Zoro and Giyu found a protruding rock that looked very sturdy and securely tied the other end of the rope to it. Then the two stood at the edge of the cliff, three hands tightly gripping the rope, ready to exert force at any moment.
"Lower it slowly," Giyu said to Zoro.
"Got it."
Then Chopper began descending along the nearly vertical cliff face. Using his large hands and hooves to find support points, his movements weren't clumsy despite his large size but instead remarkably steady.
The rope slowly played out from their hands, making faint friction sounds.
Below, Luffy also saw this approaching unfamiliar giant figure.
But his face showed little vigilance, mostly anxiety. He strained to lift his head, unable to speak because he was holding Sanji in his mouth.
He could only desperately shake his head at Chopper, making urgent nasal sounds: "Mmph! Mmph! Mmph!"
Then Luffy kept glancing with his eyes toward the unconscious Nami on his back.
Chopper descended to his side and extended a large hand, intending to embrace Luffy along with the Nami and Sanji he was carrying and pull them up together.
But Luffy shook his head more vigorously, again using his gaze and shaking head to signal Chopper to first rescue Nami on his back.
"You... want me to take her up first?"
Although he couldn't hear Luffy speak, his body language seemed to make Chopper understand Luffy's intention. With some confusion in his voice, he asked: "Wouldn't it be faster to go up together?"
But Luffy continued shaking his head, his eyes fixed intently on Chopper.
After a brief standoff, Chopper ultimately chose to follow Luffy's idea.
He carefully reached out and began untying the ropes binding Nami to Luffy.
Finally, Chopper carefully held Nami in the crook of one arm against his chest, his large hand almost completely able to hold her without letting her fall.
Then Chopper looked up and shouted toward Giyu and Zoro at the top of the cliff: "Ready!!"
"Coming!" Zoro responded, then called to Giyu to exert force simultaneously and began pulling back on the rope.
"Tch, this guy's really not light," Zoro said in a low voice, his arm muscles tightening. Even with both of them working together, they could clearly feel the heavy weight coming from the rope.
"Mhm."
Giyu responded briefly, shifting his center of gravity backward, relying on the strength of his waist and legs to steadily pull back. The wound on his left shoulder transmitted slight pain when exerting force like this, but in Giyu's view it was still acceptable.
The rope was gradually retrieved bit by bit. Chopper used his free hand and both feet to vigorously push against the cliff face, trying to reduce the burden on the two above as much as possible.
Finally, Chopper's large figure and the Nami he was holding appeared at the cliff edge, and Giyu and Zoro working together pulled them both up.
The moment his feet touched solid ground, Chopper immediately gently set Nami down but still protected her with his arm, saying urgently: "Her condition is dangerous, her body temperature is very high! We must immediately take her inside to find Dr. Kureha!"
After speaking, he immediately untied the rope restraints on his body, then carefully picked up Nami with both hands and quickly rushed toward the castle door without looking back.
"Luffy, hang in there! We're coming to help you!" Zoro shouted down the cliff before starting to pick up the rope on the ground.
"I'll go down," Giyu said calmly to Zoro as he picked up the end of the rope.
Zoro glanced at him, wasting no words, only confirming: "Can you handle it?"
Giyu nodded, wrapping one end of the rope tightly around his waist while leaving a sufficiently long section free. Zoro checked the knot to ensure it was secure.
Then Giyu began descending along the cliff edge, using the tips of his feet to lightly tap against the rock face to control his speed.
Soon, he reached Luffy's side.
Luffy looked even more disheveled up close than he had from above. His face was covered in frostbite and scratches, his lips were chapped, and his eyes were glazed with exhaustion. Yet his teeth remained firmly clamped onto Sanji.
His fingers were also stained with blood from climbing the cliff.
"Hold on, Luffy."
Seeing Giyu descend, Luffy made a muffled sound in his throat and nodded.
Giyu quickly wrapped the spare section of rope around Luffy's body, tying another secure knot to connect him, Sanji, and himself together.
"Ready, Zoro!" Giyu called upward.
"Chopper!" Zoro's voice echoed from above. Suddenly, the rope tightened, and a powerful force began pulling the three upward.
Giyu used his hands and feet to stabilize their ascent, minimizing sway. Soon, Chopper rushed back to the cliff edge, transforming once again into his giant human form to help Zoro haul the rope.
With his added strength, the trio rose much faster.
"Finally done it."
At last, Luffy, Sanji, and Giyu were pulled onto the cliff. Zoro couldn't help but sigh in relief now that it was over.
The moment they reached safety, Luffy's tightly strung nerves seemed to snap. He finally released his bite, dropping Sanji onto the snow. As if all his strength had drained away, Luffy's legs gave out, and he collapsed forward.
Giyu instinctively reached out and caught him. Luffy's body was heavy and icy cold.
"Well done, Chopper," Giyu said, looking at the now-small-sized reindeer.
Chopper froze for a moment before an uncontrollably delighted expression spread across his face. His whole body wriggled like he was dancing, even as he uttered those insincere words:
"Even... even if you praise me... I won't be happy, you know~~ you jerk~"
Zoro watched Chopper's antics with an exasperated expression. "I can't believe this guy."
He walked over to Sanji, bent down to examine him, clicked his tongue in mild annoyance, but still hoisted the cook onto his back with practiced ease, muttering, "What a pain, you damn cook."
Chopper immediately snapped back to his professional demeanor as a doctor. Trotting over to Zoro, he looked worriedly at Sanji on Zoro's back and Luffy in Giyu's arms. "Let's get inside quickly! Both of them need to be examined!"
The snowstorm continued to rage, but at least everyone was safe for now.
Giyu looked down at the nearly unconscious Luffy in his arms, the exhaustion evident on his face.
Then Giyu lifted him with his left arm, adjusting to a relatively secure position, and followed Zoro and Chopper step by step toward the castle gate amidst the blizzard.
Chopper simply walked alongside the others, occasionally glancing worriedly at Luffy in Giyu's arms and then at Sanji on Zoro's back.
The castle's heavy door slowly closed behind them, temporarily shutting out the cold and the snowstorm.
Giyu held Luffy, feeling his breathing.
"You've worked hard."
Looking at Luffy's snow-covered straw hat, he murmured in a voice almost too soft for anyone else to hear:
"Captain."
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