Chapter 77Her life and freedom were now firmly in Luffy's hands; the origin of the Devil Fruit's will was a massive secret that absolutely could not be exposed.Luffy received Nika's signal. Although he didn't think there was anything wrong with saying it, he went along with Nami's guess."Yeah, I just picked her up."Nami facepalmed speechlessly. "If you're going to make up an excuse, at least make it a decent one!"The world was indeed full of wonders, but pulling a talking raccoon out of one's body that could be controlled by Luffy with a strange collar was just too much of a coincidence.Nami's gaze became sharper as she looked back and forth between Luffy and Nika. "Are you two hiding some secret from me?"Nika panicked, deathly afraid that Luffy would let something slip and that Nami would dig deeper.In her desperation, she blurted out, "I know your secret too!"The moment the words left her mouth, she regretted it.Almost instantly, in Nika's eyes, Nami's image seemed to swell into a demon-god with black aura rising behind her and devil horns growing from her forehead.With a smile so kind it was hair-raising, Namistepped forward and practically snatched Nikafrom Luffy's hands."Oh, my secret? It looks like we need to have a nice little chat, little Nika~"With that, ignoring Nika's struggles, Nami carried the newly appeared troublemaker toward a corner.She was prepared to have an in-depth discussion about the ship's rules and what should and shouldn't be said.Chapter 103: Chopper Joins the Crew (Please keep reading)"How about it? Chopper, come be our doctor!"Luffy watched Nika being taken away and didn't think much of it, continuing his invitation to Chopper.The series of shocks—especially Luffy's unreserved sincerity and acceptance—completely shattered Chopper's emotional defenses.This feeling of being needed and recognized was exactly the same as what Dr. Hiriluk had given him back then."Do... do you really need me? Even if I'm a monster?" Chopper asked with a sob, making one final confirmation."Of course, you're the best doctor there is," Luffysaid without hesitation.If his own medicine level had just reached Lv2, then Chopper should be at least Lv5 or higher.When talking with Kureha, she had pointed to the pile of medical books in the room and said Chopperhad devoured them all."Waaaah! Even if you say that, I won't be happy, you bastard!" Chopper cried loudly while shouting his classic line awkwardly, but his immense joy had him rolling around on the ground.Finally, he stopped and nodded vigorously.Chopper joins!By the time Nami returned carrying a lifeless-looking Nika, who seemed to have experienced something terrifying, Chopper had already finished saying his goodbyes to Dr. Kureha.Though Kureha was reluctant to see him go, she was mostly relieved; she stuffed Chopper's small backpack full of various medicinal herbs and medical books."Alright, go on, get out of here. You're an eyesore," Kureha waved them off, turning away to take another swig of liquor to hide the emotions in her eyes.Chopper took one last teary-eyed look at Kureha, then transformed into his sturdy reindeer form. He pulled over a spare sled from the castle and volunteered, "Luffy, Nami, hop on! I'll pull you down the mountain! It's much faster this way!""You can do that?" Luffy looked at Chopper's reindeer form and used one hand to scoop Namiand Nika over.Chopper took a deep breath, his four hooves exerting force as he sprinted down the steep snowy mountain slope.The speed grew faster and faster, bringing a strong sense of weightlessness. At the end of one steep slope, the sled even briefly took flight into the air!"Waaaah!"Nami screamed in terror, feeling like she was about to be thrown off.Luffy was Quick-handed; his Rubber arm wrapped around Nami's waist, pulling her tightly into his embrace.Still shaken and not caring about embarrassment, Nami instinctively clung to Luffy like an octopus, burying her face in his chest.Nika, meanwhile, gripped Luffy's Straw Hat tightly, terrified of falling off.Wahoo! We're flying!The sky was still dark, as it was only early morning.The wind and snow had long since stopped. A ray of morning light spilled onto the snow-covered Winter Island, dyeing everything a warm orange-red, the faint light shimmering brilliantly.Some villagers who had woken up early noticed this strange sight and looked toward the direction of the rising sun.The morning light was a bit piercing, and they had to shade their eyes with their hands for a long time before their eyes slowly adjusted."Hey, look at that! What is it?""Something's flying in the sky!"Against the gradually reddening clouds, several black silhouettes could be faintly seen leaping from high up on Drum Mountain, tracing a curve full of vitality through the air."Am I seeing things?""I think I hear someone shouting up there.""Are they going somewhere to deliver gifts?"The villagers looked at each other, their faces full of bewilderment, as if trying to confirm this incredible sight with one another.At the harbor below the mountain, Sanji and Usopp, who were responsible for restocking supplies, had already prepared everything the going merry needed.Vivi and the others were waiting anxiously on the ship.When they saw the sled pulled by Chopper rush down the slope in a thrilling manner and come to a steady stop at the shore, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.Vivi was the first to rush off the ship. Seeing Namiget off the sled looking energetic, she immediately lunged forward to hug her.Nami's legs were actually a bit weak."Nami, it's so good that you're okay!""Sorry for making you all worry."Nami hugged Vivi back, her heart warming at her companion's concern.Her gaze caught Robin, who was standing to the side with an elegant smile. She shifted her eyes away awkwardly but without hostility. "Robin, thank you for earlier too."Before, she would have just called Robin 'Miss Captive.'Robin smiled slightly."Hey, guys, look over here!"Luffy had already gotten off the sled. With one hand, he brought forward Chopper, who was hiding behind the sled and peeking at his new companions."This is our new companion, the ship's doctor, Tony Tony Chopper!""H-hello everyone," Chopper stuttered, his heart beating so fast it felt like it would jump out."The companion is a raccoon? Having Quick as emergency food was already enough.""Luffy, keeping pets on a ship is a lot of trouble. You brought back two at once?""Hey, Chopper is a doctor, and he ate a Devil Fruit."Luffy set Chopper down. "Show them what you can do."Sanji stepped forward to take a look. "Looks like a pretty unremarkable raccoon."Chopper got angry and transformed into his human form, then used a grappling technique to sit on Sanji, pulling his legs hard to help him stretch.Sanji let out a scream of pain."H-he's that fierce?"Usopp immediately began to flex his bragging skills, claiming he had long predicted an amazing ship's doctor would join them.Once everyone was gathered, Luffy excitedly announced their departure.The next stop was Alabasta.The going merry slowly sailed away from Drum Island's harbor, the chill of the Winter Islandgradually dissipated by the sea breeze.Meanwhile, on the deck...The two newly joined non-human companions were being inspected by the crew.Zoro crossed his arms, squinting at Chopper, who was curiously looking around the going merry, and at Nika on the other side, who seemed more interested in the wine barrels. He raised an eyebrow and said to Luffy:"Hey, Luffy. You went to find a doctor for Nami and ended up picking up two raccoons to be our companions?""I'm a reindeer, you bastard! You Marimo!"Chopper's fur immediately bristled. He shouted with bared teeth and suddenly jumped up, biting down on Zoro's finger. He hung there like a small accessory, refusing to let go no matter how much Zoro shook his hand.As for Nika, because her image was too similar to a raccoon, she opened her mouth to argue against the slander but found she couldn't confidently refute it. She could only mutter gloomily:"Rude fellow."Luffy was one thing.But in Nika's eyes now, the real big demon was that girl Nami.Who exactly was the devil?Nami watched the chaotic scene between Zoro and Chopper and explained with a smile, "Chopper is actually a very skilled doctor. We owe it to Chopper and Dr. Kureha this time.""Yeah, it's great to have a reliable doctor on board. That way, we won't have to worry as much if anyone gets hurt or sick in the future."Upon hearing this, Chopper, who was still biting Zoro, immediately changed his expression. He let go, landed on the deck, and wiggled his butt with an irrepressible look of bashfulness and pride. "Shut up~ Even if you praise me like that... I won't be happy at all~ you bastard!"Chapter 104: Life ReturnThis classic display of saying one thing while meaning another made everyone laugh."It seems he's not very good at hiding his emotions."Robin elegantly covered her mouth, her eyes filled with amusement.On the other side, Zoro finally managed to shake off the 'accessory' on his finger. He picked up a bottle of wine and took a sip when Nika wobbled over to him, her blood-red eyes staring straight at the bottle in his hand.Zoro raised an eyebrow and tentatively tossed an unopened bottle over.Nika caught it nimbly, her eyes instantly lighting up. She couldn't wait to bite off the cork and gulped down several large mouthfuls, a satisfied blush appearing on her face.She let out a wine-scented burp and spoke to Zoroin a tipsy, arrogant tone: "Not bad, green-haired guy! From now on, Ni... Ni will list you as Luffy's number two most trustworthy thug!"Zoro's mouth twitched. He didn't bother responding to the drunken raccoon and just went back to his own drinking.After the liveliness, Luffy pressed down his Straw Hat and introduced himself to Chopper, who was still unfamiliar with the ship:"My name is Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm the Captainof this ship. I'm the man who will become the Pirate King."It was no longer 'wanting to become,' but 'absolutely must.'Otherwise, the plan hanging over him was like the Sword of Damocles."Roronoa Zoro, combatant and the ship's swordsman.""Nami, Navigator. Responsible for setting the course and managing the ship's finances!""The great me is the world-famous sniper, the brave warrior of the sea, Usopp.""Sanji, the ship's cook."At this moment, Merry floated onto Luffy's shoulder and tugged at his hat, asking Luffy to help introduce her."This is Merry. Our ship's Klabautermann. For now, she can act as our shipwright. She's very capable.""F-fighting is okay too," Merry said. "I can use a hammer.""A s-ship spirit?!" Chopper was instantly stunned, his small deer eyes widening as he looked at the cute, doll-like little girl and then at the ship beneath his feet. His worldview was being shaken.What was a Klabautermann?After an explanation from Luffy, Chopper finally understood.Luffy really hadn't lied to him. Chopper murmured, "As expected, there are too many strange things on this ship. Me being here isn't strange at all anymore."Chopper suddenly felt a sense of relief, as if he had finally found where he belonged.Remaining were Vivi and Robin. Robin's position was a bit delicate, and as for Vivi... her role on the ship seemed a bit difficult to introduce."Nico Robin. For now, I suppose I'm Mr. Luffy's captive."Robin didn't hide her name anymore.Luffy somehow knew her name, but as for the others on the ship, they seemed to have no concept of the name Nico Robin at all.
