Chopper stood rooted to the spot, his round eyes wide with shock and adoration.
He looked at the unconscious Wapol, then at the unharmed Ron, his small hooves trembling uncontrollably.
"Is… is this person… a savior?"
Dalton struggled to his feet, ignoring the wound on his chest, and solemnly bowed to Ron.
"Th-thank you for your help, sir.
Drum Kingdom will forever remember your kindness."
The surrounding soldiers also got up, and despite their injuries, they all looked at Ron with gratitude, feeling ashamed for having tried to stop him earlier.
Ron simply nodded, then turned and walked towards Chopper.
He squatted in front of the little reindeer and pulled out a bottle of medicine from his embrace.
"Your injuries need to be treated."
Chopper took half a step back, flattered, then bravely stepped forward again.
"Th-thank you!
That… that…" He stammered, pacing in circles, then suddenly remembered something and exclaimed, "I'm a doctor!
I can treat myself!"
A gentle smile flashed in Ron's eyes.
"I know, and soon, you'll be the doctor on our ship."
Chopper was completely stunned, with un-melted snowflakes still clinging to his blue nose, and his round eyes widened even further.
"A ship… ship's doctor?
You're inviting me to join your crew?!"
His voice trembled, and his small hooves unconsciously drew circles on the ground.
No one had ever treated him as a true companion, let alone actively invited him to join their crew.
At this moment, he felt his heart pounding rapidly, and his eyes involuntarily became moist!
Just then, Luffy and his group arrived and gathered around.
Luffy pressed down his straw hat, revealing a brilliant smile.
"Hey! Reindeer! Come be our companion!"
"I, I…" Chopper paced in circles, at a loss, looking at Doctor Kureha, who was standing beside him, as if seeking help.
Doctor Kureha, with a cigarette in her mouth, waved her hand impatiently.
"Whatever you want, brat!
I'm sick of you, making a ruckus in the castle all day long."
She deliberately put on a stern face.
"It's good that someone's willing to take you in now, so hurry up and scram!"
"Doctor Kureha!" Chopper's tears finally burst forth, and he began to wail.
He knew Doctor Kureha too well; this was clearly the deepest form of care.
He wiped away his tears vigorously and shouted, "I'll definitely come back to see you!"
"See what, you idiot!" Doctor Kureha turned and walked towards the castle, waving her hand at everyone with her back to them.
"Don't come back and make a fool of yourself until you've become a world-renowned doctor!"
Chopper straightened his small body and nodded solemnly.
"I will definitely become the greatest doctor!"
Doctor Kureha's steps paused slightly, and an almost imperceptible smile played on her lips.
Then she strode into the castle, and the heavy wooden door slammed shut behind her.
In the following time, Chopper suppressed his sadness of parting and skillfully treated the injuries of Dalton and the soldiers with his superb medical skills.
His movements were practiced, showing no trace of his bravery during the battle just now.
Taking advantage of this lull, Nami quietly pulled Ron's sleeve, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Hey! Is it time to dig for treasure now?
The treasure map shows the location is near the castle!"
Ron looked at the busy Chopper, then at the majestic castle in the distance, and nodded gently.
"Let's go see what we can dig up this time."
"Treasure hunt?!"
Luffy's ears perked up, and he immediately became energetic.
He, Usopp, and Sanji exchanged glances, their expressions gradually changing from hesitant to eager.
It's been a long time since they dug for treasure…
"How about… we go take a look too?" Usopp rubbed his hands, a rare excitement in his eyes.
"We're just sitting around anyway, so why not go see?
What if we really dig up some treasure this time?"
"Exactly, exactly!" Luffy had already jumped up.
"Maybe we can dig up some super awesome meat!"
Zoro snorted, crossing his arms.
"Wasn't the lesson from digging up ghosts last time enough?" But his gaze involuntarily drifted towards Nami.
Nami put her hands on her hips, her orange short hair glistening in the sunlight.
"Hmph!
This time I'll definitely dig up real treasure!
And it'll be a super big treasure!" She deliberately swept her challenging gaze over everyone.
"If you're scared, then don't come!"
With that, she grabbed Ron's hand and walked out of the castle.
Ron smiled helplessly, letting her pull him through the castle gate.
Outside,
Chopper was concentrating on bandaging Dalton's wound, his small hooves deftly wrapping the bandage.
Seeing the two hurry past, he curiously looked up.
"Um… do you need help?"
"No need!" Nami waved her hand without looking back.
"You keep busy with your work!"
The two quickly arrived two meters to the left of the castle gate, where the snow had been cleared, revealing the hard frozen ground.
Nami carefully unfolded the treasure map, confirming it multiple times.
"It's right here!"
Luffy and his group, unable to resist their curiosity, stealthily followed and hid behind a nearby snowdrift to peek.
"Here we go!" Nami took a deep breath, and the treasure map in her hand suddenly burst forth with dazzling golden light, transforming into that familiar golden shovel.
Under everyone's bated breath, Nami raised the golden shovel and forcefully plunged it into the frozen ground.
As soon as the tip of the shovel entered the ground, a blinding purple light suddenly burst out from the crack!
"What?!" Nami exclaimed, and the golden shovel in her hand also turned into specks of light and dissipated into the air.
She watched the scene before her in shock.
"Why is it purple light?"
Ron also showed a rare expression of shock, instinctively taking a step forward to shield Nami.
Last time, the golden light dug up an Admiral; what would this strange purple light bring?
Luffy and the others hiding behind the snowdrift were even more dumbfounded.
Usopp's teeth chattered.
"Pu-purple!
It couldn't be something even more terrifying than ghosts, could it?"
The purple light beam became increasingly intense, almost illuminating the entire castle front yard!
Chopper and Dalton were also attracted by this anomaly, forgetting about the bandaging, and stumbled over to investigate.
"Wh-what's going on?" Chopper's blue nose twitched, instinctively feeling uneasy.
Just as everyone was at their wit's end with tension, the purple light suddenly receded, and an exquisite scroll slowly rose from the ground.
The scroll was engraved with ancient patterns, and its ends were inlaid with purple gems, emitting a soft glow.
Nami tremblingly reached out her hand, and the mysterious scroll slowly landed in her hand.
The moment she touched it, a mysterious light screen appeared before her eyes, displaying detailed information about the purple light scroll:
"Mysterious Ability Transfer Scroll!"
"Effect: Can transfer the target's special ability!"
"Note: One-time consumable item!"
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