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Grand Line – Paradise
Drum Island
Meanwhile, back at the chaos in the castle, Chopper rushes into the room where the girls were talking among themselves, quickly closing the door behind him, his back pressed against it, stabilizing his panting breath.
"Oh, why are you panting, little one?", Nami asks curiously, looking at the little reindeer propped up against the locked door with its little arms extended, as if holding the door.
"Did they see me come in here?", Chopper murmurs, placing his ear against the door to make sure no one was coming, his breathing finally stabilizing completely when he realizes the coast is clear, still unaware of the presence of more people in the room.
"Your name is Chopper, right? Who are you running from, little one? You can tell us, we'll protect you if there's someone trying to hurt you!", Kaya, worried about how the little reindeer was acting, asks, determined to protect Chopper from any harm that wants to hurt him.
"Those two are chasing me every time they see me, one wants to use me as an ingredient and the other wants to kidnap me... wait... 'turns'... Ahhhhhh!", Chopper responds automatically before then realizing he wasn't alone, getting startled as he turns around and sees all the girls looking at him.
"Luffy doesn't waste any time, huh? Welcome to the crew, then! As for Sanji, don't worry, all it takes is for one of us to scold him and he'll stop chasing you", Nami comments, welcoming Chopper, knowing very well how her boyfriend operated, reassuring him right after. After all, a scolding from any of the girls and Sanji would probably even kneel before the little reindeer begging for forgiveness.
"You know, I've still wondered why you guys give a welcome to someone as soon as you know Luffy invited them to the crew, even if that person hasn't accepted the invitation!", Vivi comments suddenly, this behavior having intrigued her since Whisky Peak.
"It's because if Luffy invited you, there's no way to escape, you're already part of the crew! It was like that for everyone, he doesn't take no for an answer and keeps nagging you until you accept", Nojiko replies, the girls around her nodding in agreement.
"Ahem! You all should be resting, your fever still hasn't gone away", clearing his throat, Chopper comments, embarrassed, changing the subject.
"Seems to me like it's already gone", Nojiko says, no longer feeling any symptoms.
"Doctorine's medicine works fast, but the Kestia's toxin in your bodies is stronger than normal, and it's still in your systems, what's important now is that you rest, the rest Doctorine and I will take care of", Chopper says seriously as he locks the door as a precaution.
"Awwww! You being all serious is so cute!", wanting to squeeze the cuteness in front of her with hugs, Kaya comments, wishing Chopper would accept Luffy's invitation already.
"Shut up, you unloved bitch, I don't need your flattery, I really don't! I'm not even happy to be called cute! You whore!", doing a funny little dance, Chopper curses, 'disguising' his happiness at being flattered with venomous insults.
"It's so cute how he hides his feelings behind a funny little dance and a sharp tongue, isn't it, guys?", Vivi asks, letting out a giggle as she watches Chopper do his little dance.
"Ahem! Anyway… are you pirates?", clearing his throat, Chopper asks, looking at the girls with a suspicious look.
"Yep", Nami says with a raised eyebrow and a smile on her face, watching Chopper act like a curious child.
"Really?", Chopper asks suspiciously, taking a few steps closer to Nami, as if he were approaching a wild animal, a scene similar to Hiccup from 'How to Train Your Dragon' trying to approach Toothless.
"Really", Nami says, amused.
"Really really?", Chopper asks, getting closer and closer to Nami.
"That's right!", Nami says, smiling at the curious reindeer.
"So you guys have a black flag with a skull and crossbones?", reaching the side of Nami's bed, Chopper asks while poking her with his hoof, testing to see if she was different from other humans for being a pirate.
"On the mast of our ship, why? Do you like pirates?", Nami responds, amused, before asking. After all, Chopper seemed to like pirates.
"WHAAAAAAT? NO, NEVER, IDIOT, GO FUCK YOURSELF, WHO SAID I LIKE PIRATES? I DIDN'T SAY THAT, YOU SAYD THAT, IDIOT!!!", practically teleporting to the wall opposite where Nami's bed was, Chopper shouts, his back hitting a bookshelf, knocking down a bunch of books.
"Calm down, Chopper! Luffy already invited you, but knowing him, I think I'd better invite you properly! So, how about joining our crew? We urgently need a doctor, and you're perfect for the role. Just the fact that Luffy invited you already tells me he thinks so too. And besides the crew gaining an amazing and cute doctor, Kaya here is studying to become a doctor, and having you to teach her would be really great! What do you think?", Nami asks, inviting him to the crew the right way, knowing well how Luffy usually invites people.
"WHAAAAAA...?????", Chopper exclaims, mouth wide open and eyes bulging in shock at what he just heard.
"Yeah, come with us, Chopper! Sailing the seas, knowing and exploring endless islands, it's going to be fun", Kaya says excitedly, encouraging Chopper.
"N... N... NEVER! I'M A REINDEER! I CAN'T LIVE WITH HUMANS!", Chopper screams, the memories of being called a monster still affecting him deeply.
"And what's the problem with you being a reindeer? I don't see where you're going with this, Chouchou is a dog and he's part of the crew, Karoo is a duck and he's part of the crew, we don't care what species you are, if our Captain invited you to the crew then it's because he thinks you fit perfectly in this bunch of misfits, and we trust that idiot's judgment", Nami says, wanting Chopper to understand that they didn't care whether he was a reindeer or not.
"B... B... but I'm a monster... you guys... you're not... afraid of me? I'm a reindeer, but I walk on two legs... and I talk too...", Chopper stammers, his voice shrinking until it's almost a whisper, afraid of the answer he'll receive.
"Hahahaha! Why would we be afraid of you?" Nojiko's laughter echoes through the room, leaving Chopper confused.
"I also have a blue nose...", Chopper murmurs, in a final effort to push them away, afraid of connecting with someone again.
"I think your nose is cute!", Kaya says with a smile, surprising Chopper.
"Chopper! You think you're a monster... but since when did being a monster become a bad thing? Our crew is full of freaks, we are monsters, and we don't care how others see us, we all have dreams and aspirations, our captain is going to be the Pirate King, I'm going to draw the World Map, Kaya is going to be a competent doctor, do you understand? Our dreams are more important than the opinions of outsiders. You may think you don't have a dream when you board the Merry, but at some point, it naturally appears! We're driven by our dreams, and we become monsters in the eyes of some. And that's okay, our friends and family know who we are, where we came from, and what drives us, and that's what truly matters, we don't need the opinion of people we don't even know!", Nami calls Chopper's attention, leaving him completely stunned by her words.
At this moment, Luffy and Sanji burst through one of the doors, practically tearing it off its hinges, running away from Dr. Kureha.
As soon as they enter the room, the first thing they see is Chopper. "So you were here, reindeer! Join my crew immediately!!" "Stop running, meat! Your destiny is to become a delicious stew for the love of my life and the beautiful ladies who accompany her!!!!"
And despite all the shouting, Chopper doesn't move, still stunned by what he heard from Nami, not noticing the arrival of the two troublemakers.
Noticing this, Luffy and Sanji stop midway. "Huh! Finally gave up? Shishishishi! Welcome to the crew, then! But this game of tag was really fun. Hey reindeer! Want to keep playing? By the way, what's your name again? If you don't have one, I can give you one! Not to brag, but I'm really good at naming, how about 'Cleitin'?" "Finally accepted your fate, huh? Don't worry, meat! I'm a professional and I'll honor your sacrifice, I'll make the best stew ever!!"
"His name is Chopper, you idiot! And Sanji! Cut that shit out, you're going to scare him, Chopper isn't food, he's part of the crew and he's our doctor! Besides, how can you have the nerve to scare such a small child?", Nojiko yells at Luffy before turning to Sanji and scolding him fiercely, which for the cook was more painful than anything he could imagine, a kick to the balls? He wouldn't even feel it, kidney stones? It doesn't even compare, testicular torsion? A breeze in the field compared to the pain he was feeling at this very moment.
"Chopper? You don't look like a helicopter, wait... Ohhhhh! Can you turn into a helicopter? That's so cool! A reindeer helicopter! I knew it was the right choice to invite you to the crew, now we just need the zombie granny to accept my invitation, and we'll have a doctor and a helicopter in the crew! This is so awesome!", Luffy exclaims playfully, his mind wandering all over the place.
"Ahh! Miss Nojiko, please forgive me! I didn't mean to hurt you, I swear! You are the love of my life. Nothing makes me happier than seeing your beautiful smile! I'll never do this again!", Sanji, on the verge of tears, begs for forgiveness.
"Hmph! I'm not the one you owe an apology to!", Nojiko, slightly blushing, says as she turns her face away.
"Chopper is your name, right? Please forgive me! I'll never do that again! Look, I'm a cook, and a good one! Tell me what you like to eat and I'll make it for you!", Sanji says, apologizing to Chopper.
"I like sweets... AHHHH! Stay away from me, I'm not an ingredient and I don't want to be kidnapped... hmm? Why aren't you guys chasing after me?", Chopper responds automatically before then getting startled upon noticing Luffy and Sanji in the room.
"Huh! We were running because you were running! You stopped running, so we stopped running too", Luffy says, shrugging.
"Hmm, you guys... wait... sniff... sniff... sniff... there's an unknown person in front of the castle, smells like extreme danger!", just as Chopper was about to continue the conversation, he suddenly senses the scent of a stranger nearby, more specifically in front of the castle, and it was the scent of someone dangerous, very dangerous.
"Hmm? There's a weakling in front of the castle indeed! Hey, Chopper! Let's go see who it is", with his Observation Haki, Luffy also senses the presence of someone at the front of the castle.
"Let's go", Chopper says, already leaving the room, heading toward the scent.
"Hey, Sanji! Wanna come too?", Luffy asks, pausing a bit before leaving the room.
"On my way! Just gonna write down what the girls want to eat first", Sanji says, pulling a notepad and a pen from one of his pockets.
And then, Luffy and Chopper quickly arrive at the castle entrance, just in time to see a large flaming plant beside Aramaki shoot a fireball at the pirate flag hoisted atop the castle's tallest tower.
Chopper's world collapsed in that moment, it was as if his soul had been burned along with the flag. Everything happened so fast that he didn't even realize Luffy was no longer by his side; his vision had narrowed.
"No...", Chopper felt his world go gray.
His hearing became muffled when the fireball exploded at the top of the tower, engulfing the flag and raising dust, and just as his breathing began to shorten, a loud and clear voice, breaking through everything he was feeling, echoed through the air.
"What do you think you're doing, Marine?", from the dissipating cloud of dust, Luffy, shirtless, with only scorched rags clinging to his skin, shouts angrily, holding the broken mast, with the intact pirate flag fluttering in the wind behind him.
=Scene Break=
Going back a few minutes in the past, Aramaki finally reaches the top of the mountain, facing the castle, and the first thing that catches his attention is the pirate flag hoisted on top of the structure.
"That monstrosity isn't Straw Hat's, that I know! Mehh, whatever! Let's destroy this foulness before continuing", Aramaki mutters before making a large fire Peashooter sprout from the ground, commanding it to shoot an explosive fireball at that filthy black flag.
=Scene Break=
Just before the explosion, in the girls' room, shortly after Luffy and Chopper had left the place.
"Hmm! I think I feel like eating pasta, what do you girls think?", Nojiko says, seeking approval from the other girls.
"Fine by me!", Kaya.
"Me too", Nami.
"I'm starving!", Vivi.
"Alright, ladies! Now, what dish do you want specifically? Carbonara, Bolognese?", Sanji asks, listing pasta examples.
"You're the cook, Sanji! As long as it tastes good, make whatever you want!", Nami says, shrugging, the girls agreeing with her.
"Great! Let's go with a classic, then! Pasta Alla Zozzona, a mix of elemen...", Sanji claps enthusiastically, deciding on a dish, and just as he was about to continue describing it, a slight tremor and the sound of an explosion interrupted him.
"Alright! I've got your orders written down, ladies! I'm gonna help those two with whatever's going on, and then I'll cook for you", Sanji reassures them before leaving the room to go see what was happening.
=Scene Break=
"Straw Hat, exactly who I was looking for! You don't seem like much! What's so special about you that they want you captured alive?", finally being face to face with his target, Aramaki asks, not seeing what was so special about this brat.
"You're after me, so why did you attack a flag that clearly isn't from my crew?", boiling with rage, Luffy asks, not falling for Aramaki's provocation.
"It's a pirate flag, brat! I don't need a reason to burn one!", Aramaki says, with a bloody smile on his scorched face.
"Hah! You're clearly one of those government dogs with an inflated ego and a rotten sense of 'injustice'. You don't even understand what you just tried to do, do you? Setting fire to a flag without first defeating its owners is a declaration of war, you idiot! Flags have weight, meaning, they carry dreams, and dreams are heavy as fuck! You don't mess with flags! A stoner like you will never understand how heavy a pirate flag really is!", letting out a scornful laugh, Luffy shouts angrily.
"Declaration of war? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Don't make me laugh, you little shit! I'm with the Marines, I can do whatever I want with pirate flags. Watch how I destroy this flag, and you along with it!", Aramaki says, bursting into laughter, as the fire Peashooter beside him begins to deform, doubling in size, its fire shifting to a cadaverous blue.
"A mad dog without a shred of respect like you, can't even touch this flag! You know why? This skull and crossbones...", Luffy shouts, his Conqueror's Haki covering the entire island and beyond.
"FWOOOOOOOOOO!!!", the fire mutant Peashooter fires a blue fireball, breaking the sound barrier multiple times along its path.
"NO, GET OUT OF THERE!!!", Chopper shouts in alarm, Luffy's Haki snapping him completely out of his daze.
"ARE A SYMBOL OF FAITH!!!", Luffy screams, his Haki pressuring Aramaki in a way he'd never felt before.
And then, the fireball hits him head-on and explodes, "BOOMMMMMMMM!!!", practically disintegrating the tower's rooftop.
And from the cloud of smoke, Luffy, motionless like a statue, his unscathed body emanating smoke, his bare chest and ragged shorts, still holding the flag intact.
"This flag! As long as I'm alive, it's indestructible!!!", Luffy yells, declaring, as Chopper watches in awe from below.
"I don't know whose flag this is, or where it came from! But it's important to Chopper, and he's my friend!!!", Luffy continues, as Chopper's eyes fill with tears while he thinks, 'Were these the people you were talking about, Doctor?'
"Hey, Luffy! Protect the castle and the girls, I'll take care of this piece of shit!", at that moment, emerging from the castle, Sanji appears, grabbing and lighting a cigarette from his pack before taking a drag, blowing smoke, his cold gaze lifting toward Aramaki.
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(AN: 2,793 Words)
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