"Come back here! How dare you kidnap my disciple!" Dr. Kureha shouted, her voice are very loud despite the snow and wind, she was chasing after after them.
To anyone watching from afar, it looked like pure chaos, a crazed old woman swinging her broom and yelling threats while a group of pirates ran for their lives. But the truth was this is the way that she say goodbye to her discple.
Deep down, Kureha was happy. Truly happy for Chopper.
For the first time since Dr. Hiriluk death, someone else had reached out to Tony Tony Chopper, not as a monster but as a friend.
She had heard Luffy invitation earlier, they wanted Chopper as a crewmate for their pirate crew. The way they looked at Chopper is not like someone who wanted to benefit with Chopper talent as a doctor but a genuine friendship.
But Kureha was not the kind of woman who showed her feelings openly.
If she let her emotions slip now, Chopper might hesitate. He might turn back. He might choose comfort over growth and Kureha knew better than anyone that the world was cruel to the weak-hearted.
So she chose to play the villain and she hardened her expression, raised her voice, and chased them with exaggerated fury, putting on the most dramatic act of her long life.
"Stop running, you idiots!" she yelled. "Bring my disciple back this instant!"
Luffy, Usopp, and the others sprinted through the snow, slipping and stumbling as they fled from the terrifying doctor.
"Why is she so fast?!" Usopp screamed.
"She's scary!" Luffy replied honestly, not slowing down at all.
Behind them, Chopper ran with tears streaming down his face. His small hooves trembled with every step but he still run on a snowy path.
He brought a cart and inside the cart, is Nami and the others too. Only the boys who had run by their foot.
He kept looking back at the castle, at the woman who had raised him, scolded him, healed him and protected him when the entire world rejected him after Dr Hiriluk death.
Dr. Hiriluk and Dr. Kureha, they were his family.
He wasn't ready to leave her yet but he choice to leave her because of his dream, something deep inside his chest burned fiercely.
His dream is to become a doctor who could cure any disease, to travel the world and to save lives that the others doctor had given up.
The distance between them grew wider and through the howling wind, Kureha heard Luffy voice.
"I swear!" Luffy shouted without turning back. "I'll take care of Chopper! I'll protect him no matter what!"
That single sentence pierced straight through her hardened act.
Just as the emotions threatened to overflow, a soft blue light suddenly illuminated the are around Luffy and his crew.
The Quinjet previously are invisible state revealed itself above them. A beam of energy descended, enveloping the Straw Hat Pirates, Koala, and Chopper in a gentle glow. In the next instant, they vanished into the air and brought towards the spaceship.
Kureha stopped running, snow crunched beneath her boots as she stood there alone, her chest rising and falling.
Tears finally slipped down her wrinkled face.
"…Good luck, my little disciple," she murmured softly. "Become the greatest doctor the world has ever known."
She wiped her tears roughly, regaining her composure but before he could continue crying, her battle instincts suddenly flared.
Two unfamiliar presences approached rapidly.
Kureha narrowed her eyes.
"…So," she muttered, gripping her weapon. "More trouble, huh?"
From the snow-covered path ahead, Ace and Sabo emerged.
***
The crew was absorbed into spaceship, although they had felt it before it still brought excitement to them.
"Yippi," said Luffy with both his hand raised upward.
Although Chopper was still shedding tears, his eyes widened in awe as he stared at the quinjet interior. The smooth metal walls, the gentle hum of the machine, the blue lights along machines, it all felt unreal.
And for all the boys in one piece world, this thing brought excitement eventhough Chopper is an animal.
"Th-this is…" Chopper tried to speak, but the words refused to come out.
"Welcome to the pirate crew, Chopper!" Luffy said loudly, grinning from ear to ear as he stretched out his arms.
"Welcome, Chopper!" Usopp added, giving him a thumbs-up.
Chopper sniffed hard, wiping his nose with his sleeve. "Y-You guys… are you really okay with someone like me?"
"Of course we are," Vivi said gently, stepping closer. Her smile was warm and sincere. "A doctor who wants to save everyone is exactly what this crew needs."
Nami nodded from her seat, still wrapped in a blanket but looking much better than before. "You saved me, didn't you? That alone already makes you precious to us."
Chopper ears twitched. "I-I did?"
"You did," Nami replied softly. "So thank you."
Bonney suddenly jumped in front of him, crouching down to eye level. "You're cute," she said bluntly. "And you're a doctor. That's unfair.... you're too useful."
"C-Cute?!" Chopper shouted, his face instantly turning red. "D-Don't say that! You idiot!"
Bartolomeo clasped his hands together dramatically, tears streaming down his face. "Chopper-senpai…! A pure-hearted doctor joining Luffy-senpai's crew… this is epic! Absolute epic!"
Zoro leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. "As long as you can keep us alive, I don't care what you are," he said calmly. "Just don't expect me to drink your medicine without complaining."
"A gentleman always welcomes a doctor," Sanji said smoothly. "Especially one who helped Nami-swan. From now on, your meals are on me."
Robin smiled quietly, her eyes gentle. "A crew that can laugh, fight, and heal together is a rare thing," she said. "I'm glad you're here, Chopper."
Kuma placed a massive hand on Chopper's head, surprisingly gentle. "You have a kind heart," he said. "This ship is a good place for you."
Chopper trembled, then burst into tears again and this time he is smiling.
"Y-You idiots…!" he cried. "I-I'm happy! I'm really happy!"
........
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