Kōta introduced his companions to Mihawk, asking him to wait at the dock for a while. He then instructed Ahua and the others to move supplies onto the White Iron King, while he, along with Kuina, headed towards the distant village.
Since they were here, of course, he wanted to see the cute reindeer with the blue nose.
The villagers, unaware of what had transpired at the dock, eyed Kōta and the stranger with suspicion. However, after Kōta’s polite inquiries, one of the villagers pointed them in the right direction.
Although he didn't know where Chopper was, he knew that Chopper would undoubtedly be studying medicine with "Dr. Kureha" at this time.
"Dr. Kureha" was the teacher who imparted lifelong medical skills to Chopper, and could be considered his mother. Her affectionate, yet sometimes gruff, nickname for him was "idiot son."
She was a close spiritual friend to "Hiriluk," the quack doctor who first took Chopper in.
Her behavior was more akin to a pirate than a doctor, leading the islanders to call her a "witch."
Despite being known as a witch and charging exorbitant fees, Dr. Kureha was an exceptionally skilled physician, and the only doctor in the Drum Kingdom not under Walpol’s control at that time.
Thus, even though they outwardly showed no welcome and disliked being treated by her, the people inwardly were grateful for her presence.
Kureha was renowned, so when Kōta asked, the villagers knew who he was referring to. While they didn't know her exact location, they knew she was near a certain settlement.
After clarifying the direction, Kōta, holding Kuina's hand, headed north.
"The lakeside town of 'Kestor' to the north?"
He remembered that Kureha lived in a treehouse within a gigantic tree, with no other residents nearby.
Therefore, once they reached Kestor, finding her would be easy.
Not long after leaving the town of "Big Horn," they saw a large, upright-walking gray bear approaching them slowly, carrying a walking stick.
These "Hiking Bears" were unique to Drum Island, often seen walking with their travel staffs, silent and seemingly on a tour.
Pedestrians encountered them were expected to bow respectfully.
Kōta and Kuina, of course, were no exception. Kōta stopped, pulling Kuina with him, and they turned to the side, yielding the path to the hiking bear, bowing as they did so.
The bear, in turn, politely bowed its head and nodded at them.
Kōta looked up at the hiking bear passing by and chuckled, "What a magical island!"
"Mm!"
Kuina nodded in agreement.
"Cold?"
Noticing the gradually falling snow, Kōta turned to Kuina and tucked her scarf further into her collar.
He was unaffected by this level of cold, but for Kuina, who had been sensitive to the cold since childhood, it was rather uncomfortable.
Although she had put on a padded coat upon arriving on the island, as they walked, the biting wind and snow made her instinctively hunch her shoulders.
Drum Island was far colder than Bass.
The entire island, including the surrounding waters, was shrouded in thick clouds, and it snowed for most of the year.
From a distance, the island appeared to be buried in snow.
Even Drum Mountain in the center of the island, despite its altitude of 5000 meters, had half of it buried in snow.
The island not only experienced heavy snowfall but also strong winds, which contributed to the formation of Drum Mountain's cylindrical shape.
The sheer cliffs of Drum Mountain were a result of wind erosion.
"I'm fine."
Kuina looked at Kōta and smiled gently.
Despite the cold weather, she felt no chill as long as Kōta was by her side.
"Let's go!"
Saying this, she took Kōta's arm and pulled him forward. Watching the snowflakes drift down from the sky, her face was filled with a smile.
It had been a long time since she had spent such quiet, solitary time with Kōta.
Kōta's eyes softened as he looked at Kuina's rosy cheeks.
In this life, having a lover who followed him, believed in him, and supported him in everything he did was truly his good fortune!
He glanced up at the increasingly heavy snow and expanded his spatial domain, blocking out the snow and wind.
Sensing Kōta's thoughtfulness, Kuina's smile grew brighter.
She said nothing, leaning her head on Kōta's shoulder, savoring the peace and happiness that belonged only to them in that moment.
...
Kestor Village.
In a forest clearing outside.
Kōta, holding Kuina's hand, stood outside Dr. Kureha's treehouse, gazing up at the giant, leaf-laden canopy with curiosity.
The base of the giant tree had been hollowed out to form rooms. He marveled that the tree was still alive and thriving.
"Truly amazing."
Kōta withdrew his gaze, released Kuina's hand, and looked at the wooden door before him. Sensing the presence of two beings, one small and one large, within, a smile flickered in his eyes.
*Knock!*
*Knock!*
*Knock-knock-knock!!*
The sound of knocking on the wooden door was particularly jarring in the silent forest.
As Kōta knocked for the first time, the small presence inside stopped what they were doing and quickly transformed into a reindeer.
Chopper was still very shy and afraid of humans at this time. He only used his human-beast form in front of Kureha. When going out for house calls, he always used his beast form.
Chopper's full name, "Tony Tony Chopper," was given to him by the first person who adopted him, "Hiriluk."
It meant he had antlers capable of easily felling trees.
Chopper was a reindeer who had eaten the "Human-Human Fruit, a Normal Fruit of No Form."
He could undergo eight transformations using his self-invented "Rumble Ball."
This fellow could be considered a human with high intelligence, aside from his appearance.
Why is it said that Chopper is highly intelligent?
Do you think just anyone could invent a "Rumble Ball," a magical pill that grants eight different transformations?
And he only took...
The exact time was unknown, but it was less than 10 years before he mastered Kureha's entire lifetime of medical knowledge and was capable of practicing independently.
If this isn't high intelligence, then there is no such thing as high intelligence.
For some reason, though they both have the Human-Human Fruit, Chopper and Sengoku have very high intelligence, while Luffy...
Never mind, perhaps Luffy's intelligence was entirely dedicated to combat!
After all, everyone has their strengths, right?
"Hahaha!!"
...
"Who is it?"
It wasn't until Kōta knocked for the third time that Kureha's voice finally came from inside.
Oddly enough, despite the heavy snow outside, it was not cold inside. The reason was unknown.
Kureha: An old woman with long, white, wavy hair, wearing a simple t-shirt with a cherry blossom pattern on the front and purple jeans.
She had a pointed chin, wore black sunglasses, and was lying on a nearby lounge chair, drinking a bottle of plum wine.
Upon hearing the knocking, she paused for a moment, then quickly sat up. She gently placed the wine bottle on the desk, took two axes from the wall, and then, looking at the door, spoke warily.