Chopper

"Finally, we’re back, Drum Island!"

Yota looked wistfully at the snowbound island before him. He had spent many years on Drum Island, after all. Aside from Konoha, where he had been born and lived until graduating at age ten, this place felt more like his hometown than anywhere else in his life.

Although Drum Island was merely a small winter island with limited resources and few residents, its status as a medical powerhouse made the entire port look bustling and lively.

"It looks like it’s developed quite well," Charlotte Pudding said in surprise. "I never expected the country where Captain Yota was born to be such a rare peaceful and prosperous nation. That really is unexpected."

Charlotte Pudding was right about that. Most countries that pirates came from were not doing very well, or they would not have thought of going to sea to become pirates.

Generally, they were either militaristic or politically corrupt. If a country was truly peaceful and happy, few people would be willing to sail out and become pirates.

"It seems Dalton really is a qualified King," Yota said with a smile. "Though Drum Island’s environment is harsh, its medical field ranks among the best on the entire Grand Line. It earned a great deal of foreign income through its medical expertise, which was what sustained this appearance of prosperity."

The others nodded in realization. Even without taking his Munch-Munch Fruit powers or Medical Ninjutsu into account, Yota was an excellent doctor. Now they understood that it had been shaped by his environment.

"Still, Captain, you don’t seem to be very famous in this country!"

The group disembarked from the Azure Dragon and stepped onto the dock. Violet glanced around at the crowd and spoke.

"Of course not. Back then, I was only a somewhat well-known doctor, and a traveling physician without a fixed clinic. Not many people here knew me."

"And when I first went to sea, I wasn’t the captain of a pirate crew. I was only the ship’s doctor of the Spade Pirates, so I was even less well known."

"By the time my reputation began to spread, I was already in the New World."

"Come on. I’ll take you to see our target this time. Chopper is very cute."

"A reindeer that ate the Human-Human Fruit? That really is rare." Charlotte Pudding smiled as well. "Let’s go. We should set off quickly."

In the original story, Chopper should have been living with Dr. Kureha in the castle atop the mountain. But now, the mountain castle was still the residence of King Dalton. The previous idiot King with the Munch-Munch Fruit powers had never eaten the Munch-Munch Fruit before Yota had already taken him out.

The original Blackbeard had not obtained the Dark-Dark Fruit either. He was still playing the good guy in the Whitebeard Pirates, and naturally would not travel all the way to Drum Kingdom.

Because of that, Yota did not know where the two of them had gone to practice medicine. Fortunately, Violet was with him. Because she had seen too much, it was difficult for Violet to locate ordinary people, but a reindeer-man with such obvious traits as Chopper was easy enough to find.

In a rather peaceful little mountain village, Chopper was diligently brewing medicine.

"Ringer Grass, then soapberry… Let me check again…"

"Chopper, go buy me some more liquor," Dr. Kureha’s voice called out. Chopper turned his head. "Okay! Dr. Kureha!"

However, because he had turned his head, he failed to notice where he was reaching. The fur on his arm was instantly singed by the flames beneath the medicine pot.

"Hm? Why does it smell like roasted meat? Waaah! Help!"

Little Chopper shot out of the wooden cabin like a tiny fireball and ran off. His footing slipped, and he tumbled straight down the slope.

Drum Island was a winter island, covered in snow from end to end, and the hillside was naturally piled high with it. Chopper rolled around on the ground and extinguished the flames, but he also turned into a snowball and rolled directly downhill.

With a crack, the snowball slammed into the foot of someone standing at the bottom of the hill and split apart, revealing Chopper, scorched black and red.

"Hmm… What is this, braised reindeer?" the newcomer muttered. "Who would have thought that in the time I’ve been gone, Dr. Kureha would develop such a hobby…"

"I’m not braised reindeer!" Chopper, whose eyes had both been spinning moments ago, raised his head and shouted upon hearing the newcomer’s voice. Then he saw who it was.

"Yota!? You’re back!"

"Yota, your treatment really is faster! The burn healed so quickly!"

Dr. Kureha looked at Chopper, who had been red and black just moments ago but had now completely recovered, and could not help sighing in admiration.

"That’s because of my Devil Fruit ability. It doesn’t really have anything to do with medical skill." Yota waved his hand and spoke bluntly.

"So why has a Great Pirate with a bounty of one billion come looking for an old lady like me?" Dr. Kureha brewed a pot of tea and smiled. "At your current level, I can’t teach you any more medicine."

"Haha, this time I mainly came for Chopper. I have a research project I hope he’ll participate in."

Hearing that, joy appeared on Chopper’s face, and he twisted himself into a knot. "Oh, I’m not that outstanding."

Then his expression immediately changed. Staring with sparkling eyes, he asked,

"Research? I can take part in research too? Where are we going, and what kind of research is it? Are we researching newer medical techniques?"

Yota smiled slightly and looked at Chopper. "We’re going to Punk Hazard to research artificial Devil Fruits."

"Artificial Devil Fruits? What are those?" Chopper scratched his head. "I don’t think I’ve ever researched anything like that."

"Don’t worry." Yota nodded. "All you need to do is lie down on the operating table and sleep for a while."

"I see, it’s that simple," Chopper said happily. Then his whole body suddenly stiffened. "Wouldn’t that make me an experimental subject? So I’m the one being researched!"

"That’s right. Among Zoan-type Devil Fruit test subjects, there has never been such a rare specimen as an animal that ate the Human-Human Fruit."

"No! I don’t want to be sliced up!" Chopper cried miserably and hid behind Charlotte Pudding. Unfortunately, he only hid his head while leaving his entire body exposed.

Charlotte Pudding, who had a rather devious streak, revealed a sinister smile and began deceiving the poor adorable little reindeer. "I forgot to tell you, I’m your primary researcher, specifically responsible for studying you!"

As she spoke, she picked Chopper up and examined him from side to side as though inspecting pork at a market. "Not bad, very healthy. Looks like you can be used for a long time."