Journey to Raftel Chapter 23 (Patreon)

Hey friends and fans! Kairomaru is bringing you another chapter of Journey to Raftel! The Straw Hats have arrived at Drum Island! They need to find this Dr. Kureha so that Carina can get better! But the situation on Drum Island isn’t what one would expect, and finding the medical help they need may be harder than the Straw Hats expect. Can the crew save their nakama?

If you’d like to become a patron and get access to these chapters earlier, just head on over to Pat re on and add a /Kairomaru after the com.

Make sure to thank the patrons that make these stories possible by checking out the Patron Plaque on my profile!

So, without further delay, please enjoy.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Chapter 23 – Treatment and Shared Dreams

Vivi blinked at what she’d just done, not quite understanding what had just happened after she’d been startled by Sanji.

A large snow bank had buried the cook entirely, standing over a meter high in fresh powder. A moment later and Sanji stood up from the pile of snow, casually brushing off the white flakes from his jacket and then giving Vivi a smile. “I’m terribly sorry for startling you, Vivi. Please forgive me!”

“Um…yes, sorry…about that.” Vivi apologized flatly, staring at her own hands a moment later.

“You didn’t always have Devil Fruit powers, did you, Vivi-chwan?” Sanji asked as he twirled in place with heart-shaped eyes.

Vivi shook her head. “No, of course not.”

“Hey! What’re you two doing? The lift is fixed!” Zoro called out to Vivi and Sanji.

“Shut it, Marimo! Vivi just got Devil Fruit powers!” Sanji barked at Zoro with sharp teeth. “That’s kind of important to figure out!”

Vivi stopped what would’ve been a fight before it could begin as she lightly grabbed Sanji’s shoulder. “But we need to get up to the castle to check on Carina.”

Sanji was clearly torn between helping Vivi figure out her new situation and rushing up to the castle to check on Carina. “But…Vivi-chawn…Carina-chan…” He held his head in his hand, ruffling his blonde hair as he went back and forth over trying to help both women at the same time.

“We can just go up the lift with Vivi, Dartbrow.” Zoro said as he turned around and started heading towards the ropeway.

Vivi quickly followed after Zoro. “He’s right, Sanji! We need to get up to the castle first!”

“Yes, Vivi-chwan!” Sanji jogged after the princess with a bright smile.

-Drum Castle ~ Later-

“Where am I…?” Carina groaned lightly as she opened her eyes. She was immediately surrounded by her crew.

“Carina, you’re awake!” Luffy’s smile was almost as bright as the sun.

“Carina-chan!” Sanji was sobbing in relief over the purple-haired woman.

Nami smiled at her friend softly. “Carina…”

“Good to see you awake again.” Zoro inclined his head to the woman.

Reiju gave Carina a soft smile. “You’re safe now.”

“I’m so glad.” Vivi had her hands over her chest, a warm smile on her face.

"Kakakak!" Kureha laughed at the small celebration of the girl waking up. She was still about to burst their bubble though. “The Kestia tick carries in its saliva a deadly strain of bacteria which attacks the body for five days. Exactly five days without proper treatment. The infected rapidly develop a fever which never drops below one hundred and four degrees once it rises to that temperature. After the sustained fever is reached, it quickly develops into a superinfection which leads to myocarditis, arteritis, and encephalitis.”

Nami, Vivi, and Reiju – who actually understood most of those terms – blanched at what could have befallen Carina.

“You were bitten about a week ago, I believe. Because you got treatment from those twenty cowards, they were able to slow the infection’s progress. However, in another two days it wouldn’t have mattered, you’d have died.” Kureha looked darkly at Carina.

“I would have died…?” Carina would’ve paled considerably if not for the redness of her fever at what the doctor had said. She’d been just forty-eight hours from death!

“That's right.” Kureha took another pull from her bottle of booze. “Luckily for you, you came to me. It would have taken ten days for the medicine of some less competent doctor to fix you up, and that’s assuming they even managed to correctly diagnose you. You wouldn’t even be able to get out of bed during your treatment either. But with my medicine, you'll be up and about in just three days’ time.”

Carina looked pale, even with the flushed cheeks that her falling fever gave her. “Thank you for helping me, Dr. Kureha.” She thanked the elderly doctor genuinely, grateful to Kureha for saving her life.

“You're welcome.” The old woman replied, an actual honest smile on her face for once. “Now, let’s talk payment.” Kureha’s smile quickly became her familiar grin.

“Whatever you need.” Luffy immediately stated as he gently took Carina’s hand in his own again. “My nakama are worth far more than any treasure.”

“Luffy…” Carina was really glad her blushing couldn’t be seen through her fever.

“That’s good then,” Kureha chuckled as she looked between the pirates. “Are any of you skilled at picking locks by any chance?”

Nami, Luffy, and even Carina raised their hands slightly at the question.

“Well, that’s helpful.” The old doctor grinned at having multiple lock pickers. “Part of your payment for her treatment will be doing a little job for me.” Kureha informed the Straw Hats.

“Sure, I’ll do it.” Luffy agreed without hesitation, smiling at Kureha.

“As for the rest of your payment, I think forty-nine percent of your total cash will suffice.” Kureha smirked at the group. But she had to hide her shock when not a single one of them batted an eye at the price.

“Deal.” Luffy nodded firmly and extended his hand to the doctor.

Kureha chuckled as she shook the Captain’s hand and sealed their deal. “You don’t hold back, do you?”

“Shishishishishi!” Luffy laughed with a wide grin.

The next hour was spent with Luffy’s clones flying back and forth from the castle to the Going Merry to get Kureha’s payment. All of it was done under Nami’s supervision and once exactly forty-nine percent of their total treasure was collected, she stopped the clones from picking up a single extra Beri. Luffy wouldn’t have cared to give Kureha the majority of their treasure for saving Carina’s life, to be honest.

“YOU ATE A DEVIL FRUIT?!” Nami, Luffy, Reiju, and even Carina yelled out as soon as Vivi informed them of what she’d done just before using the ropeway lift to get to the castle.

Vivi nodded and held up her hands before snow piled up in her palms and then fell to the floor. “It’s some kind of snow Devil Fruit.”

“Snow Devil Fruit?” Luffy tilted his head slightly.

“It’s rather fitting for this island.” Reiju giggled slightly.

Nami gently placed a cool cloth on Carina’s forehead before turning back to Vivi. “You haven’t had much time to figure anything out with it, I’m sure. But do you think it’s a Paramecia or a Logia, maybe?”

“I’m not certain of anything yet…” Vivi stopped producing snow from her palms. “I need to practice with this ability to understand anything.”

“I bet Vivi is a Snow Angel~” Sanji said with a smile for the princess.

Zoro rolled his eyes. “Of course you do. Idiot.”

Sanji got right in Zoro’s face. “What was that? Jackass?”

“No fighting!” Nami and Reiju barked at both men. Nami punching Zoro atop the head while Reiju slapped Sanji upside the head at the same time.

“Ack…” Zoro grunted out, holding the lump atop his head. “Witch!”

Sanji held his own head with a grimace. “What did I do, Reiju?”

Reiju gave Sanji an unamused stare. “You know what you did.”

“Ushishi…” Carina chuckled at Nami and Reiju’s reactions.

Chopper entering the room to check on Carina went unnoticed for a second. “Everyone out, please.” Until he transformed into his larger ‘human’ form and practically shoved everyone out of the room. “Carina needs to rest.” The rather forceful dismissal of the entire crew from the room showed that Chopper had indeed been influenced by Kureha’s version of ‘bedside manner’ over the years.

Carina let Chopper check over her without complaint. “Am I getting better?”

“Your fever has gone down.” Chopper said with a smile as he looked at he thermometer. “You’re out of danger for now.” He held out a tongue depressor. “Open, please.”

“Aah.” Carina opened her mouth as the thin piece of wood gently pushed her tongue down.

Chopper shone a light into Carina’s mouth, checking for any signs of swelling or other abnormal symptoms that may have appeared while his patient had been infected with Kestia. “It doesn’t look like you had any previous kind of sickness before you contracted the Kestia infection. That’s a good thing.” He gave her a little smile while tossing the used tongue depressor in the trash. “Keep taking your medication and you’ll be able to walk around in another day or two.”

Carina smiled at the cute reindeer doctor. “Will do! Ushishi.”

Kureha allowed the Straw Hats to stay the night in her castle since Carina was undergoing her treatment there. In gratitude Sanji had whipped up a feast for everyone as the night’s dinner. Kureha had actually complimented the chef on the meal. Chopper had stuffed himself almost to bursting on the delicious food. While he preferred vegetables and sweet things mostly, a trait from his reindeer heritage, his Devil Fruit made him an omnivore in his hybrid form. He’d sampled a bit from every dish on the table which led to his bloated appearance.

Sanji had even twirled into Carina’s room with a tray filled with foods that had been approved by Kureha and Chopper for Carina’s weakened system. “Carina-chwan~ I’ve brought you dinner in bed!” He carefully placed the tray across Carina’s lap after she’d sat up in the bed.

“Please be quieter.” Chopper said as he helped Carina get comfortable sitting up, placing an extra couple of pillows behind her back to support her back. “The patient needs quiet and sleep to help her recovery.”

“Such a cutie.” Carina smiled at Chopper.

Chopper hopped backwards and swayed in place. “Calling me cute doesn’t make me happy! You jerk!” The little happy dance he was doing completely disproved his claims though.

Carina giggled. “Ushishi! I can tell.” She looked over the food on the tray and breathed in the wonderful smells. “It smells amazing, Sanji.”

“I’m so glad that it pleases you, Carina-chwan!” Sanji had heart-shaped eyes from the praise from Carina.

“Delicious!” Carina exclaimed after her first spoonful of the soup that Sanji had made.

Sanji smiled and bowed slightly. “I made sure that every dish was packed with as much nutrition as possible while still being easy on the stomach. Making sure to balance the flavor to your liking was a labor of love.” He said suavely as he pulled a cigarette from the pack.

Chopper snatching it from the chef before he could even do anything with it made Sanji blink. “No smoking around the patient!” He stuffed the cigarette back into the pack and then pushed Sanji out of the room. “I’ll bring the tray out once she’s done.”

“H-Hey!” Sanji cried out only for the door to be closed behind him with a thud.

-Night-

Luffy and Nami had left their rooms in the castle and snuck into Carina’s room quietly.

“Hey.” Carina opened her eyes and looked at them both with a little smile.

“How’re you feeling?” Nami asked as she sat beside Carina’s bed.

Luffy sat next to Nami with concern in his eyes. “Are you getting better?”

Carina nodded. “I’m getting there.”

“Good.” Nami said with a relieved smile as she gently brushed Carina’s hair away from her forehead.

“Get better and then we’ll have a big banquet to celebrate.” Luffy smiled widely at Carina.

“Sounds good to me, Luffy.” Carina moved her hand from beneath the blanket and placed it over Luffy’s. A second later and their fingers were interlaced as they held hands.

Nami smiled at the interaction and leaned over to place a soft kiss on Carina’s forehead. Carina blinked at the affection and looked into Nami’s eyes. The two had a silent conversation for a moment before a little grin spread across Carina’s lips.

“Ushishi… Told you I’d steal your heart.” Carina said to Nami with a giggle.

“Nah, I’m giving you a place in it.” Nami denied with a giggle.

Carina playfully huffed at Nami. “I totally stole it.”

“Shishishishi…” Luffy laughed at the silly argument.

Nami pulled Luffy close. “What are you waiting for, Luffy?”

Luffy looked blankly at Nami. “Huh?”

“Haaah…” Nami exhaled before kissing Luffy softly. “Show Carina you have the same feelings for her that she has for you, dummy.”

“Okay.” Luffy grinned before looking at Carina warmly.

Carina returned Luffy’s smile with her own little grin. “Come here, Luffy.”

Luffy leaned down and his lips met Carina’s soft lips as they shared their first kiss.

“Good.” Nami smiled at the new addition to their relationship.

“I wondered where you’d snuck off to.” Reiju said, quietly closing the door behind her. “Adding another to our relationship without me?” The playful grin on her lips made it obvious that she’d been in on the decision and was just teasing her lovers.

Luffy pulled away from Carina’s lips. “Hi, Reiju.” He smiled brightly at her.

“Good evening, Luffy.” Reiju giggled as she walked across the room and leaned in to captured Luffy’s lips for herself. “Now we’re all even.” She said as she pulled back from Luffy a moment later.

Carina gave a little smile to Reiju. “I still haven’t gotten a kiss from you~”

Reiju giggled softly. “Let’s fix that.” She leaned down and gently placed a kiss on Carina’s lips.

“Mmm…” Carina hummed as they pulled away from each other’s lips. “Nami~” She looked over at Nami expectantly, a playful smile on her face.

“Yeah, yeah…” Nami rolled her eyes with a grin of her own. She leaned down to kiss Carina’s lips for a long moment. “Better?”

Carina grinned at all three of her new ‘soon-to-be’ lovers. “Better.”

“Shall we stay with you until you fall asleep again, Carina?” Reiju asked softly as she sat on the edge of the bed.

“Mhmm, I’d like that.” Carina said with a soft smile, squeezing Luffy’s hand.

“Then we’ll stay.” Luffy told her with a smile.

Carina dozed off a little while later, a soft smile on her face as she was surrounded by the love and care of Nami, Reiju, and Luffy.

-Morning-

The next morning Luffy was dragged away from Carina’s bedside by Kureha; leaving Nami, Reiju, Sanji, and Chopper to take care of her. The old woman took him to a set of large, thick steel doors. Looking at the large double doors, Luffy blinked before turning to face Kureha. Seeing his confused look Kureha explained what she wanted from him.

“I need some of the things behind this door to complete a project I’ve been working on for the last few years.” Kureha stated as she tapped her knuckles against the heavy steel. “Do you think you can pick the lock on these doors?”

Luffy examined the large set of doors and the lock sealing them shut. “You just want me to open this door?”

“Yes,” Kureha nodded to Luffy. “It has a very strong lock that goes into the stone work on the top and bottom of both doors, as well as steel bars that connect the two doors to each other. Without the key I’ve been unable to get inside.”

“Okay.” Luffy grinned as he pointed at the lock on the door.

Click

Clank

Nnnnn

Thud

The various mechanisms that made up the lock sprung open under the Lock-Breaking Spell from Luffy’s Devil Fruit.

Luffy pried open the unlocked steel doors easily with his insane strength. Behind the previously sealed doors laid a massive amount of weapons ranging from simple spears, swords, and pistols, to large cannons lined up around the perimeter of the huge room. Every available space was covered in one weapon or another, and the rest of the space was filled with ammunition for the various firearms and cannons.

“An armory?” Luffy questioned Kureha as he looked at all of the weapons inside the large room.

“Yes,” Kureha said as she took in the large amount of weapons. “This was where all of the Royal Guards’ weapons were kept in case of an attack on the castle. I’m only interested in the large cannons here.” She pointed to the weapons that she actually wanted.

Luffy tilted his head questioningly. “Why?”

“Stick around for another day and you’ll see.” Kureha chuckled as if the Adventurer had a choice. Carina would still be undergoing treatment for another eight days before Kureha would let her patient leave.

“Are they still going at it?” Vivi giggled while she, Reiju, and Nami sat with Carina as the thief woman was already looking much better than she had been even just a day ago. According to Chopper, Carina’s fever had dropped substantially and was now only about one hundred degrees. A mild fever compared to the fatal fever that she’d had before was amazing treatment from Chopper and Kureha.

“Luffy has the idea in his head, there’s no escape for Chopper now.” Nami grinned as the women listened in to the, rather loud, conversation going on in the next room.

“I told you!” Chopper roared, teeth looking shark-like as he screamed at Luffy. “I'm a reindeer! I have a blue nose! I'm a monster and I don't belong with humans! I can't join you! Why aren't you afraid of me?!”

“And I told you, that you aren’t a monster and you’re cool!” Luffy retorted for the umpteenth time. “Some of the tanuki on my home island could hunt wolves and giant boar!”

“DAMN IT, I’M A REINDEER, NOT A TANUKI! AND WHAT THE HELL KIND OF ISLAND DID YOU LIVE ON?!” Chopper screamed back at the Adventurer (as Luffy had called himself) that wanted him to join his crew.

“Dawn Island in the East Blue.” Luffy nonchalantly answered the question as if they weren’t arguing back and forth about Chopper joining his crew. “We need a Doctor for the ship,” Luffy looked Chopper in the eyes. “I’ve watched you work; you said that you’ve had years of training from the old woman, don’t you have a dream beyond this island?”

“Oh boy, if he says yes then he’s a nakama whether he likes it or not.” Carina giggled softly with a wide smile on her face.

“Yep.” Reiju grinned while Vivi hid her own chuckles behind her hand.

“I do have a dream,” Chopper admitted as he looked down. “The same dream as Dr. Hiriluk. The dream to be able to cure any disease or sickness in this world!” Chopper looked up at the ceiling of the room. “Dr. Hiriluk raised that flag atop the castle as a challenge to all the diseases of the world! That he’d fight as hard as a pirate and never give up until he realized his dream!”

Nami looked surprised for a moment at Chopper’s words. “So that’s why there’s a Jolly Roger flying from the highest point of this castle?” She’d spotted it yesterday, but had no idea why it had been raised. “I guess Chopper’s father figure met pirates like the Red-Hair Pirates that Luffy told me about.”

“Then come with us! We’ll sail to every corner of the seas if we have to! Come chase your dream together with us, Chopper!” Luffy threw his hands in the air above his head and beamed at the reindeer so brightly that Chopper almost had to squint. The straw-hatted Captain held his hand out to the reindeer doctor. It was the clearest invitation in the world.

“B-b-but I’m a not meant to be around humans…” Chopper was tearing up at this blatant and honest acceptance from someone other than Dr. Hiriluk or Dr. Kureha. It was a first for the lonely blue-nosed reindeer that had been ostracized every day of his life, by both his original reindeer family and then by the humans of Drum Island.

“If you want to complete the dream you and that quack shared, then you won’t be able to by staying on this island.” Kureha spoke up from the doorway. “There’s only so much you can learn here, Chopper. If you want to cure every sickness and disease you come across, then you’ll have to explore the world and study things that we may never have known about. The world is vast and filled with a great many diseases and injuries. If you truly want to cure them all, then you have to take that first step.” She said, holding Chopper’s gaze as she told him the truth about the dream that he shared with his surrogate father.

“D-D-Doctorine!” Chopper had rivers of tears soaking his fur as he looked at his teacher and mother-figure.

“Still such a crybaby.” Kureha smiled fondly at Chopper before taking a swig from her bottle to hide her own misty eyes.

“What do you say, Chopper? Join my crew and be our nakama!” Luffy extended his hand again and this time (with Dr. Kureha’s clear approval and blessing) Chopper grabbed it with his own.

“Yes! I’ll join your crew, Luffy! I’ll become the best Doctor in the world! I’ll cure every injury and illness we come across!” Chopper declared from the depths of his heart and soul, an unshakeable belief in the dream that he’d inherited from Dr. Hiriluk. Kureha smiled proudly at Chopper as he made his declaration. It was time for her surrogate child to leave home and truly see the wide world away from the shores of Drum Island.

“Sounds like we have a Doctor now.” Carina grinned at Reiju, Nami, and Vivi.

“It does.” Vivi agreed with a giggle.

“There’s never any doubt once Luffy decides on a nakama.” Nami smirked with a chuckle.

Later that day a different argument was occurring.

“Absolutely not.” Kureha denied Luffy and Nami.

“Vivi’s country is in the middle of a civil war, we can’t stay here the full ten days.” Nami stated again.

“I don’t discharge my patients until they’re healthy or dead, no exceptions.” Kureha stared the two down.

“But we have Chopper coming with us, you said he can make Carina’s medicine and give it to her.” Luffy recalled, a firm look on his face. “We’re going to save Vivi’s country! We need to leave as soon as possible!”

“While Chopper can indeed create and administer the girl’s medicine,” Kureha said with sharp eyes. “She’s currently my patient and until she’s better she’s staying here.”

“Doctorine, I wish to take over the full care and treatment of patient Carina.” Chopper requested formally of his mentor and mother-figure. “I know the medicine required, how to produce it, and the prescribed amount to administer to her daily. I will make sure that she is cured without fail, ma’am.”

Kureha glared down at her student and surrogate son. “And where do you get off requesting such a thing of me, Chopper?”

“I am a Doctor and now a member of the Straw Hat crew! I will never let my nakama die!” Chopper practically roared with a fire blazing in his eyes.

“Hah~” Kureha sighed before taking a swig from a bottle of booze that had been on a nearby table. “Only an ‘Adventurer’ for a few hours and already a big man, huh?” She smirked down at Chopper. “Kakakakak! Fine, fine, she’s in your care. You can leave tomorrow morning after I give her one last look over.”

Chopper bowed to Kureha. “Thank you, Doctorine!”

Luffy and Nami both blinked at the situation being resolved without any further argument.

“That was awesome, Chopper!” Luffy exclaimed and Chopper flailed a bit before he started happy dancing at the praise.

Nami smiled at their newest nakama. “Have you met everyone yet, Chopper?”

“Yep! Zoro, Reiju, and Sanji!” Chopper smiled at Nami. “Though Sanji said something about emergency rations when we met?”

“Oh, he did?” Reiju said, having overheard Chopper’s words as she’d walked closer. “I’ll go talk to him for a second.” She walked towards the kitchen with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes and a cool aura of danger surrounding her. The ‘big sister’ energy didn’t portend well for Sanji.

At about mid-morning the next day, the Straw Hats, now including Chopper, were loading up the Going Merry with supplies while Carina was being fussed over by said reindeer doctor, Sanji, Reiju, and Nami. The whole town of Bighorn had come to see them off, led by Dalton. Kureha and Chopper were saying their last good-byes when Kureha turned to Luffy.

“Young man, can you delay your departure for just a little longer?” Kureha asked the Captain with a grin.

Luffy blinked at the old woman. “Huh? What for?”

“Oh you’ll see in about two more minutes.” Kureha chuckled as after looking at a pocket watch.

“Hey, what's that?” Zoro asked as he saw something fire from the top of the mountain where the castle was located.

“Kakakakakak!” Kureha laughed loudly as everyone turned to look at the top of the mountain. Chopper started to sob as a series of explosions went off above the castle, and only a minute later, beautiful pink snow started to fall like cherry blossoms all over Drum Island.

“WAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! DOCTORINE!” Chopper bawled as he saw his surrogate father’s dream of cherry blossoms blooming on their winter island come true. Everyone gathered watched in awe as the tall, cylindrical Drum Rockies looked exactly like cherry trees in full bloom.

“That’s incredible…” One of the villagers from Bighorn said in amazement.

“It’s beautiful!” Vivi exclaimed with a joyous smile.

“Amazing!” Sanji grinned at the unexpected sight.

Zoro chuckled as he was brought back to memories from his childhood. “Sakura Viewing on a winter island, what do you know?” He grinned as he thought about going to grab a bottle of sake to enjoy the sight even more.

“Wonders upon wonders.” Reiju smiled at the beautiful sight.

“Good things just seem to follow you around, you know that?” Nami smiled at Luffy as their hands found each other and their fingers entwined.

“Shishishishi!” Luffy chuckled as he watched the falling pink snow.

Carina leaned into Luffy’s opposite side, having managed to get out of bed and walk outside to see the amazing site of the mountains looking like giant cherry trees in full bloom. “It’s a beautiful sight…a real treasure.”

Luffy put his arm around Carina and held her close, supporting most of her weight on his own so that she didn’t strain herself. “A dream is always a treasure.”

Chopper hugged Kureha for all he was worth as he tried to stem his happy tears. The old woman wasn’t much better as she held her surrogate son and watched Hiriluk’s dream become a reality. That old quack had given her the best years of her life after his passing. He’d left Chopper in her care and she could never recall being happier.

Dreams were truly amazing things when they were realized. They could change not only people, but also the world.

-Going Merry_

The Straw Hats sailed away from Drum Island, still watching the ‘Sakura Viewing’ as they got further away.

“I was right.” Zoro said with a grin as he sipped on sake. “Flower viewing is better with sake.”

Luffy laughed as he watched the amazing sight with Nami on his right and Reiju on his left. “It’s awesome!”

“All that’s left is helping Vivi figure out her Devil Fruit and getting her back home, right?” Sanji said as he brought hot drinks to the ladies.

Vivi accepted the drink with a smile. “Thank you, Sanji.” She sipped the hot coca with a smile.

Nami looked over at Vivi. “We do need to help you out, Vivi.” She smiled at the princess. “With four other Devil Fruit users on board, surely we can figure things out.”

Reiju looked away from the ‘flower viewing’ and towards Vivi. “If it’s not a Zoan or a paramecia, there might be a little difficulty though.” They only had three Zoan users and one Paramecia user, after all.

“But that would still narrow it down to the only type of Devil Fruit left.” Chopper said as he emerged from the women’s quarters were Carina was sleeping again. “Logia Frutis are supposed to be really rare though…or at least that’s what the books say.”

Vivi looked at her left hand. “Logia…” It would be incredible, of course, and the same type as the Suna Suna no Mi that Crocodile possessed. “Would I finally have the power to save my country?”

“Even if you don’t right away,” One of the Luffy clones sat beside her with a bright smile. “You have us to help you kick this crocodile’s ass!” He punched his fist into his palm.

“Thank you, Luffy.” Vivi smiled at the clone and then at Luffy himself. When he said that to her, she truly believed it and it made her heart feel warm.

“Then let’s head full-speed for Alabasta so that we can save Vivi’s country!” Sanji declared, pointing towards the bow of the ship. “I’ll protect you, Vivi-chan!” He had heart-shaped eyes as he made his proclamation.

Zoro scoffed at Sanji. “Idiot.” He smirked and looked over at Chopper. “Hey, Chopper, you think you can cure that perverted cook?”

Chopper looked curiously at Sanji as the cook angrily stomped over to Zoro. “I don’t think I can treat that.”

As the fight between Zoro and Sanji broke out, the course was set for Alabasta by the multitude of Luffy’s copies.

“Yeah! Let’s go!” Luffy, and all of his clones, cheered loudly…looking forward to the continued adventure.

-End Chapter-

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Cheery blossoms in a land of snow! AMAZING!!!

With the realization of Dr. Hiriluk’s first dream, Tony Tony Chopper heads out into the world to complete the dream he and his surrogate father both shared! To cure each and every disease in the world!

But in the commotion and hurry to get Carina cured and set sail for Alabasta, Vivi’s new Devil Fruit powers were briefly put on hold.

What kind of Devil Fruit does she have? Is it truly a Logia?

Just how far can Vivi get with her Devil Fruit by the time the Straw Hats reach Alabasta?

Will it be enough to thwart Crocodile’s plans and save her country?

Keep reading to find out!

Until next time, later!