By the time that Nami regained her consciousness, she could hear the sound of bubbling and a grinding noise from nearby; when she lifted her head up to see what it was nearly made her yell in surprise.
Standing on a stool was a little furry creature using a mortar and pestle to grind up herbs before pouring it into a test tube, it seemed to be wearing a large pink hat on it's head with antlers that jutted out from either side; "A…Reindeer?"
Hearing the sudden movement and the sound of Nami's voice; said reindeer hid behind the doorway…however in their flustered state, they were backwards as they hid their head behind the wall but the rest of their body was there to see.
Giggling a little at it's silliness; Nami sat up and felt a damp cloth drop from her forehead; "I…I don't feel sick anymore?"
"You've woken up, do you feel any dizziness? Sores or nausea?" The Reindeer asked her which brought her into a yelp of surprise as she realised her helper could talk but this only brought a look of expectant sadness to the reindeer.
"No, I'm actually fine now…Where am I exactly?" Nami would ask as she looked out of the nearby window but she could only see white from nearly every angle.
"Drum Castle, the home to Doctor Kureha…Your friend brought you to the doors and asked to for the two of you to be treated first." The reindeer elaborated and began to explain everything.
——Hours Earlier——
"Chopper! Who's banging on the d-"
"Doctorine! Someone came here and passed out, they brought two people with her and they look in a bad way…" Chopper said as the gangly doctor looked over the trio.
"Hmmm, So the blonde one has an arrow in his back and judging from the way he's been tied, he got hit pretty hard there too…The girl looks like she's burning up, sickness maybe? and…My word…" Kureha froze when she stopped on the final man.
The doctor was all but shocked when she saw Morgan's state; Following the long climb up the mountain had taken a rather severe toll on him, his skin was nearly all blue from frostbite and the cloth that bound Nami and Sanji to his body dug into his skin like rug burn but the most extreme looking was his fingers. "Looks like our mysterious young man thought he could climb the mountain by himself with people strapped to him." Kureha wryly smiled before smacking his chest. "Ballsy little snot, I'll give him that but when he wakes up…He is getting such a lecture!"
Chopper blinked as he saw Morgan's cracked and bleeding fingers before turning into shock; "He climbed Drum Rock barehanded?! Bu-But that's 5,000 meters high! Not even climbers with gear could manage it!"
"Priorities, Chopper! Get him into an OR, we need to patch him up fast before he gets any…huh?" Kureha snapped at Chopper before feeling something tug in her pant leg.
"Please…Save them first…" Morgan croaked as he managed to come to briefly; "Nami…Sanji…Help them…"
Kureha raised an eyebrow; "Have you looked at yourself? You've got some serious injuries and could become worse if we don't treat the-"
"Forget me! Sanji got shot and Nami's been sick for days! Just…please save them….Sa…" Morgan yelled weakly at her before the exertion made him pass out again.
Kureha ran a hand through her hair and sighed deeply; "Geez…Chopper, I trust you to handle the other two…I need to make sure this idiot doesn't die on my table."
——Present Time——
"So we saw to you first…You've been bitten by this." Chopper mentioned as he held up a book on dangerous insects; "It's a good thing you came here when you did, because otherwise you would've…" He explained but trailed off as the worst case scenario was not easy to talk about.
"I would've died…" Nami finished it for him as she pat her stomach where there was still a red mark from when the bug bit her; "Still…Thank you for helping me." She decided to brighten the mood and complimented him for what he did.
How he reacted wasn't exactly what she expected; "Shut up! I didn't do this to get praised by you, you jerk! Stop it!" Chopper remarked like he was trying to be angry but the fact that he was shuffling about with a bashful look and wide smile which only served to make him more adorable looking.
"So what's your name? I'm Nami." She would say to introduce herself to her new friend.
——Meanwhile, in another "Hospital" Room——
"Honestly, why must you men be so prideful and stubborn!" Kureha grumbled as she finished tying both Morgan and Sanji down to their beds; "You're BOTH too hurt to be moving right now!" She warned them as Sanji had his entire upper body bandaged up and Morgan was submerged in what looked like a herbal bath.
"I need to see if my precious Nami is all better!" Sanji struggled as he tried to pull free but the sound of a creak had him collapsing backwards onto the bed in pain.
"I just want to make sure Nami's okay…Can't you just….Pass on a message for me?" Morgan asked; both lacking the energy and the ability to move much thanks to the combo of healing frostbite and the first warm bath he had since entering Drum Island.
Kureha sighed; "I don't envy that poor girl for all the fawning and attention she's getting…" She would think before grabbing a notepad and handing it over to Morgan for him to write on as best he could. "Now rest up! You're sitting with a fractured spine and an arrow wound to heal." She snapped and pointed at Sanji before pointing to Morgan; "And with your climbing shenanigans; You've got pretty bad frostbite all over and nerve damage in your fingers…The good news is that these can be easily treated and healed if you rest up, so unless you absolutely have to…No. Running. Around! Are we clear?" Kureha ordered the both of them with the clear intention of hurting them if they disregarded their healing.
"…Fine/Got it…" Was the shared response from both Sanji and Morgan as the Doctor left then to relax.
"Why did that hag have to leave us alone together, I'd much rather share a room with Nami." Sanji griped out loud as he tried lighting a cigarette but growled when he realised the bandages stopped him from moving as well.
"Look, it's not ideal…You think I wanna be stuck in a tub with nothing to do?" Morgan agreed; "But it's either put up or she brings out that "Intensive Care" she keeps talking about…Besides; I know for sure that she's seen to Nami."
"Oh now you care…"
"Okay, seriously…What is your problem?" Morgan snapped; "You complained all the way since Whiskey Peak and you haven't stopped even when I dragged you out of the snow."
Sanji grimaced; "Because you've taken Nami for granted and now it's starting to look like Vivi's gonna be the same!" Sanji finally admitted as he felt a little better after ranting.
"Wait…What does Vivi and Nami have to do with you not liking me? I can take responsibility that Little Garden could've gone better but you can't honestly hold that gripe forever just for that, can you?" Morgan raised an eyebrow as he shifted in the tub, the smell of herbs and medicine stung his nostrils.
"I ju-It's not that simple to explain…It's petty and I hate admitting so just drop it!" Sanji backpedalled as he tried to relent.
"Oh no you don't! I helped to carry you and Nami up the mountain to heal you…We're friends aren't we? Why not just tell me the truth?" Morgan asked with a more sincere tone; He had been stuck feeling guilty all this time and now he finally had the chance to confront it.
"The truth…Morgan, the truth is that I've seen the way Nami looks at you. It confuses me; You've never shown her any ounce of romantic feelings…No flowers or grand gestures, no sweet words that promise anything and everything if she should ask." Sanji began to spill everything; "I've done everything imaginable to try getting her to look my way and any attempt has always been her usual kind thank yous…But when it comes to you, you make no effort towards her and yet she'll hang on your every word and action."
Morgan wilted a little; he figured that this kind of conversation would come up sooner or later.
"She appreciates you in a way that I don't think any one word could describe but every time I see you with her…You show no appreciation or even demonstrate that you feel the same way….Now when we were making our trip to Drum Island, Vivi is starting to see you in the same way, So do you actually care?" Sanji quizzed him with a pointed stare; "Because I don't care if you're our captain or if either of them complain, I will break you if you break their hearts!"
Morgan winced as he shifted in place after the medicine stung his body; "Sanji, I don't know where you got the idea that I don't care, but I do…You think I was just sat in the ship lazing and waiting for you guys to show me pity? I sat and felt guilty but when you guys came back all beat up…it hit me hard and it only got worse when Nami was sick…"
Sanji listened quietly; he had his time of ranting at Morgan, now it was his turn.
"I've been on edge ever since and when we got fired on, I nearly jumped out to kick their asses…It was only because of Vivi stopping me that I didn't." He explained as he remembered Vivi hugging onto him even when she got shot before turning to the window; "And it was because of Nami that I was able to push myself as far as I did up the mountain and even moreso when you got hurt…I didn't want anyone else I care about to get worse." Morgan admitted honestly; "That includes you, Usopp and Zoro…I wanted to make things right but more than anything…I wanted to prove I can overcome anything."
This calm moment was soon interrupted by the boom of a cannon followed by a familiar sounding obnoxious laughter. "Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me…this jackass again?!" Morgan groaned as he peered out of the window to see Wapol, however it looked like he had cannons for arms and built like a house.
"MAAAAHAHAAHAHAHHAA! We did it, Chess! Marimo! We've made it home, now how about we evict the old bag squatting here and reinstate me as the King of Drum Island." Wapol proclaimed as he watched Chopper trot out to meet them with a pill in hand.
"No way am I letting that jerk push anyone else around." Morgan growled as he pulled himself free of the tub and rushed for the door.
"MORGAN WAIT!" Sanji yelled as he watched Morgan run across the room towards the door but noticed him stop as his hand grabbed the knob.
"What?!" Morgan stopped before he did anything else.
"Unless you wanna get frozen again, you might wanna put some clothes on." Sanji pointed out as he realised that under all the herbs and leaves in the bathtub; Morgan had almost rushed out to fight this new threat butt naked.
"Oh…Right…Forgot about that." Morgan laughed a little in embarrassment as he pulled on the clothes he wore up the mountain; thankfully Kureha saw fit to repair and dry them out for when he was healed before he rushed out the door with a slam.
"Well, that was something I didn't expect or want to see…"
Morgan rushed downstairs towards the outside where he saw a large and bulky Chopper fighting off a giant man wielding four axes.
"You think a monster like you can ever hope to be accepted by anyone?!" ChessMarimo yelled as they pointed their main axe towards him. Their attitude having gotten more and more soured due to the fact that Chopper and his Rumble Ball were knocking him around easy.
"I would." Morgan simply say as he trudged out into the snow; "He helped heal us up and now I'm gonna return the favour." He remarked as he stared down the larger Wapol House.
"Y-You're the frozen guy! Doctorine said you shouldn't be moving around yet, let alone getting into a fight that doesn't involve you!" Chopper protested to Morgan as he heard the man's footsteps.
"Doesn't involve me? This jerk ate part of my ship, shot my friend and nearly got all of us killed…That's more then enough to involve me…" Morgan growled as he cracked his knuckles once his eyes set on Wapol.
"Oh, it's the peasant…You mind moving out of the way? I've got my castle to reclaim. Actually now you're here; you mind telling me where that redhead of yours got to? I could use a Queen to help get this rathole back in line." Wapol droned and ignored the fact that Morgan was quietly plotting how to floor him.
"You won't set foot in the castle or even get to the door!" Chopper yelled as he rushed at Chessmarimo with his Heavy Point activated and caught the giant around the waist; "Frozen Guy! Stop Wapol from getting to the Armoury!" He warned while pushing his opponent back.
"That flag…I remember that stinking Quack's flag anywhere! I think I'll start by burning it down!" Wapol sneered, aiming one of his cannon arms up to the highest tower where a Jolly Roger flapped in the snowy winter breeze and then fired.
Chopper watched in horror as he saw what Wapol planned but clenched his eyes shut since he couldn't move away to stop it.
—Hours Earlier on the Examination Table—
Morgan was fading in and out of consciousness on the table as Kureha relented and decided to treat Sanji and Nami first.
"That Reindeer who dragged your butts in here? He's a doctor too…Trained pretty well too by the only other Quack that didn't bend the knee to that brat Wapol." Kureha explained to Sanji who was the only one awake/conscious, "I've taken over the reins with training him up after he croaked…It's sad, really. That flag hanging on the top tower of this castle is the last remnant of Hiriluk; the man who wanted to heal the kingdom and it's people…"
——Present Time——
"Swift Style Kenpo! Whipping Horse Tail!" broke the tension as Morgan leapt high into the air with his leg outstretched and connected with the cannonball.
"What the…"
"You don't get to trample on something as precious as that!" Morgan yelled out loud and swung his leg downward; The cannonball nestled into his shin before rocketing itself back towards Wapol at double the speed.
The hippo king barely had time to react as he waddled towards the door and by some bizarre stroke of luck; the cannonball exploded behind him and sent him flying into the castle through the doors.
"MAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You Hippidiot! I got the keys to Drum Castle's armoury; With the bounty of weapons and my powers, I will bring about the end to that Quack's insistent rebellion and-huh?" Wapol would be grinning ear to ear while getting to the third floor but stopped when he saw a familiar redhead trying to run across the halls with a heavy coat over but but found herself in front of him.
"Oh, uh…Hi~ This is a really nice castle…Maybe you could show me where the treasure room is~?" Nami asked, trying to amp up the charm to distract Wapol; "I can help you with getti-AAH!" She yelped as the giant man lunged forward with his mouth stretched out wide to eat her.
"You little hippowench! You're with that scoundrel who punched me…I don't know whether to wed you or eat you!" Wapol screeched as he missed her entirely and crashed into a wall; giving Nami the chance to slip under him and dash.
"Too bad for you, Big-Mouth! I'm already hooked to someone else~!" Nami smirked to herself as she ran past with something jingling in her hand and head down the stairs with the hopes that Wapol would give up however she couldn't help but laugh as his lumbering frame got caught in the stairwell.
Morgan rushed into the main hall when he saw Nami and felt his smile come back; "Thank god…" However this was short lived when he saw Wapol glaring at him from the top floor with a look of anger.
"You! I'm gonna chow down on you, you Hippastard!" Wapol yelled as he thrashed and struggled to get free from his self imposed trap. "Curses! Why must my Kingly frame betray me!"
"Alright, I think it's time you took your lumps." Morgan smirked as he got ready to lay a beatdown on Wapol while he still had a chance…Or so he thought.
"Baku-Baku No….Self Consumption!" Wapol yelled out as he began to literally collapse into himself, one chomp at a time until he finally slipped through the stairway and landed at the bottom floor.
Morgan and Nami could only stare in amazement as the formerly heavy set king was now skinny as a rail and all of his clothes literally hung off of him; "I never normally say this so take it to heart, I am actually jealous of your fruit powers!" Morgan grimaced which earned a raised eyebrow from Nami.
"Seriously? Mr. "I never like or want Devil Fruits" is actually jealous of one?" Nami teased him about it while nudging the key into his pocket slyly.
"I mean, wouldn't you want a fruit that gives you the power to eat anything…including yourself and then let all that extra baggage just slide off of you?" Morgan pointed out as Wapol had a superior smirk once he realised he had something over the straw hat. "If I had anything that could allow me to maintain something like this without the constant need to maintain musclemass then I would!"
"Of course you commoners would envy those of royalty like me! I stand at the precipice of kingliness, A part of what makes up the World Government and what I say goes!" Wapol bragged and boasted though he quickly regretted it as Morgan closed the gap between them and thrust a powerful kick forward into his face to knock him back.
"But that still means squat when it comes to this! The kick was for shooting Sanji with an arrow and this is for trying to steal Nami!" Morgan then thrust a palm into Wapol's stomach to stun him before using a small hop to lift his knee upwards in a powerful strike; "Tiger Knee!"
Nami was curiously watching as she saw Wapol getting knocked into the air, surprised at how jarring it was to watch this man who was previously the size of a balloon gaining so much time in the air.
Morgan then decided to try something new; "I don't wanna take chances if he has access to that armoury…Time to bust out something new…" He thought as he jumped into the air to meet with the slowly falling Wapol.
Wapol was getting desperate and started to struggle as Morgan began his descent alongside him; "W-Waitwaitwait! If you leave me be, I'll vouch for you at the next Reverie! Make you into an honorary Noble!" He began to plead and try to bargain.
Morgan ignored him as he flipped Wapol upside down and grabbed ahold of his legs, he then placed his feet on the underside of the king's arms. "This one is for trying to eat my ship!" Morgan yelled out as he gripped tight to ensure that this move could do it's work.
"A-A castle! Your own legion of women…N-NAME YOUR PRICE!" Wapol screamed out as he could feel himself and Morgan sinking downwards.
"GRIZZLY DRIVER!" Morgan yelled out as he landed the final touch, bringing gravity down to finish off Wapol by driving him into the ground and knocking him out for good. He then let go as the king of Drum Island collapsed backwards into unconsciousness.
"Morgan….Just when I think you've shown me everything, you just pull something like this out of nowhere." Nami remarked in awe as she saw the unresponsive Wapol twitch against the cracked icy ground. "But Grizzly Driver? What did you get that one from?"
Morgan laughed a little in embarrassment; "Heh, it was part of survival training…I had to fight a bear during training, I had to stop it from attacking me; Because I was too small to knock it out like the Geezer could or stretch like Luffy could…I maneuvered around and drove it down." He explained like he didn't just say he floored a fully grown bear as a child.
"I love that you're a fighting monster capable of kicking ass…But you scare me sometimes." Nami admitted honestly as she pat his chest; partly to reaffirm herself that she was safe and mostly so she could get a long overdue feel of his chest again. "Come on, we should get back to the Merry and let them know we're okay…"
Morgan nodded though hearing the word monster reminded him; "Before we go, I have something I want to do." He mentioned as he then headed back up the stairs towards where Kureha was making her office.
In the meanwhile, Chopper had cleaned up when it came to Chessmarimo and was now checking over Sanji's wounds; "It looks like you've been doing as Doctorine said…Good, that should mean you'll be able to walk and move again like normal."
Sanji grinned as he relaxed; "You know, our crew could use a doctor…You think that old lady would consider joining? Our captain's a gifted but pretty headstrong dumbass so if we're gonna keep going like this then we'll need a doc at least."
Chopper hesitated for a moment before looking at Sanji; "You guys are pirates right? How do I know that you're not just gonna sell me as a pet at the first chance you get, are you?" He said with skepticism and backed away a little.
"Yeah, we are pirates but we're a different kind of pirate; Besides, even though I'm still kind of mad at him; our captain's probably one of the better pirates I know and he would sooner let himself get shot before selling someone out." Sanji mentioned as he got dressed; "He may be a dumbass but he is at least honest about what he does."
——A little while later——
"So you need a Doctor for your ship, huh?" Kureha asked Morgan as she examined him following the fight with Wapol; She was still stuck on ensuring all three of them were better but even she was surprised at how well Morgan was healing up. "Looks like the brat's body is just as stubborn as his mind…"
"Yeah, I've been doing thinking since I started my journey and I needed a doctor more then anything with the last few fights I've been in…You were able to help us even after we fought to get here." Morgan decided to approach her with the question but flinched a little when she flicked him on the head.
"Entitled little brat, you want to take one of the best doctors from this island?" Kureha griped but then smirked; "Even if I said yes, I'd have charged you out the nose for my services."
Morgan sighed, it had been a long shot but he had to try. "I figured as much…But do you know anyone else who might be open to it, Like the reindeer? I watched him fight out there, he's awesome!"
Kureha chuckled a little at Morgan's sudden admiration; "His name is Chopper, he's an apprentice I've been training in medicine…He's already good enough to act on his own, I'd like for him to go out and see the world…But I won't force him and I'll put you in IC if you do! It has to be his choice alone to go." Kureha elaborated as she slapped his back to affirm he was good to go.
"Trust me, it's their choice to come with me…If they don't, then that's okay too...I'd just be happy to have him as a friend, talking reindeer or not" Morgan would say as he pulled his shirt back on and headed for the door, unaware that Chopper had overheard them when he was putting away instruments.
——Later——
Morgan was waiting outside of the castle with the others as Sanji told them to after he was finished being examined; "So why are we waiting again? I thought we could be ready to g-"
"EVERYBODY, RUN!" Chopper yelled out as he toddled out of the castle with a bag on his back and ran for the sleigh.
"YOU BETTER GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!" Kireha's angry voice could be heard echoing in the castle followed by the doors being knocked down in a powerful display.
The trio were not expecting for Chopper to come running for them but even less so that they saw Kureha throwing literally everything at them ranging from scalpels to battle axes; "You heard him! Run for it!" Morgan yelled out as they hopped in the sleigh and made for the Snow Lift track.
The tense atmosphere settled as they watched Kureha and the castle shrink into the distance and after finally breathing a sigh of relief. "I'll be coming with you…If you'll allow me to." Chopper said finally as he pulled the sleigh.
"I don't see a reason why not, though why the change of mind? I thought you were worried about how people saw you." Morgan questioned curiously as he watched the snow fall.
"At first…But somebody told me that you were a lot more loyal then that, besides as a doctor; I can't let you rush head on into battle without someone to help you with injuries." Chopper made sure to specify and tried to channel Kureha with his final offer.
"Then welcome to our crew, Chopper…I'm glad we got another new friend." Morgan would smile as he accepted.
Before anyone else could say anything, a loud boom echoed in the night sky and then flashes of pink started to flutter and fall; Chopper recognised it as Hiriluk's cure that he formulated and worked on up until he died, the symbol of his vow as a doctor and inadvertently his final farewell as Chopper set off on his own and became the officially Doctor of the Straw Hat Crew.