Summary:
As Luffy races back to Drum Castle to fight Wapol, Chopper tells Kure that Luffy said he was his friend.
Inside the castle, Nami gets her coat and prepares to escape while Kureha is occupied, wanting to return to the sea and get Vivi back to Arabasta. She walks out of the room to see Wapol, who she immediately suspects is one of the Straw Hats. He chases her up the ledge but gets stuck on the stairs. He uses Baku Baku Factory: Slim-up Wapol to “eat” himself and become slim. However, the moment he launches into Nami to devour her, he gets kicked in the face by Luffy. Nami smacks Luffy over the head for damaging the jacket because it cost her Bela 28,800 after bargaining. She tells him that now Bela has to pay her 100,000 for it.
Wapol reaches the door to the castle armory, to which only he has the key. His plan is to eat all the weapons in the Baku Baku Factory to become a human weapon, but when he reaches for his key, he finds it gone and runs down the stairwell with Luffy chasing after him. Nami is disappointed as she waved the key hoping it opened the vault. Sanji, still weakened by his re-injured back, crawls back to Nami and realizes that she is unharmed. Wapol is determined to take back his kingdom and take revenge. He reaches the top dome of the castle and reveals his ultimate weapon: the seven-shot round Royal Drum Crown. Luffy arrives and Wapol tries to fire a cannon at him. It makes some noises but doesn’t shoot anything. Wapol tries the trigger several times, but the cannon appears to be empty. Only snowbirds that have nested inside will climb out.
While Chopper waits outside for the final outcome of the battle, the villagers gather at the base of the Drum Ropeway, which is also the home of Dr. Kurehy. The gondola carries several soldiers along with Zoro, Usopp, Vivi and Dalton. Usopp wonders if Dalton should have come at all as he is still recovering from his injuries and hypothermia, but he is determined to see Wapolo defeated and his kingdom destroyed. Back at the castle, Luffy grabs Wapol and says that the battle is over and it doesn’t matter what he is because he’s a pirate. Wapol says attacking him is a crime against the world government of which the Drum Kingdom is a part. She opens her mouth wide to eat Luffy, but Luffy’s rubber fingers reach around her. Wapol changes his tongue to the Bero Cannon to shoot Luffy.
On the Drum Ropeway, Dalton recalls how Wapol captured most of Drum’s doctors and his ministers claimed that the government might not be good to its people. Dr. Hiriluk changed this opinion for him. He reveals that he has dynamite which he will use to destroy the castle once they get there. Dr. Kureha asks Chopper if he’s worried about Luffy. Chopper replies that it doesn’t have to be because Luffy is a pirate. Sure enough, Luffy is unharmed by Wapolo’s cannon and uses the Gomu Gomu no Bow Gun to shoot Wapolo up, trapping him at the top of the dome. He sees Hiriluka’s flag on another tower of the castle, where Luffy planted it again after trying to shoot it down. Kureha tells Chopper that the end of the Drum Kingdom has finally come.
As Chopper reminisces about Dr. Hiriluk, Luffy tells Wapolo not to mess with the flag unless he’s ready to face the consequences. Luffy ignores pleas from Wapolo, including an offer to become viceroy, and uses the Gomu Gomu no Bazooka to launch Wapolo away from the island. The Drum Ropeway gondola arrives at the castle. Luffy pounces on Zoro and Usopp from the top of the castle, at first thinking that Zoro is one of Wapolo’s men because he was wearing one of their coats. He then tells Vivi that Nami and Sanji are fine. As Dalton gets out of the gondola, Luffy says that he “beat the king” and Dalton realizes that Wapol has been defeated. He also adds that the “reindeer” were beating up Wapol’s minions. Dalton notices Chopper “hiding” behind a tree and remembers him from ambushing Dr. Hiriluk. Realizing that Chopper has always fought for them, he bows to the reindeer, thanks him, and swears that the kingdom will be reborn.
The other villagers arrive and identify Chopper as a monster. Dalton tries to stop their fear as Usopp also shouts that he is a monster. Luffy tells him not to call Chopper a monster since he is their new crewmate. Chopper runs away and Luffy chases after him.