Chapter 44: Drum Island – Farewell & Chopper's New Journey
Kureha drained her wine cup in one gulp and decisively declared: "Fine, let that silly kid sail with you." She narrowed her eyes with a meaningful smile. "Why? Probably just this old woman's intuition. With you lot, the kid shouldn't be lonely anymore."
Meanwhile, in the herb storage room…
Chopper was diligently grinding herbs when his hoof suddenly trembled. The pestle clattered to the floor with a clang. He stared blankly at his hoof, murmuring unconsciously: "Doctor… can a monster like me really have friends?"
Suddenly—
Thud thud thud! Noisy footsteps and shouting erupted outside the castle. Chopper's ears perked up alertly. He scrambled to the windowsill and looked out—then his fur instantly bristled in fright.
"Dr. Kureha! Bad news!" He rushed into the main hall, hooves slipping several times on the floor. "The villagers are charging up here with weapons!"
Before Kureha could respond, the main door was slammed open. Dozens of villagers armed with farming tools poured in, all talking at once:
"Captain Dalton!"
"Are you okay?!"
"We came to help!"
"Get the hell out, all of you!" Kureha stomped one foot on the table, making the wine bottles rattle. "The patient needs rest—can't you understand?!"
The villagers instantly shrank back like startled penguins, scrambling out the door in a panic—though they carefully closed it behind them. Moments later, a middle-aged man wearing a fur cap cautiously knocked and entered.
"Mosan…" Dalton weakly propped himself up.
"Captain!" The man named Mosan rushed to the bedside, voice trembling. "Thank goodness… you're still alive…"
Dalton gave a wry smile and shook his head: "Didn't I tell you all not to come?"
"We were too worried!" Mosan said excitedly. "That bastard king who abandoned us suddenly came back—how could we let you face him alone?" He clenched his fist, eyes shining with determination. "This time, the whole village has decided to fight to the end!"
Dalton gave a pained smile and raised a hand to calm the agitated Mosan: "I hate to pour cold water on you, but Wapol has already been dealt with by this gentleman." He gestured toward Sol standing nearby.
"Huh?! He's already been defeated?" Mosan's eyes widened as he looked Sol up and down. Suddenly he slapped his forehead in realization. "You must be 'Fire Dragon' Sol from the Straw Hat Pirates! The pirate with a 100 million Berry bounty!"
"100 million Berries?!" Dalton and Chopper exclaimed at the same time. Chopper's small hooves instinctively covered his mouth.
"That's me. What about it?" Sol replied calmly. After all, back when he was running with Garp, he had taken down countless pirates with 100 million bounties.
"S-Sorry, sorry!" Mosan fumbled in his coat and pulled out two crumpled wanted posters—Luffy's and Sol's. "About a week ago, a traveler-looking guy asked me to pass on a message…" He scratched his head. "He said if I saw you guys come to Drum Island, I should tell you he's waiting in Alabasta for ten days."
Nami sharply interjected: "What did he look like? What's his name?"
"Let me think…" Mosan rubbed his chin, recalling. "Black short hair, ordinary skin tone, freckles on his face… oh right! He said his name is Ace!"
"Ace?" Nami looked at Sol in confusion. "Do you know him?"
Sol nodded: "Yeah—he's the sworn big brother of me and Luffy."
Chopper, who had been completely lost in the conversation, finally breathed a sigh of relief and patted his chest with a small hoof: "So they're not here to cause trouble…" Kureha saw this and laughed loudly, ruffling Chopper's head forcefully—his antlers shook from the impact, but her eyes were full of affection.
Dalton supported himself on the bed's edge and stood up, bowing solemnly to Sol: "No matter what, thank you for helping the Drum Kingdom get rid of this menace."
Mosan and the villagers outside also bowed in thanks; cheers rose one after another.
Under the villagers' enthusiastic guidance, Sol and Nami learned that the tavern owner had a hidden permanent pointer to Alabasta—it was a treasure the owner used specially to procure tropical goods. After all, on this frigid winter island, many supplies had to be shipped from the distant desert kingdom.
"Let's go!" Nami pumped her fist energetically.
Sol easily shouldered the two treasure chests; Nami carried the luggage behind him. Seeing this, Chopper immediately shifted into reindeer form and cheerfully pulled the sled over: "Dr. Kureha, I'll see them off and come right back!"
Kureha leaned against the castle doorway, watching the sled disappear into the distance. A meaningful smile curved her lips: "Silly kid… once you leave this time, you're not coming back." She turned and shouted to the watching villagers: "Don't just stand there! Come help me move stuff!"
Under Mosan's direction, the villagers bustled into action.
Down at the tavern, Nami convinced the owner to hand over the permanent pointer for just 100,000 Berries. Afterward, Chopper pulled the sled carrying the two of them to the harbor—according to Dalton, Wapol's leftover "White Iron King" was docked there. The large submarine assault sailboat had excellent performance and could get them to Alabasta quickly.
"This is as far as I go!" Chopper reverted to his small reindeer form. Though his eyes were full of reluctance, he forced a smile: "These past two days were really fun…"
He had just turned to leave when Sol suddenly grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and lifted him up. In surprise, Chopper instinctively shifted to human-beast form, all four hooves flailing in the air: "Eh?! Sol, what are you doing! Put me down!"
Nami put her hands on her hips and leaned in with a bright smile, tapping Chopper lightly on the forehead: "Sorry to say it—but you're already a crewmate we've decided on! Dr. Kureha personally packed your luggage for you!"
Only then did Chopper notice that beside Nami's luggage was an extra familiar small backpack—the very one Kureha had tossed to Sol earlier.
His hooves trembled slightly. The strength of his struggle gradually weakened.
Bang—!
Suddenly, a brilliant firework exploded in the distant sky. Sol let go. The three of them looked up at the same time.
From the direction of Drum Castle, Kureha was directing the villagers to fire specially made shells into the air. With a series of booming explosions, pink snow scattered everywhere like a dreamlike cherry blossom rain, bringing an unprecedented miracle to this island forever covered in ice and snow.
The island's residents gazed up at the pink sky. Some covered their mouths; some hugged their families tightly. Hearts long frozen by endless cold seemed to be healed by a warm spring breeze in that moment.
Chopper's vision blurred. Amid the falling pink snow, he seemed to see Dr. Hiriluk dancing wildly again: "Chopper! This is my universal medicine—the miracle that can heal an entire country!" The doctor's loud laughter echoed across time and space in his ears. "Someday, you too will set sail to find the universal medicine that can cure every disease!"
"Uwaaaaaah—!!" Chopper suddenly burst into loud sobs. Tears fell in huge drops onto the snow. "Doctor! Dr. Kureha! I… I…"
At the castle gate on the mountaintop, Kureha gently wiped the tears from the corner of her eye and murmured toward the harbor: "Go, silly son."
Dalton, still wrapped in bandages, slowly walked to her side: "Is it really okay to part like this?"
"Hmph." Kureha tilted her head back and took another swig of wine. "I hate teary goodbye scenes the most."
Dalton watched the pink snowflakes dancing across the sky and suddenly remembered something Dr. Hiriluk had said years ago on his deathbed: "When does a person die? When a bullet pierces their heart? When they catch an incurable disease? Or when they drink poisonous mushroom soup? —None of those."
The doctor's face had been pale, yet he smiled brilliantly: "It's when the world forgets them. But as long as my dream continues, I will never truly die…"
Watching the White Iron King gradually sail away from the harbor, Dalton clenched his fist and silently vowed in his heart: "Doctor, I understand. This time, I will definitely protect this country."
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