Chouchou's method of "subduing" Chopper made everyone's lips twitch.
But hey, that's the animal world for you – simple and direct.
Vivi just blushed bright red, yelling about how Chouchou had become a filthy degenerate.
Ray walked over to the immobilized reindeer and gently transferred some of his Demonic Power into him.
Chopper let out a cute, contented sound as the strange energy flowed through him, rapidly healing his injuries.
Soon, he could move again and stood up, looking at Ray with pure astonishment and admiration.
'Such overwhelming pressure... such a domineering human... Wait, is he even human?'
Ray ignored Chopper's starry eyes, turned, and walked towards the forest.
His demonic power was great for healing, but only worked on certain non-humans.
For regular humans, it was basically poison.
Chopper, having eaten the Human-Human Fruit, was basically a yokai in Ray's book.
'Maybe all Zoan users can benefit from this? Could Luffy?' Ray didn't dwell on it.
'If Luffy ever gets seriously hurt, I can try it. He's tough; probably won't die.'
This was another reason Ray wanted Chopper – his healing was too limited.
Plus, Ray just had a soft spot for fluffy little creatures.
At that moment, Luffy and Usopp were already bombarding Chopper with tales of their adventures.
Chopper was curious but not super impressed by Luffy's stories.
Usopp's, however – giant Sea Kings, island-eating goldfish, flying dragons, golden islands – even though he exaggerated them tenfold, had Chopper completely hooked, his eyes sparkling.
"Hahaha!" Usopp declared, puffing out his chest. "From now on, you gotta listen to Captain Usopp! I'll take care of you!"
"Mm-hmm!" Chopper nodded eagerly. "I'll follow Captain Usopp and Big Brother Chouchou!"
Sanji couldn't take it anymore and kicked Usopp aside.
"Doctor Chopper," he said charmingly, "thank you for saving Nami-swann."
Chopper's face twitched, then melted into shy, wavy lines.
"E-even if you praise me, I won't be happy, you jerk~!"
Vivi was instantly smitten by his cuteness and gently stroked his cheeks.
"Doctor Chopper, you're so adorable~!"
Round two of praise sent Chopper completely over the edge.
"I-I'm not happy at all~! You jerk~!" He collapsed, wriggling on the ground in embarrassment.
In the distance, Chouchou watched with disdain.
"Master," he complained to Ray, "this guy is hopeless. Taking care of him is going to be a lot of pressure."
"Hm? Just treat him normally."
"Master, when I was fighting him, I sensed deep pain in his heart – something about a human. Couldn't figure it out."
Hearing this, Ray glanced at the puppy.
'Did he awaken Observation Haki? He can sense emotions now? Maybe even thoughts?'
Plus, Chouchou hadn't even released his demon beast pressure during the fight.
'Looks like he's getting better at controlling his power. Not bad.'
As for Chopper's pain, Ray already had a plan.
"Chouchou, go down to town. Bring Wapol and those 20 doctors up here."
Chouchou immediately transformed and flew off.
Meanwhile, Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper were chatting excitedly.
"Chopper! You can transform in seven different ways?! You're such a monster!" Luffy laughed.
"I-I'm not a monster~!"
"Huh? What's wrong with being a monster? Our crew is full of monsters! We even have two yokai!"
Chopper (?ω?): "Oh?"
And so, the "monsters" continued sharing their stories.
....
Half an hour later, Chouchou returned, mission accomplished, with Dalton tagging along.
"Master," Chouchou reported, "this green-clothed cow demon insisted on coming. If you're unhappy, I'll eat him. Beef is delicious."
Sweat dripped down Dalton's forehead.
'This dog is ruthless! I just wanted to see how they'd deal with Wapol!'
He was grateful they were getting rid of the tyrant, but worried.
Wapol was still a king recognized by the World Government.
Killing him openly?
"If Wapol dies here," Dalton warned, "you won't be able to explain it. Too many people saw you bring him up here."
Ray glanced at him.
'He's actually worried about us?'
"The moment I brought him into the port," Ray explained briefly, "his death was already tied to us."
With that, he had Chouchou drag Wapol in front of Chopper, leaving Dalton standing there in shock.
'Right... Did they plan to take the blame for us from the start?'
Did Ray plan to take the blame? Yes.
Did he care? No.
This was just the most convenient way. Chopper needed to defeat this man to heal his own emotional wounds.
Chouchou dropped Wapol with a loud clang, startling Chopper out of his story time.
Seeing his old enemy, Chopper's expression went from shock to rage.
"WAPOL!" He immediately transformed into his heavy, humanoid form.
Chouchou unchained Wapol and slapped him awake.
"Tin Man," the dog demon growled, "beat Chopper, and I promise I'll let you go."
Wapol shook his head groggily.
"You mean it?"
"Meaner than a genuine leather sofa."
"Good! Prepare to die, monster reindeer!" Wapol charged.
.....
Twenty minutes later, a severely weakened Wapol lay motionless on the ground.
Chopper had been losing at first – he thought he couldn't take another Rumble Ball.
But in desperation, he risked it.
Instead of side effects, it felt like the first Rumble Ball of the day!
"Guard Point!"
The giant furball Chopper burst out of Wapol's mouth, bigger than ever.
From then on, it was a one-sided beatdown.
Chopper cycled through his forms, pummeling Wapol into oblivion.
Ray finished him off, wrapping him in his poisonous energy whip.
Moments later, only a pool of steaming, corrosive liquid remained.
As the snow fell, the last trace of Wapol vanished.
Watching this, Chopper felt a huge weight lift off his heart.
"Doctor..." he whispered, tears mixing with laughter, "he finally got what he deserved. And... I really found friends who accept me. They called me a monster, but they said they were monsters too... We're the same. Heh, Doctor, you were right. I have friends now... I miss you..."
Behind him, Dr. Kureha smiled warmly.
"Quack doctor... your treatment worked."
Snowflakes drifted down, pure and gentle, soothing old wounds.
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