Zora lifted the weight over her head. She was in constant movement with her eyes gazing against the blue waves. With each wave hitting against the ship, she switched arms. A black dot in the sky became larger as it neared.
The swordswoman did not even need to turn around; she already knew someone was standing behind her.
And the black dot, which was now revealed to be a bird, flopped down on deck. Right in front of the other person.
Savi bent down and took the roll up paper from its mouth, and exchanged some pocket coins in return. And it flew off once more. The blonde picked herself back up and gave a small smile. She had an idea in her head to give Niko a smoothie along with his weekly newspaper. It was a happy thought unlike all of her other ones.
Isn't this what Princesses did for their Prince Charming?
That's how she always thought of it. A fairy tale always ended with a happy ending, and this was how she thought happened next.
But something made her freeze in her path. She looked down at the printed paper which caught her eye. It didn't take her long to unroll the paper and read it aloud. "Uprisings in Alabasta. Tensions are high after a raid destroys a…" The blonde did not finish, instead she looked up and at the cabin door.
"Go tell her," Zora mutters under her breath. "What are you waiting for? Next week's newspaper?"
Her fingers claw into the paper, "Shut up, Marimo. I just…don't think it's a good idea."
"To not let her know the fates of her people?"
Savi's eyes narrowed. "To make her feel any more guilty than she already is, shitty Swordsman. But I don't think someone like you understands guilt."
The woman only shrugged. "I don't regret. Period." She blinked and without hesitation, threw in an insult, "Unlike you, Dartboard." It felt wrong to chat with Savi without bickering.
Savi still stayed there. Even if she knew it was wrong to not tell the blue haired girl, she also did not want to venture into the cabin room where depression hangs in every corner.
Zora blew a piece of her hair out of her eyes. Even though she only cut her hair weeks ago, it was starting to get to a bothersome length again. She lifted herself up and laid the weights down. Her body jerked, facing the wind, and snatched the paper out of Savi's hands.
"Hey!"
"If you're not going to show her, then I will."
…
None of them knew what was wrong with their captain. They surrounded him and watched as his chest lifted with each breath. He had no fever, nor a simple cough. To others, he looked like he was sleeping peacefully.
His eyes were sealed shut for three days.
Other than his breathing, he laid there still as can be. Like a mannequin on display.
None of them knew what to do exactly. There was nothing to treat him. They didn't have to cold down a fever, or cook some soup for him to munch on. No, he was healthy.
Even yanking his eyelids open did not wake the resting lad.
Vivi and Urika sit across from each other, with Luffy between them. The blue haired girl taps her thigh in a constant rhyme. Questions raced through her mind concerning the state of the straw hat captain. Will he wake up? What happens if he doesn't? Is he hurt or diseased? What can they do?
Urika looked pale in the face of her friend. She did not twitch like the other girl; she only uttered one tale of adventure to the next. She hoped he was listening to her words, so she never stopped. She continued on and on, even retelling the previous with different endings. Sometimes she would pause like she would always down when he was listening to her tale and ask a question. Unlike last time, there was no answer, but she continued on as if he did try to answer in the first place.
On the second day of his rest, they started to get worried and today only made matters worse.
They tried asking him questions, baiting him, inflicting some sort of pain, but only snores were returned.
By now, Vivi already knew of Luffy's odd habit. Of randomly falling asleep for a complete day. It happened once in Syrup Island and then again in Loguetown, but both only lasted for one day. Not three straight days.
Vivi's eyes twisted away from his body, and onto the dark skinned girl. "We have to get him to a doctor… Something could be mentally wrong with him."
The sniper stopped her and said, "There's no doctor around though."
"What did you guys do last time?"
Her eyes casted down on Luffy's body, "We left him on the ship… We just thought it was Luffy's thing, not something mental." She didn't even mention the bit about a certain clown pirate getting hold of the boy and trying to kill him while he was defenseless. She already felt guilty for having it happen again.
The girl sighed into her hand. "And now it's getting worse… " she said. "He needs medical atten-"
The door thrusts opened and Zora and Savi walked in. The blonde girl stays to the side of the room, looking down at the ground and not at her captain. While Zora only marches towards Vivi and hands her the paper. "Read it."
Urika's head switches between Zora and Vivi. "What? Did something happen?"
Her question was soon answered by the look of horror on Vivi's face. "Alabasta…" The princess uttered with a daunt tone. She raised her fingers to her mouth and gasped as she read farther down. "It's going to happen…soon…" Her other fingers gripped into the sides of the paper. Each day that she takes, the more lives are gone. Her county was moments away from the outbreak. All in the hands of Crocodile.
Her head slumped down, looking at the boy with closed eyes. A boy who rescued her without any hesitation, and even escorting her without any profit.
The closest city in Alabasta was a day's march from the shores. Yet they were still far away from the island itself. It will take them several days to get there. And she could not even guarantee there was a doctor in that city.
"Where's Niko? I need to speak with him now."
"He's in the boy's cabin."
Which was basically the place where Niko locks himself and Luffy inside, to stop the boy from venturing into the girls' room. But with Luffy lying on a mattress within the room connecting the two cabins, the boy's room would be unlocked.
Vivi nodded and stood up. Her legs felt weak after reading that article. Was the state of Alabasta that bad? And she was only gone for a few years.
Zora walked behind her, leaving Savi alone with her worst nightmare. The blonde could only gaze down on Luffy and gloom, being unable to help in any way. "You can always leave," Urika uttered as she leaned forward in her seat, placing her elbows on her knees. She bobbed her head to the other door, which leads to a chute under the kitchen.
Savi shook her head. Her shoulders slumped and she seated herself in Vivi's seat. And thoughts rushed into her brain.
How will Luffy survive this? He is unable to move, to eat, to drink, to live if he stays in this state. If he stays like this any longer, he may not ever open his eyes again.
This was a little scarier than a fever or a cold. No one knew what to do, if there was anything to be done. All that they could do was wait; day after day.
…
Niko was hunched over his desk, with papers piled neatly in a corner. His pen raced around the parchment, making small markers there and here, or even adding more to the whole picture. As soon as the door opened, his pen stopped and he looked over his shoulder. "How's Luffy?" Which was the first thing that popped into his mind.
Did something happen to him?
"Same," Zora answered even though she only briefly glanced at her captain.
The princess took a step forward, her eyes catching a glimpse of Niko's handiwork. "I have a few questions."
He gave a small shrug of his shoulders and turned around. "Ask away," he said as he started writing once more, but at a slower pace.
"Where are the nearest islands from here?" She had a vague idea of the area, but she needed to know if she was correct. There was supposed to be an island west of Alabasta. An island of snow; much different from her own. She never saw the island herself, but she knew the rumors by heart.
"Drum Island, the island of snow." The navigator answered swiftly. "We are five days away from Alabasta, but," he looked at a different document, "We are a day away from Drum Island."
"Can you change the course to that island then?"
Niko's eyes narrowed at the girl. "But don't you want to get back to Alabasta?" He paused and added as an afterthought, "Once we get there, we can look around for a doctor for Luffy, unless he recovers by then."
"Have you heard about Drum Island?"
"No," he shook his head, "Only books about geography."
Zora took a step closer and seated herself on the end of Luffy's bed. His scent washes over her like a blanket. It was a welcome smell since she smelled like a pig from her workout. "Why? What's there?"
"Drum Island is supposed to be an island full of highly trained doctors."
Niko nodded with his orange hair shaking. It sounded like a good idea, but they needed to arrive in Alabasta as fast as they could. Luffy could make it five days; hopefully. "If we made a stop there, it would take us two extra days to get back on track. Plus however long it takes for Luffy to get fixed."
The green haired girl was about to say something about the state of tensions in her county, but Vivi knew about it well enough. She slid back into the bed and looked at the ceiling, waiting for those two to decide already.
Their Captain's life or the lives of the county.
They all knew Luffy pretty well, which was why they were all so set on getting to Alabasta. But having him wait for five more days may be a risk, seeing as how he hasn't drank or eaten since Little Garden. They couldn't force him to eat anything at the moment, or else he would choke up on it.
Vivi was still set on visiting Drum Island. "If this has happened before, then next time it could be serious. He needs to be checked on by a highly trained doctor."
A sigh escaped from his lips as he leaned back in his seat. "Luffy's a complete asshole sometimes, right Zora?"
"He's our asshole," the girl responded.
"Let's go to Drum then." He blew a piece of his hair out of his face, "We can't afford to lose our asshole."
And then there was a piercing scream throughout the ship. Next thing they knew, Urika barged through the door, "Get out here! Fast!"
Zora raced out of the door, leaving the other three behind in their tracks. Before she could make it to the ladder, leading to the kitchen, the ship shook furiously. All of them had to grab a hold of something to keep steady.
"Keep your eyes on Luffy," Niko called as he got to the ladder.
Vivi nodded and grabbed a hold of the dresser as the ship shook once more.
It only took them seconds to get to the kitchen and out on the deck. The blonde chook already stood out there, with her heels glistening in the sunlight. Her eyes were focused on the figurehead of the ship, where the others now started.
A man with weight issues stood there. His chin was only a foot away from the ground which looked like he had a metal stubble. His body was wrapped in numerous amounts of fur. In his hand was a half-eaten knife that he chewed on. "Only four people on this ship?" He counted those who stood guard, "Anyway, let me ask you a question."
"That has to hurt…" Urika uttered as she held her large lips. Just imagining chomping down on a knife made her cringe.
Zora placed her hands on one of her swords. Just based on looks alone, this guy didn't look like he was here for friendly business.
Within the ocean was a large ship. How it appeared there without any warning was a question no one had the answer to.
"Get off our ship," Savi uttered. She was the closest one to the strange man. Her hands were in her pockets, with a cigarette between her pink lips. Even from this distance, she already knew this was not someone she could call a Prince Charming.
The stranger ignored her warning. "We want to get to the Drum Empire, do you have any Eternal Posts?"
The navigator was the next to speak, "No, and we never heard of that country before." Which, if he stated that an hour ago, would have been true, but the lie didn't show on his face. He was a master at lying, but he had more experience with women than men.
"Now you can leave," Zora said, her hands gripping on the swords tighter.
The man only sighed in return and looked around the deck once more. "My, why must you be so cruel?" He shook his head as if he could get their pity, "If you don't have that, then why don't I take your treasure instead?"
Niko marched towards the man. "Don't you even dare."
"Dare what?" He asked as if he was a naïve child.
"That treasure is ours!" He was a second away from saying, mine.
He took a step closer to Niko, and as soon as he did so, Niko called out, "SAVI!"
The blonde chef jumped between them, with her heel raised to the man's forehead. "Leave." She edged the man closer to the railing, using her heel as a weapon.
Wapol, the stranger, had his back against the railing. He didn't look scared of the woman, instead he was only grinning. His head jerked forward and chomped on thin air, where Savi's foot was seconds ago.
"Did…he just try to eat her foot…?" Urika uttered under her breath.
"A cannibal?" Niko uttered, taking a few steps back towards Zora and Urika.
Only Zora had gotten closer to the man. Her two swords were out, keeping them a distance away from her body in case the man tried the same with her. "We've warned you enough. Leave now, we will kick your ass out."
Wapol snickered in their faces.
Savi and Zora didn't need to exchange a glance, they moved together with the man. With their forces combined, the man flew through the air, behind the large ship that bobbed in the water.
Those on the ship shouted at them, threatening their lives. A few even tried to jump down onto the Going Merry to avenge their captain. Those who tried were shot down by a certain sniper and fell down into the icy ocean below.
As soon as those on the ships knew what business they were dealing with, they turned their ship and went away, blasting a few cannons their way as well.
Niko took hold of the ship's lever and dodged each one that came their way. Only one did any damage to the railings.
When they were out of sight, Zora went up to the orange haired. "We are going to Drum now."
Whatever was on that island was calling their name, one way or another. Even if their captain was asleep, fate was calling for them to venture there.
…
Vivi's breath was panting as she tried to hold Luffy down, as the ship swayed in all different directions. She had little clue what was happening outside, but when it finally creased, the door opened once more. Niko wandered inside and took a seat next to Luffy. "The ship is in course for Drum Island."
"Then let's hope he will make it."
"He will. He's Luffy. Have you forgotten already?"
Vivi couldn't help but snicker at his remark.
~July 1st~
~Four pieces of paper disappeared within hours from each other~
~Only a few stayed in the room, crowding around the bed where a boy slept~
~A small furry animal stood on his tippy-toes and laid a piece of cloth on the boy's head~
~How long as it been~
~How long as he slept~
~All of them grew impatient within that small room~
~A woman in the corner of the room finally left~
~A skeleton fiddled his fingers together~
~There was little talk in the room~
~None of them had the spirits to chat~
~A black haired woman leafed through a book, scanning one page to the next~
~The animal went back to his seat~
~And the boy slept~
~Like he has done for four days~
The Going Merry docked ashore on the winter island. And imminently, they were surrounded by citizens of the land. Each one of them held guns in their hands and some started to aim at the pirates' heads. Urika twisted her legs and started to move behind Zora. While Vivi stood closer to the edge of the ship, overlooking what seems to be the leader of this group.
"Bello~" Savi cooed just from looking at him.
He spoke first, "Leave this island. You're not welcomed here." The cook's smile vanished imminently.
Vivi raised her hands over her head. "We bring no harm. We are only looking for a do-"
"That lie won't work on us, Pirate Scum!"
The citizens shouted. Their hands were in the air, booing those on the ship.
"This is our city and we won't let you in!"
"Leave or else we will shoot."
Niko and Savi stood closer to the blue haired girl. Niko's nerves were starting to wear as he turned to the crowd that surrounded the ship, "We are not here to hurt anyone! We only want a doctor!"
"There's a sick person on board," Savi added. She placed her fist on her hips as anger started to boil within her. These people were not listening to them. So much was at stake for wasting time, and yet, none of them tried to help them. "Luffy-sama needs a doctor!"
"Stop with the excuses!"
She gritted her teeth together and looked at the one who spoke those words. "Shut up and listen to us!" She raised her heel and slammed against the railing. "Are you trying to mess with us?"
"Savi!" Niko uttered, pulling the girl backwards. He looked back into the crowd, "If you don't believe us, just come inside and see for yourselves!"
"They aren't listening to us," the blonde growled, "Just let me knock some sense into them." She shook off their hands and brought herself closer to the railings.
"Savi!" Vivi squealed as she grabbed the woman's shoulders.
A man in the crowd raised his gun up, aiming at the thundering cook. His finger squeezed the trigger.
"SAVI!" Niko pulled her inside of the ship and the two tossed and rolled behind Vivi. The princess stood over them with blood leaking out of her shoulder. Her other hand reached up to the wound, and looked down at the blood soaked glove. Her lips twitched. She has been shot.
"Vivi…" The blonde chef uttered as she looked at the woman who she called her rival ever since she stepped foot on the ship. The same woman who took the bullet.
Niko jerked up to his feet and slung his ax from his belt, looking down on them. He was the calmest of the members on the ship, but this rallied him up. "How dare you! We came here to seek help! Not th-"
The blue haired girl wrapped her arms around Niko's and called out his name. He looked down at her. "I'm okay! The bullet only grazed me!"
Urika glanced down at her wrist where she could still feel Meri's bullet guiding across her skin. She shivered from the thought of pain and remembered how she declined it.
Next, Vivi spoke to the citizens instead of the rallied up Rubberbones. She bowed her head down to the ground, with blood still dripping out of her shoulder. "We won't go into your village! Our friend is in a serious condition!"
Niko watched her every movement. And she whispered to him, "This is not a time to fight. It will only make things worse."
Savi got down to her knees. She looked down at them, "I'm sorry. This is my fault."
"And mine," Niko added as he did the same.
The leader of the pack accepted it. "I will lead you to our village. Just follow us."
A smile appeared on Vivi's face as she turned and looked at the other two. "See, they understood us."
"Next time, I won't be as understanding," Savi brushed a piece of her hair back and looked at the leader's back.
Niko eyed her, "Is your shoulder alright?"
And the other two came closer. "You're losing blood!" Urika squealed.
Zora seemed to not notice the wound as she looked at Niko, "I will stay on the ship." Just in case Robin decided to go back on his words.
"I just need some bandaging, that's it," the princess answered her question.
And the blond stepped out of their group and hosted Luffy onto her back. "Let's get going." She wanted to leave this island as soon as possible. For once she actually envied Zora for staying behind.
"Just one thing," the leader uttered without turning around, "We only have one doctor on this island, and she is a witch."
"At least she's not a bitch," Zora uttered under her breath as she leaned against the cabin.
The others left her behind with only the duck keeping her company. What a joy. At least it was only the duck around, she thought. Without a moment of hesitation, she pulled off her shirt. Her wound across the chest was visible.
Carue's mouth dropped to the ground.
"At least I can train while they are away." Carue could only stare bewildered at the girl. "Swimming in the ocean should be good for a warm-up."
Carue's jaw slammed onto the ground and quaked, but he was already too late. The girl threw her shirt to the side and stood up and walked to the edge of the ship, already marking out the path she would take around the ship.
The duck came up behind her and pulled on her pants, trying to keep her inside of the ship. He was too weak.
The girl dived into the water, taking the duck with her.
…
The others of the group followed Dalton into the hidden village. The island had large cylinders made of snow, scattered throughout the island. And the largest one was in the middle of the island. The townsfolk, still wary of the pirates, surrounded them in case one of them, Savi, tried to attack once more.
They soon dispatched when Dalton stood in front of his shack. He opened the door and Savi walked through with Luffy on her back and the others followed.
"Girl," Dalton faced the princess, "Sit down and I will get you some bandages."
Vivi held onto her shoulder and nodded as she sat in the chair. She lifted her hand off her shoulder where the coat was torn. The bullet skinned the edge of her shoulder and the blood dried. "Thank you. I'm Vivi." She bit her as soon as she said her name, but the guy did not seem to notice. He turned around, getting a bottle and white cloth.
Urika was the next to introduce. "We are the Great Urik-"
"Rubberbones," Savi corrected.
The orange haired shook his head at his fellow crew members. "She's Urika, the blonde is Savi, and I'm Niko." And then he pointed to Luffy's body, now lying on Dalton's bed. "And he's our captain, Rubberbones Luffy."
"Sounds terrific," Dalton stated without a change of expressions. All of them looked at each other. "Now, I'm not a doctor, but this is going to hurt." He held up the bottle and gently poured it on Vivi's wound. The girl winced as the liquid started to cleanse the bullet graze. Bubbles appeared and he drowned them out with more liquid, until there were no more bubbles. He rested the bottle to the side and bandaged her arm. "This is all that I can do for your group."
"You're going to kick us out again?" The longnose girl whimpered.
"No," he stood back up and bobbed his head to Luffy, "The most I can do is bandage and cleanse small injuries. You'll have to go up to the castle," he pointed out the window where the largest amount of snow stood in glory, "To get a hold of the witch. Let's just say her practices are…not customary." He had no other way to describe it.
"How do we get up there?" The cook was the next to ask.
"The witch only visits our villages once a month on a flying reindeer." All of them lifted their eyebrows at him, and he continued. "She lives in that castle on top of Drum Rocky."
Niko's eyebrows lifted together as he leaned against the wall. He glanced up at the supposed castle. From right here, it looked like another mountain that scattered throughout the land. "Should I ask why a witch lives in a castle?"
"Our…former king has abandoned this land when the Blackbeard Pirates attack, destroying our village," he gave a small shrug, "and the witch moved in. She's our only doctor in the land so having her live there did not bother us." Urika lifted a finger as if to ask another question, but Dalton only shook his head. "She will visit without telling anyone. To get a hold of her, get to that castle is your best bet."
"We have to hike there?" Vivi rephrased. "That mountain is too steep, we can't climb up it!"
"I will," Savi uttered as she took a puff of her cigarette and the others looked at her like she was mad. "It's the only way, right? We can't lay around waiting for her, it's already been four days."
"Then I'll go too," Vivi stated firmly.
She twisted around and looked her in the eyes, "With a wound like that, you won't even make it to the mountain. Leave it to me."
"If she can't, then I will," Niko said, "Someone has to watch your back."
Savi turned her cold gaze onto Niko, but it turned into hearts within seconds. "Of course, Niko-swan~!" Her head leaned to the side and she did a small twirl.
"Now there's no hope at all…" Urika shook her head, looking at the ground. Savi would be too busy drooling over Luffy and Niko that she would get nowhere.
Niko's smile flickered as he faced the longnose. "You can always come, Urika."
"No, no, no, no," she shook her head, "Captain Urika is needed down here! I have to guard Vivi, how is she supposed to protect herself from a hiking bear? Huh?"
The blue haired girl raised her uninjured hand, "I don't need pro-"
"See! She can't even hold that arm up! What will happen if I'm not around with my trusty crossbow?"
Niko and Savi shared a glance. "Sure…"
Coward.
…
The girl with the bowler hat glanced over her shoulder at the larger male slowly making his way towards her. Even if they hadn't been walking for too long, she was starting to worry about him."Do you want to rest?"
Niko slapped Savi across the head. "I'm not that weak," he cursed through his lips, "We won't make it there by midnight if we keep slowing down because of me."
"But Niko-san, aren't you tired? I can go ahead and get Luffy there," she suggested for the tenth time.
And Niko smacked her once more. "Don't say that again."
"Sorry, Neko-san!"
Maybe he should have stuck with Zora instead of this girl. That would save him some headache.
And, much against Savi's protests, it was Niko who was carrying Luffy. He kept saying that if they were attacked Savi had the better chance of protecting them. And this went on for what seemed like hours as they climbed the snow covered summit.
"I always wanted to live on a winter island," the blonde said out of nowhere. She was trailing ahead of Niko once more, gazing ahead of them where she saw huge white lumps.
He raised an eyebrow, "Why? Hulky men?"
"Not as bulky as you~" she cooed, "You never heard the rumor though?"
"What?" As Niko caught up, he saw the white lumps and they were starting to move from the ground. Savi was already on guard, and he stood back.
A creature that looked like a rabbit stood up and roared. Savi wiped away its spit and charged forward. "Women in winter islands always have smooth skin." Its paw tried to slash her, but she blocked it with her foot. And the other lumps of what she thought was snow turned into this creature as well.
Lapins.
"Makes zero sense."
"It does," she argued, "Because when it's cold, everyone will rub their skins to get warm, right? If a girl has smooth skin, that means she came from a winter island." She slid her foot under his legs and pulled, and the huge Lapin fell down. She returned to Niko when another one came closer. There were a half of a dozen of them, and they kept getting back up with each of her attacks.
"Once again, it makes zero sense. If that's true, then why do they still have pale skin?"
"Because their skin absorbs the color of the snow."
"And who told you that?"
A smirk appeared on her face as she remembered all of those bastards. It was a time where she was gullible and believed their every word. Such as women being bloodsuckers and that the beauties only came from Winter Island. "A bunch of assholes that I trained with, y'know. With Zeff."
"Zeff?"
"Oh yeah," she snickered as she kicked another one out of their way. She wasn't trying to fight them anymore, now they were trying to escape from the Lapins before they could get caught. "He's the bastard who ran the Baratie, where Luffy-sama got me."
He nodded. "Yeah, I didn't really stick around for that."
Savi snickered, but she soon stopped when another Lapin leaped forward and grabbed her ankles. "What's wrong with them?!"
He could only shrug. "Let's just get away from them."
"Give me Luffy then. We can get out of this faster."
His shoulders dropped and he handed his captain to the blonde. It wasn't like he didn't trust Savi to get Luffy safe, but there was little else he could do for them other than carrying Luffy. He was not strong; the most he had on him was an ax but it wasn't useful at the moment.
The two of them dashed forward. Savi stayed behind the boy as she glanced over her shoulder. There was space between them and the Lapins, and hopefully that gap will get bigger. Out of nowhere, Niko darted to the right, between a few trees.
She grunted under her breath and made a sharp turn, losing two of them on their trail for only a few moments.
There was only one thing that they could think of.
"Climb up a tree!"
Niko stopped in front of one of the trees and climbed to the thickest branches. The girl chose another one, near Niko's. And the Lapins stood under them. He laid Luffy on the other side and looked down. "Now we have to wait them out-"
One of the Lapins wrapped their arms around Niko's tree and started to shake it furiously, and then the other ones started to join in.
"Or not."
Most of the Lapins were crowded around Niko's tree. He quickly unsheathe his ax that was on his side and started slashing down at the nearest ones.
Savi jumped down her tree and did a flying kick to one of the ones around hers. The Lapin landed face first into the ground. She swirled around and stroked at the next one. It was sent off into the distance.
The blunt end of the ax smashed against one of their faces, knocking him backwards. The girl stuck a second one on the back of his head when the first one grabbed her hand. She jerked it away from his furry grip and sent a lighting kick to his head.
The other one got back up to his feet. He was still in a daze from the two hits to the head, but he steadied himself quickly when Savi came into his view. The Lapin grabbed the thin air in front of him and the girl used this chance to swipe his feet off the floor.
Niko smashed the blunt of his ax in the other Lapin's face, sending him rolling down the hill. Luffy's body hung over the branches, inching closer to the edge every movement.
Five were down, with only one remaining but not for long. The ax slammed into his head and tripped over her feet, falling down the hill with the other one. Luffy fell down from the tree and Niko tried to catch him, but he missed. And the navigator fell to the bottom of the tree. He was on his knees looking where Luffy landed, into one of their hands.
They weren't done yet.
All of the fallen Lapins, not including the three that flew off into the distance, stood up. The larger one flung Luffy over his shoulder as he pounded his fists together at the blonde. The other two, one a faint blue and the other was a patchy white, stood on his sides. The patchy white one was the one Savi sent the flying kick into. While the faint blue one was hit by the blunt end of the ax and then Savi's kick. Neither one of them looked nicely at the duo.
The fair white, who was in a daze earlier, cracked his knuckles and flew a fist towards the orange haired boy.
"Niko-san! Watch out!"
He jerked backwards and fell into the snow. Lapin's claws tore his coat but he did not puncture any skin. The Lapins roared together like many grizzly bears. The blueish one charged forward at his target, Savi. He roared and slashed, but the girl dodged the attack at the last second.
Niko pulled his ax from the tree and blocked Lapin's next attack. He looked over at the blonde girl, "Get Luffy!"
She didn't need to be told twice.
Savi charged forward and sent another flying kick at the blueish lapin. He fell backwards but he wasn't done for long. The lapin stood up as Savi attacked the patchy white one.
Niko held his ground with the fair white one, while Luffy's body dangly between the two. He could not attack the Lapin directly or else Luffy could get hit in the mix. He tried to attack the Lapin with the dull end of his ax, smashing into his chest. The Lapin wasn't fazed.
"Shit," Savi uttered under her breath.
His eyes widened, "What?" He glanced around looking for what she was cursing at. He didn't see the attack coming. The Lapin bashed his head into the navigator. He thrust his ax at the creature's feet; getting him off balance.
And then the snow rushed forward. It was going down the mountain, right at them. Savi kicked Lapin once more and grabbed up Niko when the snow started filling the area.
The Lapins fell; taking Luffy along with them. Their bodies tumbled down the hill, into whiteness.
That was the last thing they saw.
…
Urika shivered as she looked up at the mountains. She didn't know what was going on, but she had a bad feeling. Should the snow be moving? Why was it getting closer? Shouldn't she be running now?
And she did while Vivi was absorbed in the view. She looked at the rushing snow with an ajar mouth. It wasn't until Urika pulled on her sleeve that she noticed it was going to swallow them.
The duo raced into the village and ran into Dalton's house. Urika leaned against the door with her back and glanced out the window. "Are we safe? Are we safe? Are we safe?!"
Dalton gazed up from his mug and onto the two girls. "Should I be worrying?"
"Avalanche," Vivi wheezed through her gasps of air.
"An avalanche? Those are rare," Dalton uttered. Most of the villages knew from instinct to hunt in the lower grounds, away from hills.
Urika and she shared a glance. If there was an avalanche, they could only think of one person who could cause it. "Luffy?"
"Hopefully," she puffed.
Bang.
Bang.
Bang.
All of them looked towards the door. Urika's skin shivered as she bit her lip. Dalton raised from his seat and went up to the door, "Who is it?"
"Vernes, sir!" He banged once more and Dalton finally opened the door. The man fell inside. He slowly lifted himself from the ground and looked at the huge man. "We've gotten news!"
"Of what?"
"The doctor! She visited Wilds, up north!"
His jaw dropped, "The doctor visited?"
Vivi and Urika faced the newcomer and started steaming up one question to the next. "She's not in the castle?! Is she still there?"
"We have to leave now!" Dalton turned his back on the three.
"But sir!" Vernes uttered, "All of the roads are blocked!"
He shook his head. "We have no time to let them clear. Those three were sent on a dead end. If the doctor isn't there soon…it would only spell trouble." He paused and looked at the girls, "Come on." And then he walked out the door.
…
They didn't know how long it had been when they finally opened their eyes.
Cold. Everything felt numb.
Darkness. They could see nothing in front of them.
A hand reached out of the blanket of snow, and pulled out a blonde girl, and then himself. The two of them shook as their whole body felt numb. "W-What happened…?" He mumbled under his voice. He croaked, rubbing his fingers over his skin. He was too afraid to look at his fingers under the gloves.
He couldn't feel them.
Could they be frostbitten?
Niko shook his head. They couldn't be, but doubts started to fill his head. He didn't know how long he was under the snow. He couldn't feel his hands, or even his toes.
All it took was one peek, but he couldn't do it.
Savi was still lying on the ground. She wasn't moving.
"Savi-chan?" he got down to one knee and shook her shoulder, "Come on, Savi-chan. We have to move out…" But she didn't move. His shoulders slumped as he stopped with the shaking. His hands fell down to his side. "Can you move?"
...
"Chopper, what's wrong?" A woman's voice croaked as she leaned forward in the sled.
"Doctor Kureha, there's a human buried in the snow."
"That's it?" The doctor leaned back in her seat.
"Should we help him?"
She picked up a bottle and gulped it down; not answering the question. Chopper ditched the reins and stood over the snow, looking down. She changed within a blink of an eye. Her forearms grew in sizes. And the doctor only smiled behind the lid of her bottle.
Within seconds, a boy with black hair was unburied. He did not move as the creature moved his body to the back of the sled. "May I treat him?"
The doctor glanced at his body. "Doesn't look like the cold got to him… We will see once we get back."
"Yes, Doctor Kureha," Chopper nodded as she returned to the reins. Her body transformed back into a simple reindeer form. With a pink hat lying between her antlers.
"It's almost midnight. Do you think we will have any other visitors?"
"No, Doctor," she shook her head. They never got visitors, but it was strange of Kureha to ask that.
Kureha nodded as she took another gulp from her bottle, but she still had a feeling. The same feeling she had whenever she felt like there was business needing her to tend too, but they already did all of their runs.
…
Zora wrapped her arms around her chest. She always had the ideal of never regretting anything, but now she was starting to regret going on that swim in the first place. She lost her way from the ship and followed some fish, hoping to find a village then the avalanche came. Instead, she found a forest that she mindlessly walked through.
She had no shoes, no jacket, and no shirt.
Everything chilled her bones.
The things she did for training.
The one good thing that happened was her running into Vivi and Urika, who wouldn't even loan her boots at least.
And it didn't even take those five minutes to get to Big Horn, the port village they came to.
Urika and Vivi could not find the Witch, and Dalton was called back because of intruders. It seemed like every time Luffy decided to go into hibernation, there was always bad luck for the crew.
Vernes ran up to them. His eyes were wide, "You two!" He didn't recognize Zora. "D-Dalton! He's going to die!"
And things got worse.
Son of Whitebeard: Well, it's the crew genderbent. Plus, if Boa was genderbent, then 'he' would not be attracted to Luffy (since he's a dude).
Guest1: At least he knows how to make an entrance! I just kept thinking it would be confusing but I think I'm just going to reorganize the numbers.
