At the border of Drum Island.
Baby 5 and Buffalo were wrapped in bandages, not even lighting a campfire, just huddling together for warmth. For the two who had grown up together, this was nothing.
What truly troubled them was Violet's capture. Undoubtedly, Violet, who wasn't skilled in combat, had no way to escape that terrifying man's clutches.
At this time, they had to contact Doflamingo and inform him of the situation here.
But the den den mushi was dead!
It died in the aftermath of the Flying Slash that almost tore the sky apart.
Baby 5 and Buffalo lost their ability to contact the outside world, and their injuries were extremely severe. They could only lie low, survive first, and find a way to notify Doflamingo.
As for Violet, they could only wish her good luck.
...
"What kind of person is he, exactly?"
At home, in his hybrid form, Chopper clung to the windowsill, gazing at the world beyond the drifting snow. Even though he couldn't see the ship in the harbor, he stared blankly in that direction.
"My foolish son, isn't that something you can only find out after meeting him? What can you see while hiding in the house?"
Dr. Kureha, known as the witch on this island, a woman who was already 137 years old but still considered herself young and beautiful, said with a smile.
"But..."
A look of trepidation appeared on Chopper's furry face.
He really wanted to meet the man who had killed Wapol and avenged Hiriluk, but he was instinctively afraid of contact with strangers.
Aside from Hiriluk and Kureha, most humans who saw him thought they had encountered a monster. They were either terrified or they picked up guns to attack him, which led to Chopper's fear of strangers.
Kureha shook her head but didn't say anything more.
That man had temporarily stayed on Drum Island after killing Wapol, reportedly waiting for the Log Pose to store its charge.
But how should she put it?
She still knew a few things.
That man's strength was such that he could slice through the sky with a slash, she had seen the hole in the sky herself.
It was done by the man named Hiroto, in front of everyone's eyes.
It was simply incredible, it was hard to imagine that a human in this world could be powerful to such an extent. Kureha even wondered if he was actually human.
It was precisely because of this power that she hadn't guided Chopper to find the answer himself.
Because if something went wrong, she, as his mother, would have no way to clean up the mess for him.
But similarly, if Chopper truly wanted to see that person, she wouldn't stop him.
Because it was what Chopper desired.
However, there were other reasons as well. Hiroto's reputation was quite good. As far as she knew, although he was a pirate and described like a man-eating monster, in reality, he had never laid a hand on civilians.
When he killed Wapol, he didn't attack those soldiers either. Instead, he spared the soldiers who were his enemies.
The companions following Hiroto also paid for their supplies when purchasing them on the island, and their attitude was completely different from the pirates she knew.
It was more like... ordinary people interacting with ordinary people?
'He doesn't seem to be a bad person.' Kureha reached this conclusion.
"I... I still want to meet that human." Chopper spoke.
"Oh? Why?"
"I... I don't know." Chopper thought for a long time before squeezing out those words.
"Is that so?"
Kureha was somewhat surprised, then she seemed to understand something. "Because he killed your enemy, Wapol, so you naturally have a sense of trust and a subconscious liking for that human."
"And because of your longing for the outside world, have you finally gathered your courage? You really do yearn for the world outside, after all."
"Eh?!"
Chopper widened his eyes in surprise, seemingly unable to understand what Kureha meant.
"What a fool."
Kureha smiled and tapped the red hat on Chopper's head, offering no further explanation.
But she knew her judgment was correct. After all, she had lived for over a hundred years.
"But... but looking like this..."
Seeing that Kureha didn't explain, Chopper didn't press further.
He looked at himself dejectedly. "I'll probably scare him. Maybe I'll be killed as a monster."
"Why do you think that?"
"Because I'm a reindeer that stands on two legs and can speak human language."
Chopper said instinctively, and then a stunned expression appeared on his furry face.
Kureha's brow furrowed because a third voice had appeared in the room, a stranger had arrived.
And... she hadn't noticed at all.
Turning her head slightly, she saw a figure sitting on a small armchair beside the sofa.
Black hair, young, with a sheathed long sword at his waist.
His presence was extremely faint, and he was only noticed after he spoke.
"Aaaaaah!"
Naturally, Chopper was startled and quickly grabbed Kureha's leg. He used her leg to hide his face, but his body was completely exposed.
"Are you... one of that Hiroto's people?"
Kureha narrowed her eyes, guessing the identity of the young man before her.
On this island, only an outsider could enter this room unnoticed and only be discovered after speaking.
According to the news she had gathered, those outsiders were almost all dead. The ones alive now were only the victors—Hiroto's people.
"You should say it's the man himself." Hiroto said.
"I wasn't aware there was anything in this beautiful young maiden's home worth the attention of a powerhouse like you." Kureha said calmly.
Hiroto said naturally, "My ship is lacking a doctor. Of course, I'm not inviting you, the beautiful maiden, to board. It wouldn't be right to waste your prime years on a ship."
"The doctor I want to invite is Chopper, who is clinging to your leg and has learned all your medical skills."
"...I don't recall ever saying that Chopper inherited all my medical skills." Kureha's expression turned serious.