Chapter 181: Chopper Joins the Crew, Departure, and the Ancient Weapons

"With my current physique, I can barely manipulate this much ley line energy."

"But as my physique improves, I will be able to manipulate more ley line energy, and the destructive power of this move will increase exponentially."

"Even..."

"Is it possible to reach a level of strength comparable to the three Ancient Weapons?!"

As he spoke,

a scene of the Lulusia Kingdom's destruction flashed through Gao Wen's mind.

That was the only time an Ancient Weapon had been deployed in Gao Wen's memory.

The World Government, suspected of controlling either Pluton or Uranus, erased an entire country from the map with a single shot.

Unlike conventional weapons that merely erase buildings and lives within a certain range,

the Ancient Weapons possessed the tremendous power to make a country vanish in a physical sense, causing the entire island to cease existing.

Even the sea level rose by one meter as a result, forcing countless people to lose their homes and migrate to higher ground out of necessity.

Even the nuclear weapons of Gao Wen's previous life would likely struggle to achieve such a feat.

If one must make a comparison,

Marineford, which Whitebeard led tens of thousands of elites to attack yet failed to capture despite life-and-death struggles, could be blown away by a single shot from Pluton.

In this world, the three Ancient Weapons hold significance equivalent to nuclear deterrence.

Even someone as powerful as Shiki sought out Luo Jie primarily not for Luo Jie's formidable combat strength, but because he knew the location of the Poneglyphs.

And recorded upon the Poneglyphs were clues regarding the Ancient Weapons.

This fact was confirmed by the Poneglyphs found in both Alabasta and Skypiea.

The former recorded the location of Pluton, while the latter contained clues regarding Poseidon.

Gao Wen reined in his wandering thoughts, compared the effects of the Ancient Weapons controlled by the World Government with the results of his own abilities, and then helplessly shook his head:

"To cause that degree of destruction, the amount of ley line energy required would likely be astronomical."

"Even if I absorbed all the ley line energy on Drum Island, I might be able to erase all life on the island, but I could absolutely not make Drum Island physically disappear."

"Unless..."

Gao Wen glanced at the distant sea, paused slightly in surprise, and then helplessly shook his head:

"That idea is even more unrealistic."

"Better to heal my injuries first."

Having said that,

Gao Wen flapped his wings and flew out beyond the desert.

A few minutes later,

he landed in a snowy plain; as strands of ley line energy emitting a faint blue glow entered his body, his stamina was rapidly replenished, and his injuries healed within a few breaths.

"Hah~!"

"The Red Dragon's ability to manipulate ley line energy to repair itself is truly the king of sit-ups."

"Compared to this, what Jin Huang is simply weak to the extreme!"

"As long as you aren't killed in one move during battle, before the ley line energy runs out, you have infinite endurance!"

Gao Wen took a deep breath, feeling a wave of lightness wash over his body; he flapped the wings behind him and flew toward the location of Ah Jin and the others.

Within a few breaths, he vanished into the clouds.

With this, the crisis that had engulfed the entire Drum Kingdom came to an end.

After confirming that the vast majority of the toxic spores had been incinerated by Gao Wen, Dalton led the commoners back into the town; now, they no longer needed to stay far from their homeland.

However,

under the reminder of Doctor 20, Dalton quickly organized the island's guards, had them don protective suits, and proceeded to exterminate the small remaining portion of toxic spores on Drum Island, ensuring this poison was completely eradicated.

Those few subordinates of Musshuru were also found by Dalton's men within the underground waterways.

Merely because they lacked Musshuru to guide them, these men had long since become lost, freezing to death alive within the underground river channels, their corpses already rotting and stinking.

Since there were many injured aboard Gao Wen's ship, they temporarily took up residence in Big Horn Village; Dalton also dispatched one of Doctor 20's members to come and treat their injuries.

Time flew by, and half a month passed.

"Mr. Gao Wen, this is a small token of our gratitude~"

"Smoked meat and fruits~"

"And this malt liquor~"

"You are the heroes who saved this country; even Mr. Dalton says you are the Magic Dragon who saved the nation!"

Ah Jin and the others, whose injuries had already healed, stood on the deck, watching the commoners swarming toward them from afar with the corners of their mouths twitching constantly, feeling that this scene was strangely familiar.

"Hey, hey, hey~"

"I say..."

Several crew members stood before the gangway; facing these commoners bearing good intentions, they momentarily felt at a loss for what to do with their hands and feet.

"I say that's enough!"

"Do you think we'll thank you just because of this?!"

"Bastards!"

They instinctively made vicious expressions, hoping to scare off the commoners before them just as they once had, yet all that met their eyes were smiles filled with gratitude and kindness.

For a moment,

they too felt at a loss, able only to let these commoners leave the supplies there and depart contentedly.

Nami stood on the deck, shoulder to shoulder with Miss Kalifa, a hint of a smile appearing in her eyes as she gazed upon these commoners:

They're just like the people from my hometown.

If you treat me kindly even a little, I will remember that kindness and repay it in my own way.

It might seem abrupt, but it always leaves one feeling inwardly fulfilled.

Miss Kalifa listened to Nami's sigh, glanced at the smiles on those people's faces, then turned to look at the pirate flag behind her, feeling a sudden irony.

When World Government officials arrived here, all they saw in these civilians' eyes was unspeakable fear and revulsion.

Yet these people showed genuine kindness toward a band of pirates.

Maybe so.

Nami froze, turned to look at Miss Kalifa, then fell silent.

By the time the crowd gathered at the harbor dispersed, it was already past noon twelve.

Everything on the Raven was fully prepared, yet it did not set sail immediately, but waited for something.

That guy's taking too long.

Sanji took a deep drag from his cigarette and said with slight annoyance.

Xiang Keluo also frowned and said:

On his first day aboard, he's already so careless with time—we'll have to give him a lesson later.

Oh ya~

Zoro glanced at Xiang Keluo, a faint smile tugging at his lips:

Even you, Xiang Keluo, recognize this new guy? I'm curious what he even looks like.

Xiang Keluo said coolly:

His appearance might surprise you, but in terms of medical skill, he's the best—after all, he's the man who dreams of becoming the universal medicine!

Zoro's interest stirred. He looked toward the distance and saw a tall, muscular figure sprinting toward them, dragging huge bundles of luggage.

Wait! Wait! Mr. Gao Wen, I haven't boarded yet!

In his human form, Chopper was enormously bulky, resembling a gorilla so closely that Zoro's expression turned utterly stunned:

What the hell is this? A gorilla? Yeti?!

Chopper's face stiffened and he roared:

It's a reindeer, you idiot!

Hoh~

Zoro grinned, one hand resting on his sword hilt, a hint of malice in his eyes:

He's got some energy—when the time comes, he could make a decent reserve ration!

So scary~

Chopper instantly shrank back to his original form, tiny and cowering behind his luggage, peering out cautiously to study each person on the ship.

Zoro dropped his expression, one hand resting on the three long swords at his waist, and pointed at himself with his thumb:

Roronoa Zoro, the man who will become the greatest swordsman in the world!

A Jin, seeing this, smiled faintly and said:

You can call me A Jin, the combat captain of this pirate crew.

Roubo Luqi, combatant and shipwright.

Miss Kalifa, combatant.

Fan Oka, sniper…

……

Everyone introduced their names and roles aboard the ship.

Chopper memorized each person's expression, lips tightly pressed, until the last sailor finished introducing himself—then he stood straight and declared solemnly:

Tony Tony Chopper, a reindeer who ate the Human-Human Fruit, with a blue nose and still a monster—but none of that matters.

I will become the universal medicine that can cure every disease!

So…

So…

Captain Gao Wen, let me join your crew!

I want to be a pirate!

Gao Wen's lips curled into a faint smile:

Chopper, you're late.

Board the ship!

Yes, Captain!

Chopper jumped up happily in place.

He had waited over half a month for this day.

Ever since he witnessed Gao Wen transform into a dragon, burning the sky-full of toxic spores, as ash fell like cherry blossoms.

He had already decided: Gao Wen was the one who inherited Shiruluk's will, the one who would realize Shiruluk's dream.

Stepping onto the deck.

After stowing his luggage, Chopper couldn't help turning back toward the entrance of Kestda Town—there stood a figure with white hair, watching him.

Chopper's eyes instantly filled with tears:

Doctor Kureha, after all these years… thank you… truly… thank you!

Kureha's lips curled slightly, her eyes beneath the sunglasses already damp, yet her words remained sharp:

You idiot, at least call me Teacher!

……

Woo—!

The Raven let out a whistle, then slowly sailed out of the harbor; with the wind at its back, it vanished beyond the horizon in just a few minutes.

By the time Dalton received the news, night had already fallen, and his eyes were filled with regret.

Amid the adoration of the people, he had become the new king, and the moment he ascended the Wang Zuo, the nation was officially renamed the Cherry Blossom Kingdom.

"In the end, I didn't even get a chance to say thank you to that guy?!"

"However, as long as he sees this flag, he will surely feel the gratitude in people's hearts."

Dalton's gaze fell upon a brand-new flag before him, on the front of which was a pattern of a crimson dragon and cherry blossoms.

……

……

……

Several days later.

CP Organization Headquarters.

Spandam looked at the intelligence recently sent back by Roubo Luqi, his expression turning extremely grim:

"The Crimson-Crimson Fruit has the ability to destroy an entire city with a single strike?!"

"This was already mentioned in the records of former users we investigated before; it hardly counts as important intelligence."

"The key issue is that the plan to assassinate the Ghost-Man Ah Jin failed?"

"Damn it!"

Spandam tore the intelligence report in his hand to shreds, his eyes growing even more sinister.

"Which old fool actually dares to threaten me?!"

"In that case, I can't be blamed for what comes next."

"The intelligence we gathered earlier has already confirmed that he maintains some kind of secret deal with Xiang Keluo, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."

"He has even intervened multiple times, using his connections to suppress Xiang Keluo's activities in Alabasta."

"Why would such a dangerous figure as a Warlord of the Sea appear in a small country with extremely scarce resources and population?"

As he spoke,

Spandam feigned deep thought, yet his eyes grew increasingly sinister:

"As for the so-called hero..."

"Don't make me laugh; those pirates only think about how to fight for dominance over the seas!"

"That proves this country must possess something capable of attracting him."

(End of Chapter)