Episode 131: The First Patient! Anecdote of the Rumble Ball

Air Date: 2002-11-03
Opening: Hikari E (3rd Opening)
Ending: Shining Ray (8th Ending)
Manga Chapters: n/a

Short Summary

With their adventure in Arabasta behind them, the Straw Hats have a new crewmate, Nico Robin. Chopper, however, does not trust Robin, but when they go out to gather water together they spend some time bonding. Chopper and Robin share their pasts together, and so Chopper comes to understand Robin more.

In-Depth Summary

The episode opens with our favorite pirate crew, the Straw Hats, sleeping on the Going Merry. Nami, however, is seated at the front of the ship. She looks up and sees something in the distance - an island. She runs to the others and starts yelling to them about finding the island, causing them all to wake up. The Going Merry lands at the island, and the Straw Hats disembark. After drawing straws, it is decided that Luffy, Usopp, and Zoro go off to look for fruit while Chopper stays behind with the ship and Nami goes off to draw a map of the island.

With Chopper alone at the ship, he begins to pretend that he is a pirate captain. He climbs up to the crow's nest and starts barking orders. However, he stops when he sees Robin down below, casually flipping through a book. Embarrassed, Chopper runs down and starts yelling at Robin about how he doesn't trust her at all, and he runs into the cabin, slamming the door behind him.

In the cabin is Chopper's lab, and he sees ten Rumble Balls lying by some equipment, and decides to make more. While he makes them, he remembers when he first made the Rumble Ball, having taken medicine bottles to do so. He doesn’t notice Robin walks into the room but when Chopper does see her, he freaks out and leaps into a barrel. Inside, he swallows a Rumble Ball and leaps back out, switching through his various Points and breaking a water barrel in the process He then shifts into Brain Point, uses Scope and scans Robin for weaknesses, but before finding any Robin renders him defenseless by tickling him. Robin then points out that Chopper will have to gather more water because he broke the barrel, so he leaves the ship to do so. At this point we see a glimpse of the others on the island, such as Luffy encountering monkeys, Usopp going on about being attacked by a Giant King Condor, Zoro slashing down fruit with his swords and Nami surveying the island with Sanji fawning over her.

Chopper heads out to gather water, but is suspicious when Robin goes along with him. The two soon arrive at a lake, and Chopper and Robin discuss their pasts very briefly. Chopper begins to talk about Dr. Kureha, and how she had trained him to become a doctor. He tells the story of his first patient. He says how he had been working on the Rumble Ball in the lab, when Dr. Kureha walked in, angry that Chopper had taken her medical supplies. However, Dr. Kureha is quickly taken over by some sort of illness. On the floor, she says that she must have caught it from one of her patients, and that she will be Chopper’s first patient. Chopper immediately sets to work identifying the illness and starts making the cure, a pill that he gives to Dr. Kureha that is a success. Chopper wonders why she didn't ask what was in it, but she says that a patient doesn't have the will to do so. After Chopper finishes telling the story, he freaks out, realizing he's said too much. Robin, however, says that Chopper is lucky to have someone to write to, as she does not.

That evening, the Straw Hats sit by a campfire, eating the fruit that Zoro gathered. Usopp continues on about being attacked by a Giant King Condor, while Nami says that it's been a while since they've had such a peaceful day, and that since Zoro did the best job of gathering fruit, he should do it throughout the night, much to Zoro's annoyance. Chopper then looks over to Robin as the episode draws to a close.

Mumbo230's Notes

to be added

← Previous Episode (130) | Back to Main | Back to Top | Next Episode (132) →