Chapter 77: The Unexpected Rise: Dalton's Ascension and Chopper's Decision

"STOOOPPPP!" Luffy shouted, attempting to halt the villagers in their tracks. Realizing they were not heeding his words, Luffy swiftly transformed his body into lightning, teleporting before the tree where Chopper had sought refuge.

With arms outstretched, he shielded Chopper, positioning himself with his back facing the villagers. Witnessing Luffy materialize in front of Chopper, the villagers who had opened fire were utterly terror-stricken.

The bullets were deflected upon making contact with Luffy's body, leaving no scratch behind.

"Why?" Chopper stammered with tears in his eyes. Luffy just smiled at him before responding, "Because you are my friend, and I always protect my friends," he said, causing Chopper to burst into tears before he ran to Luffy and hugged his legs.

"Come on, let's meet my friends," Luffy said to Chopper, who was still crying. He hesitated for a moment, but eventually nodded his head and took Luffy's hand as they began to walk back to the group.

As they made their way through the crowd, Luffy continued to give the villagers menacing looks, silently promising them a slow and painful death if they dared to try anything.

"Guys, this is Chopper," Luffy said to his crew. "And not only is he a doctor, but he's also a really cool fighter who can turn into a deer," Luffy said, causing Usopp and Johnny to have stars in their eyes.

"Is that true?" they said in awe, bending down to Chopper's height and showering him with praise, which made the poor deer blush uncontrollably.

Suddenly, Dalton fell to his knees, prompting everyone to rush over to him. "Dalton, are you okay?" the villagers asked frantically as they hurried to his side. "Take him to the castle; I will treat him," said Dr. Kureha.

All the villagers then took Dalton inside the castle. Luffy and the rest of the crew followed them to check on Nami.

As they entered the castle, they saw Dr. Kureha dragging Nami up the stairs while Vivi, Sanji, Nojiko, and Marianne lay on the ground, each with two large bumps on their heads.

"I think Nami is trying to run away," Luffy said, laughing before he followed the doctor up the stairs. Upon reaching the room, Luffy leaned against the wall and observed as the villagers carried the injured Dalton to a spare bed in the room, while Dr. Kureha placed Nami back on her own bed.

The doctor proceeded to treat Dalton's injuries while Luffy made his way to a nearby window and opened it. He then summoned his cloud, which confused everyone, including his crew members.

Luffy reached into the cloud and felt around for a moment before taking out a bag that didn't seem too heavy. From the bag, he pulled out some black cloth, which further confused everyone.

"Captain, what is it?" Nami asked from her position on the bed. "These are stacks of copied flags that I made," Luffy explained, causing Nami to nod her head, although she was still unsure about what she would do with the flags.

Luffy walked over to Dalton's bed and placed seven flags on him before speaking. "Hang these all over the island," Luffy said, causing everyone's eyes to widen in surprise.

"This will let other pirates know that this island and country are under my protection and part of my territory," he added, as shock reverberated through the room. "Wait a moment!" Dalton shouted from his bed.

"We appreciate your help with Wapol, but we can't live under a pirate flag," he expressed, while Luffy maintained a bored expression. "This country is part of the World Government. They would never allow any of this," Dalton argued, leading Luffy to burst into laughter.

"Being a part of the World Government means nothing here," Luffy stated, further confusing everyone in the room.

"Fishman Island is also under the World Government, yet they are protected by Whitebeard. So, what's the difference?" Luffy questioned, folding his arms and leaning against the wall. "Moreover, the important fact is that you were part of the World Government even before Wapol left the country to become a pirate.

And despite his departure, he is still technically your king," Luffy explained, causing angry expressions to appear on the villagers' faces whenever Wapol's name was mentioned.

"And in case you rebel against him upon his return, you will be going against a member of the council of kings of the World Government.

This will be interpreted as an attempt to start a revolution against the World Government, and you better know how they will react," Luffy stated, making Dalton contemplate while the other villagers struggled to digest Luffy's words.

"How can we be sure what you're saying is true?" a villager questioned, leading Luffy to chuckle before a gloomy expression dawned on his face. "If you don't believe me, I can prove it," Luffy replied, making everyone, particularly Vivi, curious.

"Have any of you ever heard of a place called Ohara?" Luffy inquired, prompting widened eyes from Dalton and Dr. Kureha, while some older villagers appeared confused.

"What's wrong with Ohara? They were aiming to use forbidden knowledge to bring about the destruction of the world," a woman in her mid-to-late forties voiced her concern.

"You shouldn't believe everything you read," Luffy responded with a sigh. "Those people were merely seeking to study world history, yet the World Government mercilessly killed every man and woman on the island, regardless of their involvement with the historical research group," Luffy explained, causing shock to ripple through the room.

Neither uttered a single word upon hearing that, and the entire room fell into a silence as they contemplated what they had just learned.

"Hypothetically," Dalton spoke up, breaking the stillness. "If we agree to your protection, what do you gain from this?" he asked, causing Luffy's grin to widen. "Not much," he replied, causing Dalton to raise an eyebrow.

"If any of my ships dock on this island, they will receive free restocking, and this island will become one of the central hubs of the organization I plan to build," Luffy explained, eliciting confused looks from his crew members as he mentioned the organization.

"What kind of organization would that be?" one of the villagers inquired. "Think of it as a transportation and distribution service for rare and valuable items," Luffy clarified.

As Luffy spoke, he couldn't help but notice Nami's eyes gleaming with thoughts of the immense wealth involved.

"In return for all this, you guys will receive my protection. If any pirates, Marines, or anyone else comes here to cause trouble, all you have to do is give me a call, and I'll be here in no time," Luffy explained.

"Trust me, I'm really fast." Luffy's statement prompted several villagers to exchange nods and approving glances, clearly appreciating the notion of someone as powerful as Luffy safeguarding their village.

"And I recall you mentioning that this island used to be renowned for producing the best medicine in the entire Grand Line. How about we work together to restore this country to its former glory?" Luffy proposed, adding an enticing offer to the mix as he gently nudged the villager.

Curiosity piqued, Kureha asked, "And how exactly do you plan to accomplish that?"

"Well, this organization I'm building will have branches spanning all four seas and the Grand Line. I'm certain there must be certain plants, tools, and medicines that you need but are difficult to acquire, whether legal or illegal," Luffy explained, causing Dr. Kureha to smile and nod in agreement.

"Well, I can obtain those hard-to-find items and bring them straight to you. And on top of that, I can help distribute the medicine you produce here to the rest of the world," he stated, causing the villagers to excitedly discuss the numerous advantages this plan could have for both them and their country.

"I understand," said Dr. Kureha. "So you will be dealing with both the normal market and black market transactions," she observed, eliciting smiles from Luffy, Gem, Mikita, and Marianne.

"Exactly," Luffy confirmed. While some of the villagers felt uneasy about engaging in illegal transactions, they recognized that the potential benefits for their country were too significant to overlook.

"I may not fully support the idea of the black market, but I have to agree with Luffy that it will ultimately benefit this country," Vivi voiced, prompting Luffy to smile and glance at her. "Princess, I appreciate your input," he acknowledged, catching Dalton's curious gaze directed towards Vivi.

"Now," Luffy's authoritative tone commanded everyone's attention. "With no current king in this country, it gives me a certain level of authority and control here," he explained, causing the villagers and Dalton to become wary. Just as Dalton was about to speak, Luffy continued.

"And with that power, I hereby declare you, Dalton, as the new King of this kingdom," Luffy announced, causing Dalton's eyes to widen and his jaw to drop in astonishment.

"W-what? Me?" Dalton gasped in surprise. "No, I can't be king," he stammered, only to be interrupted by Luffy once again.

"Does anyone object to this decision?" Luffy inquired, shifting his gaze towards the villagers and disregarding Dalton. Not a single villager raised a dissenting voice; instead, they all smiled in approval.

"There you have it, Dalton. It appears that people are in agreement with me," Luffy chuckled, leaving Dalton dumbfounded as he stared at Luffy with his mouth agape.