The sun had begun its descent behind the sharp peaks of the Drum Rockies, casting long, bruised-purple shadows across the snow. Inside the castle, the air was warm, smelling of ancient stone, dust, and the sharp tang of antiseptic.
While the rest of the crew was bustling about—Luffy trying to steal one last piece of meat from the kitchen, Sanji packing leftovers for the journey, and Usopp nervously eyeing the armory—Ben made his way to the highest tower room.
He knocked on the heavy oak door.
"Enter," a gravelly voice snapped. "Unless you're the rubber boy. If you're him, go away before I test my new scalpel on you."
Ben pushed the door open. Dr. Kureha sat in a high-backed chair by the fireplace, a bottle of plum wine in one hand and a stack of berries on the table. She looked tired, her sunglasses reflecting the dying firelight.
"Doctorine," Ben said, stepping inside and closing the door against the draft.
"It's Doctor Kureha," she corrected automatically, taking a swig. "What do you want, Wizard? The girl is cured. The reindeer is packing. The show is over."
Ben walked to the center of the room. He looked at the old woman—139 years of history wrapped in a midriff-baring top and an attitude sharp enough to cut diamond.
"I came to settle the account," Ben said respectfully. "You saved our Navigator. You saved our journey."
Kureha snorted. She waved a hand dismissively, a gesture that looked strange coming from the woman who usually squeezed every berry out of her patients.
"Keep it," she grunted. "Take the brat and go. Consider the reindeer's service as payment. He's expensive to feed, anyway. I'm doing myself a favor by getting rid of him."
It was a lie, of course. A transparent, heartbreaking lie. She wasn't getting rid of a burden; she was letting go of a son.
Ben smiled softly. "You're a terrible liar, Doctor. But while I appreciate the sentiment... I insist. A Lannister always pays his debts. Wait, wrong universe. A Straw Hat always pays his debts."
"I don't need your pity money," Kureha snapped. "I have enough to buy plum wine for another century."
"It's not pity," Ben said. His expression shifted, becoming serious. "It's an investment. This kingdom... Wapol left it in ruins. The doctors are traumatized. The infrastructure is gone. You're the only medical authority left. If you want to rebuild Drum... you're going to need resources."
He rolled up his sleeve.
"Besides," Ben grinned, a mischievous glint in his eye. "I didn't say I was paying with the ship's treasure. Nami would kill me."
He walked to the empty corner of the room. He focused. He tapped into the Momo Yaoyorozu template simmering in his blood.
Creation.
"Watch closely," Ben whispered.
His skin began to glow with a soft, iridescent sheen. From his palms, matter began to flow. It wasn't magic in the traditional sense; it was biological alchemy. He burned through his own body fat, converting lipids directly into matter.
Clink.
A solid gold bar fell from his hand onto the stone floor.
Clink. Clink. Clink.
Kureha sat up straighter, her sunglasses sliding down her nose. Her eyes widened.
Ben didn't stop. The gold flowed like water, solidifying instantly. He stacked them. Ten bars. Fifty bars. A hundred. A golden pyramid began to rise in the corner of the dusty room.
Then, he switched.
Tink-tink-tink.
A cascade of uncut diamonds, each the size of a walnut, poured from his other hand, filling a wooden bucket sitting nearby.
The room was illuminated by the glitter of sudden, impossible wealth.
Ben finished, exhaling a breath of steam. He looked a little leaner, his metabolism having burned a few thousand calories in seconds.
"There," Ben said, dusting off his hands. "That should cover the medical bill. And the reconstruction of the ropeway. And perhaps a heated swimming pool for the castle."
Kureha stood up. She walked over to the gold. She picked up a bar, bit it, and stared at the indent.
"Real..." she whispered. "Pure gold. Created from thin air."
She looked at Ben, shaking her head in disbelief. "I've seen Devil Fruits that turn stone to gold... but you... you used your own body? No wonder you insisted on paying. To you, money is just calories."
"Lipids, specifically," Ben corrected. "Matter creation. Useful for repairs. And bribes."
He looked her in the eye. "Use it for the Kingdom. Or use it to buy the world's most expensive plum wine stock. I don't care. Just... keep living, Doctor. Keep this place standing for when Chopper comes back to visit."
Kureha dropped the gold bar back onto the pile with a heavy thud. She looked at this young man—this wizard with white hair and eyes that seemed to hold too much knowledge for his age.
"You're an interesting brat," she murmured. "Tell me. What is your full name?"
Ben paused. He straightened his coat.
"Edgar D. Benjamin."
The room went silent. The fire popped.
Kureha's eyes widened, just a fraction. A flicker of recognition, deep and ancient, passed through her gaze. She looked at him—really looked at him—as if seeing a ghost overlaying his features.
"D... same as your captain" she murmured, her voice barely audible. "So... you belong to that family as well. The Will of D... is it still alive?"
Ben heard her perfectly. He knew what she was thinking. He knew she was one of the few people alive who knew the true meaning of that initial. He could have asked her about it. He could have asked about Gol D. Roger.
But he chose silence. Some mysteries were better left unspoken. He simply offered a small, knowing smile.
Kureha stared at him for a long moment, then let out a sharp, cackling laugh. She turned away, picking up her bottle.
"Hah! Just my luck. Another troublemaker." She waved her hand at him, shooing him away. "What are you still here for? Want a kiss from me? Or a kick?"
"I think I'll pass on both," Ben chuckled.
"Then go away! Shoo! Get out of my castle! I have to count my money! And if you tell the reindeer I kept it, I'll hunt you down!"
"Your secret is safe with me," Ben bowed. "Goodbye, Dr. Kureha."
He turned and walked out of the room, leaving the witch alone with her gold, her wine, and her memories of a Will that refused to die.
---
The sun had fully set. The sky was a deep, velvet indigo, the stars piercingly bright in the thin mountain air. The wind had died down, leaving a crisp, silent night.
The Straw Hat crew was gathered in the castle courtyard. They were bundled up, ready to leave.
Chopper stood in front of the main doors. He had his blue backpack on. His hat was pulled low. He was shaking.
"I... I have to go," Chopper whispered to himself. "I have to tell her."
The massive doors creaked open.
Dr. Kureha stood there. She wasn't holding a bottle this time. She was empty-handed. Her face was shadowed.
"Doctorine!" Chopper shouted, taking a step forward. "I... I..."
Kureha glared at him. "Still here, brat? I thought you left hours ago."
"I wanted to say goodbye!" Chopper cried, tears already welling up. "I... I'm going to sea! I'm going to be a pirate! I'm going to see the world, just like Dr. Hiriluk said! And I'm going to come back a great doctor! So please... take care of yourself! And stay alive! And..."
He took a deep breath, preparing for a heartfelt, tear-jerking speech about gratitude and love.
Kureha didn't let him finish.
Her hand moved in a blur. From the folds of her coat, she produced a battle-axe.
"GET OUT!" she roared, her face twisting into a mask of demonic fury.
She threw the axe.
It wasn't a warning shot. It embedded itself in the stone floor an inch from Chopper's hoof.
"EEEEEEEK!" Chopper shrieked, jumping three feet in the air.
"You ungrateful little reindeer!" Kureha screamed, pulling out a handful of scalpels. "You think you can just leave?! After all I did for you?! I'll turn you into a rug! I'll make you into venison stew!"
Swish-swish-swish!
Three scalpels flew through the air, embedding themselves in the wall next to Luffy's head.
"WHOA!" Luffy yelled. "THE OLD LADY WENT CRAZY!"
"RUN!" Usopp screamed. "SHE'S GONNA KILL US ALL!"
"Don't come back!" Kureha bellowed, pulling out a flail. "If I see your face again, I'll dissect you!"
Chopper turned and ran. He ran for his life. He ran on all fours, crying and screaming.
"I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! DON'T EAT ME!"
"Let's go!" Ben yelled. "To the sled!"
Dalton had prepared a large sleigh at the edge of the ropeway. The crew scrambled into it, slipping and sliding on the snow.
"PUSH!" Sanji yelled.
Kureha stood on the steps, throwing spears now. "GET OUT OF MY KINGDOM! YOU PESTS!"
Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji shoved the sleigh. It tipped over the edge of the slope.
"WAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
They plummeted down the mountain, sliding at breakneck speed, leaving a trail of snow and screaming reindeer behind them.
Kureha watched them go. She threw one last spear, which fell harmlessly short.
She stood panting on the steps. The anger melted from her face instantly, leaving only sadness and pride.
"Go," she whispered into the cold night air. "Go, you stupid son."
She turned to Dalton, who had emerged from the shadows, watching the scene.
"Dalton."
"Yes, Doctor?"
"Fire the cannons."
---
The Straw Hats were halfway down the mountain, the wind rushing in their ears. Chopper was huddled in the back of the sleigh, sobbing.
"She hates me..." he sniffled. "She hates me..."
"Look," Ben said softly, pointing back up at the mountain.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
A series of explosions echoed from the peaks of the Drum Rockies.
But it wasn't an attack.
From the tops of the drum-shaped mountains, clouds of dust shot into the sky. It wasn't grey gunpowder smoke.
It was pink.
The dust hit the atmosphere. It bonded with the falling ice crystals in the air.
And the world changed.
A soft, pink light began to glow in the sky. The snow falling around them changed color. It wasn't white anymore. It was a vibrant, glowing sakura pink.
The mountains, illuminated by the floodlights Kureha had set up, transformed.
The shape of the Drum Rockies... the way the snow clung to the sides... combined with the pink light...
It looked like a tree.
A colossal, island-sized Cherry Blossom Tree in full bloom.
Dr. Hiriluk's Miracle.
The sleigh slowed as it hit the lower slopes. The crew looked up, their faces bathed in the rosy light.
"It's... it's a tree," Usopp whispered, awestruck. "A giant, pink tree made of snow."
"Beautiful," Robin murmured, catching a pink snowflake in her hand.
Luffy laughed. "Chopper! Look!"
Chopper looked up.
His eyes, wide and wet, reflected the miracle. The pink snow fell on his blue nose.
He realized.
She didn't hate him. She wasn't chasing him away because she was angry. She was chasing him away so he wouldn't hesitate. She was giving him the send-off Hiriluk had always dreamed of.
The monster was leaving. The son was setting sail.
The dam broke.
Chopper stood up in the sleigh. He threw his head back.
"DOCTORINE!!!"
His scream echoed across the entire island, bouncing off the pink mountains.
"THANK YOU!!!"
Tears streamed down his face, freezing in the wind, but he didn't care. He bawled. He cried with the force of a lifetime of loneliness finally ending.
"I WILL BE A GOOD DOCTOR! I PROMISE! I WILL SAIL THE SEAS! AND I WILL FIND A CURE FOR ALL DISEASES! I WON'T LET YOU DOWN!"
The wind carried his voice up the mountain. Kureha, standing on the balcony, heard it.
She smiled, tears streaming down her own face.
"Heh. You'd better, brat. Have a good voyage."
Ben watched the scene, a lump in his own throat. He had seen this in the anime. He had read it in the manga. But seeing it... feeling the cold air, seeing the pink light, hearing the raw emotion in the reindeer's voice... it was magic far greater than any spell he could cast.
"This," Ben thought, "is why I'm here. To make sure this moment happened. To make sure he gets to keep that promise."
He looked at the crew. They were all smiling. Even Zoro had a soft look on his face. Sanji was lighting a cigarette, hiding his misty eyes. Nami was hugging Vivi.
"Alright," Luffy said, wiping his nose. "Let's go! To the ship!"
They reached the bottom of the mountain. The Going Merry—the newly sentient, super-computer-enhanced Merry—was waiting at the dock, her figurehead seeming to smile in the pink light.
They walked toward the gangplank.
Chopper stopped. He looked back one last time at the giant pink tree in the sky.
Then, he adjusted his hat. He gripped his backpack straps.
And he followed his Captain toward the sea.
And the desert kingdom of Alabasta was waiting.