All around them, smoke and dust billowed, battle cries shaking the sky.
The Endgame officers were still locked in fierce combat with the remaining World Government forces.
But the situation had long since become one-sided.
Especially after Marco and Dragon led the bulk of the Revolutionary Army to successfully break into the Holy Land—numerical superiority turned into a complete steamroll, and the World Government remnants started retreating like headless flies, losing ground step by step.
Da-da-da!
Chopper had taken on his beast form, darting rapidly through the ruins, a pack stuffed with medical supplies on his back.
"Over here, we need treatment here, Dr. Chopper!"
The Endgame member guarding the spot saw him and hurriedly rose on tiptoe to wave. Behind him were more than a dozen slaves who had just been rescued from cages, most of them badly wounded.
"Coming, coming!"
Chopper rushed to the injured, reverted to his usual form, and was just about to open the medical pack when a sudden chill ran down his spine.
He glanced back—and saw three CP0 agents, covered in blood, who had somehow been hiding here. They now burst out of the shadows, their razor-sharp Finger Guns stabbing straight for his back!
"Dr. Chopper!"
The Endgame member beside him cried out in shock. He drew his blade to intercept, but the CP-0 moved even faster than he'd imagined—there was no way he'd make it in time.
At that hairbreadth moment, a slim, graceful figure flickered into view like a ghost.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Three dull impacts later, all the CP0 agents were sent flying, crashing heavily into the rubble more than ten meters away. Their necks twisted, they fell silent.
"Tsk, your medical skills have gotten pretty impressive, but when it comes to fighting, seems you still haven't improved much."
That voice…
Chopper turned blankly, seeing Dr. Kureha drawing back her leg and straightening up, smiling squint-eyed at him, a liquor bottle dangling from her right hand.
"Doc!" Chopper's tears burst out at once.
He lunged at Kureha, wrapping himself around her leg and bawling, "Doc! How are you here! Uuuuu, I—I missed you so much!"
"Hey! Cut it out, brat, you're getting snot all over my skirt."
Kureha shook her leg in disgust, flicking a few times without managing to dislodge him. Finally, she couldn't keep up the act, crouched down, rubbed Chopper's head, and said gently:
"Okay, quit crying. You little guy really didn't pick the wrong person to follow—tagging along with that punk Shano for just a year and you've already made such a big name for yourself. If I remember right, your bounty's already up over three hundred million Belly, isn't it?"
"But your strength doesn't match such a high bounty yet, and you still ran into the Heavenly Celestial Dragons' nest. If some real monster set their sights on you, I wouldn't be able to rest easy."
"But that's dangerous for you too!"
Chopper hiccuped and lifted his head, eyes brimming as he looked at Kureha. "You're already over a hundred thirty, Doc—what if you get hurt or something!"
"Brat, still underestimating people!"
Kureha smacked him on the head. "Who told you a hundred and thirty means you can't fight? I'm a witch of eternal youth! My combat power's nowhere near weaker than when I was young!"
She took a swig of liquor, baring her teeth in a grin. "Forget just a few little CP-0— even if it's… ah, whatever, telling something like that to a little idiot like you is pointless. If your boss Shano were here, I might be interested in bragging a bit about the old days."
That little guy who came in a blizzard with a pretty girl at his side, begging for medical help—that punk who started twitching and baring his teeth in pain the moment she stuck a needle in him…
Now.
He'd become the most dangerous wanted man in the entire Chronology of One Piece, and was actually leading his subordinates to storm Mary Geoise.
Judging by how things looked, they were already infinitely close to victory?
Tsk tsk, that kid's only been at sea not even two years. She'd lived over a hundred and thirty, and had never seen such genius.
"Alright, enough chit-chat, time to save people. Chopper, I'll help you out once I finish this drink."
"Mm, okay, Doc!"
Chopper wiped his tears dry. He was sobbing that hard because he missed and worried about his doc too much, but in truth he could snap back into that "doctor on the battlefield" mode at any moment.
He was no longer that crybaby from back then!
"This really is good booze…"
Kureha leaned against the wall, slowly downing the last mouthful. She swayed drunkenly, then tossed the empty bottle aside.
She was just about to go help Chopper when she suddenly let out a soft "huh," as if sensing something, narrowed her eyes, and looked up.
Not just her.
Across the vast city of Mary Geoise, from south to north, from east to west, anyone who had mastered Observation all reacted the same way.
The others nearby, seeing this, also looked up at the sky in puzzlement—
Swish!
At the edge of the setting sun, a familiar figure stood upon the air, black cloak snapping in the wind. His handsome face was edged in gold by the afterglow, like a god descending.
That is…
Kureha hiccupped, swaying as she straightened up, then giggled:
"And here I was saying some nonsense about 'infinitely close'… turns out, it's already done, huh?"