Full Moon:

-x-

SHUK! SHUK! SHUK! The jam-packed cart continued along the rope way to the peak of the mountain. The end of the white rope was attached to a metal pulley-system that was in a cave that had been made in the cylindrical mountain. KRUNK! The cart docked in the metal bottom of the cave and finally came to a stop.

Usopp hopped out of the cart and stood on the stone walkway that was alongside the cart-dock. "Everybody wait here!" Usopp instructed. "I'll brave whatever dangers lie ahead and let you know when it's safe!" While Usopp was calling out to the others in the cart, Zoro got out and walked right passed him and started up a set of stone steps. "GAAH!" Usopp yelped when he saw Zoro the Thunder-Stealer heading up ahead of him and quickly up the steps passed him. "I'M GOING FIRST!"

CHUNK! On the surface, something metal rose up out of the snow and revealed itself to be a small chamber. KREK! The metal door fell opened and acted as a ramp, leaving Zoro standing in the opened doorway at the top of the steps with Usopp hiding behind him.

"HEY! What the hell are you doing?" Zoro demanded as he looked behind him at the sniper, once he was out of sight of the villagers he was trying to impress, Usopp had reverted to his cowardly ways.

"Uhh... just watching your back!" Usopp replied.

"Hiding behind it is more like it!" Zoro complained as he struggled to get Usopp out from behind him. "Why'd you even come if you were so scared?"

They didn't notice the pirate that saw them from the top of the castle.

"Scared?" Usopp repeated. "Don't be ridiculous! I always laugh in the face of danger!"

"RAAAAAAAAHHHH!" a familiar voice suddenly screamed. Zoro and Usopp looked up in time to see Luffy flying at them from the top of the castle.

"EEEK! MOMMY!" Usopp shrieked in terror in the face of danger.

"Luffy!" Zoro called out in alarm.

"Zoro? Usopp?" Luffy said when he finally saw the two people he was attacking up close. Without being able to stop himself, Luffy kept going and slammed into his two Nakama, BOOOOOM!

Vivi, Mr. 5, and Ms. Goldenweek came walking out of the metal doorway and paused when they saw the three pirates down in a pile in the snow. "Aaah!" Vivi gasped in surprise while Mr. 5 and Ms. Goldenweek both sweat-dropped.

Luffy pulled himself out of the snow and stood up, "SHISHISHI!" he laughed.

"WHY'D YA DO THAT, YOU MORON?" Zoro snapped as he sat up in the snow.

"I didn't recognize you at first," Luffy answered. "Shishishi! I thought you were more of big-mouth's guards coming to fight!" Zoro was still wearing the coat he'd gotten off of one of Wapol's guards from down in Big Horn. Luffy hadn't recognized him from the top of the castle, but he had recognized the coat as an enemy uniform.

"Oh, hey," Y/N greeted them as he walked over from the front door of the castle. "I'm surprised to see you guys up here."

"Me too," Luffy agreed, "well not you, Zoro, but you, Usopp. Aren't you normally scared of doing stuff like climbing mountains?"

"AHAHAHAHA!" Usopp laughed, "Yeah right! Whenever there's a towering peak in front of me! I get to climbing! But let me tell you, scaling that mountain hand-over-hand was no picnic!"

"Actually, we took a rope way cart up here," Vivi explained, causing Usopp to twitch.

"Wait... there's a rope way?" Y/N asked.

"Uh... yes, sorry," Vivi apologized sheepishly. Y/N suddenly realized that he had trudged through endless lengths of snow, was chased by gorilla-sized rabbits, almost got buried in an avalanche, and fought off the Devil's Eye while carrying four other people... when he could've taken a damn rope way!

"Ugghh..." Y/N groaned, "next thing you tell me will be that the doctor was actually in the next town when we set off, and if we had waited around for another couple of minutes we wouldn't have had to climb up here in the first place."

"Uh... of course not!" Vivi lied as she tried to look as innocent as possible, she quickly changed the subject, "Are Nami and Sanji alright?"

"And Ms. Valentine too?" Mr. 5 added from over in the door way.

"Yeah, they're all fine!" Luffy answered.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Vivi sighed in relief.

"We may have taken a rope way cart, but it was no picnic!" Usopp amended as he attempted to save his story. "We were... uh... on the way when... A GIANT CONDOR flew out of nowhere attacked us!"

Ms. Goldenweek stared at Usopp and was seemingly listening to his story despite the fact that she'd actually been there and knew that it wasn't true, all the others just ignored Usopp and wrote the story off as another one of the liar's tall-tales.

"So what was it that you were doing on top of the castle a few minutes ago?" Zoro inquired.

"Everybody in the cart was freaking out thinking they were gonna die!" Usopp continued to lie, he'd added movement to the story and was now doing what looked like an interpretive dance with only Ms. Goldenweek actually listening to him. "Everyone but me of course!"

Dalton came out of the doorway and staggered down the ramp in time to hear Luffy answer Zoro, "Kicking the King's butt!"

"Okay..." Zoro agreed, that story was at least more believable than Usopp's.

"Disregarding my own personal safety," Usopp continued with only Ms. Goldenweek's attention on him. "I bravely stepped up to face the condor alone! It flew straight at me with its mighty beak, one that can slice a man in half! But at the last minute I leapt to the side with my usual grace..."

"You mean that person I saw flying through the air... was actually Wapol?" Dalton asked Luffy while staring at the Straw Hat Pirate in shock. "You... you beat him?"

"Yup, I sure did!" Luffy replied. Mr. 5 frowned but was unnoticed since everyone's attention was on the conversation going on between Luffy and Dalton, or in Usopp and Ms. Goldenweek's case, Usopp's story. It almost seemed like the Bomb Man was disappointed that he didn't get to blow Wapol up as he'd offered to.

"Leave it to Captain Usopp to stop a giant condor in mid-flight!" Usopp bragged while Ms. Goldenweek sat down in the snow and listened with rapt attention. "I leapt onto my foe's back and lassoed its neck and showed that bird who was boss! ME, CAPTAIN USOPP!"

"His two henchmen!" Dalton pressed Luffy, "what happened to them?"

"The reindeer took care of those two," Y/N answered.

"What... those two lost... to a..." Dalton stammered in surprise.

"ONCE AGAIN! CAPTAIN USOPP SAVED THE DAY!" Usopp exclaimed while Ms. Goldenweek applauded the story.

"HEY USOPP!" Luffy called out to the sniper, "We made a new friend! You've gotta meet him! Get this, he's a reindeer!"

"A reindeer?" Usopp and Dalton both repeated at the same time.

"He's right over there," Y/N stated as he pointed over his shoulder at Chopper who was 'peeking' out from behind a tree in the small forest that was around the castle in his usual clumsy fashion.

"Ahh..." Dalton gasped when he saw Chopper 'hiding' behind the tree. "It's you..."Dalton's mind flashed back to the day of Dr. Hiriluk's death, to his battle with the monster that had followed the quack doctor up the mountain.

"I apologize for those who had the nerve to laugh at Hiriluk's death, but without enough strength you'd only die in vain," Dalton apologized to 'Hiriluk's son' when he clashed with the monster in his Zoan Hybrid Form. "You have to live! Live for the sake of this country!"

"Blue nose..." Dalton whispered as he stared at Chopper, "you never gave up... did you? You still kept fighting, believing in what this country could become..." Dalton dropped down to his knees and bowed to the pirate and the reindeer that had saved his country. "Thanks to you, Drum Kingdom... it can finally be reborn!" Chopper and Luffy stared at the man in surprise, not used to being bowed to.

Then the villagers came and ruined the mood. "What... what is that strange creature behind that tree?" a man with a gun wondered when he saw Chopper.

"It almost looks like a... reindeer," another villager supplied.

"No... you're wrong!" a third villager objected, "It's a-a MONSTER!"

"AAAAAAHHHH!" Usopp screamed in terror at the 'monster'. "IT'S A YETI! HELP!"

The villagers aimed their guns, prompting Chopper to run off screaming and crying.

"NO! DON'T SHOOT HIM!" Dalton shouted.

"Leave him alone!" Y/N suddenly growled, he stood in front of the villagers with his arms out at his sides. "That 'monster' just saved your kingdom despite how horrible you've treated him over the years! You should start showing some damn gratitude! If any of you dare to raise a gun at him again, that monster will seem like an affectionate puppy compared to me!" The villagers all shook and dropped their weapons, Vivi stared at the First Mate and was glad that his anger wasn't directed at her this time.

While Y/N dealt with the villagers, Luffy dealt with Usopp, WOMP! Luffy clubbed the sniper over the head, "You jerk-face!" he snapped. "He's not a yeti, you idiot! He's our new friend!"

"THAT THING'S YOUR FRIEND?" Usopp yelped in surprise.

"Yeah, and you guys scared him so bad he ran away!" Luffy exclaimed. "I'll bring him back..."

"Luffy," Y/N interrupted, causing the Captain to turn to him. "If you don't mind, I'll get him. And I'll get him to join our crew in the process."

"You think you can do it?" Luffy asked. "I've asked him a bunch of times but he just ran away."

"I've been working on it since I first met him," Y/N replied. "I'll get him to join, I promise."

Luffy smiled and nodded, "Alright, I'm counting on you."

Y/N turned and sprinted off after Chopper, "Wait Chopper! Come back!"

"WAAAAAHHHH!" Chopper screamed as he ran away from Y/N.

"They're not gonna shoot you, stop running!" Y/N called out.

Eventually the reindeer and the pirate ran around the side of the castle and disappeared from view. "Ungghh..." Dalton suddenly groaned and dropped down on one knee. Vivi, Usopp, and the villagers quickly ran over to him.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay, Dalton?" Vivi asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," Dalton reassured her. "I'm just feeling a little drained that's all. I'll be fine after I've rested." Dalton was still suffering from his injuries, but now that the threat of Wapol had been dealt with he didn't have to worry about protecting his country.

"HEY! YOU OVER THERE!" Dr. Kureha called out.

"D-DOCTOR KUREHA!" the villagers stammered.

"Heeheehee," Dr. Kureha cackled, "yes, it's good to see you too. Now be useful and take the injured guy to the medical ward."

"HEY! I recognize her!" Zoro suddenly exclaimed, that was the batty old hag in the sleigh that he'd encountered when he was lost. He'd asked for a ride into town but got punched in the face and then ended up buried in an avalanche. "YOU'RE THAT DAMN OLD HAG FROM BEFORE! I—" THAWK! Zoro was left lying on the ground with a lump on his head courtesy of Dr. Kureha.

"Well, get moving!" Dr. Kureha ordered. "I'd suggest you hurry unless you want to be in the kind of pain this man is in."

Hiding behind a wall in the entrance hall of the castle, Nami, Sanji, and Ms. Valentine were still hiding from Dr. Kureha. Thanks to Y/N's distraction they'd managed to sneak to their hiding place without the doctor noticing. "Miss. Nami, Miss. Valentine, you'd better go back and get treated," Sanji advised as the three of them sat at the bottom of the wall.

"Quiet!" Nami hissed. "We need to escape from here now or we won't be able to set sail for two more days! You know how worried Vivi is, we need to get her to Alabasta."

"Quit all this grumbling and get back to the medical ward," came the voice of Dr. Kureha, "RIGHT... NOW!" THWHAM! Dr. Kureha kicked her foot through the stone wall, terrifying Nami and the two blondes that were leaning against it.

-x-

TMP! TMP! TMP! Chopper had changed into his four-legged Walk Point Form and was still running away from Y/N.

Krush! Krush! Krush! But Y/N was still keeping up with him and had the blue-nosed reindeer in his sight. "Chopper, get back here!" Y/N called out. "I want you to join our crew!"

"NO YOU DON'T!" Chopper shouted back at him, "I'm a monster, AND YOU SAID I DIDN'T BELONG WITH YOU!"

"I'm tired of this!" Y/N growled, "Speed Step..." ZZZOOOOM! Y/N became a blur as he closed the distance between them and slammed into the reindeer, KRASH! Y/N and Chopper went tumbling through the snow and eventually slammed into a tree.

"Uggghh..." Chopper groaned, there were swirls in his eyes and he was dizzy from the crash.

Y/N regained his bearings and managed to sit up then grabbed him so he couldn't run away.

"Now we can talk about this in a civilized manner," Y/N resolved, he stared down at Chopper, "When I said you didn't belong with us, that was because I thought you weren't willing to fight for your dream. The world if full of skeptics, dreamers like us have to get used to people doubting us and calling us fools, if you don't have the courage and strength of will to fight for your dream then you'll never accomplish it. But after seeing you transform and take out that two-headed guy, I know that's not the case anymore. You can fight for your dream. Just like you fought for Hiriluk's."

"But... I'm a reindeer!" Chopper protested. "And I'm a monster! I don't belong on a ship with you humans!" Chopper transformed into his Brain Point Form and sat up next to Y/N.

"Ugghh..." Y/N groaned as he reached down into his bottom right pocket, "I didn't want to do this because I didn't want to scare you. But you've left me no choice." Y/N pulled a sheet of paper out of his pocket and unfolded it, then showed it to Chopper, "Do you know what this is?"

"A... wanted poster," Chopper answered as he read the word 'wanted' on the top.

"Right, and do you know who it's of?" Y/N inquired.

"Um... ''the Demon' Red Eye'?" Chopper read off of the poster.

"You can read," Y/N commented, "but do you have any idea who that is?" Chopper shook his head. "Red Eye was an out-of-control killer that plagued the Grand Line for a year's time, killing hundreds. The marines sent countless men after him but he killed any marines that were unlucky enough to find him. He even killed the photographers they sent so the Marines never got a picture of him for the poster. About a month ago, it was rumored that Red Eye died and exploded. Some called him a demon, others called him a monster. He earned the title with all the people he killed."

"Why are you telling me this?" questioned Chopper.

"Because Red Eye is still alive," Y/N answered, he slowly reached up and pulled off his eye patch, exposing the Eye of the Devil. "I'm Red Eye."

"AAAAAHHHHH!" Chopper screamed in terror, he took off running, "YOU'RE GONNA KILL ME!"

Y/N shot out his arm and used the Eye's telekinetic powers to pull Chopper back to him. WHUMP! Chopper was left lying on his back in the snow and was practically hyperventilating. "Calm down," Y/N instructed. "I'm not going to kill you. I found this eye in a cave on an island in the New World. I had recently had my old eye cut out and thought it would be a good replacement. It gave me enhanced vision and powers of telepathy and telekinesis. But the eye is evil. It used its powers to take control of my body and I was forced to watch as it slaughtered people on a year-long killing spree."

Chopper stared up at Y/N in shock.

"You see," Y/N continued, "because of the things this eye made me do, I'm the one people call a demon. I'm the monster." Y/N gave Chopper a hard look with both eyes, "And I'm more of a monster than you'll ever be. Despite that, my Nakama let me stay on the crew. If they can let a monster like me sleep on the same ship as them... a transforming talking reindeer with medical skills would be accepted with open arms." Y/N reached up and pulled his eye patch back down, once again covering the Devil's Eye, "You may be a monster but so am I... so is Luffy for that matter..." Y/N smiled at Chopper, "we monsters should stick together."

-x-

Out in front of the castle, Zoro was sitting on the ground with a lump on his head, Mr. 5 was idly sitting nearby, and Luffy, Usopp, and Ms. Goldenweek were rolling a bunch of big snowballs together. Dr. Kureha, Dalton, and the villagers had all gone inside the castle and they had dragged Nami, Sanji, and Ms. Valetine along with them.

"AAAAARRRGH!" Speaking of Sanji, the cook was currently in the operating room and was screaming in agony as Dr. Kureha tended to his broken back. The villagers standing outside the room, which was held closed by a pair of axes, and shook in terror when they heard the screams coming from inside. "AAAAHHH-AAAAHHH! UNNNGGGHHH!"

Eventually the screaming stopped, and Sanji was left unconscious and strapped to an operating table.

"Heeheehee," Dr. Kureha cackled as she left the room, causing all of the gathered villagers to flinch. "Just as I suspected. His injuries have gotten worse due to overexertion." Dr. Kureha casually pulled out a bottle of rum and drank from it.

Nami and Ms. Valentine laid together in the same bed with Vivi sitting on a stool at their side. A heavily bandaged Dalton was currently occupying the bed that Ms. Valentine had been in earlier.

"Ah, much better," Dr. Kureha sighed when she finished her drink, she turned her attention to her newest patient. "Dalton, surely you would know where the key to the arsenal is, isn't that right? My locksmith didn't open that door for me, but our agreement was any ten doors for free services so now I need the key to get in there." In her bed, Nami perked up and was now paying close attention.

"The arsenal?" Dalton repeated. "Why do you need to get in there?"

"That's really none of your business now is it?" Dr. Kureha replied as she drank from her rum bottle.

"Wapol always carried that key with him," Dalton answered. "To keep it secure he said. In which case, the key was likely blown into the sky with him."

"Oh really, is that so?" Dr. Kureha inquired. "Well that's a shame."

"Doctorine..." Nami called out as she sat up in bed. "Would you mind discharging all of us right now?"

"Is that a joke?" Dr. Kureha growled, "you should know better than that by now girly! You will all stay here to recover for two more days."

"Nami, she's right you know," Vivi advised, "you need to complete your treatment."

"I'm fine," Nami assured her. "I don't even feel like I'm gonna die anymore."

"That isn't exactly a very convincing reason," Vivi told her.

"It's a huge improvement over how we were feeling before," Ms. Valentine supplied.

Nami pulled a familiar silver key out from the pocket in her pajamas and swung it around with her finger. "The key to the arsenal," she stated with an impish grin, "this is what you needed, yeah?"

Dalton sat up and stared at her in shock, "How did you end up with that key?" he asked in surprise.

"If that's truly the real one, how'd you get a hold of it?" Dr. Kureha questioned.

"I stole it," Nami replied with a cheeky smile.

Dr. Kureha walked over and glared at Nami, "You've certainly got a lot of guts trying to negotiate with me like this," Dr. Kureha commented, "You really are an unbelievably frustrating little girl, you know?"

"Hehehehe," Nami simply laughed in response.

SWIPE! Dr. Kureha snatched the key away from Nami, "Thank you," she said as she headed for the door. "But as a licensed doctor I can't allow you to leave in good conscience. Not for two days."

"WAIT A SECOND!" Nami protested. "Then gimme that key back!"

"LISTEN HERE GIRL!" Dr. Kureha snapped as she stood in front of the door. "I have to leave you alone now and go take care of a few things. If you look in the back room you mightfind a dresser, it might have one of my coats in it as well as your one-eyed friend's hat and some of your extra coats. My reindeer is currently missing so I don't have any guards posted. The young man with the spinal fissure might be well enough to travel by now, BUT GIRL! Don't try to escape!"

Dr. Kureha turned to the villagers who were all still standing there stupidly, "You guys, come with me. I have some heavy lifting for you to do." Dr. Kureha left the room and headed for the arsenal, she was followed by the group of villagers. This left Nami, Vivi, Ms. Valentine alone in the room with just Dalton in one bed, and the unconscious Sanji in the adjoining room.

"Did she really just tell us to steal her coat, take the others' clothes, get Sanji, and sneak out?" Nami wondered.

"Uhh... it sounded like it," Ms. Valentine admitted.

Dalton laid back down, "I'm sleeping so I have no idea what you're about to do," he announced.

-x-

Y/N and Chopper sat on top of a tower and stared up at the full moon that was in the night sky up above them. The flag pole from Dr. Hiriluk's flag was behind them and the black flag itself was waving over their heads.

"Wow, it sure gets dark fast here," Y/N commented as he stared at the stars.

"It's winter on a winter island," Chopper told him. "The days are really short while the nights are a lot longer. It only takes ten minutes for the sun to set."

"Hm," was Y/N's casual response.

It was quiet for a moment, then Chopper spoke. "I'm... honored that you want me to join you but I have to stay here," he resolved.

Y/N glanced down at Chopper who was sitting next to him, "Wapol's gone now," he pointed out, "so the country is going to be reborn. What else is there for you to do here? If you stay on this island forever you'll never accomplish your dream."

"It's for the best," Chopper answered. "Dr. Hiriluk..."

"Wouldn't have wanted you to stay here," Y/N interrupted. "He would've wanted you to go out to sea. He would've wanted you to live out your dream."

Chopper stared at Y/N as his mind flashed back to something Dr. Hiriluk had told him, "Chopper, someday you've got to go to sea, if you do, you'll realize just how small your problems really are."

"You're not likely to get another chance like this," Y/N pointed out. "But don't make your final decision just yet. I want to introduce you to the rest of my Nakama."

"But what if they hate me?" Chopper asked, "What if the villagers shoot at me?"

Y/N smiled, "I don't think they will," he replied.

"But what if they do?" Chopper insisted.

Y/N turned and stared down at Chopper, "Then I'll kick their asses," he decided. "I'm not gonna let anyone shoot at my new little brother."

"L-little brother?" Chopper repeated, he stared up at Y/N wide-eyed.

"Yup," Y/N said, "Since you've never had one, I've decided to be your big brother. And if you come to sea with us, I'll be able to look after you better."

"You can't just decide something like that!" Chopper protested.

"Why not?" Y/N asked.

Chopper thought back to Y/N's definition of a 'Big Brother'.

"Someone older than you that looks out for you," Y/N explained, "someone who's on your side no matter what, someone who encourages you to be better."

"Don't you have to be related to be brothers?" Chopper inquired.

"Heck no," Y/N told him. "I'm Luffy's big brother and we're not related. When I met him, he was all alone with no friends, just his grandpa. But I was there for him and looked after him. He ate a Devil Fruit and people looked at him like he was some kind of freak but I made sure that he was never alone. I'll sail to the end of the Earth to help my little brother achieve his dream."

"R-really?" Chopper stammered.

"Sure thing, little guy," Y/N agreed, "Now I'll really be the middle child in my weird family. Two older brothers and two younger ones."

"Family?" Chopper repeated, his eyes grew even bigger. When he was with Dr. Hiriuk they shared a father-son bond. But now Y/N was offering something even more than that: a family, something Chopper had never had, something his herd had never been.

Y/N stood up, "Come on," he said, "I want you to meet the others." Almost in a daze, Chopper stood up as well.

"Uh..." Chopper glanced down at the ground that was far below them. "How do we get down?"

"Good question," Y/N commented as he stared down at the ground along with Chopper, "How did we get up here to begin with?"

-x-

Out in front of the castle, Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, Mr. 5, and Ms. Goldenweek were still waiting for the others.

"HEY REINDEER!" Luffy hollered. "COME BE OUR NAKAMA!"

"Come on Luffy, why don't you just give up?" Usopp asked, he and Ms. Goldenweek were working together on a snow-sculpture. No one was sure what it was yet, they just knew that it was huge. "Either Y/N'll talk him into joining or he won't."

"If he's not interested in becoming a pirate you're just gonna have to accept that," Zoro advised.

"NO! YOU'RE WRONG!" Luffy exclaimed as he pointed a finger at Zoro. "I'M BRINGING THE REINDEER WITH US!"

"YEAH! AGAINST HIS WILL!" Zoro snapped.

"REEEEEIIIINDEEEEEEEERRRR!" Luffy shouted. "WHEREVER YOU ARE REINDEER, COME OUT! JOIN OUR NAKAMA!"

"Luffy, what's with all the shouting?" came Nami's voice as she came out the front door of the castle followed by Vivi. Vivi was wearing her usual winter clothing but Nami, at the risk of looking unfashionable, had on Y/N's black and red cowboy hat and a purple coat that she'd found in a dresser.

Ms. Valentine came out after them wearing the golden coat that Y/N had loaned her, she was dragging the unconscious Sanji along behind her by the leg. Using her powers she'd reduced the cook's weight to a mere five kilograms and could easily pull him on her own and with his body so light he barely sunk into the snow and skimmed along on top of it without the risk of re-injury.

Clearly they'd followed Dr. Kureha's 'orders'. They hadtaken the coats in the other room, they had taken Sanji, and they had snuck out while there were no guards posted.

"We're trying to get the reindeer to join our crew," Luffy explained. "But he ran away. Y/N went after him and promised he'd get him to join but they're not back yet."

"He promised?" Nami repeated with a smile, she knew full-well that when Y/N promised something, he delivered on it. "In that case he'll be here any second."

"We're already here," Y/N called out as he walked around the corner with Chopper riding on his shoulders. "We had to climb down from the top of the castle." Y/N walked over to the others and then addressed the reindeer riding on his shoulders, "Chopper, ride's over. Time to meet them."

Chopper jumped down off of Y/N's shoulders and stood next to him, Y/N pointed to Luffy who was closest to him, "That's our Captain Monkey D. Luffy," Y/N began, "you've already met and as you know he ate the Gum Gum Fruit which turned his body into rubber. He's a monster."

Y/N led Chopper passed Luffy and over to Zoro, "This is Roronoa Zoro, he's a swordsman. He's the second mate and a very crappy ship's guard since he's all the way up here. Back in the East Blue he's known as Roronoa Zoro the Pirate Hunter, his name brings terror to any pirates that hear it. And if you ever see him without a shirt on you'll notice a huge scar running across it. That wound was made by Hawk Eye Mihawk, the World's Greatest Swordsman. It would've killed a lesser man but he's still alive which makes him a monster." Zoro shrugged indifferently as Y/N led Chopper away from him and up to Usopp.

"This is our sniper Usopp," Y/N stated, "he uh... long-nose tell him about yourself."

"Well back in my home village I was known as Captain Usopp THE DEMON KING!" Usopp declared. "I had an army of three hundred zombies under my control! Even the most terrifying pirates ran screaming when they heard I was coming!"

"SCARY!" Chopper screamed while Y/N flinched, everyone else sweat-dropped that the reindeer actually believed the liar.

"Don't joke about zombies," Y/N grumbled before he turned back to Chopper. "He's also a great shot. He could fire his slingshot from the top of this mountain and hit a house down in one of the towns." Usopp's chest swelled up with pride. "He's a bit of a monster too."

Y/N led Chopper onward and over to Nami, she raised an eyebrow and wondered how he was going to introduce her, "That's Nami, you've already met her of course. She's our navigator and has a strange ability to sense oncoming weather."

"That's not scary!" Chopper piped up.

"I never said it was," Y/N replied, "You wanna see scary? Try getting her mad."

"What was that?" Nami growled with a demonic aura behind her.

"AAAAAAHH! MONSTER!" Chopper shrieked as he jumped behind Y/N.

"What are you hiding behind me for?" Y/N asked. "She's not gonna strangle you!" Y/N quickly moved on to Sanji who was still out cold on the ground. "Um... that's our cook Sanji. You saw him earlier, he had a broken back was still trying to fight Wapol and his flunkies. He kicks even harder than Doctorine's and I doubt he'd think twice about cooking you if he thought it would make Nami or any other female on our ship happy."

"EEEK!" Chopper squealed, anyone who could kick harder than Doctorine and wanted to cook him was definitely a monster.

Y/N led Chopper over to the three Baroque Works Agents, "These three aren't on our crew," he admitted. "In fact they were former enemies. But now that the battle's over we came to an agreement where we'd grant them safe passage from Little Garden to Alabasta is they agreed to stay out of the war that's taking place in the kingdom. One of them can make things explode, another can hypnotize people using paint, and Ms. Valentine, who you've already met, can change her weight and crush stuff."

"I like your hat," Ms. Goldenweek, a fan of pink hats, commented.

"SHUT UP!" Chopper shouted at her... while blushing, "I don't care what you think!"

"Don't worry, he does that," Ms. Valentine reassured the smaller agent.

Y/N brought Chopper over to Vivi. "This is the Princess I told you about, Nefertari Vivi. Now that we're done saving your country, we'll be setting off to save hers."

Chopper tugged on the leg of Y/N's pants, the one-eyed pirate knelt down and Chopper whispered in his ear. Mumble... mumble... mumble...

"Why don't you tell her yourself?" Y/N asked. Chopper just smiled sheepishly. Y/N stood up and addressed Vivi, "Vivi, Chopper thinks you're very pretty. Just like the princesses he's read about in stories."

"Oh, thank you Chopper," Vivi replied with a smile, Chopper's cheeks flushed and he started doing a giddy dance.

Y/N grabbed him and pulled him back so he was standing in the middle of the group, "Now you've met everybody," Y/N resolved, then he turned to the others, "Everybody, I'd like you to meet Tony Tony Chopper, he's a transforming reindeer that can do anything a human can."

Y/N turned and stared down at Chopper, "So you think you're a monster," Y/N restated, "Big deal. I think the best place for a monster is on a whole crew full of 'em." Y/N smiled, "What do you say little brother, do you want to join our pirate crew?"

"..." Chopper stared at Y/N, then at the smiling members of the Straw Hat Pirates. This was it. His chance to go out to sea and live his dream, and it was with a pirate crew that accepted him and even encouraged him to be what he was... a monster. Another opportunity like this wouldn't come along any time soon, if ever, there was only one course of action to take.

"YEEEEEAAAAAHH!" Chopper cheered, he jumped up and hugged Y/N around the middle, "I'M GONNA BE A PIRATE!" Y/N smiled and hugged the reindeer back.

"WELCOME ABOARD CHOPPER!" Luffy called out as he ran over and joined Y/N and Chopper's hug. Nami joined them a couple seconds later and was followed by Usopp. Chopper was near tears at the warm reception he was receiving, this was something completely foreign to him.

Y/N glanced over at Zoro who was standing away from the others, "What? Are you too cool to join us?" he asked.

"I don't hug," Zoro objected.

"Oh yes you do," Y/N told him. "Sanji's excluded because he's unconscious but if you don't join our group hug, you'll be swimming to Alabasta." Zoro grumbled obscenities under his breath as he stomped over the others and reluctantly joined with the group hug.

"They really are an incredible group of pirates," Ms. Valentine remarked as she and Vivi stood on opposite sides of Sanji, the only Straw Hat not involved in the group hug.

"I'll say," Vivi agreed as they continued to watch the Straw Hats welcome their new Nakama.

-x-

Hiriluk's Cherry Blossoms:

-x-

A little bit later, the Straw Hats were all waiting outside the castle. Chopper had gone inside to tell Dr. Kureha about his decision to become a pirate and to say goodbye.

"Are you two completely recovered from your illness already?" Usopp asked, he and Ms. Goldenweek were still working together on their giant snow statue and had enlisted the help of Ms. Valentine. With the three of them working together it was really starting to take shape... as a life-size Tim the Tyrannosaurus. Zoro and Mr. 5 were casually sitting on a pile of snow as they watched the snow sculpture take form.

"Yup," said the blonde officer agent as she sat on snow-Tim's back weighing only a single kilogram and helped smooth out snow-Tim's head.

"Sure am," Nami replied as she gave the sniper a thumbs up. She was still wearing Y/N's cowboy hat and Dr. Kureha's purple coat. "I feel great."

"Hey, how about we go and say goodbye to the old doctor lady and that Dalton-guy from the village?" Luffy suggested as he rolled passed on a big ball of snow. The snow-sculptors had kicked him out of their group when his lack of artistic talent almost ruined their life-sized snow dinosaur.

"Don't be so thoughtless," Nami scolded him, "we need to leave Chopper alone with Doctorine for a while. He lived with her for six years, we should let them say goodbye in peace. I'm sure it's going to be really sad for them both. Doctorine acts all though in front of us, but deep down I think she really is a kind person."

"So we're just gonna leave without saying anything to her?" Ms. Valentine asked.

"You three are welcome to stay here," Nami told her. "But once Chopper comes back we'll go straight down the mountain and set sail to Alabasta. Sounds good to you, right Vivi?"

"Yes, now that we have a doctor with us," Vivi agreed from where she was kneeling next to the still unconscious Sanji.

"Doctor?" Luffy repeated in confusion as he stood on the big snowball and rolled passed her.

"We should probably stop in one town to get some supplies," Y/N suggested, he was on his back staring up at the star-filled sky. The clear sky on the top of the mountain was almost perfect for star-gazing in his opinion. "We got a lot of meat on Little Garden but we could use some extra supplies that we could probably get in a village."

"We'll just make a quick stop then," Nami resolved.

"In that case I'll go ahead and get the rope way ready," Usopp volunteered, he left the nearly complete snow sculpture and headed for the cart bay they'd come out of earlier. "Hey Luffy! Gimme a hand!"

"I didn't even know there was a rope way!" Luffy commented as he rolled after Usopp on his snowball.

"I'm bored," Mr. 5 announced as he stood up followed after them, "I'll help you."

This left Nami, Y/N who was still star-gazing, Zoro who was still lazily sitting on his pile of snow, Vivi who was kneeling next to the still unconscious Sanji, and Ms. Valentine and Ms. Goldenweek who now only weighed one kilogram each and were finishing Snow-Tim's head.

Nami walked over to Y/N, the one-eyed pirate glanced at her curiously as she laid down in the snow next to him and stared up at the sky. "Is that my hat?" Y/N asked.

"I figured you wouldn't want to leave it behind," Nami reasoned as she took off the black cowboy hat and tossed it over to him.

"You're just giving it to me?" Y/N inquired. "I thought you'd make me jump through hoops to get it."

"Consider it a freebee," Nami told him. "You worked wonders with Chopper and you managed to make him feel like he belonged on our crew."

"Yeah well, I kind of like that little guy," Y/N admitted.

"You still owe me a new coat," Nami reminded him.

"You're wearing a new coat," Y/N pointed out.

"Yeah, a used coat that I stole," Nami clarified, "I want you to buy me a new coat." Y/N sighed and shook his head.

"Are they gonna kiss now or are they just gonna lie there?" Ms. Goldenweek asked as she and Ms. Valentine sat on top of Snow-Tim's head and watched the two pirates lying together in the snow.

"That's what I asked," Ms. Valentine told her. "But then everything got awkward and they denied everything."

"Usopp and I were thinking of starting a pool," Zoro chimed in from where he was now lying against the Snow-Dinosaur's giant foot. "Would you two be interested?"

Ms. Valentine and Ms. Goldenweek looked at each other and then nodded, "First we have to get our hands on some money," Ms. Valentine admitted.

Zoro nodded, "I'll talk to Usopp," he resolved. "With you three and the Princess here, we might have enough money to make it interesting."

-x-

Back in the castle, the villagers were busy lugging a bunch of cannons out of the arsenal. Dr. Kureha stood in the middle of the room barking orders. "Now hurry it up and get them out of here!" she called out. "Once they're all outside the castle line them up! You got that?"

"Uh... Dr. Kureha?" one of the villagers spoke up uncertainly. "I don't understand this. What are we taking all of these cannons out of the arsenal for?"

Dr. Kureha smiled and headed for the door, "Just hurry up and get it done," she ordered. The villagers looked at each other but then shrugged and got back to work.

Dr. Kureha headed back to the medical ward, she pushed opened the door to the room to find that Dalton was now the only occupant. "Well look at that," Dr. Kureha remarked. "It seems as if we have a couple of patients missing."

"Yes they all left," Dalton told her. "They 'disobeyed' your orders."

"Oh I see," said Dr. Kureha, "what a bunch of troublemakers." She walked over to her desk and pulled out a rum bottle, she opened it and took a long drink.

"DOCTORINE!" came the voice of Chopper, Dr. Kureha turned around in time to see Chopper come running into the room. "DOCTORINE! I need to talk to you right now!"

"Chopper, where have you been?" Dr. Kureha asked. "Hurry up and get down stairs. You can help the men take the cannons outside."

"Please listen, Doctorine!" Chopper requested, "I'm going to become a pirate! I'm leaving with the others right now!"

"What did you say?" questioned Dr. Kureha.

"I'm going out to sea," Chopper explained, "I'm going to be their ship's doctor. I'm going to travel everywhere!"

"STOP THIS FOOLISHNESS CHOPPER!" Dr. Kureha snapped, causing the reindeer to flinch. "Now listen, you know you're my only assistant. I'm the one who taught you everything you know about medicine. Do you really feel no gratitude at all for what I've done?"

"No, no that isn't true," Chopper insisted. "I'm incredibly grateful to you Doctorine. And I'll always love this land. It's where I met you and Doctor after all."

"Hmph," Dr. Kureha grunted, "then you can just stay here. If you think you can find another home as nice as this one somewhere in the outside world, you're sadly mistaken."

"B-but Y/N said he'd be my big brother!" Chopper protested. "He said we'd be like a family."

"Those pirates aren't good for anything," Dr. Kureha stated. "You'll just end up dead on some vagabond's sword."

"I can accept that," Chopper told her.

"DON'T SOUND SO SURE OF YOURSELF!" Dr. Kureha scolded him. "A reindeer going out to sea? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of!"

"YEAH! I AM A REINDEER!" Chopper agreed. "But still... I'M A MAN!"

It was silent for a moment as Dr. Kureha stared at him. "You can talk tough for now," she commented, "but you're still my assistant, Chopper. If you wanna leave, you're gonna have to go through me first! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"

"Ah... Doctorine..." Chopper gasped. WOOSH! CHUNK! An ax whizzed passed Chopper and embedded in the wall next to him. Chopper glanced at the ax that had missed him by inches and let out a frightened yelp as he jumped away from it. "YAAAAHHH!"

"You're still afraid of your own shadow," Dr. Kureha pointed out. "You're telling me you're a man?" Dr. Kureha pulled out another ax and rested it on her shoulders. "Oh please, don't make me laugh!"

"But Doctorine..." Chopper attempted to reason with her, "these pirates... don't you see... they're like me. And they like me too!"

"QUIET YOU!" Dr. Kureha snarled. WOOOSH! She threw her ax and it embedded into the wooden door on the other side of Chopper this time. Chopper stood in shock as the crazy doctor ran and gathered up a bunch of other weapons. "NO! I'M NOT GONNA LET YOU LEAVE ME!"

Chopper backed out of the room in terror and narrowly dodged some thrown weapons. "YOU'RE STAYING!" Dr. Kureha hollered.

"YAAAAAHHHHH!" Chopper screamed as he took off running.

"GET BACK HERE, CHOPPER!" Dr. Kureha shouted as she ran out of the room and chased after him, throwing weapons at the terrified reindeer as she went.

"I wonder what all that noise is about," one of the villagers wondered as he and a partner lugged a large cannon towards the door of the castle.

"Whatever's going on, we'd better hurry and get all this stuff outside," his partner reasoned. "If we aren't careful Dr. Kureha will start using us for target practice."

"Don't exaggerate," the first villager said.

"COME BAAACK!" Dr. Kureha yelled as she chased Chopper across the other side of the main chamber. "I WON'T LET YOU GET AWAY FROM ME, CHOPPER!"

"WAAAAAHHHHHH!" Chopper shrieked as he reached the villagers and ran in zigzags through them. The villagers had to dive out of the way to avoid the weapons that Dr. Kureha was throwing.

-x-

"What's going on?" Zoro wondered, hearing the screams from inside. "There's a lot of noise coming from the castle."

"Kyahahahaha," Ms. Valentine laughed, "It sounds like a mad-house in there."

"How inconsiderate," Nami commented, "making all that noise while those two are trying to say goodbye. That's just down-right rude."

"Yeah... my ears tell me that the villagers aren't the only ones screaming," Y/N pointed out. He quickly stood up and offered his hand to Nami, "We should probably get going, if we stick around we may end up finding out why they're making all that noise." Nami took his hand and allowed Y/N to pull her back up.

"Good point," Zoro said as he stood up.

"WEEEEE!" Ms. Valentine squealed as she and Ms. Goldenweek slid down the back of Snow-Tim's head, across his back, and down his long tail. When they reached the bottom Ms. Valentine stood up and helped Ms. Goldenweek up to her feet, they looked ready to go too.

-x-

Chopper ran over to the sleigh that was parked in the entrance hall and quickly transformed into his Walk Point form and harnessed himself on it. "I'm sorry Doctorine," Chopper thought. "But I want to go out and see the world beyond this island." Chopper ran for the door pulling the sleigh behind him.

WOOOSH! CHUNK! Chopper ran passed a spear that had sunk into the ground near him.

"WHAT COULD SOMEONE LIKE YOU DO ON A PIRATE SHIP, CHOPPER?" Dr. Kureha shouted as she swung a mace beside her. "ARE YOU GONNA TRY TO LIVE SOME FANTASY LIKE THAT OLD QUACK?"

"NO! YOU'RE WRONG!" Chopper shouted back at her. "IT WASN'T A FANTASY! DOCTOR'S RESEARCH WAS FINALLY COMPLETED BEFORE HE DIED!"

"Is that him?" Zoro asked as Chopper came running out of the castle pulling the sleigh behind him.

"How many blue-nosed reindeer do you think are on this island?" Y/N inquired.

"What's going on?" Nami wondered when she saw Dr. Kureha chasing after the reindeer while swinging a mace around over her head. "HE'S BEING CHASED!"

"HEY!" Usopp called out from the door to the rope way bay, "WE GOT THE ROPE WAY READY TO GO!" Luffy and Mr. 5 came up behind him and the three of them stared in surprise at the reindeer.

"EVERYONE GET ON THE SLEIGH!" Chopper called out. "WE'RE GOING TO HEAD DOWN THE MOUNTAIN! HURRY!"

"Zoro, grab Sanji and jump in!" Y/N instructed. Zoro heeded the order and grabbed Sanji and he and Vivi jumped into the sleigh as he passed them. Ms. Valentine grabbed Ms. Goldenweek's hand and they jumped in after them. Nami let out a surprised yelp when Y/N picked her up and then leapt into the front of the sleigh.

SHWUK! SHWUK! CHUNK! Dr. Kureha's mace sank into the ground ahead of them, they raced passed it into the cart bay in time for Usopp and Mr. 5 to jump into the back of the sleigh and for Usopp to grab onto Luffy's hand as they took off.

-x-

"HEY!" a villager on the ground called out as he pointed up at the sky. "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING?"

The villagers all stared up at the sky, "AAH! THAT'S THE WITCH'S SLEIGH!"

Up in the sky, a sleigh pulled by a reindeer seemingly FLEW passed the full moon.

-x-

Up above the island, Chopper ran along the white rope that was invisible to anyone looking on in a distance.

"See, this is much better than that crazy flying chicken of yours," Nami pointed out as she, Y/N, and Ms. Valentine sat in the front of the sleigh.

"Hey, leave Bob out of this," Y/N protested as he pinned his cowboy hat onto his head with his hand.

"Kyahahahaha!" Ms. Valentine laughed as she enjoyed the ride.

Zoro was casually leaning back against one side of the sleigh, Ms. Goldenweek was next to him but she was leaning over the other way and looked like she was going to be sick. Sanji was sprawled out on the floor with Vivi sitting next to him, and Mr. 5 and Usopp were in the back of the surprisingly roomy sleigh. Usopp was turned around and was holding one of Luffy's arms as the rubber pirate flew along behind them.

As he pulled the sleigh down the rope way Chopper thought back to the six years he'd spent learning under Dr. Kureha. While he was sad to leave on the terms that he had, that wasn't going to stop him from setting out to sea along with his new Nakama.

-x-

"..." Dr. Kureha stood at the edge of the mountain and watched the sleigh make its way down the rope way to her old tree.

-x-

"Hey, what was that thing?" a civilian wondered as he and some others stood around Dr. Kureha's tree having just witnessed the sleigh going passed.

"It looked Dr. Kureha's reindeer," another civilian answered. "And those pirates were riding in the sleigh."

"What's going on up there anyway?" a third wondered. "What happened to Wapol?"

"I hope Dalton's alright," someone else commented.

-x-

"SHISHISHISHISHI!" Luffy laughed as the sleigh raced through the snow and headed towards Big Horn from Gyasta. He had finally gotten in the sleigh and was sitting in the back enjoying the ride. "THAT WAS FUN! HEY REINDEER, CAN WE DO THAT AGAIN?"

"KYAHAHAHA!" Ms. Valentine laughed along with him, "YEAH!"

"You idiots!" Nami scolded them. "We don't have time for that!"

"I thought I was gonna die," Usopp whimpered.

"Hey! Where am I?" Sanji wondered as he finally regained consciousness.

"Oh Sanji, you're awake!" Vivi realized. "You okay?"

"BLEH!" said Ms. Goldenweek as she lost her lunch over the side of the sleigh. Motion sickness, no wonder she was lazy.

"Uh... you alright there?" Zoro asked, mildly concerned.

"Hmph," Mr. 5 grunted, although this grunt had a hint of amusement to it.

"Chopper, Big Horn should be around here somewhere," Y/N told the reindeer. "Do you mind stopping there so we can get some supplies?"

-x-

"You really think that was the best way to say goodbye?" Dalton asked Dr. Kureha, he stood behind her wearing his green coat.

"A pet I was taking care of is being looked after by someone else now," Dr. Kureha replied, "that's all."

"Besides," Dr. Kureha added there were tears in her eyes and there was a smile on her face, not that Dalton could see it from behind her. "I don't like long goodbyes."

Dr. Kureha turned around and slapped Dalton on the chest, WHAP! "Come on!" she ordered as she walked passed him towards the castle. "We have work to do! We have to prepare a fitting send-off!"

"Ow," Dalton complained as he held his chest, she'd just hit his arrow-wound. He shook it off and followed after her towards the castle.

-x-

"I'VE FINALLY DONE IT!" Dr. Hiriluk exclaimed when his beaker glowed pink. "This is it! This reaction! I've been waiting thirty years for this!"

"Doctor," Chopper thought to his dead father as he pulled the sleigh through the snow. "It wasn't a fantasy like she said, right? You finished your work! You accomplished your dream! Or was that all a lie too?"

"I'VE DONE IT, CHOPPER!"Hiriluk had shouted. "MY RESEARCH IS A SUCCESS!"

"Did you lie because you knew how sad I'd be if you died without completing it?" Chopper wondered. "Nothing is impossible for a man who raises a pirate flag! Please, say it again doctor!"

-x-

CHUNK! CHUNK! CHUNK! CHUNK! Out in front of the castle a long line of over twenty cannons turned upward and pointed up towards the sky.

"ALRIGHT YOUNG MEN, ARE YOU READY?" Dr. Kureha called out.

"YES!" the villagers chorused as they stood at salute next to the cannons.

"THEN FIRE!" Dr. Kureha commanded.

BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! The cannons were all fired off into the sky as ordered, the explosions could be heard all around the island.

"DOCTOR KUREHA!" Dalton shouted over the explosion. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

"Just shut up and watch," Dr. Kureha told him.

-x-

BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! Cannon fire rang out in a distance startling villagers all around the island. "It's coming from the castle!" someone shouted in alarm.

"Is Wapol setting off fireworks or something?"

"No! Those are cannon blasts!"

"What's happening up there?"

"It's too dark to see what they're doing!"

-x-

"DR. KUREHA, ALL THE CANNONS HAVE BEEN FIRED!" a man reported.

"THEN LIGHT THEM UP!" Dr. Kureha shouted.

-x-

Up in the sky, a pink glow bathed the entire island. There wasn't a single person that couldn't see it. Chopper had gotten out of his harness and was standing in front of the sleigh in his Brain Point form staring up at the sky. All the others were standing in or around the sleigh and were staring up at the sky as well.

"Whoa, cool!" Luffy gasped as he sat on the front of the stationary sleigh and stared up at the sky.

"Yeah," Zoro agreed as he stood beside the sleigh.

"It's so pretty," Nami commented as she stood in the sleigh next to Y/N, she reached down and took his hand in hers. Y/N gave her hand a light squeeze as he stared up at the sky in unmasked amazement, this was something he'd never seen before.

"..." Usopp, Sanji, Vivi, and Ms. Goldenweek all stared up at the sky in astonishment.

Mr. 5 had his sunglasses raised as he stared up at the sky. He thought back to the powerful display from the giants when they left Little Garden.

"I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes," Mr. 5 had muttered.

Y/N grinned at him, "Get used to that," he advised, "With our crew, the extraordinary in the norm."

Mr. 5 tore his eyes away from the sky and glanced at the back of Y/N's head, "He was telling the truth. It's as if things like this are practically the usual for these pirates. I can't believe it."

Beside him, Ms. Valentine stood staring up at the sky in awe. "These are the kinds of things these pirates are capable of," Ms. Valentine thought to herself. "Nothing's impossible for them. They won't let anything stand in their way. Mr. 0 and Baroque Works are limited by what they believe is or isn't possible while people like the Straw Hats make the impossible possible. Baroque Works doesn't stand a chance."

-x-

"This... this is amazing!" Dalton exclaimed as he stared up at the sky, the pink glow was even brighter from on top of the mountain.

"I still can't understand what that idiot was thinking," Dr. Kureha remarked.

"This is no ordinary dust, Kureha," Dr. Hiriluk had explained six years ago. "This dust is designed to attach itself to the white snowflakes as they come down from the sky. The white snow will then become a beautiful shade of pink for everyone to see!"

-x-

Tears dripped out of Chopper's eyes and ran down his face as he stared up at the sky. "DOCTOR... DOCTORINE..."

"BWWWAAAAAAA!" Chopper openly cried up at the pink-filled sky.

From a distance the cylindrical mountain looked like the trunk of a tree and the huge cloud of pink that floated around the top of it make it look like a giant Sakura tree in full bloom. The pink snowflakes that fell from the enormous cloud of pink looked just like cherry blossoms in the light of the full moon.

Dr. Hiriluk's dream had come true. He'd done the impossible. He'd made cherry blossoms bloom in an island of snow. It truly was a miracle.

"Now have a safe trip," Dr. Kureha called out, "my stupid son." The castle behind her was bathed in pink and the skull and crossbones that fluttered up on top of it gave proof that anything was possible. Dr. Hiriluk's dream had come true, and now Chopper was setting off as a pirate looking to make his dream of the miracle cure a reality.

-x-

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!!