Watching Chopper tumble through the snow, Musshuru's smirk vanished.
His gaze shifted to Wapol, sprawled motionless in the snow, clearly unconscious.
Musshuru knew why. He'd seen it all.
He heard Wapol's desperate cries for help, saw Chopper's strange form deliver the crushing blow.
His beloved brother, his only family, had been hurt.
Rage radiated from Musshuru's core. Forgiveness wasn't an option.
Chopper struggled to rise, and Musshuru glared, his face twisted with loathing. He approached slowly, deliberately, each step heavy with intent to make Chopper suffer.
"I'm not letting this slide," his footsteps seemed to say.
"My brother's always been the type to follow me, calling 'big brother, big brother,'" Musshuru said, voice low and venomous. "He's my only kin."
"Ugh… guh…" Chopper groaned, clutching his jaw.
"And you, a monster, hurt him. I'll never forgive you."
"What…?"
The kick to Chopper's jaw throbbed, his vision swimming, strength fading. Still, he forced himself up, one knee on the ground, meeting Musshuru's glare.
Musshuru wasn't the only one burning with anger. Chopper, too, seethed at their cruelty. Being targeted like this stung his pride.
Shaking his head to clear his vision, Chopper rose, shouting, "You're the monsters! Hurting innocent people, killing them! And now you're trying to do it again! Doesn't that weigh on your heart?!"
"Guilt? Nah, doesn't bother me," Musshuru scoffed. "We're royalty. We're above you lot."
"Above us? Kings are human too! You don't get to rampage however you please!"
"Mussisshi! That's rich! A non-human like you preaching about humanity?"
Musshuru lunged, closing the distance with terrifying speed. Chopper barely registered the movement before a kick arced toward his cheek.
The blow landed, sending Chopper airborne, tumbling across the snow. The world spun—sky and ground blurring, snow clinging to his body. When he stopped, he groaned, pain radiating from his cheek.
Desperate to rise, Chopper heard Musshuru's footsteps crunching closer, relentless in pursuit. Forcing his head up, Chopper braced for another attack.
Musshuru was still a distance away. Punches or kicks wouldn't reach yet, but his devil fruit powers made complacency dangerous. Chopper transformed into his beast form, standing on all fours, breathing heavily as he faced his foe.
"Hah… I won't lose…" Chopper panted.
"Pathetic effort," Musshuru sneered, his expression darkening. "You think you can beat me?"
He advanced slowly, unhurried, radiating menace.
"I'll make you regret this. You'll suffer worse than that Straw Hat ever did."
Chopper faltered, stepping back. Musshuru's aura had shifted—lethal, predatory. The threat of death felt all too real.
Keeping distance, Chopper's mind raced. How could he win? A head-on fight seemed impossible. The Rumble Ball, his trump card, was spent, and reusing it within six hours would disrupt his transformations, rendering him useless.
He was cornered.
(What do I do…? The Rumble Ball's a potent drug. One use every six hours is the rule. Using it again now would mess up my forms, make me a liability. But this guy—)
Musshuru was stronger. That realization fueled Chopper's hesitation.
Then, his gaze shifted. He bolted, veering around Musshuru, racing toward Luffy in his swift beast form, kicking up snow to distance himself.
(I can't do this alone! If I can get his help, maybe…!)
Luffy lay limp, poisoned. But there was still a chance.
Chopper hadn't consciously planned it, but his instincts drove him to Luffy, bypassing Kureha, who stood watching. Perhaps he wanted to save Luffy—or protect him in his final moments.
Musshuru glared at Chopper's retreating form. Not only had he hurt Wapol, but now he ignored Musshuru to flee. It was an insult.
Veins bulging, Musshuru erupted, slamming his raised right arm into the ground, fingers splayed.
"Run Hyphae!"
Mycelium threads shot from his palm, snaking through the snow, chasing Chopper.
Hearing Musshuru's shout, Chopper sensed danger and leaped sideways, zigzagging to evade. A mycelium wall surged beside him, missing its mark but close enough to chill his spine.
He ran harder, eyes fixed forward, knowing capture meant immobility. Luffy had been trapped by this. Chopper couldn't let it happen to him.
As long as he stayed free, he could fight. Clinging to that belief, he endured the pain, pushing forward.
Musshuru, frustrated by the miss, marveled at Chopper's speed. His anger flared, and he sprinted after him, kicking up snow. No simple chase—he used his powers again, targeting Chopper from behind.
"Cross Shade!"
"Again?!" Chopper gasped.
Seven poison spears erupted from Musshuru's back, raining down like arrows. Chopper glanced up, weaving and leaping to make himself a harder target. The spears missed, embedding in the snow, but the shockwave sent Chopper tumbling in a flurry of snow.
"Gah!"
"Tch, dodged again. Sneaky little bastard," Musshuru muttered.
Chopper used the momentum to spring up, running again. Musshuru's assault didn't relent.
"Shade Dance!"
His peach-colored bob transformed into a mushroom, spinning rapidly. Countless tiny mycelium bullets fired in all directions. Chopper, glancing back, reacted instinctively, shifting to his smaller beast-human form and rolling into the snow to hide.
Musshuru swept his head, spraying bullets blindly, unable to aim precisely with his face down. It was a gamble, reliant on chance.
After a barrage, Musshuru stopped, lifting his head. Snow danced in the air, evidence of his attack's reach. Had he hit his mark?
Stepping forward to check, he froze as Chopper burst from the snow.
"Tch, hiding in the snow, huh? Not unscathed, though."
Chopper, back in beast form, bore visible wounds, blood trickling. The snow where he'd hidden was faintly stained. He hadn't dodged everything.
Ignoring the pain, Chopper ran, focused solely on reaching Luffy.
He was close now. Just a little more, and he'd make it.
If he could save Luffy, that was all that mattered. The future could wait.
Musshuru's frustration boiled over. Chopper was ignoring him completely, as if he didn't exist, pouring everything into saving his friend.
The insult was unbearable—a first in Musshuru's life. His shoulders shook with rage.
Crossing his arms, he gathered power, then flung them wide, releasing a cloud of spores.
"Rot Stavein!"
The spores drifted, coalescing into four humanoid shapes—perfect duplicates of Musshuru.
He shouted but stayed still as his clones flew toward Chopper, far faster than he could run.
"Hah… hah… almost there…" Chopper panted.
"You monster! Stop acting so high and mighty!" a clone roared.
"Huh—?"
Chopper turned, sensing killing intent, only to be kicked in the cheek by a spore clone. The impact felt real, the damage devastating. He collapsed, unable to recover.
The kick burned, but the spores, mercifully, weren't poisoned. Yet the assault continued. The three remaining clones descended, pummeling Chopper with fists and kicks, relentless in their brutality. He clung to consciousness, barely enduring.
His body bruised, cuts bleeding, the snow around him stained red.
Kureha, watching the one-sided beatdown, couldn't stay silent. Though she'd vowed not to interfere, this was too much.
"Chopper!"
"Mussisshi! That's what you get for ignoring me!" Musshuru sneered.
The clones eventually stopped, dissolving into the wind. Chopper lay alone, battered in a pool of his own blood.
Every inch of him was swollen or bleeding, wounds too numerous to count. Yet, lying in the warm blood amidst cold snow, he felt alive.
Forcing his aching body to move, Chopper stood, transforming into his human form. Crawling, crushing snow beneath him, his eyes remained fixed on Luffy.
His thoughts were a haze. Why keep going? Why not give in? He didn't know.
Even the reason for fighting felt distant. Yet his body moved, refusing to surrender.
Inch by inch, he reached Luffy's feet.
His body screamed, begging for rest. But Chopper looked up, and Luffy's eyes were open, just a sliver.
"Chopper…"
Luffy's voice was faint, almost fading. His ragged breaths barely carried, but Chopper leaned in, focusing every nerve to catch his words.
"Get… this off me," Luffy rasped. "Then… I'll handle the rest. I'll take him down. Won't… get caught again…"
Poison had drained Luffy's vitality, but his eyes burned with defiance. Barely able to move, he hadn't given up. He still aimed to win.
Chopper swallowed hard. Coming to Luffy was the right call. With him, they could win. Nodding fiercely, Chopper acted before his mind caught up.
His trembling arms pushed against the ground, his legs shaking. Pain surged, nearly toppling him, but he gritted his teeth and endured.
Standing before the bound Luffy, Chopper braced himself.
Musshuru charged, leaping with a flying kick. "Die already, you half-dead freak!"
The kick aimed for Chopper's face, toppling his fragile stance. He tumbled, shoulder hitting the snow. Musshuru landed and pursued, stomping Chopper's body with vicious force.
"You! You! You! How dare you hurt Wapol, you filthy monster!"
"Guh… ugh… ahh!" Chopper groaned.
"He's needed! By his men, by me! Unlike you, who nobody wants, strutting around like you matter!"
"Guh… ughh!"
Chopper curled up, shielding his head, enduring the onslaught. Musshuru's boots pounded his head, shoulders, venting raw hatred.
Amid the pain, Chopper opened his eyes, now burning with a new fury.
"Raaahhh!" he roared.
"Shut up! Yelling won't make you strong!" Musshuru snapped.
A fierce kick to Chopper's stomach sent him rolling. The brief distance gave him a moment.
Musshuru advanced, raising his foot to crush Chopper's head, aiming to end it.
"Die, you monster!"
Lying sprawled, Chopper instinctively shifted to his beast-human form, shrinking. His head moved, and Musshuru's foot hit only snow.
"What?!"
"Raaahhh!"
Chopper reverted to human form, grabbing Musshuru's lowered ankle with superhuman strength, squeezing until pain shot through him. Not stopping there, Chopper rolled, swinging Musshuru's body and slamming him face-first into the snow.
The impact was jarring, even with the snow's cushion.
Musshuru, realizing his foot was free, scrambled to rise.
Before he could, Chopper leaped, clasping his hands and smashing them into Musshuru's head.
"Raaahhh!"
"Guh… gah?!"
The blow drove Musshuru into the ground, the pain threatening to knock him out. Stunned, he couldn't hide his shock.
Chopper didn't relent, straddling Musshuru, flipping him over, and glaring down. His fists, already raised, descended with fury.
"Wait—!" Musshuru pleaded.
"I am a monster! And I'm strong!"
A full-force punch cracked Musshuru's cheek, shattering teeth, blood flooding his mouth.
Another hit, this time from the left, broke his nose with a sickening crunch. Musshuru's composure vanished, unable to resist as a third blow struck his mouth, silencing any screams.
"RAAAAHHH!"
Chopper's fists rained down, each strike draining Musshuru's strength. Teeth scattered, the brutal onslaught almost savage. Admitting he was a monster unleashed a power Chopper hadn't known.
After dozens of blows, Musshuru, sensing death, mustered his last strength.
His bobbed hair morphed into a mushroom, tilting slightly to catch Chopper's fists. The pain was immense, but it stopped the barrage.
Fury erupting, Musshuru roared, "Enough, you bastard!"
Chopper, sensing the counterattack, leaned back. As expected, Musshuru fired mycelium bullets from his head. Using his off-balance stance, Chopper rolled backward, dodging and tumbling through the snow. Musshuru, quicker, stood and charged.
A full-force kick caught Chopper's stomach mid-roll, sending him flying. Unable to land properly, he crashed, momentarily limp.
Musshuru touched his face—bloodied nose, broken teeth, a ruined mess. First his brother, now him.
He couldn't let this stand. He'd kill Chopper, no matter what.
Trembling—rage, pain, or exhaustion—Musshuru advanced.
Chopper, rising, faced him. "I'll kill you! Tear you apart, the most gruesome way possible!"
"Hah… I won't die. I won't lose to you!"
"You can't do anything alone!"
"I'm not… alone anymore!"
Chopper spun, and Musshuru's eyes widened. His rage had narrowed his focus, blinding him to Chopper's position—right in front of Luffy.
Chopper's fist, clenched with resolve, swung.
"What are you—?!" Musshuru roared.
"Heavy Gong!"
Chopper's punch shattered the mycelium wall binding Luffy's right side. His limp arm fell free. Only his left side remained trapped.
Musshuru, enraged, poured power into his arms, palms forward. As Chopper grabbed Luffy's body, Musshuru unleashed his attack.
"Helping that half-dead fool? What's that gonna do? You're both done! Die in my poison!"
"If it's you, we can win. Please, wake up. I don't want to lose to him—"
As Chopper pulled, Musshuru's palms released a wave of toxic spores.
Luffy's eyes snapped open.
"Snow Spore! Disappear!" Musshuru bellowed.
"Luffy, please! Take him down!" Chopper pleaded.
"RAAAHHH!"
The spores surged like a wall. Chopper's tug cracked the mycelium. With a surge of strength, Luffy broke free, shattering the fungal prison with explosive force.
"UORYAAAA!"
"What?!" Musshuru gasped.
The blast scattered the mycelium and snow, a gust disrupting the spores' path. They veered harmlessly away, missing their targets.
Musshuru, stunned, forgot to lower his arms, staring into the swirling snow.
A shadow emerged.
Luffy, skin still ashen, eyes blazing with resolve, charged through the haze.
Musshuru stood frozen, voiceless, unable to comprehend. A weaker reindeer wounding him, a poisoned man moving, and being cornered by such foes—it defied everything he knew.
His sheltered life left him unprepared, his inexperience making it all surreal.
He stood, dazed, watching Luffy approach, unable to accept defeat.
Luffy, despite death's shadow, never wavered, trusting his crew to the end. His eyes burned with proof of that faith.
That was their difference.
Reaching Musshuru, Luffy, spitting blood, thrust his arm forward.
"Gomu Gomu no!"
"Wait… am I… losing?" Musshuru whispered.
"Cannon!"
A full-force punch slammed into Musshuru's gut, sending him flying like paper. He soared, crashing into Wapol's unconscious body, both smashing into the castle's outer wall, embedding before collapsing into the snow, still.
It was over.
Luffy's knees buckled, and he collapsed.
The blow had taken everything. Chopper, stunned, stood frozen, not noticing Luffy's fall at first. Then, seeing him, he rushed over, pain forgotten.
"Hey! You okay?!"
"Hah… hah… what about him?"
"He's done. No way he's getting up. You won."
"Good…"
Chopper knelt beside Luffy, peering at his face, and froze. Luffy was smiling.
Exhausted, unable to stand, poisoned—yet he smiled, reveling in victory.
For a moment, Chopper couldn't see him as human.
(A monster… like me…)
He recalled their earlier talk. Luffy had called them alike as devil fruit users, a jest then. But now, seeing him, it felt true. Luffy was the real monster.
Chopper let out a small laugh, pain resurfacing. His face twisted, but the smile held.
Relief loosened their guard. Neither looked toward their foes, missing the danger.
Only Kureha saw it.
Her sharp voice cut through their calm. "Don't let your guard down! It's not over!"
"Huh—?"
"Baku Baku Factory…"
Chopper turned. Wapol, somehow moving, crawled toward his brother.
His massive mouth opened, and he began to devour Musshuru.
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