"Mouhahaha…" Wapol sat atop the Hair Hippo and jeered, "Straw Hat bastard and that annoying guy—you actually dared to sneak away while I was asleep. Now obediently accept your punishment, mouhahaha…"
Ignoring Wapol's taunts, Sandy turned to Luffy and asked, "That mount of his looks like it has a lot of meat. How about we have a barbecue later?"
"Barbecue?" Luffy immediately drooled and nodded. "Okay! Your barbecue will be the most delicious!"
Sandy flashed to the side and groaned, "Can you not be so disgusting? Stop drooling!"
Then Sandy took out some granulated sugar, sprinkled it on the white snow, and tossed a bit to both Luffy and Chopper.
Chopper stared at the snowball in his hooves, puzzled. What was it for?
Luffy grinned. "Chopper, this snowball is tasty—eat it!"
Chopper licked it blankly for a moment, then cried out in surprise, "Sugoi! It's sweet!"
The Hair Hippo nearby looked confused. Was it raining? Wasn't it snowing? Why was there water on the snow? It turned out Wapol himself was drooling while watching.
But after the two thugs beside Wapol reminded him, Wapol snapped back to attention and snarled, "You bastards actually dare to ignore me!"
He turned to his subordinates and declared, "Add two more laws to this country: anyone who eats without sharing with the king is a criminal. Anyone who disobeys the king is a criminal!"
Chopper bristled. "What do you bastards want, coming back here again?"
Sandy stepped forward to hold Chopper back and called out to Wapol, "Wapol, listen— we're pirates. Hand over your mount for a barbecue, or I'll have Luffy and Chopper teach you a lesson!"
"Mouhahaha." Wapol sneered. "Truly ignorant little pests. You've got some nerve. Marimon! Chess! Go get them—kill them!"
At Wapol's order, his two capable henchmen, Marimon and Chess, lunged forward.
This was a job for Luffy. If Sandy tried to handle it himself, it wouldn't help his goal of bonding with Chopper.
If he wanted Chopper to join their crew, he had to let Luffy do the recruiting.
Luffy crouched slightly with one hand on the ground. "Second Gear—"
"Jet Pistol!"
Two afterimages blurred past Wapol's vision before he realized what had happened.
"Marimon! Chess! Where did you two go?" he shouted absurdly.
Luffy smiled broadly. "They were just sent flying by me."
Chopper's eyes lit up. "Sugoi!"
Everything had happened so fast that Wapol could barely process it. "Stop talking big, Straw Hat bastard—what exactly did you do to them?"
Sandy slapped his forehead.
Seriously? We're supposed to be fighting side-by-side and this is how it goes? But then he spotted the flag atop the castle and had another idea.
"Hey, did you see that flag?" Sandy asked out loud.
Wapol squinted upward. "Who put that ugly flag up there? Take it down at once!"
"Shut up, get lost!" Sandy grinned and kicked the Hair Hippo straight into the sky—Wapol along with it.
Sandy clapped his hands. "Peace at last."
"Hey Chopper, who put that flag up there?" Sandy asked, pointing toward the top of the castle.
"Dr. Hiriluk," Chopper replied.
"Why did he put a pirate flag up? What does it mean?" Sandy pressed.
At Sandy's prompting, Chopper couldn't help but recall Dr. Hiriluk's words.
Dr. Hiriluk had said, "A man who stakes his life on this skull flag can accomplish anything! Chopper, one day you must go to sea. When that time comes, you'll see how small this island is compared to the whole world…"
Luffy placed a gentle hand on Chopper's head. "I don't know the whole story of this flag, but if a man staked his life on it, then we should respect it."
Chopper shuddered, as if something inside him had been unlocked. He understood a little more.
Sandy added, "Turning the impossible into possible, never giving up—that was Dr. Hiriluk's belief, right? Sounds like he placed his dream on you, Chopper. So—"
"Chopper, what are you waiting for? Let's set sail!!" Sandy shouted.
"Oh!!!" The three of them hugged each other and cried—moved by Dr. Hiriluk's spirit and the sudden pull of adventure.
[Ding, congratulations to the host for completing a flashy operation. The host is rewarded with a record player containing one song. Please check...]
It was just a record player. Sandy didn't pay it much mind at that moment.
From the window, Nami watched and laughed through tears. "They're such idiots."
Kureha, who had observed everything as well, couldn't help but wipe her eyes.
She didn't expect that, after so many years of failing to heal Chopper's heart, two wandering fools would do it in one afternoon.
Joy warmed Kureha—but when she thought about Chopper leaving, irritation returned. "What a racket. The patient still needs rest!"
At that moment, Zoro and Usopp—escorted by the former guard captain Dalton—arrived, followed by many townspeople.
Luffy introduced cheerfully, "Everyone, this is our new crewmate, Chopper."
After a quick exchange, Usopp blurted, "Monster!"
Shy and startled, Chopper bolted, and a lively game of cat-and-mouse erupted through the castle halls.
Sandy stayed out of the chase. He was mature, after all.
But he did perk up when he heard Vivi speak. "Zoro, why were you wandering in the forest with your arms bare?"
Zoro shrugged. "I went swimming in the sea and somehow ended up over there."
Sandy fought to keep a straight face, then couldn't help himself. "You got lost, didn't you?"
Zoro bristled. "What did you say?"
Sandy raised his voice for amusement's sake. "I said you got lost!"
Vivi scolded lightly, "You don't need to shout."
Sandy, smirking, replied, "He told me to say it—I was just worried he wouldn't hear."
Zoro's face darkened. "Say that again and try it!"
"Zoro, you road idiot!" someone taunted.
"You stand still—I'm going to cut you!" Zoro roared.
The castle filled with noise and laughter as the newly formed crew and the islanders mingled—Chopper's tears drying, Wapol stranded somewhere in the distance, and a little pirate flag waving stubbornly in the wind.