"Dr. Kureha! Dr. Kureha!!!"
"Something's wrong! Something's wrong!!!"
The raccoon-like reindeer, Chopper, panicked as he dashed up and down the Drum Kingdom castle.
His small body zigzagged without any sense of order, calling out someone's name at the top of his lungs.
"Stop shouting, Chopper!"
From behind the frantic Chopper, a slightly hoarse but powerful female voice rang out.
A tall elderly woman with dull golden hair, wearing only a cherry blossom short-sleeve shirt in the icy winter, suddenly appeared behind Chopper.
With a firm hand, she pressed down on his head, forcibly calming him.
"Don't panic, Chopper!"
Having done this, Dr. Kureha, as if nothing had happened, calmly raised a bottle of liquor to her lips and gulped it down, paying no mind to the wildly shaking castle.
After a while, the castle's inexplicable swaying began to subside, finally coming to a stop.
"Ah~"
Dr. Kureha let out a satisfied sigh as the fiery liquor hit her throat, slowly releasing Chopper's head.
Chopper, whose head had been stuck inside his hat, panicked as his hooves flailed wildly. It took all his strength to pull his head free.
His wide, deadfish-like eyes gulped in fresh air:
"Phew~ ha~ phew~ ha~"
Dr. Kureha paid him no mind. Seeing him mostly recovered, she reached out and tapped his hat, saying:
"Come on, let's go see what's happening.
It seems…
some very important guests have arrived."
She pulled a pair of sharp, bat-shaped sunglasses from her pocket, immediately concealing her wrinkled eyes, and strode toward the castle gates on her long, slender legs.
Even in her youth, the wandering "witch" Dr. Kureha had sensed Luffy and the others' arrival early on.
After all…
The terrifying aura converging before her, unabashed and surging straight upward, was impossible to miss.
"Wait for me! Dr. Kureha!"
Just coming back to her senses, Chopper's tiny legs carried him forward as he waved his arms behind him, anxiously chasing his mentor.
…
They arrived at the cliff's edge, where the strange roaring continued unabated.
A constant, buzzing sound rose from the valley below.
Mixed in were some labored, gasping cries.
Curious, Chopper peered over the edge, his pink-hatted head poking out.
"Eh!!!"
The moment he saw the scene below, his expression changed instantly!
His eyes widened in shock as if they might pop out.
He leapt up in fright and fell backward to the ground.
His tiny hands scrambled for support, rolling back at lightning speed, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Dr… Dr. Kureha!!!"
Chopper's terrified eyes pointed at the cliff below, his hooves trembling as he shouted.
At roughly two-thirds up the mountain, a massive cloud of dust completely obscured the area.
Within it, a group of bizarre people, eyes wide with madness, mouths split in snarls revealing sharp teeth, charged upward.
"AAAAAHHHHH!!!!!"
The furious roars rang out from below, like starving travelers spotting a feast, recklessly rushing forward.
Every face contorted with a horrifying ferocity.
After all…
No one wanted to lose this contest!
Even Nami and Merry displayed devilish expressions, their arms moving so fast they left afterimages as they slammed against the rocks.
They launched themselves upward again, covering several meters in an instant.
Falling debris rained from above.
Fingers like steel lashes struck upwards.
At this moment, only Robin, perched on Luffy's shoulder, could genuinely smile, enjoying everyone's determined, almost adorable expressions.
She wished she could conjure a small recording insect to capture this thrilling moment for the Going Merry's theater, letting everyone watch it later.
Pfft!
Robin couldn't help laughing at the thought, her sly little heart stirring with amusement.
…
Dr. Kureha ignored Chopper's panicked expressions, standing calmly on the cliff, sipping her warming liquor.
Meanwhile, the terrifying roars continued, growing louder by the second.
It meant the horrifying group Chopper had just seen was steadily approaching!
Terrified, Chopper felt faint, imagining a horde of man-eating demons climbing the mountain to devour him!
And he wasn't entirely wrong.
This terrifying group had indeed come for him.
The roars grew louder, and Chopper could already picture the bloody scene awaiting him!
Shivering, he saw the monsters closing in, step by step.
Closer!
"Ah!…"
Closer!
"Ah! Ah! Ah!…"
Even closer!
"Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!…"
They… had arrived!!!
…
In an instant, whoosh!
A group of figures shot up from the cliff edge, soaring into the sky, right before Chopper's eyes!
He tilted his head back to watch.
In the dazzling sunlight, their dark silhouettes stretched and flew high into the air!
Plop!
A crisp thud echoed as the Starry Sky crew landed in the deep snow.
"Who's the last one?!"
Immediately, someone shouted.
"Seems like Sanji!"
"Nonsense!!! I just jumped high! The last to land isn't me!!!"
"Wait! I think I saw Usopp behind me!"
"Uh! Uh! What are you saying? That's impossible!!!"
Sweating, Usopp nervously defended himself.
"That's right! I think I saw it too, it was Usopp who reached the summit last!"
Nami added her own jab.
"Hohoho~ Looks like the chores for the next month are all yours, Usopp!"
"Eh!!? W-wait!!"
Usopp waved his hands frantically, unwilling to accept reality.
Koby, showing no mercy, slapped a hand on his shoulder, his handsome face twisting into a devilish grin:
"Alright! The next month of chores is yours, Usopp! Koby retires temporarily!"
"Usopp, it's all yours!"
Everyone cheered, laughing as Usopp's shoulders slumped, a metaphorical cloud darkening over his head.
Reluctantly, Usopp admitted defeat:
"Fine… then I'll…"
"Wait!"
Just as he resigned himself, Robin laughed and said:
"Has anyone noticed…"
"We seem to be missing someone!"
…
Meanwhile…
At the opposite side of the castle from Luffy and the others,
A powerful figure suddenly leapt high into the air.
Zoro, carrying Vivi on his back, landed safely without her feeling any recoil.
Standing tall, hand casually on his sword hilt, the blade's sheath rang crisply.
A confident smirk split his face, a glint in his eyes as he chuckled:
"Heh heh!"
"Am I the first one!?"
=============
100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter
150+ Advance Chapters Available on Patreon! Patreon.com/Veltoria