Doctor

A doctor, is a person, or animal (as in the case of Tony Tony Chopper), who practices human biological medicine.

Roles and Duties

Doctors are relatively essential members of any crew, whether it be Pirate, Marine or any crew in between. One who is skilled in medicine and health care is necessary in order for the crew to survive the harshness of the sea. Doctors are usually required to heal wounds from battles, or prepare medicine for sick members.

Due to the Rumbar Pirates' doctor being killed in battle, the crew had no chance of saving themselves from the poison they were afflicted with, which led to their destruction. This is an example of how crucial a doctor is in a crew.

It is said that any doctor who ate the Op-Op Fruit will be able to perform miraculous operations to cure all disease that no ordinary doctor can. Indeed, a doctor who ate the fruit in the past saved many lives with the superhuman power, and the current owner of said power was able to do the same. That being said, the Ope Ope no Mi requires medical knowledge to use it to the fullest.

In terms of Luffy's crew, the issue of having a doctor was first brought up in the Arlong Park Arc, when the doctor of the town, Dr. Nako, said they really needed a doctor, after patching up Zoro's wounds. At the beginning of the Drum Island Arc the need for a doctor became serious as Nami was suffering from a fatal infection. After Drum Island, Tony Tony Chopper joined the crew as the ship's doctor and has fulfilled his duty since then, patching up wounds from battle, and using his knowledge of medicine to the crew's advantage.

Medical Malpractices

Although doctors in general were meant to maintain life and health to its optimal state, there are certain doctors who do not follow such a trend, instead being rather picky with their patients, or bringing more harm than good to the patient.

Trivia

• Despite the essential role they played, pirates rarely had a doctor on board their ship as it was mostly commercial and military vessels that carried a doctor. Even when a doctor was at hand, the standards of medical practice were not as they are in the modern world. Most limbs or lives were lost simply because of the crude methods often used on a patient. Thus, sickness and disease were often common within pirate crews and even the basic standards of living were not always on par with crews on board lawful vessels.