Chapter 167: Hiriluk's Last Wish

"Of course."

Kureha reached out to adjust her glasses, a faint smile curling the corners of her lips:

"Even setting aside such things as a doctor's sacred duty, for the Berries in your hand, I will provide you with the best service."

"With me here, they will not die."

Xiang Gaowen let out a sigh of relief.

Sanji, who had been staying by Nami's side the whole time, his eyes filled with tension and concern, was no different; he turned to look at Doctor Kureha:

"Thank you."

"Hmph."

Kureha gave a faint smile, then immediately asked Xiang Gaowen and the others to leave, while she remained in the room to administer emergency treatment to Nami and the others.

Chopper followed behind Kureha, serving as her assistant.

Outside the house.

Sanji paced back and forth uneasily, lighting cigarettes only to discard them, while Xiang Gaowen sat nearby with a Solemn Face.

Time ticked by second by second.

Three hours later.

Creak~!

The ward door was pushed open.

Kureha slowly emerged from within; she was drenched in sweat, her entire appearance showing signs of exhaustion.

After all, she was an elder over a hundred years old; even with special methods of preservation, her physical strength was far inferior to that of a young person.

Kureha raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead and said while panting:

"They are out of danger for the time being."

"However, this was only the first emergency surgery; depending on how things develop, we may need to clear the spores from their bodies several more times."

"Combined with corresponding medications to suppress them, there should be no major problems."

"Chopper will remain here to monitor their condition in real time."

Xiang Gaowen nodded, promising to have someone deliver the medical fees later, after which Kureha walked into a nearby room to rest.

For the next two days.

Xiang Gaowen and the others stayed here, watching Nami and the other's condition improve day by day, and his mood inevitably became more relaxed.

However, as time passed, a piece of news made Xiang Gaowen feel slightly uneasy.

A message arrived from Ah Jin.

Purple mist, identical to that in Silver Moon Port, had begun to appear over Big Horn Village as well.

This undoubtedly further confirmed Xiang Gaowen's initial judgment: this plague was man-made from start to finish.

For some reason, Chessmarimo seemed intent on destroying everything in this country.

Xiang Gaowen ordered Ah Jin to clear out infection sources around Winter Island and track Chessmarimo's whereabouts, barely managing to suppress the mist for the time being.

"Once Nami wakes up, we cannot allow that fellow to continue any longer."

Night fell.

Xiang Gaowen sat outside the house.

The wind and snow had ceased; a bright moon rose into the sky, casting clear gray moonlight from the horizon that illuminated the snow-covered ground in a blanket of white.

Chopper quietly poked his head out from behind a pine tree nearby, looking curiously at Xiang Gaowen.

"I see you, Doctor Chopper."

Xiang Gaowen had naturally noticed this and spoke with a smile.

Chopper immediately pulled his head back, then timidly poked it out again:

"Doctor Kureha said you're a pirate?!"

"Yes."

A faint smile lingered on Xiang Gaowen's lips.

Chopper summoned his courage, inching closer to Xiang Gaowen bit by bit, stars shimmering in his eyes:

"Doctor Hiriluk said there is nothing pirates cannot do; what kind of existence are you exactly?"

Xiang Gaowen turned to look at Chopper.

Memories of Chopper's past floated through his mind.

As a reindeer, he possessed a blue nose distinctly different from the others in his herd.

Because of this, he was rejected by all his kind, always walking alone at the rear of the herd; even the mother who gave birth to him showed him no care, even driving him away.

This rejection due to his unique traits reached its peak after he ate the Human-Human Fruit.

He was completely expelled.

Humans regarded him as a snow monster and shot at him out of fear.

At that time, Chopper was neither reindeer enough nor human enough.

The only one who could accept him was that quack doctor who had aspired to heal the entire country.

Hiriluk perhaps failed to heal this country, but he did heal this reindeer.

Leaning against the railing, Xiang Gaowen said calmly:

"There are many kinds of pirates."

"Some pursue fame and fortune, some pursue power, some chase treasures, and some arbitrarily place themselves above everything else."

"But likewise, there are those who chase their own dreams; even death cannot stop them, regardless of whether those dreams are good or bad."

On this sea, those without dreams are nothing but decaying corpses.

How could such a being be called a pirate?

Dream...

Chopper lowered his head, gazing at his two small hooves, his eyes gradually hardening:

I will create a universal medicine that can cure all diseases!

Then, Doctor Chopper, would you like to join my ship?

Xiang Gaowen extended his hand toward Chopper, a gentle smile lingering on his lips.

If before he had valued Chopper for his cost-effectiveness and that mysterious Blue Ball, now he also felt a deeper identification with this reindeer.

Regardless of how he overcame his inner fears to reach out to Nami in that situation.

No matter how skilled Chopper's medicine is at this moment, he is absolutely qualified to be the ship's doctor on Xiang Gaowen's vessel.

Facing Xiang Gaowen's invitation, Chopper's expression turned frantic; he transformed into his human form, revealing his bulky muscles and forcing a fierce expression:

I'm a monster!

Saying this,

Chopper reverted to his small form, staring down at the snow:

I... I still have a blue nose, and even so, you...

Xiang Gaowen's smile deepened.

Haven't you seen? I'm a monster too—or rather, everyone on the Raven is a thoroughgoing monster.

We~

Seek an ideal land where we can live without restraint.

We need an excellent doctor.

Chopper froze, then immediately turned and ran off.

Seeing this, Xiang Gaowen merely watched Chopper, not chasing after him.

Clearly, with Shiruluk's death, the wounds left by Chopper's loneliness had reopened.

I advise you to abandon that idea early.

Kureha's voice came from behind Xiang Gaowen; she walked slowly to the railing and stood beside him, saying:

Over these years, apart from that fool Shiruluk, no one has been able to reach inside that brat's heart...

Kureha recounted Chopper's years—how Shiruluk saved her, and how she vowed to become a doctor...

A few minutes later.

Kureha fell silent, turned to Xiang Gaowen, her tone carrying a hint of coldness:

When I saw your face, I felt I'd seen it before—but only just now did I recall where.

It's surprising that someone as prominent as a Warlord would care about that brat?

His identity was exposed.

Xiang Gaowen's expression did not change.

Because the title of Warlord carries far greater weight on the Grand Line than it ever did in the East Blue.

For someone like Kureha, not recognizing it would be strange.

Xiang Gaowen lifted his eyes toward Chopper, hidden behind the pine tree, and said:

I once heard a saying.

Kindness alone cannot make a doctor; medical skill alone cannot make a doctor either.

But Chopper is different—he is sufficiently kind, and possesses medical skill that can be called excellent.

He will be a top-tier ship's doctor.

I trust my judgment, just as Sanji will be an excellent cook, and Nami the finest navigator.

Kureha paused, a faint smile tugging at her lips:

Are you mocking me, a beautiful lady over a hundred years old?

Not at all.

Brat.

Kureha scolded with a laugh:

I still say the same thing.

Getting that brat to open his heart isn't easy.

Only Shiruluk could ever do such a thing.

Once both their illnesses are cured, leave.

Pirates like you—even just lingering here—could bring disaster upon this nation.

Xiang Gaowen said nothing, but lifted his eyes toward Chopper, hidden behind the pine tree, occasionally peeking out curiously at him.

I'm taking this reindeer.

Then he remembered another matter and asked:

By the way.

Doctor Kureha, have you heard of the Blue Ball?

Blue Ball?

After a moment's thought, Kureha said:

Research on the transformation frequencies of Animal-Type Devil Fruits?

Xiang Gaowen nodded.

Within the Drum Kingdom, aside from Chopper, the king of cost-effectiveness, the other thing he was determined to obtain was the Rumble Ball.

Xiang Gaowen had already consumed a top-tier Mythical Zoan fruit, yet he had not combined it with his own swordsmanship.

Comparing the two complete combat systems, one could only say they bore some resemblance to the Inferno Calamity, Sabo.

The racial abilities and the Zoan abilities clashed in a complete mess.

When Sabo truly fought with all his might, he still relied on his own racial talents and swordsmanship; of course, this was also related to the Lunarian race's utterly outrageous talents.

Igniting flames made his defense explode in strength, while extinguishing them granted unparalleled speed; no wonder the Lunarian race was once called gods.

In Xiang Gaowen's speculation.

As long as he understood the Rumble Ball's ability to adjust Zoan transformation wavelengths, aided by his own Equilibrium and Harmonization tags, he could find a combat form suitable for himself within a short time.

Kureha continued:

"I did see something similar in a paper before, but those were very old studies."

"I'll help you look for it later, of course, not for free."

Xiang Gaowen laughed helplessly:

"Money is not an issue."

Now possessing Raven Port and being the biggest beneficiary behind the Martial Arts Tournament, the amount of Berries Xiang Gaowen earned in a month was guaranteed to be at least ten-plus small targets.

"Is this the spirit of a Warlord of the Sea?"

"Ehehehehehe~"

Under Kureha's full-strength treatment, merely two days later, Nami and the others had passed the most dangerous period.

Although they still had not awakened, their body temperatures gradually returned to normal, and the spores within their bodies were effectively controlled, decreasing day by day.

Yet Xiang Gaowen's mood could not lift.

It was because a layer of purple mist was already floating in the air outside the window.

Although compared to what he had seen previously at Silver Moon Port, where spores almost completely surrounded the entire port, this was much fainter.

But the mere existence of such things was proof of danger.

At the same time.

In Skedda Town, coughing sounds were everywhere; one civilian after another fell ill, and some deteriorated rapidly, exploding before the panicked eyes of the crowd into a sky full of purple spores.

Fear shrouded this small town, and an atmosphere of despair permeated the air.

Some linked everything to the red dragon that had flown through the sky and then landed before Kureha's door.

"It must be her!"

"The witch summoned the giant dragon and created this plague!"

(End of this chapter)