Generally speaking, going up a mountain is easier than coming down, but for Luffy and the others, going down was actually a little easier.
"So this used to be the royal palace of this kingdom? No wonder there's such a huge castle!" Luffy said in amazement.
It was the first time he had ever seen such a massive castle. Although he had never entered the palace, he could still see how grand it was just by looking through the main gate.
As a country bumpkin from a small village, this was the first truly grand castle Luffy had ever seen.
"After the Ice Witch placed her curse on the kingdom, King Wapol moved down below and rebuilt the royal city. Doctor Kureha brought me to this abandoned castle."
Chopper happily walked along the snowy mountain path. He rarely got to leave the castle, so he was thrilled that Doctor Kureha had allowed him to go this time.
Luffy followed behind him. The weather seemed to have grown even colder, and after barely getting used to it, they were shivering again.
"By the way, is it really okay to leave your doctor alone up there?" Sanji asked. The helicopter from earlier had made him uneasy. An ordinary kingdom could never have military helicopters, and the equipment carried by those soldiers had also been extremely advanced. The army of this kingdom was clearly no ordinary force.
Chopper replied, "The people from the royal city have come before. They used to have trouble climbing this mountain, but later they started coming in those flying helicopters. Doctor Kureha has dealt with them before, so there's nothing to worry about."
As soon as he finished speaking, another voice came from the snow.
"Chopper! Are you going down the mountain?!"
It was a snow rabbit. Several of them jumped out of the snow, their bodies almost indistinguishable from the white ground.
"Yeah! Some patients can't make it up the mountain." Chopper waved at them. He seemed to be very close to the snow rabbits.
"Be careful. That Little Demon Dragon seems to be somewhere nearby," one of the snow rabbits warned him.
"He wasn't looking for anything on the mountain, so he probably won't come back." Chopper turned to the rabbits. "Wapol sent people up here before. I'm worried he might send them again, so I'll have to ask you to keep watch."
"We all live on this mountain. That Wapol clearly doesn't mean well, so even if you hadn't asked, we wouldn't let them come up here!" the snow rabbit said in human language.
Chopper said goodbye to them, and before long, the group was out of sight.
"Wow, this place is amazing! Even the rabbits and reindeer can talk!" Luffy exclaimed excitedly. Since arriving here, he had seen all kinds of things he had never encountered before. It was a huge thrill for his adventurous spirit.
That was what being a pirate was all about—visiting different islands and seeing the different worlds on each one!
Chopper replied, "I can talk because I ate the Human-Human Fruit. The snow rabbits can talk because they received a 'blessing.'"
"Just like Agni…" Luffy thought of Agni, who had been willing to cut off his own arm so everyone else could live. He clenched his fists. "I'm definitely going to send that Ice Witch flying!"
"That's the dream of everyone in this country." Chopper unconsciously made the same gesture as Luffy. "Because of the Ice Witch, this country has fallen into the miserable, crazy state it's in now!"
In the freezing weather, Sanji lit a cigarette and carefully shielded the flame so it would not go out. He had a feeling things were not that simple.
If there really was a witch capable of turning an entire country into a place like this, the Black Order would never stand by and do nothing. Yet the truth was that they did not seem to have the slightest interest in this country.
He remembered what the snow rabbits had said about the Little Demon Dragon and asked, "By the way, Chopper, what exactly is that Little Demon Dragon? Is he another person with a blessing?"
"No!" Chopper quickly replied. "He's a demon from outside. He seems to be searching for something. Since the thing he wanted wasn't on this mountain, he left."
"But while he was here, he attacked the snow rabbits with fire several times. That's why they've been very wary of outsiders lately."
"That explains it." Sanji remembered how the rabbits had immediately unleashed an avalanche when they arrived and nodded.
But still…
A demon who could breathe fire, and Ace, who could use fire as well. In this world covered in ice and snow, people who could wield flames had suddenly begun appearing one after another…
Whatever. It was not something they needed to worry about right now.
Sanji shook his head. The four of them soon reached the foot of the mountain. Because of the massive avalanche earlier, a thick layer of snow covered the ground, making it difficult to walk. It was even harder than climbing up and down the mountain had been.
Chopper was especially small, and with someone on his back, he kept sinking into the snow. In the end, Usopp carried him.
"Seriously, why am I always the one who has to do this?" Usopp grumbled.
"Hurry up! Igaram is still waiting for us on the ship!" Luffy walked at the very front, completely ignoring Usopp's complaints.
The village was not far away. After walking for a short while after reaching the bottom of the mountain, they saw Nami waving at them up ahead.
"Luffy! Did you find a doctor?!"
"We did!" Luffy shouted. "Let's get back to the Going Merry!"
"Luffy, are you leaving already?" Agni heard their voices and came over to ask.
"Yeah, but we'll be back! We're going to defeat the Ice Witch of this country!" Luffy raised his right hand in victory.
"This world really isn't a place where humans can live. Leaving as soon as possible is probably for the best." Sister Leizu walked over as well. She looked completely calm. After seeing so much over the years, there were probably very few things left that could move her.
"Wait, Luffy. Is that the doctor you found?" Nami had not been able to see clearly from a distance, but now that they were closer, she looked left and right. The only extra thing they had brought back was the object on Usopp's back…
A tiny reindeer?!
"My name is Chopper! I'm a doctor!" Chopper jumped down and declared confidently. "I've finished my training under Doctor Kureha! I can handle this!"
"Doctor Kureha recommended him. Chopper will be fine," Luffy promised, patting his chest. He knew almost nothing about Chopper's medical skills, but they had gotten along wonderfully on the way down. That meant Chopper had to be an amazing doctor!
Nami could hardly believe it. The corner of her mouth twitched. She had known Luffy was unreliable, which was why she had sent Usopp and Sanji with him. But after asking the three of them to find a doctor, they had come back with a reindeer?
For a moment, Nami wanted to punch them all. In the end, she held herself back.
"Forget it. Let's get back to the Going Merry first."
"Where are Ben and Zoro?" Luffy looked around but could not see either of them.
"They went back to the Going Merry first," Nami said seriously.
The sudden appearance of the outsider known as the Little Demon Dragon made Nami think the area might not be safe. Someone needed to stay behind and guard the Going Merry.
After discussing it, they decided that Nami would remain in the village while Ben and Zoro went back to the ship.
Nami did not feel comfortable letting Ben return alone, since he still looked like a child.
She was just as uneasy about letting Zoro go back alone. After spending so much time with him, they had gradually realized that he had a terrible sense of direction.
And if Nami returned by herself, she felt strangely uneasy about leaving the two of them in the village. So she decided to stay while Ben and Zoro returned to the ship together.
She told them about the Little Demon Dragon and the green-haired Monet. Sanji was deeply disappointed. A beautiful green-haired girl helping someone in battle had happened to Zoro, of all people. Was it simply because the two of them both had green hair?
Sanji had not seen the Ice Witch during the entire trip, and the doctor he had finally met was over a hundred years old. Meanwhile, Zoro had two beautiful women, Luna and Leizu, living in the same village as him, and had even met Monet during a battle. Sanji was green with envy.
Ignoring Sanji's outburst, Nami left some food in the village and waved goodbye before departing.
Although they had not known her for long, Nami's kindness and cheerful nature had left a deep impression on Agni and Luna. As they watched her walk away, their eyes filled with sadness.
"If only… if only we could leave this country too," Luna said hopelessly. "Then we wouldn't have to live in a world like this."
She looked at Agni with hope in her eyes.
"Once the Ice Witch's curse is lifted, let's travel around the world together."
"Yeah." Agni clenched his fists. "The world will return to the way it was. It has to!"
"As long as you keep holding on to that belief," Leizu said softly from behind them, "this world will grow warm again someday."
"Yes, Sister Leizu! We believe that too!"
Hearing their strong, determined answers, Leizu smiled from the bottom of her heart. She slowly raised her head and saw Monet floating high in the sky ahead of them.
Perhaps the Ice Witch's curse was not truly impossible to break.
Even Leizu, who represented fire among earth, fire, water, and wind, could do nothing about the Ice Witch's curse covering the entire island. But before long, Acqua of the Back would come here as well. Perhaps he would have a way to restore the island to the way it had been before.
Of course, the first thing they had to do was deal with the demon who was about to appear.
For Acqua of the Back to gather the Right Seat of God, the enemy had to be one of the eight Demon Lords. But which one could it be?
Leizu was curious too.
She had not come here because of Acqua's summons. She had already been here for several years, while Acqua had only issued his notice recently. She simply happened to be in the place where the summons was directed.
She had stayed in this country for quite some time and had learned something about its true nature, but she knew nothing about the existence of the Demon Lords.
It seemed she could only wait for Acqua of the Back to arrive.
.........
"Igaram!"
After racing along the road, Luffy finally brought Chopper back to the Going Merry. Ben was leaning against the railing with both hands and looked bored, while Zoro was working out in front of some equipment.
After boarding, they went to Igaram's room. Chopper went inside and immediately began examining Igaram, while Usopp pulled Nami outside.
"What are you doing?" Nami had wanted to check on Igaram's condition, but Usopp had dragged her out as soon as she entered. Seeing his mysterious expression, she could not help asking.
"We need to leave right now." Usopp quietly told Nami about their conversation with Doctor Kureha on the mountain.
"We promised that doctor we'd take Chopper away from here!"
Nami suddenly understood. "No wonder that doctor didn't come down the mountain or give you any trouble. So that's what happened."
She had asked around the village about the doctor. Everyone said that Doctor Kureha cared deeply about money and would not treat patients who could not pay.
But none of the things Luffy and the others had brought with them were missing, which had seemed strange to her at the time.
"Although the Ice Witch's curse is terrifying, our most important task right now is rescuing Alabasta and the princess." Nami steeled herself. She took out the Log Pose that Sister Leizu had given her, which recorded the location of Alabasta, and steered the Going Merry onward.
Inside the room, Chopper knew nothing about this. After examining Igaram's injuries, he said, "He has a high fever and some inflammation, but I can cure him!"
He let out a breath of relief. This was his first time treating a patient completely on his own, without Doctor Kureha beside him. Realizing that he could cure Igaram made him feel as if he had grown more mature.
"That's great!" Luffy was thrilled. It meant Chopper was truly skilled. He suddenly said, "Chopper! Join our crew!"
"Huh?!" Chopper cried out in shock. "I can't! I have to fulfill the doctor's dying wish, and I have to stay by Doctor Kureha's side!"
"But Doctor Kureha said you should leave," Luffy said casually, completely unaware that he had just exposed Doctor Kureha's plan.
Sanji immediately realized this was bad, but before he could cover Luffy's mouth, Luffy had already finished speaking.
"What?" Chopper was stunned. "Doctor Kureha wants me to leave?!"
"Yeah. We're taking you to Alabasta," Luffy said firmly.
"No!" Chopper hurried toward the door. "I have to stay with Doctor Kureha!"
"But… if you leave now, Igaram still hasn't been treated, right?" Luffy pointed at Igaram, who was lying on the ship in obvious pain, struggling to breathe.
"But…" Chopper hesitated. He looked at the patient lying in bed, suddenly unsure what he should do.
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