The snow fell heavily as two figures slowly made their way through the icy landscape.
"Vivi, thank you for saving me…" Usopp mumbled, rubbing his face, which was swollen like a pig's head. He looked suspiciously at the blue-haired girl walking ahead of him. "But, I don't know if it's just my imagination, but my face seems a little… swollen."
"It must be f-frostbite. You know what the weather is like in a snow country. Haha…"
Vivi laughed awkwardly, telling a lie. To wake up the long-nosed man buried by the avalanche, she had no idea how many times she'd had to slap him.
"We have to get back to Big Horn Village quickly." Vivi hurriedly changed the subject. "Mr. Dalton's reaction just now was very strange…"
Before Vivi could finish her sentence, a dark shadow suddenly shot out from the snow up ahead, startling them both so badly they fell to the ground.
"Brrrr—it's so cold. What a pain. I thought I wouldn't get lost if I just swam along the river…"
The bare-chested, green-haired swordsman muttered to himself in the biting cold wind, rubbing his arms vigorously. "But I guess this counts as training, too!"
"Zoro?!" they both shouted.
"Hm?"
Zoro heard them and turned his head to look at the two people who had fallen in the snow.
"Oh, Vivi, and… uh…" Zoro's eyes narrowed as he stared at the pig-like face for a long time. It wasn't until he saw the iconic long nose that he finally realized. "Oh, it's Usopp!"
"What are you two doing here? Working out?"
"We should be asking you that!!" they both shouted back.
"You're saying you want Chopper to go with you and become a pirate??" Dr. Kureha looked at Sherlock, her voice filled with uncertainty.
"To be precise, our captain will be the one to invite him." Sherlock pushed up his glasses, a helpless expression on his face. "After all, he's a reindeer who can talk and transform, not to mention he's highly skilled in medicine. He's such an interesting guy, there's no way someone with Luffy's personality would pass him up."
Nami, who was lying back in bed, nodded in deep agreement after hearing Sherlock's words. "That's right. And that kid seems really curious about pirates. He was just asking me about the pirate flag."
"Pirates? E-hee-hee-hee…" Dr. Kureha let out a strange, cackling laugh, as unsettling as a witch from a fairy tale.
"If you want to take him, then take him! But the ordinary methods won't work."
"He has a great wound in his heart. It's a wound that even a doctor can't heal…" As she spoke, Dr. Kureha looked at Sherlock and Nami, her bright eyes as sharp as electricity.
"Can you heal the wound in his soul?"
Then, Dr. Kureha sighed and began to tell the story of Chopper and a certain "quack doctor" from five years ago.
"Dr. Hiriluk, the hero of Drum Kingdom, and also Chopper's 'adoptive father'…"
Meanwhile, having finally had enough, Chopper was grabbed by Luffy and Sanji. He suddenly transformed into a large, gorilla-like monster, knocking the two idiots over with a swing of his fists before shrinking down again and running off into the distance.
"Hiss, that guy is really strong," Luffy said, climbing up from the ground and putting his straw hat back on properly as he spoke to the curly-browed cook.
Sanji grimaced, then, as if he'd just thought of something, his expression suddenly changed. "Wait, Luffy, did you notice? He was talking just now."
"Yeah, he was. And standing on two feet," Luffy added.
Uh...
The two looked at each other.
"He's a reindeer, but he speaks human language!"
"He's usually tiny, but he can suddenly get huge!"
"He's totally a…"
"A MONSTER!" Luffy and Sanji roared in unison.
"He's so interesting! Sanji," Luffy said with a grin. "Let's get him to join us!"
In the distance, Chopper, who had only heard the first half of their shout, froze mid-stride. His nose tingled, and a glint of tears welled up in his dark reindeer eyes. Their words were like an invisible blade, stabbing viciously into his fragile heart.
(Just as I thought. Other than the Doctor and Doctorine, all other humans just see me as a monster.)
The poor blue-nosed reindeer lowered his head, gently wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes, and slowly walked inside. The dim surroundings made his small figure look even more lonely.
Chopper pushed open the door to his room, intending to prepare the medicine Nami would need for her recovery.
(No matter what they think of me, Doctorine said I'm a doctor. I have to be responsible for my patients first!)
"Yo, you're back, Doctor."
"!!!"
Chopper stared in shock at the man with glasses sitting on the chair in his room. He quickly hid behind the door, stammering, "W-what do you want?"
Sherlock looked at the blue-nosed reindeer—who was still hiding the wrong way—closed the medical book in his hand, and gave Chopper a kind smile. "You were the one who brought me and Nami to the castle when we fainted, right? Thank you so much."
"Dr. Chopper."
Chopper's furry body trembled. He looked into Sherlock's eyes. The man's deep black eyes held a gentle light. Even in this freezing weather, Chopper felt a little warm under that gaze.
After so many years of discrimination, Chopper was extremely sensitive. What he saw in Sherlock's calm eyes wasn't the fear and disgust he had grown numb to, but genuine, actual gratitude.
"Don't be ridiculous! You idiot!" Chopper began to dance around, his face beaming with a smile. He looked incredibly happy. "Why would a human thank me? It doesn't make me happy at all, you know!"
(What a terrible liar. He can't hide his feelings at all,) Sherlock sighed to himself. A reindeer this pure would probably get along great with that idiot captain and a certain long-nosed crewmate.
Big Horn Village.
"We have to climb the mountain! Mr. Bushido, Usopp!" Vivi said to the two, her expression serious. "We can't delay any longer. Besides, there was just an avalanche, and Wapol is back… I'm really worried about Mr. Glasses and the others, and Nami's illness…"
"And you're also worried about Dalton, and about Alabasta, right?" Usopp said coolly, crossing his arms. "Calm down, Vivi."
"You're carrying way too much on your shoulders!"
Vivi's breath hitched. For a moment, she was at a loss for words.
It was true. This princess in distress, burdened with an overwhelming sense of responsibility, was worried about far too many things. It was crushing her.
Usopp's expression softened slightly, and he quickly tried to comfort her. "Luffy might be reckless most of the time, but he's dependable when it counts. And as long as a woman is involved, that pervert Sanji will be paying 12-times the attention. And more importantly, Sherlock is with them!"
"Mr. Glasses…"
It was as if that name had magic. Vivi stared blankly into the distance.
That's right. That seemingly omnipotent man, Sherlock, is there. It will definitely be alright.
"So, you just have to believe in your friends!" Usopp said, giving her a confident thumbs-up and a wide grin.
(He's right. I have to trust them!)
Thinking this, the princess felt a wave of gratitude and let out a long sigh of relief. "Thank you, Usopp."
Zoro, now wearing a "borrowed" winter coat, heard this and pursed his lips. He shot the long-nosed man a strange look. "After all that talk, the truth is you're just too scared to climb the mountain, aren't you!"
Zoro used "Hard Truth"! It was super effective! Usopp fainted!
The long-nosed man, hit with a critical blow, immediately became furious out of embarrassment. "Me? Scared? How is that possible! Are you kidding me? I, Captain Usopp, have 8,000 followers! How could I…"
Unfortunately, Luffy wasn't there. Without the gullible idiot captain who believed every single thing he said, the entertainment value of Usopp's forced bragging fell flat.
(Give me back my moment of emotional gratitude!) The blue-haired girl thought, a dark shadow crossing her face.
As mentioned before, Sherlock was very good at talking to people and exceptionally skilled at winning over strangers.
In no time, the sorcerer and the pure-hearted reindeer doctor had become quite familiar.
"This is a Rumble Ball?" Sherlock asked, looking at the goose-yellow, round pill in his hand.
Chopper nodded excitedly. When it came to the proudest research results of his last five years, the blue-nosed reindeer puffed out his furry chest with pride.
"That's right, that's right! It can disrupt the wavelength of a Zoan-type Devil Fruit. By eating this, I can achieve seven different transformations!"
After speaking, Chopper closed his eyes, a smug look on his face that clearly said, "Go on, praise me."
Sherlock was almost charmed into laughing out loud by the little guy's cute appearance. He played along perfectly. "Ah, seven transformations! That's incredible!"
"Ahhhh, even if you praise me, it won't make me happy, you stupid human!"
Chopper said one thing while his body did another, wiggling with delight as he happily cursed him out.
Since Dr. Kureha had no interest in things like Devil Fruits, this was the first time in five years that Chopper had shared his research with anyone. It filled the little reindeer with a strong desire to show off.
Moreover, Sherlock's genuinely friendly attitude made the little reindeer, who had endured so many cold shoulders, feel very warmly toward him.
(Doctor, have I... have I really made a friend I can share my happiness with?)
Overjoyed, Chopper pulled another Rumble Ball from his pocket and said excitedly to Sherlock:
"Sherlock, let me show you! I'll show you how amazing the Rumble Ball is! Rumble Ball!" With that, Chopper tossed the ball into his mouth, preparing to bite down.
Sherlock sat quietly on the chair, a look of curiosity on his face.
But right at that moment.
"Wapol?"
With the Rumble Ball still in his mouth, Chopper sniffed the air. His furry face suddenly filled with terror and rage.
(That's Wapol's scent! Has he come back?)
(I have to warn Doctorine right away!)
"Sorry, Sherlock, I can't show you this time!"
Chopper immediately put the Rumble Ball away, transformed into his reindeer form, and bolted outside, leaving the sorcerer—who had been rather looking forward to the seven transformations—feeling quite disappointed.
(That short, fat guy is back already?)
Sherlock stood up and looked at the Rumble Ball in his hand, a thoughtful expression on his face. "I wonder if the Rumble Ball has any effect on Paramecia types."
"But as it happens, a ready-made test subject has just arrived."
Thinking this, Sherlock pushed up his glasses. In the dim light of the room, the clear lenses reflected two cold, calculating glints of light.
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