It wasn’t until the voice came from nearby that the crowd standing on the shore snapped to attention, hurriedly turning their guns toward the source.
Realizing the situation, Dalton immediately shouted sternly, a bead of cold sweat trickling down his forehead.
The terrifying speed of this stranger, so fast that even he couldn’t sense it, was clearly beyond what their group could handle.
If someone rashly opened fire now, they might directly offend this unknown powerhouse—a clearly unwise move.
Seeing this, Will gave a satisfied smile, casually slipping his hands into his pockets and speaking in a calm tone:
"Alright, what are you all still standing here for?
"We went out of our way to bring back these twenty doctors for you. No gratitude? Fine. But are you really going to keep blocking our way?"
Having calmed down, Dalton quickly processed the situation and responded earnestly:
"My deepest apologies. A lot has happened here recently, so everyone’s been extremely wary of outsiders."
Will didn’t seem to mind too much, giving a slight nod in response.
Then, without further ado, he turned and started walking along the coastline toward a densely populated area he’d sensed earlier.
That must be where these people lived.
"Come on, send someone to guide my ship already," he called out.
At that, Dalton hesitated for a moment but ultimately chose to trust the stranger for now. He turned and instructed two villagers to lead the ship.
He also told the others to return to the forest and keep watch over the sea.
As for himself, he quietly followed Will, who was gradually walking away, his mind racing with thoughts:
That direction... is it a coincidence?
When the ship, guided by the villagers, sailed along the inland river and docked on the island, Will and Dalton had already made their way over at a leisurely pace, one following the other.
"That’s Big Horn Village up ahead," Dalton said, quickening his steps to walk beside Will and pointing toward a place where smoke rose from chimneys.
By now, he’d pieced things together. This stranger was incredibly powerful and had gone out of his way to bring back the twenty doctors, clearly with good intentions.
Plus, the man claimed to have killed Wapol, which was a huge favor to them.
So, Dalton figured that, no matter what, they ought to treat these people with hospitality.
At that moment, Nami, the twenty doctors, and the rest of the crew had disembarked and were catching up.
The group crunched through the soft snow, soon entering the village.
At first, the villagers inside were startled and wary at the sight of so many newcomers.
But Dalton quickly stepped forward, explaining about the twenty doctors and Wapol’s death.
This instantly turned the villagers’ wariness into overwhelming enthusiasm.
Deep down, the villagers had always hoped that Wapol, who had fled, would never return.
So, Will and his crew, who had not only killed Wapol but also brought back the twenty doctors as proof, were nothing short of heroes to everyone on the island.
Their gratitude was immense!
With the villagers’ warm hospitality, Will and his crew were led to a tavern in the village to eat and rest.
Dalton stepped inside first, about to arrange for everyone’s meal, when he suddenly spotted a familiar figure and exclaimed in surprise:
"Dr. Kureha?! What are you doing down here today?"
A slender, stylishly dressed woman with legs propped up on a table turned her head, her face full of wrinkles but her smile bright:
"Oh, it’s you, Dalton.
"What, I ran out of plum wine and came down to buy some. Do I need to report that to you first?
"Or are you actually curious about the secret to my youthful vigor?"
Dalton’s eye twitched, and he quickly waved his hands: "No, no, Dr. Kureha, you’ve got it all wrong. That’s not what I meant."
At that moment, a blue-nosed reindeer with a pink top hat, standing on all fours beside Dr. Kureha, looked on with a hint of exasperation.
Will, who had just walked into the tavern, immediately spotted the figure he’d been thinking about. His eyes lit up.
Without hesitation, he strode over and, under the surprised gazes of those around him, extended a hand toward the reindeer:
"I’ve got a good feeling about you. How about joining my crew?"
"Eh?!" Chopper looked up, utterly shocked.
Snapping out of it, he was so startled that he couldn’t maintain his transformation.
In an instant, he reverted to a small, upright, adorable reindeer that looked a bit like a tanuki. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ N0v3l.Fiɾe.net
"Y-you! What do you want?!" Chopper stammered, clutching a table leg, half-hiding his head behind it while the rest of his body remained fully exposed, his voice trembling with nervous defiance.
Dr. Kureha, hearing this, was equally stunned. She pushed her sunglasses up to her forehead, sizing up the tall man with a scrutinizing gaze:
"Looks like another pirate, huh."
After all, who else but a pirate would invite Chopper to be a "crew member"?
Without wasting words, she stood and launched a spinning kick:
"You lousy brat, trying to lead my idiot son astray?!"
But the kick was effortlessly caught by Will with one hand.
Feeling the force behind it, he raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised: "I didn’t expect you to be so old and still so sharp!"
Dr. Kureha’s eyes gleamed. She retracted her leg, placed her hands on her hips, and laughed: "Hee hee hee hee! Kid, are you saying you want to know the secret to my youthful vigor?"
Nami, watching the scene unfold with curiosity, couldn’t help but mutter under her breath: "Uh, nobody’s actually asking about your ’youthful vigor’ secret, you know..."
Karina, meanwhile, was intrigued and turned to Dalton: "Just how old is this lady?"
Dalton didn’t hide the truth, answering honestly: "Dr. Kureha is currently 140 years old."
Those who hadn’t known were utterly floored.
"You said 140?!" Nami’s jaw dropped, finally understanding why the woman kept going on about her "youthful vigor."
Wrinkles aside, her figure could pass for someone in their thirties or forties.
Clearly, she was really good at taking care of herself.
But Dr. Kureha, hearing this, wasn’t pleased. She shouted indignantly:
"What’s that about 140?! I’m clearly only 139!
"Dalton, you little punk, keep spouting nonsense, and I’ll kick you right out of here!"
Dalton could only sigh helplessly, completely at a loss with her.
Will, ignoring the commotion, turned his attention back to Chopper, who was still hiding under the table, and asked softly:
"Hey, what’s your name?"
Though still nervous, Chopper noticed that the tall human’s gaze held no judgment.
This sparked a small sense of fondness in him, and he answered quietly: "My name’s... Tony Tony Chopper."
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