CHAPTER 35- On Ice
Chapter's Quote: "Harsh hearts are always the best to befriend."

Sanji ran toward Grandes and jumped into the air.

Grandes raised a hand and it turned to a wall of ice.

"Collier Coup!" Sanji said and his foot smacked into the ice wall.

Grandes grinned for some reason as Sanji's kick had broken the wall and hit Grandes in the face.

Sanji landed softly on the snow while Grandes fell onto the snow hard.

Sanji turned to look at Grandes who was already standing.

"Not a bad kick." Grandes said as he wiped a little blood away.

"I guess the reason I can hit you is cause of the temperature?" Sanji asked with a smirk.

"Pretty much, but don't get excited, boy. I'm not through yet."

Grandes placed a hand on the snow and said. "Shikon Touketsu (Frozen Fangs)!"

The ground instantly erupted into spikes made of ice, and Sanji swore as the spikes came closer.

Sanji then jumped into the air and landed outside of the area where the spikes were.

Sanji darted through the spikes and found Grandes.

"Gigot Charlie-Le-Horse!" Sanji said as his foot connected to Grandes's leg.

Grandes jumped back and staggered.

"Not a bad kick. Tell me. Who taught you?" Grandes asked as he lifted a hand to his hat.

"An old geezer named Zeff."

"Zeff? Heh, so he's still alive? That's good to hear."

Grandes took off his hat and dropped it into the snow.

Sanji's eyes widened a little and he asked. "You knew Zeff?"

Grandes chuckled and cracked his knuckles. "Knew him? We once fought each other! That old man is still kicking? I thought he retired after that bit about his right leg. I guess not. So you must of worked for him, right?" Grandes asked and his silver hair ruffled in the cold breeze.

"Sure did. I owed him everything, and so I'll find the All Blue and then my debt will be gone." Sanji said with a grin.

"All Blue? So you believe it too?" Grandes asked.

"Why not? It's stupid to fight for a dream if you know it's real. It gives life meaning, right?" Sanji said as he light another cigarette.

"Hmph, I guess you're right. Well, I don't believe in All Blue. I believe in something greater." Grandes said with a smirk.

"What would that be?"

"I believe in an afterlife." Grandes smiled and looked at Sanji.

"An afterlife? How come?" Sanji stared at Grandes confused.

Grandes merely chuckled and said. "Cause there's somebody I want to see again. I'll defy anything or anybody to see her again."

Sanji gave a puff of smoke as his reply and said. "Hmph, what a fool's dream."

"Still, if it's dream, that makes life more interesting, right?"

"You got that right." Sanji smiled and Grandes raised his right hand.

"Now that we understand each other, try not to hold back."

"I won't. I just hope you don't hold back."

"Don't mock me, boy."

Zoro, Franky, Robin, and Varen were all about to head into the trees to find Luffy and Sanji.

"They went that way, right?" Zoro said pointing toward the mountains.

"No you idiot! They went that way!" Franky said pointing toward the snowy path in front of them.

"No, they went that way!" Varen said pointing toward some cliffs.

"Captain-san is right there though." Robin said calmly as she pointed to the trees.

Luffy ran out of the trees and then in slow motion, tripped and rolled down to them.

Zoro and Franky stopped Luffy by putting their foot in his face.

"Bhank Bou." Luffy said from behind their feet.

"Anytime." Zoro said and removed his foot.

Franky did the same and then helped Luffy stand up.

"It seems you brought a guest." Robin said when she noticed the blue haired girl on Luffy's back.

"Huh? Oh yeah, we found her buried on the top of that mountain." Luffy said and pointed toward the mountains that Zoro had been pointing to.

"Told ya." Zoro muttered to Franky.

"We'll need Doctor-san to look at her. Is she still alive?" Robin asked.

Luffy nodded and then shouted. "Oi, Chopper! We have somebody in trouble down here!"

Chopper poked his out from his room and ran over to the railing.

"Okay! Bring them in!" Luffy nodded and jumped on board. Robin climbed on board as well and Zoro just stood there as the other two followed her.

"Oi, Luffy! Where's Dartboard?"

"Sanji's fighting somebody, I think…" Luffy replied as Chopper carried the girl inside the ship.

Only then did Usopp notice Luffy's frozen leg.

"Ah! Luffy! What happened to your leg?!"

Luffy looked over at Usopp and said plainly. "Something froze it. It also froze Sanji's foot too."

Robin stopped what she was doing and turned to face Luffy.

"Was it Aokiji!?" she asked frightened.

"I don't think so. The ice felt more watery, like it hadn't been frozen for long." Luffy said grinning.

Chopper looked out the door and said to Luffy. "Then just pour hot water on it until it thaws and then rest it."

"Okay." Luffy walked into the bathroom and did exactly what Chopper asked.

Zoro turned around and Franky shouted. "Oi! Where are you going!?"

"I'm going to find Baka-Cook."

"I'll come too, so you don't get lost!" Franky called back and jumped over the railing.

"Me too!" Varen said excitedly.

The Ninja jumped over the railing and the three ran into the trees.

"I hope they'll be okay…" Usopp said worried.

"They might be." Roland said from where he was sitting leaning on the mast.

"I wonder who it is? It's not that Admiral guy, so it must be… AH!" Usopp suddenly shouted.

"Roland! Stop those three! I remember who could probably do that! If it's cold enough that the water freezes…" Usopp began to say until Robin cut in.

"Then the person who controls water would turn to ice."

"Yeah, that's why we need to stop those three and Sanji!"

Roland looked at Usopp and then Robin in confusion.

"Who is it?" Usopp started to shake as he spoke.

"A man who is less powerful on land, but a terror on the ocean. One who can, on this island, control everything."

Roland continued to look confused until Robin added. "Someone who can change to water." Usopp and Robin both said at the same time.

"Grandes."

"Collier Coup!"

"Épaule Sprawl!"

"Côtelette Kabosh!"

"Selle De Ouch!"

"Poitrine Treader!"

"Gigot Charlie-Le-Horse!"

"Mouton Mallet!"

Sanji called out as he unleashed several kick techniques at Grandes.

Grandes grinned and he said. "Tekkai."

Sanji's feet smacked into him over and over again but showed little sign of hurting him.

"Is that all?" Grandes asked mockingly.

Sanji gritted his teeth and aimed a kick to Grandes's head.

"This is boring." Grandes said and then grabbed Sanji's leg and froze it.

"Ah!" Sanji shouted in pain.

"Forgive me, may the Heaven's light save you. Shimekiri Touketsu (Frozen End)."

The ice spread from Sanji's leg, onto his other leg until his entire body was frozen solid.

Grandes let go of Sanji's frozen leg and picked up his hat.

"Maybe next time, you can show me more." Grandes said as he then melted into the snow and was gone.

Sanji's frozen body just stayed there in the sunlight as voices were shouting.

"Was it this way!?"

"How should I know!?"

"Look! It's Sanji!"

Zoro, Franky, and Varen all raced over and gasped at Sanji's state.

"What happened?" Franky asked as he examined Sanji.

"Looks like the same thing that hit Luffy." Zoro said calmly.

"It was probably that man again." Varen said.

Zoro and Franky looked over and they both nodded.

"I kinda remember something about a man who could control water but, I thought it was only water!" Franky said scratching his head.

"It's cold enough to freeze water, so it's possible that the temperature is the reason. The only thing that proves this is that the ice is still wet, meaning that it hasn't been frozen for long." Varen stated.

"So we should dump his in hot water and thaw him out, right?" Zoro asked grinning evilly.

"Not too hot though." Varen said noticing the evil grin.

Franky picked up Sanji and carried him back through the trees.

"It's hard to carry him though cause of the ice." Franky complained as Sanji almost slipped out of his hands.

"Deal with it." Zoro replied as they finally made it back to the Thousand Sunny.

Luffy was waving at them and showing off his leg, which was all better.

Luffy's eyes became wide and shouted. "What happened to Sanji!?"

"He was frozen, idiot!" Zoro shouted back.

Chopper ran out and quickly started giving orders about what to do.

Several minutes later, everyone heard a scream from the bathroom.

"ARGH! WHO IS TRYING TO KILL ME!?"

Zoro started to climb to the crow's nest as Sanji ran out steaming.

"Marimo! You tried to kill me with that hot water, didn't you!?"

"Maybe."

"I'll kill you!"

"Sanji! Food!"

"Wait a damn minute, Luffy! Marimo needs to die first!"

"You think you can kill me, Curly Brows?"

"Get down here and I'll show you!"

The two started their usual fight as Luffy laughed at them.

"Sanji's back to normal, which means food!" Luffy said as he continued to laugh.

Suddenly, Luffy stopped laughing as another voice started laughing.

It wasn't Roland, or Varen, Robin wasn't even paying attention to the fight, Chopper was not even close to laughing as he tried to stop them, Usopp was watching in fear that he might hurt, and Franky had stopped caring.

No, the laughter came from one place.

Luffy frowned sadly as he recognized the icy laughter.

"Miss me, Luffy? Cause I really missed you. Now I can have some more fun torturing you!" the voice inside Luffy's head said happily.

O.o The voice is back, and what is Grandes planning?

Who knows?