Cherry Blossom Rain

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Lina and the other man knocked on Chopper's door and waited outside for him to answer.

Inside, there was a bed in one corner and a wooden bookshelf filled with books. Tables lined the other walls, covered with all kinds of medical supplies.

At the sound of the knocking, Chopper hesitated for a moment, standing on a chair, then jumped down and opened the door.

Creak~

Chopper's eyes went wide. "Is there something else you need?"

"Hehehe."

Luffy grabbed Chopper by both antlers and lifted him up, grinning. "Chopper, come with us! Don't you want to go to sea and have adventures as a pirate?"

"I can't, even though I really want to go to sea..."

Chopper didn't resist. His expression fell as he spoke. "I'm really grateful that you're willing to invite me, but, but..."

His voice gradually faltered. Memories of the past flashed through his mind: being rejected time and time again, being treated with cold indifference again and again.

But Luffy said:

"Why are there so many buts? Pirates are free."

"What do you know, human?!"

Chopper shouted and slapped Luffy's hand away. His expression grew grim.

"You've never been through what I have! How can you say that so easily?!

"I... I didn't do anything wrong! Why was I rejected by my own kind?!

"Why was I hurt by humans?!

"I'm a monster! Look, I have a blue nose, I talk and walk like a human, but I've got hooves!"

He held out his hands. Tears welled in his round eyes and slid down his furry cheeks. Gripping the brim of his hat and pulling it down, he bowed his head and sobbed quietly.

"I don't look like a reindeer, and I don't look like a human, either.

"I don't even look like a pirate.

"How could a monster like me ever be friends with humans...?"

The room fell silent. Luffy dropped his playful grin, stepped forward, and said seriously:

"Sorry, Chopper...

"I haven't been through anything like that, so it's hard for me to understand how you feel.

"But look! I'm a monster too, Chopper."

"Monsters can be pirates, too. You don't have to care what other people say. Pirates are free like that, right, Lina?"

Luffy grinned as he spoke, stretching his cheeks out long.

Lina played along, transforming into his human-beast form, and said with a smile:

"Yeah, our ship welcomes monsters more than anything."

But Chopper, who had been sobbing moments earlier, was horrified at the sight.

"Monsters!!!"

Staring at the two of them, Chopper's eyes bulged out and his jaw dropped to the floor as he shrieked. His short legs spun like a pair of wheels as he tried to bolt outside.

"Help me, Doctor Kureha!!!"

Lina: "..."

Have you no manners?

"Hehehe."

Each of them grabbed one of Chopper's antlers and lifted him up as he tried to flee.

"So, come be our crewmate, Chopper," they said in unison.

After a while, Chopper gave up struggling and looked at the two of them. Only then did he notice their earnest expressions, exactly like Dr. Hiriluk's had been back then.

As if seeking confirmation—or hoping to be accepted—Chopper asked quietly:

"You really... really are willing to accept me?"

"Of course. Don't ask that again, Chopper."

Lina returned to his normal form, picked Chopper up, and sat him on his shoulders, resting both hands on his golden hair.

"Come on, let's go tell Doctor Kureha."

Outside the castle, the three of them sat cross-legged in the snow. Lina idly stared at the sky with a cigarette in his mouth.

Chopper needed to say a proper goodbye to Doctor Kureha and pack some things. The two of them had picked up Zoro before coming outside.

Next, they'd be heading to Alabasta. He had around a dozen Seastone bullets, two pairs of Seastone handcuffs, and the Blue Oni and Red Oni, who could use Armament Haki.

They should be fine, right? Lina wondered.

"So while I was unconscious, this Raccoon Dog became our crewmate?" Zoro glanced aside and pointed at the tiny figure emerging from the castle.

"I'm a reindeer, you bastard!" Chopper yelled, baring his teeth.

"Well, whatever. You're a doctor, right?"

Zoro picked up the three swords on the ground, stood, and leaned down to look at Chopper. "Having a ship's doctor will definitely make things more reassuring."

At that, Chopper's expression instantly changed. He wiggled his bottom, looking bashful.

"Oh, stop it~ Even if you call me a doctor, it's not like I'll be happy~"

"What a quick change. What a strange guy."

For Zoro, was the strange part that a reindeer could talk, or how quickly he changed his tune? Lina wondered with a private smile.

"Okay, it's about time we got going."

"Follow me. I'll take you down."

Lina and Luffy dusted themselves off and stood up, then followed Chopper to a cable-car station. Chopper didn't go inside. Instead, he transformed into a reindeer and dragged over a sled.

"Wahaha! You transformed!"

Luffy's eyes lit up as he exclaimed. It looked like Chopper intended to pull them down directly along the cable. "You can even pull a sled! You're so cool, Chopper!"

"Glad we don't have to jump straight down."

Zoro stepped onto the sled, the corners of his mouth turning up in a faint smile. "I thought we'd have to bet on whether we were tough enough to survive."

Lina sucked in a sharp breath. So you hadn't even thought about how we were getting down? You just climbed aboard without a word?!

Chopper looked at Zoro in amazement. That green-haired guy talks so cool! Is this what pirates are like?

Zoro had already gained himself a little admirer on their very first day together.

It was growing dark, and dusk had fallen. There was no snow, and the setting sun cast a shimmering orange-red glow over the winter island, blanketed in ice and snow.

"Hey, look! What's that?"

"Something's flying in the sky!"

In the distance, several villagers in Big Horn Village gazed toward the sunset. The light was still a little too bright, so they had to shield their eyes with their hands. After a while, their eyes slowly adjusted.

Beneath the blazing-red sunset, a few dark silhouettes could be seen leaping into the air and flying down from the mountain.

"Woohoo~~ We're flying~~"

The villagers looked at one another, their bewildered expressions seeming to ask if the others were seeing the same thing.

"I must be seeing things."

"I think I heard someone shouting up there."

The Going Merry was moored in the frigid waters off Drum Island's coast. After an afternoon in the sun, some of the floating ice had melted.

Smoke rose from the second-floor living quarters, carrying an enticing aroma. Sanji had started cooking.

"We're back, everyone!"

"Come meet our new crewmate!"

Hearing the voices, everyone came outside. Along with the three familiar faces was a tiny, adorable pet.

He wore a red hat marked with an X, stood upright on brown fur, and carried a small blue backpack.

"Our crewmate is a Raccoon Dog?"

"Luffy, keeping a pet on board is a lot of trouble."

"I don't know how to make cat food, you know."

"I'm not a Raccoon Dog, you bastards!" Chopper immediately bared his teeth and pointed at the antlers on his head, roaring, "I'm a reindeer! Look, I have antlers!"

"The Raccoon Dog can talk!!!"

"I told you I'm not a Raccoon Dog!!!"

"He's a reindeer who ate a Devil Fruit."

Lina hopped aboard and said with a smile, "Don't underestimate him. Chopper's a great doctor. He'll be our ship's doctor from now on."

"Wow! That's incredible!"

"And he's so cute."

Chopper blushed, once again putting on an affected, bashful display as he protested, "Oh, stop it~ Even if you compliment me, it's not like I'll be happy~"

Classic. Absolutely classic. Lina couldn't help sighing.

After returning to the ship, Lina went into the first-floor hold to inventory and sort the supplies. He summoned the undead to organize everything and put it away, then hauled up the anchor, ready to leave.

The sun had already sunk halfway below the horizon, and the snow was falling again. Snowflakes swirled down from the sky, quickly blanketing the whole island.

Just then, a loud noise rang out from Drum Island.

BOOM!!!

The deafening sound drew everyone's attention, and they all turned to look at the island.

Above the cylindrical mountain at the center, a cloud suddenly burst open and rapidly spread, turning all the snow swirling around it pink in an instant.

With the towering mountain as its trunk, cherry blossoms bloomed in profusion. The faint sunlight slanted across the romantic scene of fluttering pink and pristine white.

Chopper stood on the railing, gazing up in bewilderment at the cherry blossom rain blooming over this winter island. His lips quivered, and tears quietly slipped down his cheeks.

"Dr. Hiriluk,

"I'll definitely become a doctor who can cure every disease...

"I'll definitely become your panacea!"