They waited for the blizzard to pass.
And so, they waited until the next day.
It was inadvisable to travel in such bad weather so soon after a serious illness. Dr. Kureha didn't need to say it; as someone with medical knowledge, Luffy shared the same understanding.
But this was hard on Chopper.
He spent the entire night in a state of nervous anxiety.
And also, and also, do humans not need to sleep?!
Chopper had only just lain down for a short while when he instinctively sensed danger. Opening his eyes, he saw a pair of eyes glowing with red light staring straight at him.
"Come be a pirate?" The voice was like a devil's.
Chopper nearly fainted from fright.
Finally, the next morning arrived.
Nami had slept exceptionally deeply. When she opened her eyes again, daylight streamed through the window.
The unique silence of the ice and snow castle enveloped her. The desperate heaviness and high fever were gone, leaving only the slight weakness following a serious illness.
She propped herself up, moving her arms, feeling strength gradually returning.
"Yo, Nami, morning," Luffy greeted her. He was sitting cross-legged near the fireplace, gnawing on a large meat bone he'd gotten from somewhere, looking full of energy.
"What are you doing?" Nami was surprised by his recovery speed while also noticing him looking around.
"Chopper hid again while I wasn't looking," Luffy said, finishing off the meat in a few bites. His rubber arm stretched out, accurately tossing the bone into a distant trash can.
"How do you feel? That Witch Doctor said once your fever broke, you were basically fine. Just needed more rest."
"Mhm, much better," Nami said, warmth spreading in her heart. She was already eager to get out of bed. "Vivi is waiting for us. Let's hurry and meet up with them."
Their important enemy was Crocodile.
"Okay," he agreed readily.
But before leaving, he needed to take someone with him.
Just then, the door opened. Dr. Kureha walked in carrying some light food and medicine. Seeing Nami sitting up, she raised an eyebrow. "Good color in your cheeks, little girl. Looks like you're better."
"Thanks to you," Nami thanked her sincerely.
Kureha was also the type who was cold on the outside but kind-hearted, despite her strange quirks—like making her wear only a long shirt and panties.
According to Kureha, Nami's figure wasn't much different from hers in her youth. This method helped her reminisce.
But Nami had spent most of her time with Luffy.
He saw everything.
"If you want to thank someone, thank this blockhead kid. He literally risked his life to get you up here."
"Mhm," Nami's fondness for Luffy was practically overflowing.
Kureha, perhaps due to her age, was quite invested in these youthful affairs. She looked at Nami's face and let out a teasing laugh.
"Oh, right. His body recovers ridiculously fast. That... restless issue has long since settled down. You don't need to worry about 'blocking being worse than channeling' anymore."
Nami's face instantly turned beet red, like a boiled shrimp. She wished she could find a hole to crawl into.
"What issue?" Luffy asked.
"No issue!" Nami shot Luffy a fierce glare.
Baffling.
Sometimes Luffy didn't understand the coded conversations they had. Most of the time, he found it hard to split his focus.
His brain felt like it needed to develop a second processor now.
One to handle the daily training problems.
The remaining processor operated at half-capacity, like now, searching the entire castle for Chopper.
"Hey, Chopper! We're leaving. Pack your things."
Luffy's loud voice echoed through the empty castle.
Maybe I should just kidnap Chopper later.
A rustling sound came from a corner. From behind a cabinet, Chopper cautiously peeked half his head out, then immediately pulled it back, his heart pounding. "Whimper... He's going to find me again. Is this guy a monster?"
Even though he was supposed to be the monster, in front of Luffy, it felt like child's play.
"Not a moment's peace."
Kureha, who had been leaning against the doorframe unnoticed, took a swig of her drink, watching Luffy with amusement. "Kid, that eager to kidnap my pet?"
"Don't you also want Chopper to go out and see the world?" Luffy pushed down his straw hat and smiled.
Otherwise, Kureha wouldn't have done nothing to stop him.
A flicker of surprise passed through Kureha's eyes before she returned to her usual nonchalant expression.
"Didn't expect you, a kid who seems so thick-headed, to be quite perceptive."
"Emotions are my specialty," Luffy said. Observation Haki could be quite useful in that regard sometimes.
"You know what you shouldn't." Kureha glanced at Nami and pursed her lips. "If you want to take him, take him. As long as you can convince that awkward little thing."
"Is there a reason?" Nami stepped forward. "I noticed Chopper's eyes light up when talking about pirates too."
"For sickness of the heart, you need medicine for the heart." Kureha took another drink. "Any physical illness, I can cure. But illnesses of the heart? I can't."
She slowly began to tell Chopper's story.
Born with a blue nose among the reindeer herds on this snowy mountain, Chopper was ostracized by his own kind and could only follow the herd alone from a distance.
No companions. Alone and miserable.
Later, after accidentally eating a Devil Fruit, he was attacked and driven away by the reindeer who saw him as a monster. Chopper thought, if there was no place for him among reindeer, what about among humans? So, battered and bruised, he made his way to a human village.
But in that form, to humans, he was also a monster.
Humanity's instinctive fear of the unknown made them unable to accept Chopper.
Insults, swinging blades, even gunshots—various forms of driving him away.
Kureha looked at Luffy. "For Chopper, he later met the man who changed his life—Hiriluk. He accepted Chopper, who was rejected by both his own kind and humans."
"Where is he now?"
"Dead. A third-rate doctor with terrible medical skills. An idiot who spent all day trying to invent a panacea, spouting nonsense about making cherry blossoms bloom in this country." Kureha looked at Nami.
"After Hiriluk died, Chopper came clinging to me, saying he wanted to become a doctor who could cure all diseases. But because he had no nakama, he's sealed off his heart."
"So, why are you so persistent about him?" Kureha couldn't help but ask Luffy.
"Chopper is a good doctor," Luffy said.
And another important point was... a guy who could transform seven ways? That was just too cool!
"Good eye. I taught him everything I know," Kureha said proudly, asking Luffy, "So, what's your plan?"
"A monster?"
Luffy's Observation Haki had long since locked onto that bundle of nervous yet curious energy. His rubber arm stretched out, went around the cabinet, and plucked out Chopper, who was trying to hide.
***
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