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On Kujai Island, on Rusukaina, she and Liam had seen beasts and monsters aplenty, many of them fearsome, many of them hunted, some even devoured. Compared to those legends of flesh and fang, this timid blue-nosed creature, even if he truly looked like a snow monster, was hardly terrifying.
In truth, he was nothing more than a reindeer who had happened to eat the Human-Human Fruit.
The snow monster's lips trembled. Tears pooled in his not-so-human eyes as he whispered, voice high and childlike, "But… I'm a monster…"
"You wish!" the man shot back with a playful smirk. "With your level? You dare call yourself a monster?"
The blue-nosed creature froze, dumbfounded.
"You're a reindeer," Liam said, clapping him on the shoulder. His grin was wide, infectious. "Fluffy, soft, great to touch. If that doesn't scream reindeer, what does? A human who eats a Zoan-type Devil Fruit doesn't suddenly become an animal. Same goes for you, you just happened to eat the Human-Human Fruit. At the end of the day, you're still a reindeer."
The snow monster's eyes grew red, but he kept silent.
"Don't just stand there," Liam waved, looking ahead through the snowy haze. "Let's track down that old hag Kureha. Snag some hot soup off her hands. I even brought her a little gift! Honestly, I'm too kind for my own good, a global paragon of generosity, a walking saint of charity…"
"Is that even a thing?" Robin asked dryly, arching a brow.
"It is now," Liam replied with a wink.
Their figures faded gradually into the whirling snow. The blue-nosed creature lingered, staring after them, before quietly hurrying to catch up, head lowered, trudging step by step behind.
"Hey, reindeer," Liam called suddenly, voice sharp even through the storm. "You still haven't answered me. Now that you've lost the Human-Human Fruit… how does it feel?"
"...!?"
The creature's lips quivered. He looked down at his eerily human-like hands. Finally, in a small, trembling voice, he whispered, "It feels like… like I was trapped in a nightmare with no end…"
Robin chuckled softly. She turned and brushed her hand over his shaggy neck. "Don't be afraid. The nightmare's over now."
His tear-brimmed eyes locked on hers, silently pleading. Robin withdrew her hand slowly, though her thoughts lingered.
Warm… and so soft…
――――――
The three of them pressed on through the snowbound forest. Guided by the sharp reach of Liam and B.I.B.'s Observation Haki, it wasn't long before they came upon Kureha's hidden dwelling.
"Oh, right," Liam said suddenly, as though struck by a passing thought. "Black, you'll be handling the Castle-Castle Fruit for now."
He handed the armored gauntlet back to the Stand. B.I.B. reassembled swiftly, raising its left arm, traced with glowing blue flame. From deep within Liam's body, it drew out the Mag-Mag Fruit chip, then unzipped Robin's pack and plucked out a small green battery.
"Bluu?" The half-asleep little Greenhead blinked groggily, a question mark hovering above it. A moment later, the Castle-Castle Fruit chip slid free from its tiny body.
With a sudden boom, an avalanche of furniture and trinkets spilled into the snow.
Most of the castle's interior had been conjured from the Castle-Castle Fruit's power, furniture, décor, even living quarters. Only a small portion truly belonged to Liam and Robin: their clothes, supplies, stockpiled food, and a medium-sized sailing ship.
Lightning-fast, B.I.B. slotted the Castle-Castle Fruit chip into Liam's body. Then, emerging again in spectral form, it copied the Castle-Castle ability onto itself. In the same motion, it withdrew the original chip, expanding its own ghostly fortress as it moved. One by one, every object that had scattered, the clothes, food, even the sailing ship, was whisked neatly inside its phantom citadel.
The blue-nosed snow monster stood frozen in awe, jaw slack, watching the impossible spectacle.
Robin, silent until now, spoke suddenly. "Why did you suspect it?"
"…What?" Liam blinked, caught off guard.
A question mark popped above B.I.B.'s helm. Clearly, even it had no clue.
"About Ross," Robin said softly. "That she was actually the princess… of that sickly kingdom she spoke of."
Princess? A fallen princess? If B.I.B. had a true face, it would've frozen in wide-eyed disbelief. Wait, what?!
Liam only grinned, hands in pockets. "C'mon, isn't that the standard trope? Next thing you know, she'll be asking me to help her take back a kingdom or fight some big bad boss or whatever…"
B.I.B. tilted its helmet helplessly. If silence could scream, it would've.
Meanwhile, the snow monster tilted his furry head, utterly lost on what these humans were even talking about.
Before long, the three of them reached a hollowed tree dwelling, the home of the so-called witch.
――――――
"Yo, old granny! Freezing out here. Won't you invite us in for a bit?"
Liam raised a hand in cheerful greeting at the door.
"…?"
Kureha stood, sharp eyes narrowing as she took in the strange sight: two tall figures and one small. Giorno, a snow monster, and Jolyne? She ignored Liam's ungraceful "old granny" entirely, her gaze settling elsewhere.
"…So. You didn't run into Wapol at sea?"
"That trash will crawl back eventually. Not worth worrying about," Liam said with a shrug. With a wide grin, he hooked his arm around the hulking snow monster beside him. "But take a look at this guy. Fascinating, right?"
He dragged the beast inside with ease.
The door creaked shut, muting the blizzard's howl. Silence thickened around them.
"…"
Kureha's gaze sharpened on the monster.
Then Liam's grip loosened, and in an instant, the "robust man" was gone.
Kureha's eyes widened slightly. What stood in his place was no longer a massive beast, but a tiny figure with trembling limbs and budding antlers sprouting from his head.
The little one fidgeted under her stare. "Chu, chu…" Step by hesitant step, he crept backward, attempting to hide behind Robin's long legs. But half of him still stuck out awkwardly.
"…You're hiding the wrong way, aren't you?" Kureha said flatly.
"?!"
All his fur bristled as he squeaked and scurried, trying again, this time pressing himself fully behind Robin.
Kureha let out a slow breath. "I once glimpsed a silhouette like this from afar… So that's the truth. You're a reindeer who ate a Devil Fruit. And here I thought snow monsters really existed."
"Right?" Liam chimed in eagerly. "If snow monsters were this weak, and this cute, what a disappointment that'd be!"
"Uuuhhh… uuuhhh…"
Robin's sharp ears caught the muffled sobs. Looking down, she found the little antlered creature covering his face with tiny hands, trembling.
"Why are you crying?" Robin knelt beside him, stroking his fuzzy head with gentle fingers.
"Because… because…" The little one lifted his tear-filled eyes, blubbering. "You… none of you… ever called me a monster… Waaaahhh…"
Robin's heart clenched tight. So pitiful… and yet, somehow, so irresistibly adorable.
Though, admittedly, his crying noises were peculiar.
Liam, sipping lazily at hot soup, muttered, "Didn't I already say? You're just a reindeer who happened to eat the Human-Human Fruit. That doesn't make you a monster."
"Hey, brat!" Kureha snapped, boot swinging toward him. "Who gave you permission to dig into my soup?!"
"Don't be stingy, old granny!" Liam spun out of reach, slurping another spoonful with a grin.
"You insolent punk! I'm a dazzling beauty of 127 years, don't you 'granny' me!"
Clatter, crash! Pots rattled violently as the pair descended into their absurd shouting match, their voices bouncing around the treehouse.
Meanwhile, Robin kept her focus on the trembling reindeer, who sniffled and buried his little hands against his nose. "I know… but that's not… not what I meant…"
Robin paused, then cupped his head more firmly. "Don't cry. Whatever it is, let's sit down and talk it through, alright?"
――――――
Shuu~ The reindeer cradled a wooden bowl in both small hooves, taking his very first sip of piping-hot soup.
"Waaah~! So tasty!"
Gone, for that fleeting moment, were the shadows of his painful past. Gone the grief of confessing his story. His eyes sparkled like stars as he lapped happily at the mushroom broth, tongue darting eagerly to catch every drop.
The three humans and the silent phantom watched without interrupting.
"A pitiful little one, abandoned by his herd," Kureha muttered between swigs.
"…He calls himself a monster," Robin said softly, watching the reindeer's joy, "not because of the Fruit's power…"
Liam rested his chin on one hand, sighing. "But because of that blue nose of his. Childhood scars run deeper than blades."
He turned toward Robin.
She immediately shoved his head back with a finger, rolling her eyes.
Soon, the little reindeer polished off the last drop, patting his fuzzy belly in bliss. "I've never tasted food like this before…"
"Hey," Liam said suddenly. "We can't just keep calling you 'reindeer' or 'hey.' That'd get confusing fast."
"Eh?" The little one blinked, puzzled.
Robin smiled knowingly. "He means… you need a name."
Kureha tilted her bottle in thought. "How about… Tony Tony…"
"No, no! Pikachu!" Liam clapped his hands, utterly pleased. "Pikachu Chopper! Doesn't that sound amazing?"
"Pikachu… Chopper…"
The reindeer's round eyes shimmered as he repeated it in awe.
――――――
"Heeheehee… Pikachu, Chopper… Pikachu, Chopper…"
Unable to contain his joy, he covered his mouth with tiny hands, giggling as he squeaked chu, chu, chu while trotting excitedly around the treehouse.
Meanwhile, Kureha fixed her sharp eyes on Liam, bottle still in hand. "You said you had something to show me?"
(End of Chapter)