"Doctorine, save me!"
In a complete panic, Chopper was snatched up by White Ghost in one hand.
White Ghost immediately began rubbing and squeezing the fluffy little creature all over, thoroughly treating him like a pet. The Lapahn rabbit in his arms was passed to Akin instead, while Chopper kept struggling the entire time.
The instant White Ghost had grabbed Chopper, Dr. Kureha had thought he was about to make a move for real.
Her heart tightened, and she had already decided that no matter what, she would protect this foolish son of hers.
But before she could act, she saw that White Ghost was simply kneading Chopper all over like a plush toy, looking completely unwilling to let go.
Dr. Kureha's mouth twitched.
Well. That explained it.
Looks like this bastard just liked cute pets.
Then she glanced at the rabbit cub now being held by the dark-eyed brat beside him.
At that point, she couldn't be bothered to care anymore.
The man was powerful enough to do whatever he wanted. If he was happy, so be it.
After rubbing Chopper to his heart's content for a while, White Ghost finally set him down with a satisfied look and took out some prepared cotton candy from his bracelet, handing it to him.
Chopper, who had just been in total panic and was about to sprint right back behind Doctorine, froze the moment he saw it.
His eyes lit up instantly.
He looked at White Ghost cautiously.
"Is… this for me?"
White Ghost smiled. "It's for you. Go ahead."
"Thank you!"
After thanking him, Chopper took the cotton candy and immediately started eating it with a blissful expression.
Much of the fear and wariness in his heart faded at once.
White Ghost rubbed Chopper's head.
This little guy really was contradictory in the early days—afraid of humans on one hand, yet yearning for their acceptance on the other.
White Ghost then took out two bottles of red wine from his bracelet, tossed one to Dr. Kureha, opened the other for himself, and started drinking with Kuro.
Dr. Kureha caught the wine bottle, a little surprised.
She had already heard some intelligence before, but this storage bracelet still truly broadened her horizons.
Chopper, meanwhile, didn't pay attention to any of that. Holding his cotton candy, he returned to Dr. Kureha's side and sat there quietly eating, all while sneaking cautious glances at White Ghost and the other two.
Chopper could tell.
These three humans didn't reject him.
They looked at him the same way they would look at any ordinary person.
That discovery made him unbelievably happy.
After taking a sip of wine, White Ghost finally spoke.
"I came here for two things. Maybe three."
Dr. Kureha pulled out the cork and took a direct swig from the bottle.
"Go on, then. What kind of business is important enough for someone like you to come all the way here to see an old woman like me?"
White Ghost didn't bother circling around the issue.
"First, I want all your medical research materials, books, and notes. And I also want your life-extending formula."
Dr. Kureha's face darkened.
The earlier part might still be negotiable.
But that life-extending formula—that was her lifeblood.
White Ghost didn't hurry her.
He simply continued drinking in silence, then took the baby Lapahn back from Akin and started absentmindedly rubbing it again.
Kuro said nothing.
Akin, on the other hand, was thinking that since the captain liked these soft, adorable little animals so much, maybe he should catch a few more later.
Then Akin glanced at Chopper, who was sitting there happily eating cotton candy.
The captain seemed to like this one too.
Should he just bundle him up and take him away later?
Chopper, who had been blissfully enjoying his cotton candy, suddenly shivered all over.
It felt like something bad was about to happen.
He looked left and right.
Nothing seemed wrong.
Big-hearted as ever, Chopper went right back to eating.
Dr. Kureha's face remained black as she cursed inwardly.
This bastard had obviously come prepared.
If she refused, he would most likely use force directly.
And if that happened, with her and Chopper's thin arms and legs, they wouldn't be enough for the two men beside him to beat down with one hand each.
But giving it to him still made her deeply uncomfortable.
Seeing Dr. Kureha struggling with the decision, White Ghost finally added, "You also know I have that youth-restoring potion in my hands.
"But I've already hit a bottleneck with it. If I want to keep developing it further, it's going to be very difficult.
"So I thought of you."
Dr. Kureha's expression grew even uglier.
She had gotten some of that youth-restoring medicine before. Certain people had brought it to her and asked her to crack the formula, but she had failed.
The thing was far too complicated.
Although she had managed to identify some of the medicinal ingredients, she still had no clue about the most critical part.
After thinking for a long while, Dr. Kureha finally gritted her teeth.
"I can give it to you. But you're not allowed to lay a hand on me or my son."
Chopper, who had been happily eating cotton candy a second ago, instantly turned pale with fright.
What?
That human who didn't reject him as a monster... was still planning to make a move on him?
Had he been wrong?
Were humans really still that deceitful?
Other than Doctorine and Doctor Hiriluk, all the others were sly humans.
Chopper hurriedly stuffed the last few bites of cotton candy into his mouth and hid behind Dr. Kureha again—except, as usual, his body was still completely sticking out.
White Ghost nodded.
"It's best when things can be settled peacefully. I don't really like using violence. It feels ugly."
Dr. Kureha stared at him for a while, as though trying to decide whether he was telling the truth or not.
Finally, she gritted her teeth again.
"Wait here."
Chopper had originally wanted to follow her in. Being left alone to face these people made him extremely uneasy.
But the little Lapahn in White Ghost's arms let out a cry, and White Ghost used that to keep Chopper behind.
Dr. Kureha said nothing.
She would go get the things herself.
As long as that man didn't make a move, it was fine.
White Ghost looked down at the little Lapahn in his arms and asked, "Chopper, what's it saying?"
Chopper hid behind a stool, still on full alert. After listening carefully to the rabbit cub's cries, he answered with surprising confidence:
"It seems like it's hungry."
White Ghost slapped his forehead.
How dumb was he?
Of course something this small was crying because it was hungry.
After thinking for a moment, White Ghost pulled out a bottle of milk from his bracelet, opened it, and began feeding the little creature small mouthfuls one at a time.
Chopper watched White Ghost carefully feeding the Lapahn in his arms, and a thought rose in his heart.
Did I guess wrong just now?
He's... actually pretty gentle.
The little Lapahn had quite the appetite. It wasn't until it had finished three bottles of milk that it finally looked satisfied.
White Ghost was practically melting from how cute the tiny thing was.
Not long after, Dr. Kureha came back out carrying a stack of books and set them down in front of White Ghost.
"These are my life's notes on medicinal research, along with some rare medical texts."
Then, with an expression full of pain, she pulled out a sheet of paper.
"This is my lifeblood. The thing you wanted."
White Ghost smiled and accepted everything. He glanced at the formula sheet in his hand.
Naturally, he couldn't understand a single thing written on it.
Seeing that, Dr. Kureha gave a cold snort.
"I'm not stupid enough to deceive you. If I did, and you came chasing after me and my son later, that wouldn't end well."
White Ghost nodded.
"I like dealing with smart people. Not like those idiots—always making things troublesome."
"Hmph."
Dr. Kureha drank her wine on her own, not wanting to bother with this bastard who had gotten everything he wanted and was still acting smug about it.
Just looking at him made her annoyed.
White Ghost didn't mind in the slightest.
He had already gotten what he came for.
If she wanted to give him an ugly look or two, it wasn't like he'd lose a piece of flesh over it.
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