Chapter 172: Ralph, A Cyborg with a Heart!
The battle erupted once more.
But this time, the Straw Hat crew was at a disadvantage.
Their exhausted bodies reacted sluggishly. Sanji's left leg was caught by Kuromarimo's static-charged hairball, causing him to falter. Chess's arrow immediately shot toward him.
Sanji barely managed to dodge sideways, but the arrow grazed his ribs, drawing a spray of blood.
Lufia wasn't faring much better.
She punched three royal guards away, but left an opening behind her, and an arrow from Chess struck her shoulder.
"Ugh!"
Lufia staggered a step.
Wapol laughed loudly:
"Capture them!"
Just then—
"Squeak——!!"
A sharp cry rang out.
On the snowy slope, white figures surged forth once more.
The Lapahns had returned.
The Lapahn Leader stood at the forefront, limping but with a fierce glint in its eyes.
It let out a cry toward Lufia, as if saying, "We owe you—now we repay it."
Then, the Lapahns charged.
They pounced on Wapol's army, tearing into them with sharp teeth and claws.
But how could ordinary rabbits stand a chance against elite soldiers?
Blades flashed, blood sprayed, and one by one, the rabbits fell.
"No!"
Lufia tried to stop them, but it was already too late.
The Lapahns were sacrificing themselves.
Buying time with their lives.
The Lapahn Leader gave Lufia one last look, then raised its head—
Squee—————!!!!
A piercing, ear-splitting cry echoed across the snowy mountain.
Immediately after, all the Lapahns began jumping rhythmically.
Not to attack, but to... stomp the ground.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
At first, it was only a slight tremor, but soon, the shaking grew stronger and stronger.
The accumulated snow on the slope began to loosen, sliding down in cascades.
Wapol's face paled:
"These damned rabbits... they're triggering an avalanche!!"
Rumble rumble rumble—
The white death surged down from the mountaintop.
Snow swept forth like a tsunami, devouring everything in its path—trees, rocks, soldiers, rabbits, and...
The Straw Hat crew, and Wapol.
"Lufia!!"
Sanji shouted.
"Got you!"
Sanji grabbed Lufia's hand. In that instant, an image of Ralph using Geppo flashed through his mind.
Pushing off with his feet, ripples formed in the air.
Geppo!
The two leaped three meters high as the wave of snow roared past beneath them.
The avalanche passed.
The slope was now a vast expanse of white—all traces of battle, corpses, and bloodstains buried beneath.
Only two people remained, suspended mid-air, before falling and landing on the soft snow.
"Ugh..."
Sanji coughed up a mouthful of blood. Forcing himself to use Geppo repeatedly to stay airborne had worsened his injuries.
Lufia wasn't much better off.
She sat up, gazing at the deathly silent snowy slope, her eyes reddening:
"..."
"Now's not the time for grief."
Sanji struggled to his feet.
"Zoro and the others are still down there. We have to dig them—"
Before he could finish—
Whoosh!
The snow surface not far away suddenly exploded.
A large mouth emerged, frantically devouring the surrounding snow, clearing out a hollow.
Wapol.
The Baku Baku no Mi allowed him to quickly carve a path by consuming the snow.
He emerged from the snow and immediately spotted Lufia and Sanji.
"You... you're still alive..."
Wapol's eyes turned red, a sign of his fury reaching its peak.
"I'll chew you... into pieces!!"
He opened his mouth, the cannon barrel inside extending once more.
But this time, before he could fire—
Bang!
A blue-nosed reindeer charged from the side, delivering a precise kick to Wapol's face.
Chopper.
In his reindeer form, Chopper sent Wapol flying with a single kick, then rushed over to Lufia and Sanji:
"You're injured! Come with me!"
"A talking reindeer! Who are you?"
Lufia's eyes sparkled with curiosity as she asked, clearly having forgotten she'd already seen Chopper pulling the sled earlier.
"No time to explain! We need to get out of here first!"
Without waiting for a response, Chopper flung both of them onto his back, dug his hooves into the snow, and sprinted toward the mountaintop.
Wapol scrambled out of the snowdrift, watching the retreating blue figure with furious rage:
"That blue-nosed monster... It's Dr. Kureha's pet! After them! Catch them! Take back my castle!!"
Chess and Kuromarimo also emerged from the snow.
The three of them abandoned the larger force and pursued at full speed toward the summit.
The final stretch to the summit was a sheer cliff face.
Chopper shifted back to his hybrid form—a small reindeer wearing a pink hat—and pointed at the nearly vertical rock wall:
"Climb up from here, and the castle is right there. Can you two still move?"
Lufia looked up, her eyes lighting up again:
"So high! So exciting!"
Sanji gave a wry smile:
"Typical Miss Lufia, but now's not the time to get excited..."
The three began to climb.
Halfway up, Lufia suddenly asked:
"By the way, are you the legendary snow monster?"
Chopper: "...No!"
Sanji guessed:
"Probably a human who ate the reindeer fruit, right?"
"Wrong!"
Chopper shouted angrily, nearly losing his grip, "I'm a reindeer who ate the Hito Hito no Mi!!"
"The Hito Hito no Mi?"
Lufia blinked, "That's amazing! So you're a reindeer-man?"
"It's a human-reindeer! A reindeer!"
Amid the clamor, the three finally reached the mountaintop.
The castle stood before them.
The (former) royal castle of the Drum Kingdom, now Dr. Kureha's residence.
Once steady on her feet, Lufia turned to Chopper with a brilliant smile:
"Hehe! Thanks for saving us! I'm Monkey D. Lufia, the woman who will become the Pirate King!"
Sanji also offered a friendly smile:
"Sanji, a cook."
Chopper froze.
Pirates.
The pirates that Dr. Hiriluk had admired most...
"You..."
Chopper whispered, "You're pirates?"
"Yep!"
Lufia nodded, then suddenly leaned in, her eyes fixed intently on Chopper,
"Hey! Do you want to join our pirate crew?"
The invitation came out of nowhere.
Chopper opened his mouth, but before he could answer—
His nose twitched, and he gasped in alarm.
Wapol had climbed up.
Not just him—Chess and Kuromarimo were right behind.
As the strongest fighters of their entire group, Wapol was confident the three of them could reclaim his castle, Drum Castle!
Lufia turned and positioned herself in front of the castle gates.
Sanji stepped up beside her, lighting a cigarette.
"Chopper," Lufia said without looking back, "Ralph is inside, right? He needs peace to recover. So—"
She clenched her fist, her eyes beneath the straw hat gleaming with determination:
"We absolutely won't let that big-mouth inside."
Chopper watched their figures—battered, exhausted, yet standing firm to protect their comrades. Was this what pirates were like?
Inside the castle, in the sickroom.
Ralph stood by the window, watching everything outside.
He saw Lufia and Sanji—weary but still standing tall.
He saw Wapol and the other two who had just climbed up.
He turned, wanting to go out and help.
Dr. Kureha blocked his path.
"A patient should focus on resting and recovering."
The Witch Doctor wore a smile, her tone laced with sarcasm, "Don't you trust your companions?"
Ralph fell silent for a few seconds, looking out the window.
Lufia had already engaged Wapol.
Rubber fists slammed against iron plating, producing loud clanging noises.
Sanji kicked Kuromarimo away but was forced back by Chess's arrows.
They were tired, injured, and at a disadvantage.
But there was no retreat in their eyes.
Ralph took a deep breath and turned back toward the sickbed.
"You're right."
He sat cross-legged, back straight, arms resting relaxed on his knees, "I believe in them."
Dr. Kureha raised an eyebrow:
"So?"
"So," Ralph closed his eyes, "I'll use my own way... to accelerate my recovery."
Five points facing the heavens, focusing the mind and calming the spirit.
Using the knowledge of a transmigrator, his understanding of the One Piece world's power system, the foundation of the "Six Powers" granted by the system, and his insights into Armament and Observation Haki...
Skipping Kami-e, he deduced the final technique of the Six Powers—Life Return.
Controlling every cell of his body, accelerating metabolism, speeding up wound healing, and hastening stamina recovery.
"Hey, kid."
Dr. Kureha's voice was uncharacteristically serious, "Do you know what you're doing? Never mind how you're doing it, forcibly accelerating life activities could lead to organ failure and instant death."
"I know."
Ralph didn't open his eyes, "But my companions are fighting desperately outside. I can't just lie here waiting."
He paused, then said softly, "And... I'm not exactly ordinary."
Hearing this, even Dr. Kureha's 139-year-old heart felt a flicker of pity.
This child wasn't a monster—he was a cyborg with a heart!
In his mind, the system interface appeared.
[Skill: Armament Haki (Intermediate)]
[Skill: Observation Haki (Intermediate)]
[Skill: Six Powers—Tekkai (Advanced)]
[Skill: Six Powers: Shigan (Beginner)]
[Skill: Six Powers—Soru (Advanced)]
[Skill: Six Powers: Geppo (Beginner)]
[Skill: Six Powers: Rankyaku (Beginner)]
[Skill: Hypnosis (Advanced)]
...
[Skill: Big Stomach (Beginner)]
[Skill: Medical Treatment (Intermediate)]
All usable skills, all insights, converged in this moment.
The "physical enhancement" technique of Armament Haki, the "muscle control" principle of Tekkai, the "self-perception" of Observation Haki, and even the mobilization of subconsciousness from "Mental Suggestion"...
Like puzzle pieces, they assembled one by one.
Ralph's breathing gradually slowed and deepened.
The sound of his heartbeat amplified in his ears, the flow of blood like rivers.
He "saw" his own cells.
Injured, exhausted, invaded by the virus...
Then, he tried to "command" them.
Accelerate division.
Accelerate repair.
Accelerate metabolism.
Thump!
His heart suddenly lurched, as if about to burst.
Intense pain spread throughout his body. Ralph grunted, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
"Stop!"
Dr. Kureha said sharply,
"You'll die!"
But Ralph didn't stop.
He clenched his teeth and continued.