"Wuwuwu…"
Children, hurry and leave, those despicable humans have returned.
"Wuwu, wuwu…"
Run, run!
Hidden within the mouth of the lead white whale, Chopper listened as the female whale's mournful cries echoed through the sea. Her call carried urgency and command, ordering the pod to dive and escape the shameless whalers hunting them once again.
The other white whales responded immediately, their voices trembling as they acknowledged her order. Massive tails struck the ocean surface, sending towering waves into the air as more than a dozen enormous bodies plunged toward the depths.
"Wuwu…"
Whoosh!
A sharp spiraling harpoon suddenly tore across the sea from a distant vessel. It spun violently before piercing into the last descending whale, the leader herself.
Pfft!
The rotating steel head drilled into her flesh like a venomous fang. Bright red blood burst outward, staining the surrounding waters in a gruesome bloom.
Crack!
As the harpoon embedded deeper, a concealed barb mechanism snapped open inside her wound, locking it firmly in place.
"Wuwuwuer…"
Her agonized cry reverberated through the ocean, heavy and sorrowful enough to make the sea tremble.
At the same time, the violent shock of pain caused her massive body to convulse. Inside her mouth, Chopper was thrown off balance, nearly sliding down her throat.
"Oh no!"
He grabbed onto her tongue with one hoof while clutching his small medical pouch with the other, bracing himself desperately.
"Madam White Whale, what happened? Are you alright?"
She had already reached the deeper layers of the sea, but a thick steel cable was attached to the barbed harpoon lodged in her head. No matter how hard she descended, she could not free herself.
Above, five massive whaling pirate ships tightened the rope, dragging her upward and preventing her from sinking further.
"I was struck… I cannot remove the weapon those vile humans drove into my head. I cannot dive any deeper…"
Her voice weakened, heavy with pain.
The surrounding whales gathered around her, crying anxiously. They attempted to grip the embedded harpoon with their mouths, trying to pull it free.
It was useless.
The barb held too deeply. Their efforts only worsened the wound, drawing more blood into the water.
Pfft!
Pfft!
More harpoons rained down from the surface, each as thick as a man's wrist.
Pfft!
Two more spears slammed into her body.
"Wuwuwu…"
She wailed helplessly, unable to escape the relentless assault.
The seawater churned violently as the pod scattered in panic, dodging the falling steel spears that struck like deadly rain. Though most did not pierce deeply before being shaken loose, the wounds continued to accumulate.
Splash.
Dozens of harpoons plunged into the sea and were dragged back up by ropes, ready to be hurled again.
"Over there! That's the leader the Captain marked! Besides her, we need at least two or three smaller ones. Throw accurately!"
The blood in the water served as a signal flare, guiding the whalers above directly to their prey. More harpoons followed.
Inside the whale's mouth, Chopper trembled with fury.
"These humans who hunt white whales without restraint… they are truly despicable!"
His small fists clenched tightly.
"If only Shirogai, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji were here. They would teach them a lesson they would never forget."
He swallowed.
"But it's only me. Can I defeat pirates from five whaling crews?"
His thoughts conflicted violently.
His gaze shifted to his backpack.
"This medicine still isn't completely stable. If my personality shifts again like last time, something terrible could happen…"
"Wuwuwu…"
The white whale leader gave another urgent cry, then suddenly turned and rammed her colossal body toward one of the pirate ships above, her massive eyes blazing with defiance.
Such sorrow. Such resolve.
Chopper inhaled deeply.
He opened his backpack and retrieved a red pill etched with a spiral pattern resembling snake scales.
"Madam White Whale, please do not be afraid. You and your pod saved me when I fell into the sea before. This time, I will save you.
When you surface, open your mouth but do not let the seawater rush in. I will sever the steel rope attached to you."
He held the pill between his hooves.
No more hesitation.
He swallowed it.
"Devil's Red Ball."
The instant the medicine dissolved within him, his body convulsed violently.
"Wuwu…"
Pain tore through every fiber of his being. He bowed his head, trembling as his frame began to expand. Muscles swelled, his stature doubling beyond his normal human form.
"It hurts… it hurts so much!"
A blood red hue crept into his black pupils. A scarlet aura seeped from his body.
His fur shifted from brown to crimson. His hat tore apart. His antlers elongated into jagged, fearsome weapons. Long blood red fur cascaded down his back like a flowing mantle. Dark red flames flickered from his blue nose.
His hooves transformed into sharp, claw like appendages, gleaming with lethal edge.
Kneeling within the whale's mouth, transformed into something akin to a wrathful guardian of slaughter, Chopper bared his fangs.
"Madam White Whale… hurry…"
His voice trembled between laughter and tears as he fought to restrain the murderous impulses surging through his veins.
"I cannot control myself much longer. Once I free you, leave this sea immediately. Do not look back."
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