The snow never ceased along the way, as if it would never end.
Following Dr. Kureha and her blue-nosed reindeer, they finally arrived before the fairytale-like white castle that had been visible in the distance.
Kureha pushed open the massive doors, shutting out the raging blizzard outside.
The interior of the castle was more magnificent than imagined, worthy of being a king's residence.
It featured tall stone vaulted ceilings, a massive winding staircase, and dust-covered portraits hanging on the walls.
Though the king was no longer here, the air was filled with the distinct scent of medicinal herbs. Compared to the freezing cold outside, the castle—despite being inhabited by only one person and one reindeer—felt much more secure.
"Follow me."
Dr. Kureha didn't look back, her voice echoing through the empty corridor. She led Zoro and Giyu through the hallway to a relatively spacious room.
A fireplace in the room blazed with vigorous flames, making it exceptionally warm. Two beds with sheets were placed side by side.
"Lie down."
She turned around, her gaze sweeping over both of them before focusing on Giyu.
"Especially you, kid. Who knows how bad those old injuries of yours have gotten? Until I say you can move, lie still and don't move around! And definitely don't use that strange breathing style of yours casually."
"Unless you don't value your life."
Zoro clicked his tongue, as if he thought her words were making a big deal out of nothing.
But he obediently walked to the bed closer to the door, leaned his sword against the bedside, and sprawled out carelessly, muttering, "What a hassle..."
After all, they were just waiting here for Luffy and the others to arrive.
Giyu silently glanced at Kureha, slightly surprised that she could detect the peculiarity in his breathing, but he didn't ask further.
He walked to the edge of the other bed, slowly removed his heavy coat, and lay flat. The moment his body touched the bed, a deep exhaustion finally surfaced.
Indeed, this was much more comfortable than being on the ship.
Dr. Kureha efficiently organized the herbs and bandages nearby. First, she checked the fixation of Zoro's ribs, reapplied ointment, and bandaged him.
Then, she moved to Giyu's bedside, her expression growing more focused. She carefully examined the wounds on his left shoulder and chest, cleaned them, applied medicine, her movements precise and swift.
Finally, she took out a few pills and a cup of water, handing them to Giyu.
"Antibiotics, take them."
Giyu accepted the pills and water and swallowed them.
Dr. Kureha tidied up the remaining medicines while saying, "The fever you have is likely due to other reasons. We'll find out what's going on soon."
After giving instructions and placing some herbs and gauze on the bedside table, she turned and left the room, probably to prepare other things.
The blue-nosed reindeer hesitated, glanced at the two on the beds, then trotted out after her.
..................
The room fell silent, filled only with the crackling of firewood in the fireplace and the howling wind and snow outside the window. Zoro closed his eyes, intending to rest for a while.
Giyu closed his eyes, trying to relax his body.
The medicine he had just taken brought a slight drowsiness, and with his wounds properly treated, he felt unusually comfortable.
Yet he keenly detected an extremely faint movement outside the door, carrying hesitation and curiosity.
It was that reindeer from earlier.
He didn't open his eyes or move, quietly waiting to see what the little creature intended to do.
The door was pushed open slowly, leaving a narrow gap.
A furry head cautiously peeked in, its eyes nervously scanning the room before settling more intently on Giyu, who appeared calmer.
Just then, Zoro was also disturbed by the subtle noise and opened his eyes, asking, "Huh? What's that sound?!"
"Eek!!"
The reindeer at the door, as if caught red-handed, let out a startled cry and shrank back abruptly!
But in its panic, its evasive movements were clumsy—its body, along with its distinctive antlers and blue nose, were completely exposed outside the doorframe!
It was the opposite of hiding.
Even Giyu, who rarely showed any expression, twitched the corner of his eye slightly at this comical sight.
Observing the blatantly obvious attempt at concealment, he calmly confirmed, "It's that reindeer from before, isn't it?"
Giyu watched the still-hiding reindeer; this form was completely different from what he had seen earlier—now small and compact.
Behind the door, Chopper realized his hiding had failed, froze for a moment, then timidly nodded, though his entire body remained tense.
Zoro, seeing clearly, relaxed his expression and said with a hint of exasperation, "Hey, what kind of hiding is that? You're not hidden at all!"
Hearing this, Chopper grew even more flustered, fumbling about until he nearly tripped over the doorframe.
Scratching his green hair, Zoro continued from the bed, "Are you a doctor too? With that old lady?"
"Yes... I'm a doctor."
Hesitating briefly, Chopper mustered a bit of courage, looked at Zoro's heavily bandaged chest, and cautiously asked, "Does... does your injury still hurt?"
Glancing at his thoroughly wrapped wounds, Zoro shrugged nonchalantly, "It's fine, I won't die."
His blunt, almost rough reply clearly startled Chopper again, causing him to shrink back further.
Suddenly, as if just realizing it, Zoro widened his eyes in surprise, staring at the small, bipedal reindeer by the door:
"Wait! You... you can talk?!"
Chopper grew even more panicked at his words, as if speaking were some kind of crime, and instinctively tried to find a place to hide.
In his haste, instead of running into the hallway outside, he dashed into the room, rushing all the way to Giyu's bedside, where he collided with the bedpost and was forced to stop.
Curled up beside Giyu's bed, Chopper rubbed his bumped head like a child who had done something wrong.
The atmosphere in the room grew momentarily tense.
Zoro watched the dramatic scene, unsure of what to say. Giyu lowered his head, looking at the small reindeer huddled by his bedside.
After a moment of silence, Giyu asked in his usual monotone:
"Name?"
Chopper lifted his head, meeting Giyu's deep sea-like calm blue eyes. There was no fear, no disgust, not even much curiosity in them, which made him feel a little more at ease.
"Cho... Chopper," he answered softly.
Then, as if unable to resist the enormous question, he timidly asked in return: "You... you're not afraid of me? I... I'm a monster..."
Giyu looked at him and gave his answer:
"I'm stronger than you."
Upon hearing this, Chopper visibly froze for a moment. He had never heard anyone view him from this perspective before. Most animals and humans he had encountered called him a monster.
But in the words of this black-haired pirate before him...
He wasn't a monster, nor was he an outcast, just... a relatively weak existence?