Chapter 63: The Old Witch And The Reindeer, The Killer In The Snowy Night
Village...
Under Dalton's leadership, everyone arrived at his residence, a small house with a fireplace.
"Then it's up to you, Mr. Dalton. If there are any problems, please gather us immediately."
The militiamen greeted each other and returned to their respective homes.
Dalton has a high reputation here, and the people in the village would greet him with a smile.
"Mr. Dalton we support you..for the election. "
After dealing with the enthusiastic villagers, Dalton finally led everyone into the house.
"What does the election mean?"
As soon as they entered the house, it became much warmer.
Dalton brewed a pot of hot tea for everyone and heard Usopp ask this question.
"As I mentioned earlier, a few months ago, a group of pirates called Blackbeard landed, and at that time, the king abandoned the country and fled to the sea as soon as he learned about it. So, there is no king on this island now."
He explained in a low voice.
"The so-called election is to choose a new king."
Upon hearing this, the Straw Hat Crew frowned.
Vivi was even stunned and angrily gritted her teeth, saying, "Is this considered a ruler of a country? He actually abandoned his people and fled!"
In her opinion, it was simply unreasonable. A king who couldn't protect his people didn't deserve to be called a king.
Luffy, on the other hand, could understand this girl's feelings.
This little girl dared to go undercover in Baroque Works at the age of 14, living up to her princess status and the words she spoke at this moment.
The king's name is Wapol, and this country used to be called Drum Kingdom...
Perhaps influenced by Vivi's words, Dalton unconsciously said a few more words, "It used to be one of the world's leading medical countries, but this person drove away all the doctors in the country for the sake of his own rule, leaving only 20 people to serve him. And if the citizens want medical treatment, they have to beg him, '957'!"
It's outrageous. Can someone like this really be a king?!
Vivi was so angry that she clenched her fists.
"Wait, doesn't that mean there are no doctors here now!?" Usopp discovered a loophole.
"No, there is still one, Dr. Kureha."
Dalton pointed outside the window and whispered, "Can you see the three mountains? The one in the middle is the king's palace, and that old witch is living there now.
Sanji squinted his eyes and gazed for a moment. Through the thick snow, he could barely see the shadow of a castle.
"How can we get up there with such height? Even if we use Moonwalk, we will run out of strength halfway..."
There should be some kind of cable car or mountain climbing facility, right? After all, it's the king's palace, there must be a convenient way to go up the mountain.
"I'll go." Luffy smiled and said, "Kaya, I'll take you up, as for you guys... just stay here for now."
"Oh, Luffy, it's up to you." Zoro sat on the side, holding a cup of hot tea, nodding leisurely.
Dalton immediately said, "If you want to go up the mountain, it's best to go from the back of the mountain. If you go up from the front of the village, you will encounter Raban..."
Before he could finish, Kaya had already followed Luffy out of the house.
"What is Raban?" Nami asked curiously.
"It's a ferocious rabbit."
"A rabbit? Then it's okay."
"No... it's a ferocious one..."
Dalton opened his mouth, but saw that this group of people had no sense of panic at all and had great trust in Luffy.
Not to mention the idle talk inside the house.
Kaya followed Luffy and walked towards the central peak, braving the wind and snow.
After leaving the Syrup Village, the snow on the ground became thicker and thicker. With each step, it could even reach the knees.
Kaya, who was weak and sickly, had already started to pant with a red face after walking less than a hundred meters.
Luffy had to turn around and said with a speechless face, "Let me carry you. If you walk by yourself, it will be dark by the time we get there."
Kaya blushed slightly, looked at Luffy who was already ready to carry her, and without being too coy, gently leaned on Luffy's back, her hands wrapped around his neck.
"You're so light..." Luffy said in surprise, much lighter than Nami.
"I'm sorry..."
"Why apologize?"
Luffy carried Kaya on his back and walked calmly.
"I'm causing you trouble again, Mr. Luffy."
"Indeed, how should you thank me?"
Kaya's heart raced, and she suddenly dared not speak further.
As they walked, in the wind and snow ahead, rabbits with red eyes and standing on their hind legs suddenly appeared.
The rabbits were large in size and had a very fierce expression.
"Mr. Luffy!" Kaya held on even tighter, feeling nervous.
Luffy continued walking without stopping, leaving footprints behind, and at the same time, his Conqueror's Haki instantly intimidated the surrounding area for kilometers.
In an instant, nearby creatures all fainted.
"Wow, amazing~" Kaya blinked her eyes. "Is this Conqueror's Haki?"
Having traveled from East Blue to the Grand Line, she didn't have a very clear understanding of Luffy's strength, only knowing that he was strong and formidable.
This time, witnessing Conqueror's Haki firsthand, she truly understood that Mr. Luffy was even more formidable than she had imagined.
"After your recovery, what do you want to do in the future?" Luffy smiled, so that the girl wouldn't feel bored, he decided to chat with her a bit more.
"Plans for the future?" Kaya tilted her head and thought for a moment, then lightly smiled and said, "I want to become a doctor."
"Only those who have tasted the bitterness of pain can understand the importance of showing kindness to others. Miss Kaya, you are a gentle girl."
Kaya widened her beautiful eyes in surprise. Occasionally, Mr. Luffy would say something that struck a chord in her heart.
She felt a kind of understanding.
She covered her mouth and chuckled, "Mr. Luffy, why did you want to bring me to the Grand Line to seek medical treatment when we were in Syrup Village? I can't do anything on the ship, I'm really just a burden to you."
As she said that, she leaned her head against Luffy's shoulder and softly murmured, like a mosquito:
"Mr. Luffy, you are the True Gentleman."
Upon hearing this, Luffy chuckled silently.
You see, if he were Usopp, Kaya would already be a mother by now.(a certain someone : tmd.. You say that but, when will you attack nojiko)
When the two arrived at the foot of the mountain, the blizzard grew stronger, and they could hardly see the scenery a few meters away.
Feeling the trembling on her back, the cold pierced through her coat, and the bone-chilling cold turned Kaya's face red.
She raised her head slightly and looked at the mountain peak ahead.
The almost vertical mountain wall extended upward at a ninety-degree angle from the ground, disappearing into the blizzard.
["So high... If I were alone, I wouldn't have a clue how to get up there."]
"Hold on tight."
With a single thought, Luffy instantly transformed into Nika Form.
His hair turned into white flames, burning brightly.
Lying on Luffy's back, Kaya felt the coldness disappear and instinctively held on tighter, seeking more warmth.
"So warm~"
...
Unlike her reaction, Luffy could only complain that it wasn't Nami otherwise.
"Let's go!"
With a reminder, the snow beneath Luffy's feet turned into rubber. He slightly bent his knees and then leaped up, shooting into the air.
Swoosh!
Like a bolt of lightning, he shot straight up!
"Ah~"
Overwhelmed by the excitement, Kaya let out a cry of surprise.
As the bouncing force gradually weakened, white flame clouds formed beneath Luffy's feet. With another burst of power, he soared to the mountaintop in one breath.
"Huff... huff..."
Kaya, frightened, closed her eyes and breathed lightly through her mouth. Only when she felt stable did she dare to slowly open her eyes.
"We're here."
"What a beautiful castle!"
Kaya exclaimed in awe.
Before their eyes was a large castle covered in snow, just as exquisite as they had imagined.
Luffy walked up to the castle gate and knocked a few times.
After waiting for quite a while, a door crack opened from inside.
Then, a horn and half of a deer's head poked out from the door crack.
"A reindeer?" Kaya blinked her eyes.
It was a reindeer with a blue nose, wearing a round red hat on its head.
It seems like the reindeer was scared, with cold sweat appearing on his face.
In the next moment, he arched his nose and with a bang, closed the door.
"He got scared," Luffy laughed.
"Is, is that so?" Kaya quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, please open the door."
"Maybe it's a tanuki, I heard tanukis are socially anxious."
As soon as the words fell, the door was opened again.
"I'm a reindeer! I'm definitely not a tanuki! Can't you see that I'm a reindeer!"
He opened his mouth to express his dissatisfaction, then let out a sigh and hid behind the door.
"He... he spoke!" Kaya exclaimed, covering her mouth.
Luffy pushed the door open and the reindeer couldn't stop him at all.
Panicking, he stepped back and shouted, "Who... who are you? What are you doing here?"
"I'm Luffy, she's Kaya. We're here to find a doctor named Dr. Kureha. This is a token given to her by an acquaintance."
As he spoke, Luffy took out the paper that Crocus gave him at Twin Cape and showed it to the reindeer.
The reindeer stared at it for a moment and was immediately stunned.
Then, he picked up the paper with his mouth, turned around quickly, and ran off.
"Wait here, I'll go get Dr. Kureha!"
Leaving the two behind.
Kaya said in surprise, "There really are animals that can talk in the world... how cute~ I wonder what kind of person the witch here is."
Not long after, the two met the so-called old friend.
An energetic old lady, wearing a purple jacket, purple leather pants, and two decorative glasses on her head.
"Crocus sent you, right? Follow me."
The two followed her and arrived at a room.
It's not really a nursingroom, but rather a relatively large bedroom.
Dr. Kureha glanced at Luffy and said, "It's quite impressive that you climbed up here in the blizzard, but it's about time to put the patient down. From my perspective, she's not so sick that she can't walk."
Upon hearing this, Kaya blushed like a monkey's butt. She hadn't even thought about getting off Luffy's back because it was so warm.
"I'm sorry, please, please put me down, Mr. Luffy!"
Luffy put her down and also released his Nika form...
He said to Kureha, "Please help check on her condition."
Kureha had Kaya sit down and began to inquire about her illness.
Kaya cooperated well.
Luffy suddenly had nothing to do.
He turned his head and saw a little deer head poking out at the door, curiously observing.
Unlike its previous form at the castle gate, the deer was now standing on two feet and had transformed into a cat size.
Luffy grinned and immediately walked towards it.
The deer got scared and quickly hid.
However, while it hid its head, its body was still exposed, making its actions look very funny.
"What's your name?"
Luffy squatted down and asked with a smile.
"Aren't you afraid of me?" Chopper said dumbfoundedly, "My name is Tony Tony Chopper."
"Why should I be afraid? You're a talking raccoon cat who ate the Human-Human Fruit. There's nothing strange about that."
"I'm not a raccoon cat, I'm a reindeer!"
Chopper immediately transformed into a shark mouth and retorted.
"Hahaha, so cute. Do you want to come on my ship?"
"Even if you praise me, I won't be happy, you jerk~"
Because he was too happy, his whole body twisted.
At this moment, the voice of Kureha, who was treating Kaya, came through:
"Just like Chopper, you're also a Devil Fruit user, right? The sudden change earlier, was it a Zoan type?"
"That's right, I ate a Zoan type Devil Fruit too."
Chopper was shocked and felt excited to see someone like him: "Did you also turn into an animal?"
Suddenly, he felt a sense of familiarity!
"I am a human, I ate the Zoan type Devil Fruit, Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika."
"Model: Nika? That's even rarer than Logia!"
Kureha glanced at Luffy unexpectedly, lost in thought.
Chopper felt like he was struck by lightning!! Why is there such a big difference between everyone who ate the Zoan type Devil Fruit?
The sense of familiarity... disappeared!
"Hahaha." Luffy laughed and reached out to rub Chopper's head. "Chopper, come on my ship. The outside world is very big, you happen to be a doctor too."
"No!"
Chopper wanted to run away, but obviously couldn't escape Luffy's grasp. With a stretch of his hand, he was pulled back.
Kaya watched the two of them playfully and smiled, saying to Kureha:
"Um, about my illness..."
"Hmm? Little girl, are you asking me the secret to eternal youth?"
"Uh... I heard you're already over 140 years old."
"You shouldn't say things like that casually, little girl. I'm still youthful and beautiful at 139!"
Kureha showed a terrifying expression.
Kaya was scared and sweating profusely. "Yes, yes!"
That night.
Dawn Island.
The snowstorm outside had stopped.
Inside Dalton's house, the burning fireplace brought warmth.
As a guest, Sanji took the initiative to help with cooking.
"I wonder how Kaya and the others are doing..." Nami said worriedly.
"Don't worry, Nami-chan. With Luffy-niichan here, everything will be fine!" Johnny said with absolute trust.
Dalton smiled and said, "The blizzard has stopped now. If you want to go up the mountain, you can take the mountain path on the back and take the cable car up."
"Hmm?" Suddenly, Zoro, who was drinking warm wine, frowned and looked in a certain direction.
"What's wrong, Zoro?" Usopp leisurely sipped his tea.
"There's some presence approaching our ship."
Zoro's gaze slightly narrowed, and he immediately got up and walked towards the door. "I'll go check. It might be the Baroque Works assassins."
Sanji, who was cooking, was shocked. "I can't accept this! Is it really possible for this moss head to awaken and use Observation Haki from such a distance? It's quite far away!"
"Usopp, you should go with him too. He might get lost," Nami quickly said.
"Understood. Hey, Zoro, wait for me. Don't wander off, or you'll get lost!" Usopp said.
Just as Zoro was about to leave, he turned back. "Who would get lost!"
At the same time, at the docking point of the Sunny and the Merry.
In the Merry's warehouse.
A tall woman appeared at the door.
"So everyone's here?" She raised her eyebrows. "These people are really slack. They didn't even send anyone to guard."
The sleeping prisoners all opened their eyes.
"Miss Doublefinger!" Mr. 3's eyes lit up. "Did the boss send you to rescue us?"
"No, I just came to take a look," the woman kicked her leg and cut the ropes that bound the prisoners. With one hand on her waist, she said, "Now, listen to my orders. Let's go together and deal with the Straw Hat Crew, as well as the little princess!"
Upon hearing this, the recently freed prisoners all turned pale.
In the next second, the three of them re-tied the broken ropes around themselves.
Miss Doublefinger: "..."
["What are these idiots doing?"]
The prisoners said in unison, "I think it's pretty good here!"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone