Grand Line · Winter Island · Former Drum Kingdom · Now · Border Forest of Sakura Flower Kingdom
The howling wind and snow cut through the air like a knife, the sky was gray, and the cold wave was like a ferocious beast.
The Straw Hat Pirates' ship, the Merry, forced its way ashore. Nami huddled on the deck, her face flushed, her body temperature rising, and even her voice becoming weak:
"So… cold…"
"Nami!" Usopp rushed forward to support her, shouting anxiously.
"Sanji!" Luffy turned around and yelled, "Hurry and get her down and find a doctor!!"
Sanji gritted his teeth and nodded, then he picked up Nami and the three of them stumbled into the snow forest.
Soon, the sound of footsteps on the snow came from afar.
More than ten soldiers armed with spears and wearing snow-covered uniforms emerged from the fog. The leader was Dalton, the former captain of the palace guards and now the new administrator of the Sakura Flower Kingdom!
He glanced at the Straw Hat Pirates and frowned:
"Pirates?"
He muttered to himself, his eyes fixed on Nami's pale face behind him. Hesitation flashed in his eyes, but he still gave the order decisively:
"No entry. No matter who you are, the Kingdom has issued a clear order - no assistance will be provided to the Pirates."
"Please return to the coast immediately!"
"She can't hold on any longer!"
Luffy roared, his fists clenched and cracked.
"Let us through!!" Sanji growled, exerting a little force with his feet, obviously trying to force his way through.
——clang!
Zoro stepped in front of the two and stopped them.
"Calm down," he muttered through gritted teeth, "If we force our way in, it will only cause more harm to Nami."
"And... have you forgotten where we are now?"
"This is a country within the G-5's borders. It's normal for them to be disgusted with pirates."
Seeing this, the soldiers immediately raised their guns and nervously opened up their defense line.
Just when the atmosphere was tense and on the verge of exploding——
"Wait, wait!!"
A sound of breaking wind came from the side path of the forest, and a strange creature with a blue nose, antlers, and a fur cloak rushed out in a hurry, carrying a large cloth bag for collecting herbs behind it.
"Is she a patient?!"
Everyone was startled and turned to look at this strange creature.
"Um... can I, can I save her?"
It stammered, its voice timid, but it didn't move.
"Chopper?!" Dalton recognized him immediately and was extremely surprised. "W-What are you doing here?"
"Have you forgotten what Doctor Kuleha said? Times have changed. We can't just save 'those kinds of people'!"
"But...she's really dying."
Chopper lowered his head, his voice soft but firm, "I...I can't watch her die."
Usopp's eyes lit up when he saw this, and he immediately stepped forward to incite him:
"Yeah, yeah, we're not bad guys after all! I'm a brave warrior with 80 million men under my command, and this is just my little brother's sister—no, she's my important partner!"
"We are peace missionaries going to save the kingdom—"
"Don't talk nonsense!!" Sanji kicked Usopp away.
Chopper looked at Nami's increasingly rapid breathing and finally gritted his teeth:
"I want to take her back for treatment!!"
[Soon · Alpine Snow House · Healer's Castle]
Dr. Kuleha was leaning against an old rattan chair, drinking and flipping through an ancient pharmacopoeia. Suddenly, he heard a report from his servant and raised his eyebrow slightly.
"Oh? That stupid little deer couldn't help himself after all..."
"I warned him."
She put down her wine glass, looked at the blue shadow breaking through the snow in the distance, and sighed.
"Are you that persistent, Chopper?"
"Do we have to go... that way?"
"The sea is different now..."
The north wind howled and the cold snow fell, as if the whole mountain was sleeping in ice.
Luffy and Sanji almost dragged their broken bodies to carry Nami, who had a high fever, all the way up the steep mountain path.
The two men were already on the verge of collapse, but their pace never stopped.
"Nami, hold on a little longer... the castle of that 'witch' is just ahead!" Luffy said gritting his teeth, his sweat and snow water already blending into one.
"If this woman dares to say she's incurable again..."
Sanji's face was cold as he smashed the ice in front of the city gate with one punch. "I'll let her taste the power of the 'Head Kick'!"
At this moment, the door creaked open, and a tall, thin figure stood inside. He was wearing a white cotton robe, a thick scarf, a wine jug in his hand, and a monocle on his back.
——"Witch" Dr. Kuleha appears.
She glanced at the three of them, then glanced at Nami in her arms, and snorted softly:
"Well, it takes some perseverance to be able to climb up here."
"You are not hopelessly stupid."
As she spoke, she took Nami from Sanji's arms and walked into the inner hall: "But... don't trespass into my bedroom."
Sanji was stunned. "So... you agree?"
Luffy sat down in the snow, finally breathing a sigh of relief, and grinned like a fool.
[Late Night · Doctor's Tower · Hearthfire Greenhouse]
Chopper watched from behind the stair railing.
He should have obediently stayed in the underground pharmacy to sort out the herbs, but ever since he saw that group of humans who were clearly "Pirates" but were working hard for the patients, something in his heart that had long been broken was quietly pieced together.
"Chopper," a voice interrupted him.
Chopper turned around suddenly and saw Luffy, holding the freshly cooked meat and bone soup.
"You like medicine, don't you?"
"...Yeah." Chopper lowered his head and nodded slightly.
"Then come out to sea with us."
"There are many places on the sea where sick people can't find doctors. You are so capable, you will definitely be able to save many people."
Chopper froze, his eyes reddening slightly and his long nose trembling uncontrollably.
"You... aren't you afraid of me? I'm a reindeer, a monster, and I was banished by the islanders..."
Luffy smiled, his sunny smile dazzlingly warm in the glow of the fireplace.
"Isn't that even better?"
"There are monsters on the ship, a cook, a liar, a swordsman, and a navigator. Now if we have a doctor monster, it will be perfect!"
Chopper finally burst into tears after holding back for so long: "...I, I...I'm not a monster, I'm a doctor!!!"
The next day, the Healer's Tower, and the departure.
The morning light was shining, and the Straw Hat Pirates were ready to go. Chopper was holding a small bag and standing next to Luffy with an excited look on his face.
"Let's go out to sea!!"
"Hey! You deer!! You're just leaving like that?!"
From above the tower, Kuleha's furious roar could be heard.
Chopper was stunned and turned around to shout, "Doctor Doriel - thank you!!"
"You idiot! Don't you dare call me by my name! You idiot, idiot, idiot!!"
Dr. Kuleha flung open the skylight and carried out a pile of—
Bazookas, javelins, hammers, darts, and parachutes...
"Get away from me!!"
Swish, swish, swish, swish——!!
A flaming shadow fell from the sky, almost brushing past the faces of everyone in the Straw Hat Pirates!
——Each attack could have easily hit the target, but they only grazed the ends of hair and the edges of clothes, with such precision that it was chilling.
"Hey, hey, hey! You did it on purpose! You did it on purpose!!!" Usopp covered his head and ran away.
"Is she really angry? Or is she saying goodbye?!" Chopper was so scared that his legs were shaking.
Luffy turned around and laughed, "She was trying to cheer you on! What a nice person!"
[Inside the Tower]
Dr. Kuleha took back the last dagger in his hand and looked at the figure leaving the mountain quietly for a long time.
Finally, she slowly turned around and walked into the study.
"Chopper, your fate... has already changed."
"I hope the favor I showed you before can save your life in this storm..."
Take out the Den Den Mushi and shoot it at Marine G5.
——Sakura flowers have fallen to the ground, and the snow has become a mountain.