head, simultaneously letting out a deep roar.
"...hear him?!"
The next second, Chopper's body trembled, and his eyes filled with shock.
He saw that Luffy's eyes seemed to spew out a ball of furious fire, and the aura emanating from them was unparalleled, awe-inspiring.
Immediately after...
Bang!
230 Bang!
Bang!
There were sounds of falling bodies.
Chopper turned his head in shock and saw that the dozen gunners all had their eyes rolled back, foam at their mouths, lying motionless on the ground.
It was as if they had been extremely frightened, their faces showing extreme terror.
At this moment!
Chopper was shocked!
Wapol and all his subordinates were scared stiff!
Dr. Kureha held her sake bottle motionless, an incredible look in her eyes as well.
At the same time, Dalton and the guards who had just arrived at the scene also showed expressions of shock, each of them stunned in place.
After a moment of shock and terror, the entire scene erupted.
"Wh-what was that just now?"
"S-so terrifying!"
"What on earth is going on? Why did all these people faint after that Straw Hat boy got angry?"
"Was it that Straw Hat boy who did it?"
"Who exactly is that guy?"
"That Straw Hat boy looks so dangerous, so terrifying!"
Wapol's subordinates and Dalton's guards each uttered remarks of fear and shock.
Dalton, meanwhile, stared intently at Luffy, his eyes showing both shock and admiration.
His mind couldn't help but recall the scene where the rest of the Straw Hat expressed their trust in Luffy, and the overwhelming feeling he had suddenly felt emanating from deep within the forest at that time.
Recalling all these things, he looked at Luffy and couldn't help but exclaim in awe in his heart.
"Is this... a true monster?"
As everyone was in an uproar of shock, Wapol finally came to his senses.
He realized that being so scared just now must have made him lose face in front of these people.
Wapol immediately stamped his foot and shouted, pointing at Luffy.
"You scoundrel, what did you just do?"
"Do you believe I, Lord Wapol, won't blast you away with a cannon?!"
His subordinates, hearing this, also immediately put away their fear and became jubilant.
"Lord Wapol is the strongest!"
"Lord Wapol, blast that guy away!"
"Lord Wapol, long live!"
Listening to his subordinates' praises, the smile and smugness on Wapol's face became even more rampant.
He began to activate his Munch-Munch Fruit ability, preparing to turn his arm into a large cannon and then blast Luffy away.
Luffy, however, paid no attention to the clowns opposite him, only looking at the still-stunned Chopper and saying.
"Chopper, I'll show you!"
Chopper heard Luffy's voice, immediately snapped out of his shock, and looked at Luffy curiously, asking.
"Show me what?"
Then, he saw Luffy's mouth curl slightly upwards, and he said.
"I'll show you what a monster from the sea truly looks like!!!"
"Huh?"
Chopper let out a confused sound.
Then, he saw Luffy suddenly step forward, standing in the very center of the arena.
Next, Chopper, along with everyone else present, watched as Luffy suddenly raised his right hand and clenched his fist.
The next second, a black aura appeared on it.