Chapter 53: Become stronger, become stronger. The stronger you are, the stronger I will be!
Just as everyone was cheering, Wapol, who had been unconscious, suddenly twitched and woke up.
He opened his eyes, saw the celebratory scene before him, and immediately flew into a rage, roaring with a livid face, "All of you, shut up! I'll swallow you all right now!"
He habitually opened his gaping maw and lowered his head to bite the ropes binding him.
However, after biting for a long time, the ropes didn't budge, and his expected devouring ability didn't activate at all. Wapol was stunned, disbelievingly tried a few more times, but only got a mouthful of rope.
"Wha...what's going on?"
He raised his head in confusion, meeting the gazes of everyone watching the show, and immediately panicked: "Where's my ability?! Where did my Munch-Munch ability go?!" He shrieked hysterically, "What have you bastards done to me?!"
Nami stood with her hands on her hips, her orange short hair gently swaying in the wind, a slight smile on her lips: "What do you mean 'your' ability? It's mine now."
She elegantly raised her right hand, and a vortex-like ripple, unique to devouring matter, appeared in her palm, "Please call it by its new name, Nami's ability~"
Before Wapol could react, Nami lunged forward, grabbing his collar with her left hand while simultaneously pressing her right hand against a towering ancient tree nearby.
Her right hand instantly became woody, merging with the tree.
"Devour · Merge!"
Under everyone's astonished gaze, Wapol's body was pulled as if by an invisible force, gradually "sinking" into the thick tree trunk.
He struggled in terror, but could only watch helplessly as his limbs and torso gradually merged with the tree.
"No! Stop! I am the King! I command you—" Wapol's shouting abruptly ceased, finally leaving only his head exposed outside the trunk, forming a "human-tree sculpture."
Dalton and Chopper watched this scene dumbfounded, their jaws almost hitting the ground, and the surrounding villagers also gathered around, unable to believe their eyes.
Nami clapped her hands, admiring her masterpiece with satisfaction: "From now on, Drum Kingdom will no longer have the tyrant Wapol."
She turned to face everyone, "But there's an extra 'Wapol Tree' exhibit now. Anyone can come here and scorn this evil King!"
The scene was silent for a few seconds, then erupted into thunderous cheers.
"We're free! We're finally free!"
"Thank you, Miss Nami!"
"This tree must be protected as a tourist attraction!"
Dalton, with tears in his eyes, knelt on one knee and bowed to Nami: "You...you have given Drum Kingdom new life!"
Chopper covered his mouth with his little hoof, tears welling up in his eyes: "Nami... so cool..."
Wapol, embedded in the tree, was still cursing in vain: "Let me out! I am the King! You commoners—"
"Shut up!" A villager grabbed a snowball and threw it hard at his face.
Soon, more snowballs and rotten fruit flew in, pelting Wapol into a sorry state.
Ron watched this scene, a slight smile on his lips. He turned to the excited villagers:
"Remember, feed him water and food every day, don't let him die." Under their confused gazes, he added meaningfully, "Sometimes, living to accept punishment is more painful than death."
The villagers collectively shivered. It seemed that compared to the little cat burglar, this seemingly refined man was the true ruthless one!
As the sun set, the sails of the Going Merry sparkled in the evening glow.
The Straw Hat Pirates, with their new companion Chopper, slowly sailed out of the harbor amidst the cheers of the Drum Kingdom people.
On the shore, the "Wapol Tree" would become a symbol of the nation's freedom, forever warning future generations...
...
The next morning,
Golden sunlight spilled onto the railings of the Going Merry, reflecting a brilliant glow.
Chopper excitedly lay his entire body on the railing, his round eyes sparkling with surprise, and his little blue nose twitched constantly, as if wanting to engrave every detail of this dream ship into his memory.
"This...this is amazing!" Chopper's small hooves carefully caressed the handrail, afraid of damaging the decorations.
When he was led to the infirmary, he was even more astonished, unable to close his mouth. In the spacious and bright room, all kinds of advanced medical equipment were available, from precise microscopes to a complete set of surgical instruments, and even a sparkling professional operating table!
"Are...are all these for me?"
Chopper's voice trembled a little. He turned and bowed solemnly to Ron, his little hooves nervously clutching his pink hat,
"Thank you so much! I never thought I'd see such professional medical equipment on a pirate ship!"
Ron smiled and helped Chopper up: "No need to be so polite. Once you're on the ship, you're our most important companion."
He rubbed Chopper's furry head, "For companions, all this is as it should be."
"Hey! Chopper!" Luffy suddenly pounced from behind, his rubber arm wrapping around the little reindeer's neck, "Forget about those bottles and jars! Let's have a barbecue! I caught a super big fish!"
As soon as he heard the words "barbecue," Chopper's ears immediately perked up, and his eyes sparkled: "Re-really? Are we having a barbecue now?" Although he tried hard to maintain his composure, his constantly wagging little tail already betrayed his mood.
"Of course!" Luffy laughed, pulling Chopper towards the deck, "Sanji has already prepared the seasonings!"
In a short while, a barbecue grill was set up on the deck.
Sanji elegantly flipped the grilled fish, sprinkling special spices from time to time, and the tempting aroma filled the entire ship.
Usopp was dramatically recounting their previous adventures to Chopper, whose eyes were filled with shock. Zoro leaned by the mast, drinking and watching the lively scene.
However, he still grumbled occasionally: "Alright, you've shown off enough to Chopper."
Usopp immediately blushed: "Hey, hey, hey, don't talk nonsense, my skills are really strong!"
"Tch..."
Princess Vivi was also infected by the joyful atmosphere. Without any royal restraint, she actively helped prepare the tableware. Her blue long hair shone in the sunlight, and her face was beaming with a genuine smile:
"What an incredible pirate crew... completely different from the other pirate crews I've seen."
Nami was using her new ability to chill drinks for everyone. She had devoured a few pieces of ice to keep her arm at a low temperature. Ron sat by the ship's railing, watching his laughing and playing companions, very satisfied.
Become stronger, become stronger quickly. The stronger you are, the stronger I will be!
"Dinner's ready!" At Sanji's command, everyone immediately gathered around the makeshift long table.
Luffy impatiently grabbed a grilled fish and shoved it into his mouth, huffing from the heat but refusing to let go. Chopper imitated him, resulting in teary eyes from the heat, which made everyone laugh heartily.
"Cheers!" Ron raised his glass, "Welcome our new ship doctor—Tony Tony Chopper!"
"Cheers!" Everyone responded in unison, and the clinking of glasses made a crisp sound.
Chopper was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes, his little blue nose twitching: "Thank you everyone... I... I will definitely become the best ship doctor!"
Then he quickly added, "I'm not saying this because I'm moved! You idiots!"
....
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