Chapter 11: The Sakura Snow and the Doctor's DivinityThe Going Merry didn't just sail into the waters of Drum Island; she cut through the ice-choked sea like a heated blade through wax.
The Vibranium Concept in her hull was singing, absorbing the rhythmic crushing of the ice floes and converting that kinetic pressure into a steady, radiant warmth that kept the deck clear of snow.I stood at the prow, my white hair a stark contrast to the swirling white blizzard. My dark aviators tracked the thermal signatures of the "Drum Rockies"—three massive, cylinder-shaped mountains that pierced the clouds like the pillars of a forgotten temple.In my arms, I held Nami.
She was burning with a prehistoric fever, her skin flushed a deep, dangerous crimson. I had used a micro-application of Absolute Stillness to slow her heart rate, keeping the Kestia parasite from reaching her brain, but she needed a professional."Luffy! Sanji! We're moving!" I shouted over the roar of the wind."I'M COMING, NAMI!" Luffy roared, grabbing his coat.We trekked through the waist-deep snow, facing the "Lapahns"—giant, carnivorous snow rabbits—and the sheer, vertical cliffs of the tallest mountain. I didn't climb. I simply folded the space beneath our feet, walking up the 90-degree incline as if it were a flat sidewalk.At the summit, in a crumbling castle, we found them. Dr. Kureha, a 141-year-old woman with the energy of a teenager, and a small, blue-nosed reindeer standing on two legs.
Tony Tony Chopper.The cure was administered, and as Nami began to recover in the castle's guest wing, I sat on the balcony, looking out at the frozen, miserable kingdom of Drum. Below us, the people were starving, ruled by the cowardly Wapol, who had hoarded all the doctors for himself."It's a cold way to live," I whispered."That's just the world, brat," Kureha said, leaning against the doorframe with a bottle of plum wine. "Nature doesn't care about your feelings.
This island is trapped in a permanent winter.""Nature is just a set of rules," I said, standing up. I removed my sunglasses, my white hair beginning to glow with a brilliant, solar intensity. "And rules can be rewritten."I looked at the "Drum Rockies." I remembered the dream of Chopper's mentor, Dr. Hiriluk—the dream of making cherry blossoms bloom in the snow to heal the hearts of the people.[Primordial Art: Solar Flare—Atmospheric Reformation.]I didn't fire a blast of heat. I focused on the Concept of Spring.
I raised both hands toward the sky, my celestial blue eyes turning a molten, radiant gold.A massive wave of silver-pink light erupted from my body, soaring into the clouds. In a millisecond, the freezing moisture in the air was molecularly altered. The snowflakes didn't melt; they re-crystallized.Suddenly, the blizzard stopped. In its place, millions of glowing, pink petals began to fall from the sky. They looked exactly like sakura blossoms, but they carried a "Silver" warmth. As they touched the ground, the permafrost thawed. Grass began to sprout through the snow. The air turned from a biting 40-below to a balmy spring afternoon."The... the mountain is blooming?" Chopper whispered, his little hooves trembling as he stepped into the pink snow.
"Doctor... look! Hiriluk's dream! It's real!"I looked at Chopper. He was a doctor who had spent his life being treated as a monster, yet he only wanted to heal. I felt the Silver Supermanwithin me hum. I was a King of Force, but the world needed a King of Mercy."Chopper," I said, walking over to the reindeer. "You want to be a doctor who can cure any disease, right?""I... I do! But I'm just a monster...""You're not a monster. You're a miracle," I said.I reached into the air, my hand disappearing into a rift of space.
I pulled out a sphere of pure, pulsating white light."Concept: The Breath of Life," I whispered. "Concept: Universal Panacea."I didn't keep the power for myself. I didn't need it. I pressed the sphere into Chopper's chest."I give you the Healing Light," I said. "As long as your heart wishes to save someone, your touch will channel this light. It will heal any visible wound, purge any hidden poison, and mend the very soul of the patient.
You are no longer just a doctor, Chopper. You are the Physician of the Stars."Chopper's blue nose glowed. A brilliant, white-gold aura wrapped around him. He raised a hoof, touching a wilted plant nearby. The plant didn't just grow; it flourished, blooming into a vibrant, glowing flower that smelled of eternal life."I... I can feel it!" Chopper cried, tears streaming down his face. "I can heal everyone!"As we prepared to leave, the news reached us.
Wapol had been defeated by Luffy (who had literally knocked him off the island), and the World Government had issued a new update to our bounties.Nami, now fully healed and glowing with health, spread the new posters on the table."The Alabasta Incident hasn't even happened yet, and the world is losing its mind," she noted.MONKEY D. LUFFY: 100,000,000 BERRIES
(Increased for the defeat of Arlong and the chaos at Loguetown/Drum.)RORONOA ZORO: 60,000,000 BERRIES
(Increased for the 100-man massacre at Whiskey Peak.)But then, she reached for mine.
It was no longer paper. It was a shimmering, violet-silver leaf of metal that pulsed with a low heat.WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE
MONKEY D. SILVER
1,200,000,000 BERRIES"ONE BILLION?!" Usopp screamed, hitting the floor. "You've surpassed the billion mark?! That's... that's Emperor Executive level! That's Jack the Drought territory!""The description changed," Nami read, her voice hushed. "'The Silver Sun. For the conceptual alteration of the climate of a Winter Island, the gifting of divine abilities to subordinates, and the confirmed strength to negate Warlord-level attacks. Classification: Natural Disaster. Priority: Admiral Kizaru has been notified.
'""One point two billion," I mused, looking at the poster. "I suppose I'm starting to get their attention."I looked at Chopper, who was packing his bags, his new healing light shimmering in his eyes. "Ready to see the world, Doctor?""YES!" Chopper shouted, hopping onto the Merry.
As we set sail, the pink snow of Drum Island continued to fall, a permanent spring in the middle of the ocean. I sat on the railing, the sun fueling my cells."Silver," Luffy said, standing beside me. "One billion, huh? You're getting really far away.""I'm right here, Luffy," I said, ruffling his hair. "I'm just making sure the path is wide enough for a King.""Next stop," Nami announced, her eyes on the Eternal Pose. "Alabasta."