Chapter 120: The Witch's Castle
Luffy soared through the crisp, cold air of Drum Kingdom, the icy wind tousling his hair. Nami clung to his back, wrapped in blankets, her arms loose around his neck. She was barely conscious, her fever burning through her, her breath shallow and uneven. Below them, the landscape was a vast expanse of snow-covered terrain, punctuated by towering, drum-shaped peaks known as the Drum Rockies.
He held her securely, one arm hooked under her legs, the other pressed against her back. The cold bit at his exposed skin, but he did not shiver. He could not afford to. He had to keep her warm. He had to keep her alive.
His sharp eyes scanned the horizon, finally locking onto the tallest of the mountains. At its summit stood a grand castle, its architecture both imposing and majestic, with turrets reaching skyward. He knew it. He had seen it before. In the anime. In the manga. In his memories. Drum Castle. Home of Doctor Kureha. And Tony Tony Chopper.
He descended toward the castle, his trajectory an arc, not a straight line. He had launched himself from the ground below, stretching his arms back, grabbing a tree, and releasing like a slingshot. The angle had carried them up the mountain, but the arc was beginning to descend. He needed a new anchor.
He spotted the castle wall. A ledge. A tower. Something solid.
He stretched his arm.
His rubber limb shot forward, crossing the remaining distance, and his fingers closed around a stone ledge. He pulled. The momentum carried them forward, upward, over the castle wall. He released the ledge, stretched again, grabbed a higher tower. Pulled again. Each grab brought them closer, each pull corrected his trajectory.
The castle loomed ahead. He was coming in fast. Too fast for a gentle landing.
He twisted his body in mid-air. He curled himself around Nami, shielding her with his own frame, wrapping his arms and legs around her so that when they hit, he would take the impact. His back would hit the stone. His body would absorb the force. She would be safe.
They crashed.
The impact cracked the stone. Snow exploded around them. Luffy's back hit the castle wall hard, the breath driven from his lungs. He held onto Nami. He did not let go.
For a moment, he lay there, gasping, his body screaming. Then he pushed himself up, still holding her, and checked her face. She was still unconscious. Still breathing. Still alive.
He stood. His back ached. His ribs ached. But he was rubber. He would heal.
He looked around. They had landed on a balcony overlooking the snow-covered courtyard. The castle was old, weathered, but still standing. And somewhere inside, the doctor was waiting.
He carried Nami inside.
---
The interior of the castle was cold, the walls coated in frost, the halls echoing with the sound of wind seeping through cracks in the stone. Luffy walked through the corridors, his footsteps loud in the silence. He did not need directions. He already knew where to go. He had seen this place before. He knew the layout. The laboratory. The library. The room where Kureha kept her medical supplies.
But he could not act like he knew. He could not explain how he knew. So he walked as if searching, his eyes scanning each doorway, each hall, each turn.
He found her in a large room filled with books and bottles and strange instruments. An old woman with silver hair and a purple blazer, her face wrinkled but her eyes sharp. She was standing by a table, arranging vials, not looking up as he entered.
Doctor Kureha.
"So," she said, without turning around. "You found me."
Luffy stopped in the doorway. Nami was still in his arms, still wrapped in blankets, still burning with fever.
"You are the doctor," he said. It was not a question.
She turned. Her eyes moved to Nami, assessing, calculating. "Lay her there." She pointed to a bed in the corner.
Luffy crossed the room and laid Nami down gently. He pulled the blankets tighter around her, tucking the edges under her chin. Then he stepped back and watched.
Kureha moved to the bedside. Her hands were quick, practiced, sure. She checked Nami's pulse, her temperature, her eyes. She pressed her fingers against Nami's neck, her wrists, her stomach. She lifted the blankets and examined the bite mark on Nami's back, the one Luffy had known was there, the one he could not explain how he knew.
"Kestia," Kureha said. "A prehistoric insect. The venom is slow, but deadly. She has been sick for days."
"Can you cure her?" Luffy asked. He already knew the answer. He knew Kureha could cure her. He knew Chopper would help. He knew Nami would survive. But he asked anyway, because that was what a captain who did not know the future would do.
Kureha looked at him. Her eyes narrowed. "I can. But my services are not free."
Luffy did not argue. He did not lecture her about doctors helping people without payment. He already knew she would accept whatever they could give. He already knew she was not as cold as she pretended to be. He knew her.
"Fine," he said. "We will pay you. Just help her."
Kureha studied him for a moment longer. Then she nodded. "Leave her with me. I will begin treatment."
Luffy did not leave. He stood by the bed, watching, waiting.
Kureha raised an eyebrow. "I said leave."
"I will stay."
"You are in the way."
"I will be quiet."
She stared at him. He stared back. She sighed, shook her head, and turned back to her work. "Stubborn brat."
Luffy said nothing. He stood against the wall, his arms crossed, his eyes fixed on Nami's face. The room grew quiet except for the sound of Kureha's movements, the clink of vials, the soft rustle of bandages. The minutes passed. The cold seeped through the walls. Luffy did not move.
---
Hours later, Dalton, Sanji, Vivi, and Usopp arrived at the castle using the rope carriage system that the reindeer sleigh had used earlier. The carriages swayed slightly in the cold mountain wind as they ascended to the frozen fortress.
Stepping out of the carriage, Vivi rubbed her arms, trying to stay warm. "I do not like this," she said, looking up at the towering castle.
Dalton nodded in agreement. "Castles are dangerous places, especially ones as old and isolated as this."
Sanji, who had been quiet during the ascent, finally spoke. "Where is Luffy?"
Dalton pointed toward the castle gates. "He flew ahead. He should be inside."
They entered the castle, the interior just as cold as the outside. The walls were coated in a thin layer of frost, and the faint sound of the wind echoed through the corridors.
As they wandered through the empty halls, Sanji's stomach growled loudly. "Alright, where is the kitchen in this giant icebox? I will whip us up something warm."
Dalton and Vivi hesitated but followed as the group began searching for food. "You should not roam around aimlessly in a place like this," Dalton warned. "There could be traps, or worse."
"It is fine," Sanji said dismissively. "If there is danger, I will handle it."
As they passed the grand entrance hall, Usopp noticed something odd. The massive castle doors, each about five meters tall and incredibly heavy, were wide open, letting in a constant stream of freezing air.
"No wonder this place feels like the outside," Usopp muttered, wrapping his arms around himself for warmth. "Sanji, help me close these things before we all turn into popsicles!"
The two of them worked together to push the doors shut, the loud groaning of the ancient hinges echoing through the hall.
---
In one of the castle's rooms, Nami stirred for the first time in days.
Her fever was gone. Her head was clear. She felt weak, but the burning heat that had been consuming her had finally faded. Slowly opening her eyes, she looked around, noticing the various medical supplies scattered across the room. Bandages, vials of medicine, strange tools she did not recognize.
She was in a bed. A soft bed. Warmer than the ship. There was a fire crackling in a hearth across the room.
She sat up carefully. Her body ached, but the pain was manageable. She pressed a hand to her forehead. No fever. No sweat. She was alive.
Her stomach growled. Loudly.
She had not eaten in days.
She swung her legs over the side of the bed and tried to stand. Her legs wobbled. She nearly collapsed, catching herself on a nearby table. She took a breath. Steadied herself. Tried again.
The door swung open.
A small figure stepped inside, carrying a tray of medical supplies. The creature was unlike anything Nami had ever seen. It had the body of a tiny reindeer but stood upright like a human. It wore a pink top hat with a white cross on the front. Its fur was neatly groomed. It moved with purpose, as though it had done this a hundred times before.
And its nose was blue. Bright blue.
Nami froze. Her eyes went wide. Her mouth opened.
"M-MONSTER!" she screamed.
The reindeer stumbled back, dropping the tray. Vials shattered on the floor. "I am not a monster! I am a doctor!"
Luffy burst into the room almost immediately, his eyes scanning for danger. He saw Nami standing by the bed, pale but alive. He saw the reindeer on the floor, covered in medicine and broken glass.
He did not look surprised. He did not reach for a weapon. He simply smiled.
"Oh, hey, Chopper," he said casually.
Nami whipped her head toward him. "You know this thing?"
Luffy's grin widened. "Of course! Meet Tony Tony Chopper, our newest crewmate."
Nami blinked. Her brain struggled to process the information. "How long was I out for a raccoon dog to join the crew?"
Chopper's cheeks puffed up indignantly. "I am not a raccoon dog! I am a reindeer who ate the Human-Human Fruit!"
"A reindeer," Nami repeated. "Who ate a Devil Fruit. Who is a doctor."
"Yes!" Chopper crossed his arms. "And I am not joining your crew!"
Luffy crossed his arms too, pouting like a child. "You are a doctor, and the crew needs a doctor! It is perfect!"
Chopper ignored him and turned his attention to Nami. "You should not be out of bed yet," he said firmly. "Your body is still weak. You need rest."
Nami hesitated but obeyed, sitting back on the bed. Her stomach growled again, and she looked embarrassed.
"How did you know I was hungry?" she asked.
Chopper adjusted his hat, his tone calm. "I am a doctor. I can tell."
He began examining her with professional precision, checking her temperature, feeling her pulse, inspecting her throat. "Your fever is completely gone, and your vitals are stable. But you are still very weak from not eating and the illness. I will bring you some food after this."
Nami watched him work, still marveling at the fact that this tiny, talking reindeer was her doctor. "You are really... amazing," she admitted softly.
Chopper paused. His cheeks flushed. He waved his hooves in the air, his body twisting with embarrassment. "D-Do not say stuff like that, idiot! It is not like I like compliments or anything!"
Luffy laughed. He knew this routine. He had seen it before. "You are one of us now, Chopper. Whether you admit it or not."
Chopper shot him a glare but said nothing, instead focusing on finishing Nami's examination. Despite his protests, something about being called part of the crew made him feel warm inside.