The moment Chopper stepped off the ship and saw so many people staring at him, his whole body started trembling.
He remembered all those people from the past who had looked at him and called him a monster.
But this time, he didn't see disgust, contempt, or rejection in their eyes.
Only curiosity and confusion.
White Ghost reached down and tugged at the Chopper hanging from his leg.
"Get down. Nobody here is going to hurt you. What the hell are you doing clinging to my leg?"
Chopper shook his head frantically.
"I don't care! You're the one who brought me out here, so you have to take responsibility!"
White Ghost's face darkened.
I haven't done a damn thing to you. What exactly am I supposed to take responsibility for?
Bzzzt!
Nami appeared at White Ghost's side in a flash of lightning and curiously examined the "tanuki."
"White Ghost, is this tanuki a pet you brought back?"
She pointed at the panicked Chopper.
A human girl had suddenly appeared beside him, which was already enough to scare Chopper half to death. He was just about to hide behind White Ghost when he heard her words.
His little face immediately turned angry.
"Idiot! I'm a reindeer!"
He pointed at the antlers on his head.
"Look carefully! Tanuki don't have antlers!"
"It can talk?"
Nami's eyes lit up at once. She immediately reached out, scooped up the adorable little thing, and started rubbing him all over in her arms.
"Ahhh!!!"
Chopper shrieked in panic.
"Captain, save me!"
Hahaha!
Everyone was thoroughly amused by the little guy and looked on with expressions full of anticipation, clearly enjoying the show.
After a while of fooling around, White Ghost took Chopper back from Nami and placed him on his shoulder.
Afraid of the unfamiliar environment and all the unfamiliar people, Chopper clung tightly to White Ghost's head.
White Ghost looked at the crew and said, "Alright, everyone. This is our new ship's doctor. His name is Tony Tony Chopper, and he's a very skilled doctor."
Chopper had been shivering on White Ghost's shoulder, but the moment he heard himself described as a very skilled doctor, he immediately jumped down.
Standing on the ground, he started clapping his hooves, sticking out one leg and then the other, his face full of shy delight.
"Idiot! Even if you praise me like that, I won't be happy!"
No, you look very happy.
That was what everyone was thinking.
Then White Ghost handed the little Lapahn rabbit in his arms to Nami, who had been staring at it for a while.
"As for this little one—that's the pet."
The baby Lapahn seemed to understand. It let out a little cry, wriggled into a comfortable position in Nami's arms, and went right back to sleep.
Nami loved it so much she could hardly put it down.
Furry little animals like this were just too lovable.
Once everyone introduced themselves and got to know each other a bit, Chopper was no longer as panicked as before.
White Ghost turned to Pedro and said, "This little guy is the one who came up with that thing."
As he spoke, he handed the formula over to the little squirrel.
The eyes of Pedro and Wanda, the two Minks, lit up immediately, disbelief written all over their faces.
"Him?"
"Yeah." White Ghost nodded.
"When we get to Zou, don't forget to introduce a few little deer girls to him."
The moment Chopper heard White Ghost say that again, he flew into a rage.
"Idiot! I already told you, I'm still a kid!"
"Hahaha!"
A-Da, A-Er, and the other brutes were thoroughly entertained by the adorably dumb little reindeer.
Zango poked Chopper and said, "By the time we get to Zou, it'll be years from now. You'll be a bit older by then. You can think about it when the time comes."
"What?!"
Chopper's face instantly turned red, and he started bickering and roughhousing with Zango.
White Ghost could tell this little guy was happy.
He liked fooling around with friends.
White Ghost handed over all the medical books, research notes, and formulas he had gotten to the little squirrel and Naqin, letting them study them at their own pace.
The little squirrel carefully examined the Rumble Ball formula. After quite some time, she finally said, "Pedro, Wanda—it's real.
"But it needs improvement. The side effects are too severe right now."
Pedro's eyes widened. He pounced on Chopper and hugged him on the spot.
Chopper was terrified as a leopard suddenly lunged at him. Before he could even run, the big cat was already rubbing against him nonstop.
All the while, Pedro kept muttering things like, "As expected of a famous doctor… As expected of a famous doctor…"
Chopper quickly stopped trying to run and instead stood there bashfully enjoying it.
Wanda was equally excited.
Before, this had only been something White Ghost talked about.
Now it was really about to become reality.
How could she possibly stay calm?
Then, overwhelmed with emotion, she bit Brook, who had just come over to see what was happening.
"Ahhh!!! Miss Wanda, please don't do this! I-I'm not food!"
The little squirrel wrapped herself around White Ghost's arm, her face bright with happiness.
"Thank you, White Ghost."
White Ghost gave her a wicked grin.
"I heard your medical skills improved again after I left. How about giving me a demonstration?"
The little squirrel's face immediately turned red, and she lowered her head.
"It's still broad daylight…"
White Ghost was just about to tease her some more when a sharp pain hit his waist.
Turning his head, he found Ain standing there with a smile, pinching the soft flesh at his side.
After a bit more laughing and roughhousing, White Ghost finally shouted, "Alright, you bastards! Banquet time! Let's welcome Doctor Chopper and the little Lapahn rabbit!"
"Whoa!"
The whole crew cheered happily.
White Ghost liked excitement, and so did everyone else.
Crocus smiled.
He had spent all those years with Laboon. Aside from one trip away in the middle of it all, it had been a long time since things were this lively.
At the banquet, everyone drank and ate to their hearts' content.
Chopper in particular was having the time of his life.
Back on Drum Island, he had never eaten many truly good things. So now, at the feast, he completely let loose.
Afraid little Chopper would lose time trying to grab food for himself, Wanda practically stayed by his side the whole time, constantly piling dishes into his bowl.
White Ghost clinked glasses with Crocus and looked over the lively crowd.
"You made quite a haul on this trip," Crocus said after taking a sip.
White Ghost set down his glass with a smile.
"Nothing much, nothing much. Just a modest gain."
Then he pointed at the island ship.
"I'm leaving this thing here with you for now. Once we finish the Four Blues, I'll come take it back."
Crocus gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
"You're making things hard for an old man. With something that eye-catching parked here, those pirates will go insane.
"With these old arms and legs of mine, I won't be able to guard it. And if it gets stolen in the end and you expect me to compensate you, that'll be a real headache."
White Ghost couldn't be bothered playing verbal games with the old fox. He simply took out three bottles of youth-restoring potion and placed them on the table.
"This is the payment."
Crocus didn't hesitate at all. He immediately took the three bottles.
That stuff was already being fought over like mad on the black market.
If it only restored youth, it wouldn't be this hot.
But the key was that it could also treat old hidden injuries.
Sure, one bottle couldn't completely cure everything.
But if one wasn't enough, couldn't you just drink several?
While only the first bottle restored youth effectively for a single person, the fact that it could heal chronic hidden conditions was enough on its own.
White Ghost had only released a small amount of the medicine, and the black-market price had already been pushed up to eighty million Beli per bottle, with demand far exceeding supply.
Those powerful people without money had no choice but to go hunt pirates for bounty cash.
Recently, Sengoku had been in an excellent mood.
Sure, plenty of bounty money had been paid out—but that bill belonged to the World Government, so Sengoku wasn't worried in the slightest.
The main thing was that the pirates had become far more obedient lately.
In fact, Gion had secretly told White Ghost the other day that Sengoku had been smiling at everyone he saw these past two days.
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