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"By the way, what happened to Dalton and those twenty doctors he arrested earlier?" Bai Ye asked, looking a little puzzled.
"Those twenty doctors were the last ones left on this island. They were only working under Wapol because they were forced to," Nami explained simply.
"So Dalton let them go and took them to find the witch."
Bai Ye nodded at that. Those twenty doctors weren't really bad people.
In fact, they were actually inspired by Dr. Hiriluk and ended up studying medicine seriously because of him.
So Bai Ye had no complaints about how things turned out.
Honestly, even if Nami hadn't done that, Bai Ye would've let the islanders deal with everyone except Wapol anyway.
He looked up at the highest peak of the island.
If they went up there… it could only mean one thing.
"Alright, guys!!!"
Luffy stood at the front of the Merry, hands on his hips, and shouted:
"To celebrate Chopper joining the crew—LET'S HAVE A PARTY!!!"
"Ohhhhhh!!!" xN
Then, as Sanji brought out the food and drinks he'd already prepared in the kitchen, the party kicked off.
"WAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
Right in the middle of it all, Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper had already become best buds.
And of course, under everyone's horrified gaze, they broke into their chopstick-in-nostrils dance once again.
The ship was full of goofy, chaotic energy.
Meanwhile, the paper clone tool-man had quietly taken the helm and started sailing the Merry out of the port.
Bai Ye stood on the deck, staring thoughtfully at Drum Island.
Nami came up beside him and handed him a drink, also looking a little confused.
"…It's kinda weird."
She looked toward the peaceful-looking island. "Nobody's here to say goodbye to Chopper?"
BOOM!!!
Just as the words left her mouth, a loud explosion echoed from the tallest mountain on the island.
Everyone on the ship froze and turned toward Drum Island.
And what they saw next would be burned into their memories forever.
The sound came from a cannon, and when the cannonballs exploded in the air—something magical happened.
The white snow covering the island slowly turned… pink.
"WOOOOAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
The most excited ones on the ship were obviously Chopper and Luffy.
"That's what Doctor Hiriluk was talking about—"
"Cherry blossoms!!!"
"Go on, silly boy~"
Dr. Kureha sat by the castle gates, downing another swig of booze, and murmured to herself.
"You sure you don't wanna go say goodbye?" Dalton asked, walking over.
"Huh? You think I need you to tell me what to do?" she snapped back.
"I've got no worries about him joining that crew."
She thought back to that kid with the straw hat and smiled a little.
"He's a guy who inherited the will of D."
"Monkey D. Luffy, huh?" Dalton nodded slowly, as if remembering something.
About a week ago, a certain man had come to this island while chasing Blackbeard.
Once he found out Blackbeard was gone, he didn't say much.
He just pulled out a wanted poster and asked if anyone had seen the person on it.
When he got nothing but blank stares, he left them with just one message:
"If he comes here, tell him to head to Alabasta. He's got ten days. After that, he's outta luck."
Thinking back on that moment, Dalton finally felt a bit of relief.
Because the guy on that wanted poster… was Straw Hat himself.
And their next stop? Just so happened to be Alabasta.
By now, that man should've already arrived there.
Dalton pictured his smiling face again, and finally remembered the guy's name.
"Ace, huh?"
On a Marine warship somewhere in the Grand Line, Smoker was listening to his subordinate's report, clearly surprised.
"The second division commander of Whitebeard's crew…"
Puffing on his cigar, he muttered:
"What the hell is a guy like that doing in Paradise?"
"And his destination is Alabasta too?"
The moment he heard that, Smoker couldn't help but start putting the pieces together.
"Could he be involved in the rebellion?"
"Could he be… Mr. 0?"
He frowned, deep in thought. It was giving him a headache.
Turning to Tashigi, who was training with her sword nearby:
"Tashigi, how long until we reach Alabasta?"
"Reporting, Colonel Smoker! Around three more days!!"
He nodded.
"Three days, huh… that should be enough."
"If Ace really is involved in this, then this might be beyond what I can handle."
"Hey Tashigi, get me a line to HQ."
"Right away, Colonel!"
Smoker looked out at the endless horizon, sensing a storm brewing.
"Tell them to send more people. This thing's getting out of hand."
And as the sea breeze blew across the ship, his quiet words were carried far and wide.
But Smoker wasn't the only one who felt things were spiraling out of control.
Port of Alabasta
"Tch… you guys still don't get it, do you?"
Crocodile looked down at the pirates he'd just defeated, sounding almost bored.
"You and I aren't even in the same league."
The people at the port burst into cheers, chanting Crocodile's name like a hero.
Even though the war between the royal army and the rebels had paused for now, Crocodile was still busy setting things up—so he could take the country for himself with full legitimacy.
His plan? Become the hero of Alabasta.
Amid the cheers, Crocodile turned and walked away.
But no one noticed the moment his back was turned… his face twisted into a dark, grim expression.
"…What's he doing here?"
"The son of the man who once defeated me…"
Whatever thought crossed his mind then, it clearly sparked his rage.
But just as quickly, he forced himself to calm down.
Even though he hated that man to the bone, now wasn't the time to let emotions get in the way.
As long as his plan worked, he'd get one of the Ancient Weapons—Pluton.
Now, all he had to do was wait… wait for the key person in his plan to arrive.
"Mr. 2, sir!!! Still no sign of the ship!"
A swan-shaped ship floated along the route between Little Garden and Alabasta.
"Keep looking! If we don't take care of Mr. 3 soon, I'm gonna be in real danger here!!"
The one shouting was, of course, Mr. 2.
He was dressed in a swan costume, done up like a ballet dancer.
At the moment, he was pacing anxiously and barking orders at his crew.
It had already been a while since they got the mission, and if they still couldn't find Mr. 3 soon, he probably wouldn't make it back in time.
Just thinking about what would happen if he failed made Mr. 2—who already talked in a weird way—look like he was about to cry.
"....."