"It looks like no one's home?"
Pushing open the ancient castle doors, Luffy stuck his head inside and blinked at the empty, abandoned hall, voicing his confusion.
"Maybe they went down the mountain to treat patients?"
"Come on, it's freezing outside. Let's go in first!"
Red pushed open another door and waved Smoker and Robin inside, completely unaware of how rude it was to stroll right into someone else's courtyard.
Under Red's lead, the group wandered lazily through the castle until they found a tearoom, then sat down without hesitation and made themselves comfortable.
Time passed quietly.
Night soon settled over Drum Island.
The bright full moon cast a cold silver glow across the snow, tinting the white blanket with a faint rosy sheen.
A sleigh loaded with bulging luggage glided across the moonlit slope as if from a fairy tale, coming to a stop upon the pure white snow.
The runners carved two clean lines across the ground.
Returning to his usual form, Chopper removed the chains from his body, then instinctively looked toward the castle.
"Huh!? Doctorine, I think… someone's inside the castle!?"Chopper's voice cracked with alarm.
Kureha stepped off the sleigh, pausing as she removed her sunglasses, looking up at the castle with puzzlement.
The castle that should have been empty and desolate… now had several lights shining inside.
And every now and then, human shadows moved across the windows, accompanied by bursts of laughter.
"What an ill-mannered bunch."
"Breaking into someone else's house when they're not home."
Kureha tucked her sunglasses into her collar and grinned up at the silhouetted figures in the window.
Beside her, Chopper tensed up instantly."A–are they thieves?"
"Who cares~"Kureha waved her hand dismissively, striding toward the castle with a wide grin.
"W–wait for me, Doctorine!"
Chopper teared up as he scrambled after her on his little legs.
Meanwhile, inside the castle—
Beside a roaring fireplace, the only person in the Straw Hat crew who still hadn't sensed that something was wrong—Monkey D. Luffy—was enthusiastically explaining the wonders of the Pokémon world to Robin.
"Hey, hey, Robin! Did you know!?"
"There's a special kind of candy in the Pokémon world! Just one bite, and you get super strong instantly!"
"But because those candies are really rare, Red keeps talking about 'cost-efficiency' or something weird… so up till now, I'm the only one who's gotten to eat them~!"
"Oh? How fascinating."
Robin crossed her long legs, rested her hand against her soft cheek, and responded with polite curiosity—though whether she was actually listening or simply humoring him was anyone's guess.
On the opposite end of the spectrum was Smoker, who pretended to be boiling tea but was secretly straining his ears so hard they may as well have turned into smoke and wrapped around Luffy's mouth.
"Fake. It has to be fake."
"There's no way such a ridiculous world exists!"
"That's it!"
"That so-called Pokémon world is just a fantasy made up by these pirates!"
"If it were real, why have I never heard of it!?"
"If it were real, why have I never seen it!?"
Smoker stared blankly as he poured boiling water into a cup that was already full… and then right over the side, splashing onto the floor without him noticing.
"Um… Captain Smoker…"
Red finally reminded him:
"Could you maybe pour me a cup as well?"
"Huh!?"
Smoker jerked, tilting his hand.
Hot water streamed straight down his pant leg, making him leap to his feet.
"Careful!"
Red swiftly caught the teapot Smoker dropped and poured himself a cup.
But halfway through, the pot was already empty.
"Sigh… such a waste of water."
He murmured softly.
Just then—A loud thud echoed from the hallway.
The doors slammed open.
Kureha strode in wearing her stylish outfit, holding an already-open bottle of whiskey.
"Well now, kiddos… it looks lively in here."
"Hm!?"
Her sudden entrance drew the entire room's attention.
Red's eyes flashed sharply the moment he saw her, and he immediately scanned behind her—
And there he saw it:
A fuzzy little creature hiding only half its head behind the doorway, the rest of its body completely exposed, staring at them with a mixture of fear and curiosity.
"Eh? Old granny, who are you?"
Luffy stood up boldly and asked.
WHAM!!!
A sudden kick sent Luffy crashing into the wall.
Kureha lowered her leg onto the chair Luffy had occupied and swept her gaze sharply over Red and the others.
"So, you're here to steal my secret formula for eternal youth, hmm?"
"If you really have such a thing…" Red smiled, "please teach it to me."
"Fahahaha! As if I'd hand something like that to a bunch of pirates!"
She snorted, instantly revealing that she knew exactly who they were.
Of course she did—Luffy was the pirate with a 180 million Beli bounty, newly infamous across the Grand Line.
Sure, there were many over-100-million pirates in the first half of the Grand Line…
But nearly all of them had built that bounty through countless atrocities.
A pirate like Luffy—earning such a bounty the moment he entered the Grand Line—
They were rare.Each one, a future storm of an era.
Thud!
Luffy finally peeled off the wall and fell to the ground.
Rubbing his forehead, he cried,"Ahh~ that hurt!"
"Why did you kick me!?"
He protested loudly, clueless as always.
Kureha stared him down without fear.
"Why!? You break into my castle and dare ask why!?"
Their glares clashed, sparks practically flying—
Until Luffy suddenly paused, blinked—
"Oh!!"
"So this castle is yours!?"
"My bad!"
He bowed deeply.
Everyone froze at the abrupt apology.
Kureha smirked.
"Interesting brat."
She flipped the chair behind her and sat down casually, legs forming a triangle.
"I forgive you."
"You don't look like thieves anyway."
"So? Why break into my castle?"
"You're a good person! Hehehe~!"
Luffy beamed and stepped forward.
"I'm Monkey D. Luffy! I'm searching for crewmates to become the Pirate King!"
"And I heard someone here can talk to animals, so we came to invite him to join us!"
"Hm?"
Kureha's smile stiffened slightly.
Hiding by the door, Chopper froze.
Someone who can talk to animals…?
Who!?
There are only two of us living here—me and Doctorine…
Doctorine is human—she can't talk to animals…
So they're talking about… me!?
"Eek!!!"
Chopper jumped so hard he hit the wall and bounced in place.
Kureha frowned.
"And where did you get this information?"
Ever since Hiluluk died, Chopper had lived only with her.Even when treating villagers, he disguised himself as a simple reindeer.
No way anyone in Drum Kingdom should still know about him.
She looked up just in time to see Luffy's arm stretch across the room and latch onto Red's shoulder.
Luffy laughed loudly:"Who else? Of course Red told me!"
"My vice-captain's intel is always perfect!"
Red smiled politely.
"Kureha, I understand your doubts."
"But we really do want to invite Chopper to sail with us."
"As for your concerns… why don't we sit and talk slowly?"
He gestured toward the warm tea.
"Invite… invite me to be a pirate!?"Chopper's eyes widened.
Kureha said nothing, lost in thought.
The "D" in Luffy's name had stirred something in her—But Chopper's future weighed even more heavily on her mind.
After a long silence, she downed a long swig of whiskey.
"—Hah!"
She exhaled sharply and focused on the two men.
"So where exactly did you get this intel?"
"From the future."
Red's calm answer made both Robin and Smoker turn sharply toward him.
"The future?" Kureha scoffed. "That won't fool me."
"But it's the truth."
Red smiled and pushed the teacup toward her again.
"I know you won't hand Chopper over easily."
"And that's fine. We're willing to stay here a few days for his sake."
"Give me a little time, and I'll show you…"
"What a pirate's miracle looks like."
"Right, Chopper?"
"Eek!!"
The little reindeer trembled as Red's gaze met his.
"Huh? That's Chopper!?"
Luffy, Smoker, and the others finally looked toward the doorway.
The moment he saw the antlers, Luffy's eyes sparkled.
"A reindeer!!! A reindeer that walks upright!!!"
"Wahahaha! That's amazing!!!"
He sprinted toward Chopper.
"D-don't come near me!!!"
Chopper yelped and ran for his life, tears flying.
One chased, one fled.
The entire castle echoed with their footsteps—one terrified, the other delighted.
Red gestured lightly toward Kureha.
"See? Chopper is already enjoying himself with our captain."
"…"
Kureha: You call that enjoying himself!?
Still—
Whether affected by Red's confidence or the weight of the "D" name…
She did not refuse.
"Hmph. That foolish kid can decide for himself."
"It's none of my business."
"You want to stay? Do what you want. There are plenty of empty rooms."
"As for me…"
"It's bedtime."
Kureha stretched lazily, showing off a figure that defied her age.
If she were a hundred years younger, she might have ranked among the world's top beauties.
She waved a hand and strode out.
Silence settled.
Only Red, Robin, and Smoker remained.
"Another Devil Fruit user…"Smoker muttered near the window, cigarette smoldering.
Watching the Straw Hats grow stronger unsettled him—for reasons he didn't want to admit.
Robin, meanwhile, fixed her gaze on Red.
"Seeing the future… hmm?"
After days aboard the Going Merry, she knew his persona well.
She had neither believed nor disbelieved him—just as she had never agreed to become his Pokémon.
It wasn't that she doubted his abilities.
It was simply that…
She no longer wanted to belong to anyone but herself.
Since that day…her world had been hers alone.
(End of Chapter)