SailorStar9: After getting Chapter 33 out, this is Chapter 34 of this fic. For everyone who put this fic on your favorited and followed lists and/or story alerts, thank you, but remember everyone, a lot of authors, myself included, sustain on readers' reviews.

Pairings: Ace/Sasha, familial Luffy/Sasha, patriotic Law/Sasha (Might end up as a Law/Sasha pairing later if I end up killing Ace at Marineford and if reviewers don't mind the age gap)

Disclaimers: One Piece belongs to Oda Eiichirō-sensei. Me, on the other hand, own absolutely nothing, except my OC.

Chapter 34: Arc 3: An Island Without Doctors? Adventure In A Nameless Land!

"If that's the case, we won't land here." Sasha told Dalton. "But, if it is possible, we would request for a doctor. Our navigator is sick from a grave illness." she went down on her knees. "Please, I beg you to help."

"Sasha..." Luffy was shocked at his sister's gesture.

"That's why I told you repeatedly you need to grow up, aniki." Sasha scolded. "Not everything can be fixed by acting recklessly. If you start a fight here, what would happen to Nami?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry." Luffy apologized. "I was wrong. Please call a doctor." he requested. "Please help our friend." he knelt beside his sibling.

"I will show you to the village." Dalton relented. "Follow me."

"I must warn you," Dalton cautioned as the group trekked up the snowy slope. "The only doctor here we have is a witch."

"You gotta be kidding me." Sanji retorted, carrying Nami on his back. "Nothing here makes sense. What is this place anyway?"

"This land still does not have a name." Dalton replied.

"A nameless land?" Vivi echoed. "Does that really happen?"

"This is our village, Big Horn." Dalton led the group into the village. "Okay, thanks for the help, everyone." he turned back to the guards. "Those who aren't guards can return to their work."

"But, will you be alright by yourself, Dalton-san?" one of the men asked. "They're pirates."

"I believe they pose no threat." Dalton assured. "That's my hunch of many years of experience. You can trust it."

"They aren't this land's security forces?" Vivi asked.

"They're ordinary citizens." Dalton replied. "Come to my home for now."

"Use that bed there." Dalton gestured. "I'll warm up the place. I haven't told you my name yet. I'm Dalton, the captain of the security squad of this island. Please forgive our heavy-handed welcome. May I ask you a question?" he looked at Vivi. "I feel like I've seen you before."

"It's probably just your imagination." Vivi stammered.

"Anyway, please tell us about this witch." Sasha cut in. "Nami's temperature was 42ºC when I checked it just now."

"42º?" Dalton echoed.

"Her fever's gone up for three days in a row." Sasha sighed.

"She'll die if it goes up any more." Dalton realized.

"But we don't know even what the cause of her illness is, or how to treat it." Vivi added.

"We need a doctor." Sanji insisted. "Anyone will do. Where is this witch of yours?"

"The witch, huh." Dalton mused. "Do you see those mountains outside the window? Those mountains are known as the Drum Rockies. Do you see the castle at the top of the tallest one in the middle? That castle no longer has a king."

"What's so important about the castle?" Vivi asked.

"The only doctor of the land, Doctor Kureha, lives there." Dalton replied. "People call her a witch."

"Out of all the places, why does it have to be so far away?" Sanji hissed. "Then, call her right away. We have a critical patient."

"Even if we wanted to, there's no way to contact her." Dalton answered.

"And she calls herself a doctor?" Sanji fumed. "What the hell is she like?"

"As a doctor, she is very skilled." Dalton admitted. "But she's an eccentric old hag. She's nearly 140 years old now. And let's see... she likes pickled plums."

"What happens when people here get sick or injured?" Vivi inquired.

"She comes down from the mountain when she feels like it." Dalton stated. "She looks for patients, treats them, then as payment, she takes whatever she wants from their houses before leaving."

"Then, how does an old woman like her go down the mountain?" Sasha wondered.

"It's an odd rumor," Dalton remarked. "But several people claim to have seen her riding a sleigh through the sky on moonlit nights. And that's the reason she's called a witch. Some also saw her with a strange creature they'd never seen before. She's the only doctor, but she's a hag I'd prefer to stay away from. All we can do is wait for the next time she comes down the mountain."

"You can't be serious." Vivi gaped.

"Damnit." Sanji cursed. "We can't wait for that. Even as we speak, Nami-san is..."

"She's awake." Luffy noted, slapping Nami awake. "Hey, the only way to see a doctor is to climb a mountain." he informed the feverish navigator. "We're gonna climb it."

"Don't be crazy!" Sanji snapped. "What are you doing with Nami?"

"It's okay." Luffy assured. "I'll carry her on my back."

"That'll only make things even worse!" Vivi protested.

"What's the problem?" Luffy chided. "We need to hurry, don't we?"

"That's true, but you can't!" Vivi objected. "Look how steep and tall it is."

"I can make it." Luffy affirmed.

"Maybe you can make it." Sanji retorted. "But it's too hard to Nami-san."

"Seriously, she's 6ºC over normal temperature." Usopp argued.

"I need to get over this fast..." Nami wheezed. "I need to hurry... for Vivi... I'm counting on you, Captain."

"That's more like it." Luffy grinned. "Just leave it to me."

"Sanji, go with them." Sasha instructed.

"Roger." Sanji nodded.

"We did have some, long ago." Dalton admitted, sitting on the snowy ground with Sasha, Usopp and Sasha after the quartet saw Luffy and Sanji off. "Doctors. But they're all gone now, for certain reasons. They were all incredibly skilled. We were even known as an advance medical nation."

"Then, what happened?" Sasha asked.

"This country was destroyed just a few months ago." Dalton replied. "At the hands of pirates."

"The entire country?" Usopp was shocked.

"Is that the reason why you were so nervous about us?" Sasha realized.

"Yes." Dalton nodded. "The word 'pirate' is still too much for everyone to handle. I'm sorry about that. But there were only five people in that pirate group. The captain called himself 'Blackbeard' and he destroyed our country in a blink of an eye with his devastating power. But there are some who say it was actually good for the country; people say that because the monarchy that existed here until then was appalling to the eyes of the citizens. The country's former name was the Drum Kingdom. The king's name is Wapol. He was the worst king possible."

"That man!" Vivi gasped. "I remember him!"

"Wait, you know Wapol?" Dalton questioned.

"We don't just know him." Usopp retorted. "He's the pirate that attacked our ship. But I do recall him saying something about Drum Kingdom."

"We met Wapol on our way here, just yesterday." Sasha supplied.

"Yesterday?" Dalton echoed. "Are you sure?"

"But what's going on?" Vivi wondered. "He called himself a pirate, not a king."

"He must be calling himself that as a camouflage." Dalton reasoned. "Wapol is merely wandering the sea, trying to return to this island."

"So the people on that ship were kicked out because they were no match for the Blackbeard Pirates when they attacked this country?" Vivi asked.

"No match?" Dalton hissed. "It's not like that. When it happened, Wapol's army didn't even try to fight. In fact, the moment he learned how strong the pirates were , Wapol abandoned the country and was the very first to flee out to sea. That threw the entire nation into despair. Is this what the king..."

"Is that what the king of an entire country does?" Vivi snapped. "That's appalling! A king abandoning his people."

"You're exactly right." Dalton agreed. "But at least Wapol's tyranny is finally over. The remaining people on this island have come together to try to create a new country. So what we fear most right now is Wapol's return.; the return of his monarchy. We must avoid that at all costs, while the people are still feeling unsure, if we're to create a new peaceful nation on this island."

SailorStar9: Any OOC-nes is regretted. *Sighs* Don't you just hate plot bunnies sometimes? Reviews are much appreciated.