Cursed Seas and Slashing Tides

Nami slowly opened her eyes, groggy and disoriented, finding herself in an unfamiliar room. The walls were adorned with ancient-looking skeletons, giving the space an eerie atmosphere. Strange chemical utensils lined the tables around her, bubbling with unknown liquids. She quickly sat up in bed, her heart racing.

"Who's there?" She asked, eyes scanning the dimly lit room.

A small figure stepped into view—a humanoid reindeer, peeking nervously around the corner of the door. His big round eyes widened as soon as she spoke, and he jumped back, startled. He silently stood by the doorway, hiding his hands behind the frame, but leaving the rest of his body completely exposed.

"I can still see you, you know." Nami remarked, raising an eyebrow at the peculiar sight.

The reindeer blinked, now only showing half his face from behind the door.

"A little too late for that." Nami said, staring at him in confusion. "Who are you?"

"S-Shut up! Y-You damn woman!" The reindeer stammered, his voice shaky but surprisingly defiant.

Nami's eyes widened in disbelief. "It talked!" She muttered.

An old woman then entered the room, her voice raspy yet warm with laughter. "Heehee! Looks like your fever's gone down quite a bit, Missy. You happy, pappy?"

Nami blinked, still trying to gather her thoughts. "Who are you?" She asked cautiously.

"The name's Dr. Kureha. You can call me 'Doctress' if you like."

Nami's gaze swept the room once again, realization slowly sinking in. "You're a doctor? So, this place is…"

Kureha chuckled, interrupting her. "You want to know the secret to my youth?" She asked, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Nami held up her hands. "No, I never asked."

Ignoring her, Kureha continued. "Well…you're in the castle atop the mountain. Lucky you, huh?"

Nami's thoughts returned to her crew. "There were three people with me. Do you know where they are?" She asked, her voice tinged with worry.

"They're sleeping in another room. Real tough boys, those three." Kureha replied nonchalantly.

Relief washed over Nami, but her heart still raced as the doctor explained her illness. "You had a bad case of Casha." Kureha said. "If you hadn't been treated in two days, you'd be dead. Lucky I was around."

Before Nami could respond, a sudden commotion erupted from the corridor outside. The sound of stomping feet and frantic shouting grew louder, until a small reindeer came barreling past the door, followed closely by Luffy and Sanji.

"Calm down, Luffy! I have to season him first!" Sanji yelled, arms reaching for the fleeing reindeer.

"But the meat isn't stopping!" Luffy cried, trying to take a bite out of the poor creature.

"Leave the raccoon alone!" Ryomen's voice joined the chaos as he raced after them, his expression equal parts concerned and exasperated.

"I-I'm not a raccoon!" The reindeer wailed, tears streaming down his face.

With a flash, the reindeer transformed, his small body shifting into a much larger, more muscular form. He glared at the group, voice booming. "And I'm not your food!" With a single swing, he sent both Luffy and Sanji crashing to the floor.

As the dust settled, the reindeer glanced at Ryomen, who stood a few paces behind.

"I tried to help…" Ryomen mumbled, looking away awkwardly.

…

Later, as Luffy tried—and failed—to convince Kureha to join the crew, Chopper cautiously peeked out from behind the door again. The sight of Luffy and Sanji reignited his fear, and with a shout, the chase resumed.

"Hold it, you piece of meat!" Luffy hollered.

"Nami-san, just wait! I'll make you an amazing deer stew!" Sanji promised, determination burning in his eyes as he darted after Chopper.

Kureha, now wielding a butcher knife, chased after them with an evil grin. "I'll eat you before you touch him!" She growled.

"She's got a butcher knife!" Sanji yelped, eyes wide with terror. He and Luffy bolted down the hallway.

"They can't stay still for even a second…" Ryomen sighed.

Nami chuckled lightly, though a cold breeze made her shiver. She looked over at Ryomen, grateful. "I wanted to thank you—um, all of you—for bringing me here." She said quietly, her cheeks tinged pink with embarrassment.

Ryomen offered a small smile. "You're welcome. I'm just glad you're safe now."

Feeling slightly better, Nami swung her legs over the side of the bed, intending to stand up, but the reindeer appeared in the doorway once again, arms crossed.

"You still have a fever! You should lay down." He said, his tone surprisingly stern for someone so cute.

"Were you the one taking care of me?" Nami asked, smiling. "Thank you."

The reindeer hesitated, his body tense before wiggling awkwardly. "Sh-Shut up! Don't be ridiculous! I don't accept thanks from humans!" He exclaimed, blushing under his fur.

"Yeah, you look like you hate to be thanked." Nami said with a smirk.

The reindeer glanced curiously at the pair. "So…you're pirates?"

Ryomen and Nami both nodded.

"And you have a pirate flag?" The reindeer continued.

"Our ship does." Nami replied. "Why? Are you interested in pirates?"

The reindeer recoiled, knocking into a nearby bookshelf. "N-No way! Idiot!"

"Okay, okay, sorry I asked." Nami said, raising her hands defensively.

"Do you want to join us?" Ryomen asked suddenly, his eyes gleaming with something unreadable.

"H-Huh!?" The reindeer stammered, caught off guard.

"That's a great idea! We really need a doctor!" Nami chimed in excitedly.

"Y-You fools! I'm a reindeer! I can't live with humans!" He shouted, his voice cracking with frustration.

"Why not?" Ryomen asked, his tone genuinely curious.

"B-Because I'm scary! I can talk, I can walk on two legs!" Chopper stammered, his small form shaking.

Ryomen tilted his head, studying him carefully. "Scary? But I think you're really cute."

"W-What?!" The reindeer shrieked in disbelief.

Before Chopper could protest further, Luffy and Sanji burst back into the room, sending the chase into motion once again.

"They're fast…" Kureha muttered, catching her breath.

As the chaos ensued, Kureha sat back, casting a thoughtful look toward Ryomen and Nami. "Take him if you want, but convincing him won't be easy."

The mood shifted when Kureha told them about Chopper's tragic past—how he had been rejected by both reindeers and humans, leaving him to fend for himself as a so-called 'monster'. That was until he met a quack doctor who completely changed his life.

Ryomen's expression darkened with understanding, feeling a strange connection to the reindeer. They were more alike than either of them realized.

Suddenly, Chopper's voice interrupted their thoughts. "Wapol's back!"

"I see." Kureha said, calm but alert.

"Wapol?" Ryomen's eyes narrowed, his fists clenching. 'I gave him a chance.'

…

The group now stood at the castle's entrance, staring down Wapol and his subordinates as snow whirled around them.

Luffy cracked his knuckles. "I've got a score to settle with you guys!"

Wapol's eyes widened at the sight of the familiar faces.

"Gomu-Gomu no…Bullet!!" Luffy launched himself forward, fist connecting with Wapol's face and sending him hurtling off the edge of the mountain.

"Lord Wapol!" His subordinates cried, rushing to catch him before he fell to his doom.

"How dare you attack the ruler of Drum Kingdom!" One of the commanders shouted, enraged.

Luffy stuck out his tongue, unimpressed. "Who cares, he stinks!"

Kureha raised an eyebrow, amused. "You know him?"

"Yeah, they keep getting in my way. It's really annoying."

Sanji crossed his arms, shivering. "Aren't you cold?"

"Hm? Did they say he was a king? So they're not pirates?!" Luffy finally pieced it together.

"It took you that long to realize!?" Sanji barked.

Luffy rubbed his arms. "Hey, it's really cold here!"

"You're really starting to annoy me!" Sanji grumbled.

"You're really starting to piss me off...I'll devour each one of you!" Wapol bellowed, his voice trembling with rage.

Sanji flicked his lighter, calm and collected. "Might wanna wait a little. He's looking for a jacket."

Wapol's eyes darted around, noticing Luffy was missing. "He's not here!?" He snarled, a hint of panic in his tone.

Chopper, still shocked from everything he'd seen, asked, "That guy…Did he stretch?"

"Yeah, he's a rubber-man." Sanji replied, taking a puff of his cigarette.

"What's that mean?" Chopper blinked in confusion.

"It means he's a monster." Sanji exhaled. "And he's not the only one."

Ryomen, silent up until now, finally stepped forward. His gaze locked onto Wapol, and as his second set of eyes opened, their eerie glow caught Chopper off guard. "I gave you a chance." Ryomen said, his voice cold and final. "Now you leave me no choice."

Wapol instinctively recoiled, fear flickering in his eyes, though he quickly puffed out his chest to maintain his facade. "Hmph. Threatening a king? You must be executed immediately! Munch-Munch Shock!!" In a grotesque transformation, Wapol morphed into a towering metal house bristling with weapons.

"What the...!?" Sanji muttered, startled by the sudden change.

Ryomen remained unphased. "This won't save you."

Wapol, now desperate, grinned manically. "You haven't seen anything yet! Behold my royal technique! Munch-Munch Factory!" In an instant, he devoured his two commanders.

Chopper gasped in horror. "What's happening!?"

Suddenly, a bizarre amalgamation of Wapol's commanders stepped forward. "I am...Chessmarimo!!"

Sanji raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Seriously? They're just piggybacking."

Luffy, appearing from behind with Nami's jacket draped over his shoulders, looked in awe. "That's so cool!"

"It's not cool! It's just stupid!" Sanji snapped, exasperated.

Without warning, Wapol fired a cannonball directly at the castle's flagpole. The pirate flag—marked with a skull and cherry blossoms—ripped apart, falling in tattered pieces.

Ryomen's eyes widened, the sight triggering something deep within. "That flag...!" He turned to Chopper, whose face twisted with anguish as he sprinted toward Wapol.

"What have you done to the doctor's pirate flag!?" Chopper's voice trembled with rage.

Leaping onto Wapol, Chopper raised a fist, but hesitated. "I...won't hurt you. But leave this country forever!"

"What are you saying, Chopper!? You can't reason with him!" Kureha shouted from the sidelines, her voice thick with concern.

Chopper glanced back at her, torn. "But…at least..." His words were cut short as Wapol, seizing the opportunity, blasted him with a cannon shot at point-blank range.

"Chopper!" Kureha screamed as the small reindeer crumpled to the ground, wounded and bleeding.

Ryomen clenched his fists, fury simmering beneath his calm demeanor. "Dammit." Without hesitation, he rushed forward, only to be blocked by Chessmarimo.

"Get out of my way." Ryomen growled dangerously.

The fusion warrior sneered. "I won't let you hurt our—"

Before he could finish, Chessmarimo's body was suddenly covered in slashes. His expression twisted in shock as the barrage of invisible cuts overwhelmed him, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Wapol, now utterly terrified, stammered, "W-What!? H-How dare you!!"

A voice from above cut through the chaos. "Hey, nuisance!!" Luffy stood atop the castle, his eyes blazing with fury. He had tied the pirate flag back to the pole, standing defiantly.

"Do you understand now!? You're a bunch of frauds!! You pretended to be pirates, but you weren't willing to risk your lives!! You don't know the meaning of this flag!!"

Chopper, lying on the ground, looked up at Luffy, his eyes widening in awe. "Luffy..."

Wapol, not grasping the gravity of the situation, retorted, "The meaning of that flag!? There's no meaning to that stupid thing!"

Luffy's voice, filled with conviction, echoed through the battlefield. "That shows how much you know!! This flag…isn't something you fly on a whim!!"

"I told you! This is my kingdom! So I'll shoot that rag until it stays down!" Wapol shouted, firing another cannonball at Luffy.

"You can't break it! This flag is a symbol of faith!!" Luffy took the hit directly, smoke billowing around him. When it cleared, Luffy stood tall, burns marring his body, but the flag remained intact. "See? It's unbreakable."

His voice softened but remained resolute. "I don't know who it belonged to, but…this is a promise of life. You don't fly it around lightly! It's not something to be laughed at or shot at!!"

Seizing the moment, Chopper pushed himself up. "My name is Tony Tony Chopper! It was given to me by the world's greatest doctor!! He might have forgiven you for mocking him…but I won't!"

Wapol, trembling with anger and fear, barked back. "How dare you oppose me!!"

Luffy grinned as he came crashing down next to Chopper. "That's the spirit, Chopper!"

Wapol aimed his cannon once more, but before he could fire, Ryomen deflected the shot with a simple wave of his hand. "Let's end this already. I'm getting tired of hearing him talk."

Sanji cracked his knuckles, smirking. "I'll join in. Though it might be too easy now."

The four rushed to Wapol simultaneously. Ryomen was the first to reach him, slicing through the cannons with ease. "Cleave." His voice was cold, as if Wapol was already forgotten.

Chopper followed up, slamming his fist into Wapol's head, leaving him dazed.

Sanji swept his leg under Wapol's, sending the tyrant crashing to the ground.

Luffy, stretching his arms far back, grinned. "Gomu-Gomu no...Bazooka!!" With a powerful strike, Wapol was sent flying far into the distance, his screams echoing as he disappeared from view.

"Aaaahhhh!!" Wapol's voice faded away until it was gone.

As the dust settled, Sanji glanced down and noticed something. "Hm?" He picked up a key that had fallen from Wapol's body.

Soon after, the group met with the rest of the crew, Dalton, and the villagers, who came to help.

They then found out Wapol was defeated.

"Is Nami alright?" Vivi asked worriedly.

"She's fine now." Ryomen reassured her.

"Hm? Hey, what's with that monster!?" Usopp suddenly exclaimed as he saw Chopper.

The villagers were just as surprised when they spotted the 'monster.'

"Leave him alone!" Dalton shouted, stepping forward to stop them.

Chopper, feeling exposed, quickly ran away.

"You idiot! That's my new mate!" Luffy punched Usopp on the head.

"What!? That thing!?" Usopp shouted in shock.

Luffy then dashed off after Chopper. "Wait, Reindeer!"

…

The crew eventually entered the castle to catch their breath.

Kureha approached Dalton and asked him about the weapon storeroom key.

"Wapol always kept it with him. It should be gone now." He told her.

"Are you talking about this?" Sanji asked, holding up a key.

"Huh? How do you have it?" Dalton asked, confused.

"Found it on the ground." Sanji shrugged.

Kureha took the key. "How lucky. Consider this your payment." She said before leaving the room.

…

Outside, the sun began to set, and night approached.

'I sure ran around a lot. It's already getting dark...' Chopper thought as he stood atop one of the castle's towers.

"Oh...a full moon." He muttered, looking up at the sky.

"Reindeer!!" Chopper heard a voice shout from the castle's entrance. He looked down to see Luffy, Usopp, and Zoro standing there.

'He's still looking for me...'

"Join my crew!!" Luffy continued to yell.

"Give it up. He won't come out." Usopp told him.

"Yeah, he clearly doesn't want to be a pirate." Zoro added.

"No, you're wrong! I already decided to bring him along!" Luffy declared.

"And that's your opinion, not his!" Zoro shot back, irritated.

Chopper looked down at them sadly. 'It's not that I don't want to go, but...'

"Reindeer!!"

'I can't! I can't go!' Chopper shook the thought away.

"Chopper." A calm voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Huh!?" He turned around to see Ryomen standing there, a soft smile on his face.

"What are you doing here?" Chopper asked, surprised. Then he glanced back down at his crewmates. "He's still looking for me. He should give up…"

Ryomen chuckled lightly. "Maybe you should know something about him—once Luffy sets his mind on something, he never gives up."

"You should just leave. I can't join you." Chopper persisted, lowering his head.

"Why?" Ryomen asked gently.

"I already told you! It's because I'm scary! A monster!" Chopper's voice trembled as he poured out his feelings.

"And I'm sure I said you're actually really cute." Ryomen replied, stepping forward to embrace Chopper.

"H-Hey! Put me down!" The reindeer said in embarrassment, wriggling in his arms.

"Nope. I've wanted to do this ever since I saw you." Ryomen said with a smirk, clearly amused by Chopper's reaction. Then, his expression turned serious as he looked at Chopper.

"You've seen it, haven't you? Neither Luffy nor I are normal either. And if you're worried about the others, you shouldn't. They'll be surprised, sure, but they won't hold it against you."

"H-How can you be sure? They might not accept me!" Chopper said, fear evident in his voice.

"They will. I know it...because they accepted me too." Ryomen reassured him. Slowly, he shrugged off his jacket and revealed his second set of arms hidden beneath.

"Wha!?" Chopper stared, wide-eyed, at the two extra arms.

"Ever since I was born, people looked at me in fear or disgust. But not them. They accepted me for who I am. And they'll do the same for you."

Chopper sat there silently, processing everything. Finally, he stood up from the tower.

…

"Ah! Reindeer! Let's go and be pirates together!" Luffy exclaimed, his eyes lighting up as he saw Chopper approach.

"It's impossible…" Chopper replied.

"What do you mean!? Being a pirate is super fun!"

"That's not what he means…" Usopp muttered under his breath.

"I'm thankful for your help!" Chopper said earnestly.

"Chopper…" Nami whispered, coming out of the castle with Sanji and Vivi beside her.

Ryomen stood back, a small smile on his face. 'Just give him one more push, Luffy.'

"But...I'm a reindeer! I have horns, hooves, and my nose is blue!...I do want to be a pirate!" Chopper shouted, tears welling up in his eyes.

"But I'm not human! I'm a monster! So I can't be a pirate with you! I've come here to thank you, that's all!"

"Thank you, for inviting me along. But...I'll be staying here. Maybe one day, I'll—"

"Just shut up and come with us already!!" Luffy interrupted, raising his arms.

"Since when is 'shut up' an invitation?" Zoro mumbled.

"Okay!!" Chopper shouted, tears and snot streaming down his face.