A group of civilians from Drum Island carefully transported Zoro, Igaram, the still-unconscious Psyduck, and the gravely injured Dalton up a cable car to Drum Castle on Drum Rock.
Zoro had ended up here after waking from a coma caused by Psyduck's sudden outburst, leaving him confused and seeking answers from Ikki about what had happened.
Dalton, however, was in critical condition. Having been struck by more than a dozen arrows, he had received no treatnt. The only remaining doctors on Drum Island were Kureha and Chopper.
The doctors who once served under Wapol, including Isshi-20, were all injured when Psyduck's burst of telekinesis had struck, rendering them unable to operate on Dalton. This left the civilians no choice but to carry him up the mountain, hoping Kureha could save him.
Zoro felt a wave of relief when he saw that Nami was awake. However, he was puzzled by her unusually somber expression, as if soone owed her a fortune.
"Huh? What's wrong, Zoro?" Ikki asked curiously.
"Ikki, co check on Psyduck!" Zoro said, holding out the unconscious duck and recounting the events leading up to its collapse.
The Straw Hat crew was stunned to learn that Psyduck had used its powers to float a massive ship.
"The duck looks so stupid, but I didn't think it'd be so strong!" Usopp said in disbelief.
He then slumped, a look of defeat crossing his face. "Great, another crew mber who makes look bad," he muttered.
"But..." Nami interjected, her voice tinged with concern. "Judging by how it collapsed, it seems like using its powers cos with a heavy price, doesn't it?"
Nami glanced at the unconscious Psyduck, her worry evident. Despite her usual fixation on treasure, this situation made her prioritize her crewmates—furry or otherwise.
Finally, all eyes turned to Ikki.
After all, Psyduck had co from Ikki, and if anyone knew what was happening, it would be him.
Ikki scratched the back of his head nervously. "Uh, yeah... Psyduck probably just overdid it. Nothing to worry about!" He tried to sound confident. "It just needs so rest, and it'll be fine!"
Hearing this, the Straw Hats breathed a collective sigh of relief.
With Psyduck's condition settled, Luffy and Usopp brought Chopper over to introduce him.
"This is Chopper! He's our new crewmate!" Luffy announced proudly.
Zoro blinked as he took in the sight of Chopper. First the duck, now a reindeer? He couldn't help but think that, at this rate, the crew would resemble a traveling zoo. Still, he welcod the newcor warmly.
"Hey, I'm Zoro. Nice to et you."
"H-Hello... I'm Chopper..." Chopper stamred nervously.
anwhile, Kureha had just finished operating on Dalton. With the surgery complete, she imdiately began preparing sothing special for Chopper. Grabbing a few strong villagers, she led them to the castle's storage area, where they retrieved several cannons.
Kureha had decided to give Chopper a farewell he'd never forget: a grand cherry blossom celebration. It wasn't just her gift to Chopper—it was also the dream of Chopper's father figure, Doctor Hiriluk, to share the beauty of cherry blossoms with Drum Island.
Once everything was ready, Kureha distributed cannonballs filled with pink cherry blossom powder to the villagers. Monts later, a series of cannon blasts echoed across Drum Rocks.
Hearing the commotion, the Straw Hat crew instinctively turned toward the castle, confused as they saw the cannonballs being launched into the sky rather than at anything.
"What's going on now?" Usopp asked, puzzled.
While the others remained bewildered, Ikki seed to already understand.
Just as Luffy and the others were about to head to the castle to investigate, Ikki stopped them. "Don't go! Just stay here and watch. This is a gift from Kureha and Doctor Hiriluk for Chopper. Trust , you don't want to miss this!"
As the crew waited, the white snow falling around them began to turn pink.
The transformation was stunning: the sky above Drum Rocks beca a vibrant pink, resembling cherry blossoms in full bloom. From a distance, the mountain itself looked like the trunk of a massive cherry blossom tree, its pink "petals" spreading across the sky. Up close, the beauty was just as breathtaking, with the powder drifting down like soft, delicate blossoms.
Moved by the sight, Ikki pulled out his Polaroid cara. "This is too beautiful not to capture. Everyone, let's take a photo together!"
He even brought out Mr. 13, the otter , who had been given a cozy hut after being detained. Though untrained in photography, Mr. 13 quickly picked up the basics thanks to his high intelligence, claiming it was easier than sketching.
The crew took several photos, making sure to capture the pink sky and snowy cherry blossoms. Ikki even found Kureha, who was hiding nearby, and brought her and Chopper together for a special photo under the "cherry blossoms" holding Hiriluk's pirate flag.
When the photos were handed to Kureha, it was ti for farewells.
Though Kureha tried to act harsh, saying, "Good riddance to that troubleso reindeer!" her teary eyes betrayed her true feelings.
Chopper, overco with emotion, hesitated to leave. Seeing her tears, he nearly decided to stay and look after her.
But Kureha, knowing Chopper's kind heart, didn't give him the chance. She grabbed a handful of weapons and hurled them at him. "Get out of here, idiot! You think I need you to take care of ? Go chase your dreams already!"
With her heartfelt yet fiery farewell, Chopper finally boarded the Going rry alongside his new friends.
As the ship sailed away from Drum Island, the crew turned back for one last look at the mountain.
From a distance, the entire scene resembled a forest of enormous cherry blossom trees, with Drum Rocks as the trunk and the pink-hued sky as the blooming petals. Even though it wasn't a real cherry blossom tree, its beauty surpassed anything nature could create.
Ikki continued snapping photos, taking both close-ups and panoramic shots. Polaroid photography proved convenient, allowing him to docunt the mont for everyone.
During the celebration that followed aboard the ship, Ikki took many candid photos of Chopper's first experiences as part of the crew.
He captured Chopper's embarrassed reaction to complints, his silly antics like sticking chopsticks in his nose, and even the ti he accidentally turned into his noodle-like form while trying to dodge praise. Each photo was carefully stored in an album to commorate their new crewmate.
Amid the festivities, Vivi seed a bit down as she tended to her beloved Karoo, now wrapped in blankets after a near-disastrous dive into the icy sea.
"Karoo, why did you fall into the freezing water?!" she scolded, exasperated.
Karoo, a desert duck unused to the cold or water, quacked sheepishly.
Seeing Karoo's bedraggled state, Zoro smirked. "Look at this clumsy duck—it fell in all by itself!"
Karoo let out an indignant series of quacks, which Chopper translated. "It said soone nad Zoro fell into the water, and Karoo jumped in to try to save him!"
The crew imdiately turned their attention to Zoro, their eyes accusatory.
"Uh... I think I'll go check on Psyduck," Zoro muttered, hastily walking away.
As if on cue, Psyduck erged from the cabin, wobbling slightly.
"Psy....ay" it muttered weakly.
Chopper translated again. "It says it's hungry!"
Ikki was amazed. "Chopper, you're incredible! You can even understand Pokémon?"
Could it be that what he ate was not the Human-Human Fruit but actually the Translate-Tranlsate Fruit?
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