From Bepo's angle, he could even see the bulging veins on the man's arms and the sweat dripping from his brow.
What the heck is that thing?!
Bepo rubbed his eyes, feeling that the figure looked strangely familiar.
When his eyes fell on the pink hat atop the figure's head, a chill ran down his spine: "That's... Doctor Chopper's hat?!"
"No, no, no... It must be an illusion. That can't be right. Doctor Chopper's so cute; how could he possibly look like that?!"
"Must be another Mink on this ship... Or maybe someone from Chopper's tribe. I mean, their appearances are completely different; there's no way that's the same person!"
"Hoo…"
Bepo let out a deep breath.
At first, he had been pretty pleased to be assigned as navigator's assistant. After all, navigation is usually a support role, rarely involves frontline combat.
Even later, he asked Gawain to transfer to become the assistant of the ship's doctor, and he had the same idea. Chopper is so cute; how could he do something to fight and kill?
Besides, isn't the duty of the ship's doctor to cure diseases and save lives?
Uh… Except for Law.
Bepo thought it was a false alarm, but the ominous premonition became stronger at this moment.
Could it really be Chopper?!
He retracted his gaze and walked quickly toward the ship's doctor's room.
Along the way, the tall figure that he had just seen by chance lingered in Bepo's mind so that his mind was a little distracted.
Suddenly…
Bang!
Bepo only felt that he had hit a piece of granite wrapped in cotton wool.
He subconsciously raised his head but was surprised to find that the tall figure he had just seen on the deck also appeared in front of the door of the ship's doctor's room, looking at him with a smile: "Hey, Bepo, I have received the captain's notice."
"Starting today, you're part of the med crew. Let me walk you through the basics of what we do here."
Bepo instinctively took a few steps back, now able to clearly see the guy's entire hulking frame.
Massive, powerful muscles and a face that only got more terrifying the more it smiled... There was just no way this thing could be the same Chopper he knew.
What kind of nightmare is this?!
This guy clearly isn't a healer; he's made for tearing through hordes of enemies like a berserker!
He picked the med bay so he wouldn't have to fight on the front lines. And now you're telling him Chopper is some kind of demonic steel beast?!
Just imagining himself charging into battle behind this monster made Bepo feel like his whole worldview was crumbling.
And it's not just him...
What's up with every ship doctor being like this?!
Are there any normal ship doctors left in the world?!
"Y-you... You... Don't come any closer!"
Chopper saw the terrified look on Bepo's face and glanced down at his own form. He quickly understood the confusion and began to explain: "I'm a reindeer who ate the Human-Human fruit. This was just one of my training forms."
As he spoke, his body began to shrink. Within a few seconds, he returned to his small, adorable form, and his voice softened as well.
"You know how it is. As a doctor, a strong and healthy body and strength that surpasses everyone else's is essential."
Bepo breathed a long sigh of relief. But after calming down and thinking over Chopper's words, he twitched at the absurdity: "Do you want to listen to what nonsense you are talking about?!"
"How can a ship doctor's first priority be strong? Shouldn't they all treat illnesses and save lives?!"
Looking at Chopper in front of him and thinking of Law, Bepo suddenly realized that the ship doctors he met didn't seem to be normal people…
What a ghost!
"No! No! No!"
Chopper raised his lips, stretched out a finger, and shook it with a fire burning in his eyes: "Medical skills and medicine both have limits. When faced with injuries or illnesses that are too severe, there's only so much a doctor can do. A lot of the time, we're powerless."
"Isn't that true?"
Bepo was stunned and nodded subconsciously: "That's right."
"So, as a doctor, what you can do with medical skills alone is always limited, right?"
"Also not wrong."
"So medical skills alone cannot be a panacea that can cure all diseases."
Bepo nodded, one hand touching his chin, he looked thoughtful: "You're right. Even Law is often helpless in the face of serious diseases."
Seeing this, Chopper smiled confidently and said: "So, Bepo, medical skills have their limits!"
"If we want to truly create a panacea that can cure all diseases, we can only open our minds and broaden our horizons."
"The identity of a doctor should be our goal rather than our constraint. Since medical skills have their limits, we must learn to solve the problem fundamentally."
"Fundamentally solve the problem?"
Bepo inexplicably felt something was wrong but couldn't tell what was wrong.
Chopper continued: "As long as no companions are injured in the battle, isn't it equivalent to curing their fatal injuries that might have been caused?"
"As long as I kill all the enemies before my companions are injured, I will be the panacea that can cure all pains."
"Eliminating all unstable factors and eliminating all hidden dangers of injury and poisoning, this is the ultimate medical skill!"
Bepo stretched out his hand and scratched his scalp.
Something's not right!
Very not right, like, nine out of ten not right!
This idea is definitely problematic, but… But it seems to make sense logically.
Bepo opened his mouth and instinctively wanted to refute, but he couldn't say a word.
Chopper patted Bepo's thigh and said with a serious attitude: "In my opinion, both the ship doctor and the navigator are essentially the same."
"No… Is it the same for the navigator?!"
"Of course."
Chopper nodded heavily: "Let me ask you, what is the responsibility of the navigator?!"
Faced with Chopper's sudden question, Bepo suddenly became a little unconfident: "Develop a reasonable route, predict possible climate changes, and help the Pirate crew avoid dangers on the sea?!"
"Mediocre!"
Chopper shook his head, showing a disappointed expression: "Too mediocre!"
"What do you mean?!"
Bepo swallowed his saliva.
But isn't that what a navigator should be like?
Drawing sea charts, setting routes, predicting weather changes, and ensuring the safety of the pirate ship on the sea.
Has he been on the wrong path all along?!
Or is there a better answer?!
Bepo didn't know this.
But in his eyes, Chopper at this moment was like a devil tempting people to fall into the abyss.
He knew that what he got from Chopper must be an extraordinary answer, even as unorthodox as his understanding of medical skills.
But inexplicably.
When he thought of Law, he couldn't help but feel curious about Chopper's answer.
Just because Law was both the ship's doctor and the captain and every time he encountered danger, he was the man who rushed to the front.
He never said anything like what Chopper was saying, but his actions matched Chopper's philosophy exactly.
It all lined up!
Everything made sense now!
So, Law, you have been carrying so much all this time?!
Thinking of this, Bepo's breathing became heavier: "Tell me, Chopper!"
"Your answer!"
"What does the identity of a navigator really mean?!"
Chopper's mouth curled up a confident smile: "As far as I know, the most dangerous person on this ship is not Vice-Admiral Lancelot nor the cold-blooded Rear-Admiral Locke."
"It's Mina, the navigator!"