Arrival at Drum Island

Zoro watched Liu Qing's actions and asked in confusion, "Why bring them along? Wouldn't it be easier to just leave them behind?"

Instead of answering, Liu Qing asked Zoro a question. "Do you remember what Wapol said when you knocked him back with Oni Giri?"

Zoro looked puzzled. "I wasn't listening. Does it have something to do with what he said?"

"Of course. He said a fat black man beat him yesterday and drove him out of his country. In other words, he didn't protect his people. He abandoned them, fled Drum Island with his Royal Army, and went out to sea as a pirate," Liu Qing explained.

Then he continued, "That means he definitely isn't a good king. Plenty of people in his country might hate him. And we're pirates. Nobody likes a band of pirates coming to their island, especially when we're asking them for help. That's where Wapol and his men come in."

Zoro caught on quickly. "Let him draw their fire. If it's really like you said, the people of Drum Island will want him dead even more, and the fact that we're pirates won't matter as much. Brilliant!" With that, Zoro gave him a thumbs-up.

Luffy was growing anxious waiting on deck and asked Vivi, "Do you know how much longer until we get there?"

Vivi looked troubled. "Well... I don't know either. Without a nautical chart, I can't tell how far it is."

Liu Qing reassured Luffy. "Don't worry, Luffy. We should be close. Since we ran into Wapol here, Drum Island shouldn't be far away. Didn't Wapol say he only fled from Blackbeard yesterday? It's still morning, which means they only traveled for one night. At our speed, we should get there in two hours."

Sure enough, a little over an hour later, Zoro spotted an island from the lookout using Usopp's telescope.

When the Going Merry stopped at the shore, Luffy carried Nami on his back and disembarked with his companions, only to discover that something was wrong.

Countless people crowded the island's shore, and almost all of them held weapons.

Before Luffy and the others could ask anything, a man who was clearly the crowd's leader spoke. "I'm Dalton, the guardian of this kingdom. Are you pirates?"

Luffy nodded anxiously. "That's right, we're pirates. My friend is sick. Are there any doctors among you?"

But the moment Luffy said he was a pirate, everyone aimed their muskets at them. Clearly, no one heard anything he said afterward.

Dalton spoke again. "Get off Drum Island right now. This is our homeland, and we will not allow any pirates to set foot here."

Liu Qing gave Zoro a look, and Zoro understood at once. "Ahem... Sorry to interrupt."

Everyone turned to look at Zoro in unison, simply staring without saying a word.

Zoro laughed awkwardly. "Haha... Well, do you hate your king? On our way here, we captured a pirate crew whose captain claimed to be the king of Drum Island."

Dalton was shocked, then delighted. "Is that true? You captured Wapol after he fled? If you've really captured them, I can let you onto the island, but you mustn't do anything to harm this country."

"Sure, no problem," Zoro agreed hastily, then gave Liu Qing another look.

Liu Qing understood immediately and said, "Move back a little. I'll bring them up."

Dalton directed everyone to move back. Before long, he looked at Liu Qing. "Everyone's in a safe place. Please, show us what you've got."

Liu Qing wasted no words. In a flash, he stood firmly on the surface of the sea, grabbed the huge ball with his right hand, and lifted it straight up. Then, with another Body Flicker Technique, he appeared near Dalton.

Liu Qing punched the wooden ball, instantly smashing it into pieces that littered the ground. A pirate ship appeared before everyone, along with countless people aboard it.

One of the nearby citizens spotted the king and shouted, "It's Wapol! It really is him! But why does he look so miserable?"

Liu Qing approached Dalton and said, "Wapol is a Devil Fruit User. If he wakes up, you definitely won't be able to beat him unless you keep him submerged in seawater. But that might freeze him to death. I'll help you restrain them so there's absolutely no chance of escape, and you tell us where the doctor is. How about it?"

Dalton stared at Wapol with angry eyes and nodded. "No need. We have a few pairs of Seastone Handcuffs. But to thank you, I'll tell you where the doctor is. There's only one doctor left on the island, though. He treats people entirely according to his mood, so he might not agree to treat your friend."

Then he pointed toward the mountain on the left. "Keep going in that direction. Before long, you'll see a castle. The doctor is inside."

With that, he paid Liu Qing no further attention and turned to direct the citizens in rounding up Wapol's pirate crew.

Liu Qing instantly appeared beside Luffy and said, "Quick, I know the way now. Stand still. I'll fly you straight there."

As Dalton and the others watched, dumbstruck, a Wood Dragon appeared beneath Luffy and his companions' feet, then carried them straight toward the mountain on the left.

Everyone said, "Just what you'd expect from the pirate crew that captured Wapol. What an awesome ability!"

When the hundred-meter Wood Dragon reached the rock face beneath the castle, Liu Qing directed it to charge up along the stone wall.

Inside the castle, Tony Tony Chopper was making pills under Dr. Dolly's supervision.

Suddenly, the entire Castle began to tremble slightly. The shaking grew stronger and stronger until it felt like an earthquake.

Both were puzzled, so they staggered toward the entrance to take precautions in case the Castle collapsed.

The instant they stepped outside, their expressions froze. Before their eyes, a hundred-meter Wood Dragon flew up from below at tremendous speed. In the blink of an eye, its head was right in front of them.

"Doctor! Doctor! Which of you is the doctor? Please, hurry and save Nami!" The moment they stopped, Luffy spotted Chopper and Dr. Kureha. He picked Nami up, jumped straight down in front of them, and began pleading.

Dr. Kureha took a bottle of liquor from her waist and drank a mouthful to steady her nerves before speaking. "What a rude bunch. Couldn't you come here normally to ask for treatment? Do you know you nearly scared us to death?"

Everyone came over beside Luffy. Liu Qing dispelled the Wood Dragon and apologized. "We're sorry. My friend was bitten by a venomous insect on Ancient Island. Please save her. Whatever you ask for, we'll do our best."

Vivi hurriedly took out the bottle containing the venomous insect and handed it to Dr. Kureha. "Doctor, please take a look. This is the insect that bit Nami."

Kureha casually took the bottle and glanced at it, but the instant she saw the insect inside, her expression changed drastically. "Chopper, quick! Take the patient to the infirmary."

Then she turned to Luffy and the others. "You can all come inside too, but stay quiet and don't cause trouble."

Everyone followed Kureha into a room inside the Castle. Luffy laid Nami on the bed, then obediently sat to one side and waited.

Everyone looked at Luffy in surprise. This was the first time he had been so obedient and sensible, waiting quietly instead of fooling around.

Kureha handed Chopper the bottle containing the insect. "Chopper, this venomous insect happens to be the one you studied today. I'll leave preparing the medicine to you."

"Okay, Dr. Kureha." Chopper took the bottle and examined it carefully, then walked toward the dispensary with a squeak-squeak.

"You lot, I'll take you to a room where you can rest. Follow me." She turned and walked toward the room next door, and Luffy and the others followed.

Before long, Chopper came to Nami's bedside with medicinal ingredients and began grinding them there.

After carefully making the pills, Chopper cautiously picked one up and walked over to Nami. He gently placed the pill in her mouth and watched her slowly swallow it.

However, just when Chopper thought everything was going smoothly, something unexpected happened. Not long after swallowing the pill, Nami groggily sat up, looked at Chopper in confusion, and asked, "Who are you? Where am I?"

This sudden turn left Chopper completely at a loss. Frightened and panicking like a startled rabbit, he immediately dashed out of the room and hid by the doorway, trembling all over.

Nami was left rather speechless by Chopper's reaction. She called helplessly, "Stop hiding. I can see you."

Hearing Nami's voice, Chopper hesitated, then cautiously peeked out from the doorway little by little, leaving only his body exposed while hiding his head behind the wall, as though that would make him less conspicuous.

At this, Nami was even more speechless. She couldn't help saying, "Aren't you hiding the wrong way around?"

Hearing this, Chopper seemed to realize his mistake. He quickly hid again, this time concealing his entire body behind the wall.

Just as Nami was about to speak again, Chopper suddenly let out a roar. Though his voice sounded somewhat fierce, paired with his cute appearance, it wasn't intimidating in the slightest.

"You're too noisy, human! Has your fever gone down?" Chopper asked, staring at Nami wide-eyed with a serious expression.

Chopper's sudden outburst gave Nami a terrible fright, and she screamed, "It... it talked! The raccoon dog talked!"

Nami's scream startled Chopper so badly that he jerked, struck his head against a stone, and passed out on the spot.