Since Shin knew the witch doctor, he naturally knew Chopper.
Why did Chopper fear his ration pills? The answer lay in Shin's unique taste, which had transformed since he ate the Munch-Munch Fruit. His taste could shift dramatically between two distinct modes.
His taste was almost like a normal person's when he wasn't actively using the fruit's abilities. However, once he activated the fruit, his sense of taste turned notably strange.
In fact, after eating the Munch-Munch Fruit, even Wapol's taste transformed to the point where he found delight in eating bizarre things—like roasted bricks. This alteration showed the broad and unusual range the fruit could bring to one's taste.
Thus, when Shin crafted his ration pills—which were more like medicinal concoctions than actual food—he didn't prioritize flavor at all. Instead, he focused on maximizing their nutritional value, figuring the Munch-Munch Fruit would make the taste irrelevant for him.
Of course, this wasn't so for anyone else, especially poor Chopper, who often found himself as Shin's unwilling test subject. Chopper's reactions to the pills somewhat entertained Shin and the witch doctor, so the little reindeer became a regular source of amusement for these two rather shameless doctors.
After spending some time teasing Chopper, Shin sat on the seaside reef, gazing out thoughtfully at the distant horizon. "I'll be setting out to sea soon. Little Chopper, what are you planning to do?"
"Setting out to sea?" Chopper's eyes sparkled with excitement. "That sounds amazing! I want to go to sea too!"
Shin shook his head. "There's no need for two doctors on one ship."
If Shin hadn't already been skilled in medicine, he might have set sail with Chopper, but with their skills overlapping, it seemed redundant.
"Why don't you wait a couple of years? There will be… Hang on! That's a pirate ship!"
In the distance, a small pirate ship was approaching. It was flying a flag with a red spade and a skull in a hat, with two small smiley faces above the skull.
"Pirates! Pirates! Run!" Chopper panicked, darting around in alarm.
Shin rolled his eyes. "I'm planning to become a pirate myself. What's there to fear? Besides, you're a reindeer, not a human. Why would pirates go after you?"
Chopper tilted his head. "Right! I'm not human—why would I be scared of pirates?"
Seeing that Chopper was finally calming down, Shin added mischievously, "Not being human means pirates wouldn't loot you. But they might take you as reserve rations for the ship."
"Reserve rations?" Chopper gasped, wide-eyed, tears forming as he quickly hid behind Shin, trembling.
Shin was about to tease Chopper further when a flash of fire appeared from the pirate ship, followed by a glowing projectile launched toward them. Instantly, Shin clenched his fist, channeling his chakra to gather rocks from the ground, forming them around his fist. As he punched forward, the stone launched at the fiery projectile like a cannonball.
The technique looked like an improvised Rock Fist Jutsu, though it was more of a rock-enhanced punch. Given Shin's limited training in advanced ninjutsu, it wasn't a potent attack, but it packed quite a punch with his enhanced strength.
The stone smashed into the fireball, dispersing it, but the flames quickly coalesced into a human figure that landed before Shin.
"Impressive punch! If not for my fire powers, that would've hurt," the figure said with a smile. He wore a hat and was bare-chested, carrying a man slumped over his shoulder who seemed unwell.
Shin's eyes widened slightly as he recognized the newcomer. Even with faded memories of his original world, he knew this was Fire Fist Ace, a character with near-protagonist-level strength.
At this point, Ace had only just entered the Grand Line, but Shin could already sense the immense power Ace possessed, even without having yet mastered Haki. The mere presence of Ace exerted powerful pressure, and Shin knew he couldn't match it despite the enhancements of his chakra and his devil fruit abilities.
Seeing Shin's look of recognition, Ace raised an eyebrow. "Do you know me?"
Shin shook his head. "Only by reputation. Fire Fist Ace, the pirate who achieved a hundred-million-berry bounty right after entering the Grand Line. I've seen your wanted poster."
He glanced at the sick man slung over Ace's shoulder, noting his peculiar eye mask and Zorro-like attire, but couldn't quite place him.
Ace caught Shin's curious gaze and explained, "This is Deuce, my vice-captain in the Spade Pirates. Don't worry; we're not here to cause trouble. We just need help treating Deuce."
Shin raised an eyebrow. "No ship doctor on board?"
Ace scratched his head, smiling sheepishly. "Deuce is our doctor, though he's still just a medical student."
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BONUS CHAPTER SINCE WE HAVE 2 REVIEWS!
For every power stones milestone: 50,100, 200, 300,400,500 I will release a bonus chapter.
I will also release a bonus chapter for every two reviews until it reaches ten reviews.
Review status: [2/10]