Twelve Red Lines

by Vikingr

I expected to die when I went into the water. Instead, I was rescued by a crew of people who I knew only as characters in a story. But what does it take to become worthy of being a Straw Hat? And why are so many little details not matching up to what I know?

15. Personification

Personification: a figure of speech in which human characteristics are bestowed upon anything nonhuman

FairyGirl960: You need wait no longer.

Thea: And here it is.

starelight: ^_^ Thank you very much.

DragonBookAddict: Oh my, this Toriko thing sounds interesting. Not an anime to watch on an empty stomach, I bet. Hmm... I do know colour theory in relation to light, but I'd never thought about black that way before. I like your perspective. Oh dear... My condolences with regards to your allergy problem. I hope you've been able to get at least some sleep... *bows*

Gemuesefuchs: *sees SUUUUPER and automatically strikes Franky's pose* Thank you very much. I'm glad that my story was able to help you a little; it's meant to be a story of healing. And don't worry about your grammar— you write in English better than some English speakers I know. *bows* I'm sorry I cannot address you in your native language as you have done for me; I speak a small amount of German, but nowhere near enough to complete this reply.

GreenDrkness: Thank you. ^_^

Sakura Hatsu: Maybe. Although legends are largely Usopp's forte in the One Piece world— and boy do I know some fun ones for him to use.

LilyAllycia: Thank you. Yes, there was and is a lot of planning involved, although I change some things on the fly too. I'm sorry that those parts were difficult for you to read— I was nervous about putting that much of my own struggle in, but I wanted people like me to have a character they could relate to and a story of healing that might make them feel a little better. And no need to apologize; you didn't say anything I thought was rude.

zafnak: Heh. Indeed.

Dragondancer81: Thank you very much. ^_^ And yes, Luffy is Luffy. Luffy will always be Luffy— that's one of my favourite things about One Piece, both canon and the fandom.

Xipholynx: Oh, he'll remember eventually even if it rubs off. His friends are important, and Fist of Love is unforgettable.

WaterStar45: Yes, Vivi has a heavy burden to carry. But she'll learn soon that she doesn't need to do so alone. And yeah, I love writing Ghin as the crew's big brother— can't wait to stick him, Ace, and Sabo in a room together for a while so they can chat.

The Keeper of Worlds: Thank you.

xanothos: Heh. It's possible. And thank you.

Gerbilfriend: Yes, Jones is the world's chew toy most days— although it's her own fault, with her tendency to act first and figure out the consequences later. With the exception of a few carefully crafted plans for specific events, of course.

Lightsbane1905: Is it a spoiler if I list the people I would want to add, since I could very well be adding all of them? Probably. So I won't name any names, but I'll give out some hints— some of which will be easier to figure out than others. In addition to the canon crew, my Straw Hats will have a painter, a Mountie, a harbinger of death, an angel, a love bug, and a camel-leopard. So far. That's what's planned, at any rate.

gamelover41592: Heh. Believe it or not, the second point didn't actually cross Jones' mind when she jumped in front of the T-Rex.

"Not again! This is the third time since Little Garden!" Luffy was woken by the sound of wood hitting a skull. Nami's outburst was followed by an enraged shout from Zoro.

"Ow! Damn witch! I told you, it's not my fault! It was secure last night!"

Luffy scrambled out onto the deck, although he already had some idea what was wrong. Third time- the anchor had been fouled again, hadn't it? It had been doing that every morning since they left Little Garden, setting the Going Merry adrift. The first time hadn't been an issue, aside from Johnny and Yosaku being smug and rubbing it in Zoro's face. Now? By now it was getting frustrating. Although it hadn't caused any problems yet…

Nami sighed and rubbed her temples. "Alright, what's our heading this time?"

Still on course. Mr Thirteen scowled at his eternal pose. I don't know how far we drifted, but we're still heading for Alabasta. You hosers have some ridiculous luck.

Sighing again, Nami went to the stern to check the sounding line and chip log so she could figure out where they were and how far they'd drifted. The sailing master growled as she worked. "Why does this keep happening? Three days in a row is beyond improbability!"

"Maybe Merry's trying to get us there faster." Usopp ran a hand along the rail, as if the ship was a pet dog. This prompted Nami to throw a bottle at the sniper, although she didn't look up from what she was doing.

"She's a ship, not a horse! Merry can't just pick up her anchor and move on her own!"

"Ow!" The gunner yelped and picked up the bottle, brandishing it like it was a sword. "Where are you even getting these?!"

"Actually, Big Bro, it's always the same one." Yosaku pointed at a doodle on the bottom of the bottle. "Johnny and I marked it cause we were curious."

The blue hunter nodded. "Yeah. It's probably one of Big Bro Zoro's that he left lying around. He kinda drinks a lot."

Luffy bit back a giggle as Zoro scowled. The bosun turned to loom over Johnny; visible shivers ran up the blue hunter's spine. "If you have time to mock me and doodle on bottles, you have time to spar." Zoro grabbed Johnny and dragged him towards the middle of the ship- the unofficially designated training area. "And that bottle's not one of mine; I put all my empties in the bin under the sink. Plus, that's a wine bottle. I don't drink wine."

Soon enough, the clash of steel filled the air as katana rang against dadao. Yosaku jumped in to support Johnny, which meant that Zoro actually looked like he was getting a half-decent workout rather than just stomping the blue hunter flat. Which reminded Luffy… "You guys should try and figure out how to do those flying slashes like Dorry and Broggy!"

The swordsmen paused at that thought. Zoro scowled thoughtfully. "Not sure how that would work, but you're right- it's a good skill to have."

Johnny and Yosaku groaned. Luffy didn't understand why; training was fun! Zoro and Jones had to agree, since they spent so much time on it, so why didn't the hunters? He thought they looked up to Zoro. Then the rubber boy bit his lip. Jones would be so mad when she realized how many days she'd been out. She was missing so much training. Which was… pretty bad, actually. Because if she missed too much she wouldn't get better at fighting, and then she'd get hurt again…

Shaking his head, Luffy left the swordsmen to it as Zoro began to test things. Johnny and Yosaku's yelps followed him as the young captain scrambled up to the crow's nest. He'd been spending a lot of time up there the last three days, since Mr Thirteen sat on Merry's head. Stupid… Why did the otter want his special seat? But Luffy wasn't willing to argue when the otter was the only one who knew where they were going.

Miss Friday hissed at him as he climbed into the crow's nest. Luffy stayed back in case she tried to peck him- her beak hurt! But the vulture just stared at him with sleepy eyes and shivered. The air had been getting cooler over the last three days, not enough to bother anyone else, but Miss Friday and Vivi didn't seem to like it. The vulture had become grumpy- well, grumpier- and lethargic, while the princess spent most of her time below decks to keep warm.

"Sarssssssssssssssss!"

"Not gonna hurt you," Luffy told Miss Friday absently. Squinting out over the sea, he sighed. Still nothing. No land- Drum Kingdom, Alabasta, or otherwise. If only he had a telescope! Although… Usopp hadn't seen anything yet either, and he could see further than anyone else with his sniping goggles. Luffy stayed up there for quite some time, waiting to see if something would appear over the horizon. He only went down when the air began to cool rapidly; snow was starting to fall, and he was shivering a bit.

As he turned, the rubber captain spotted something floating on the sea. He couldn't tell what it was though. So Luffy jumped down, landing beside Usopp with a thump that made the gunner squeak. Usopp jerked back from the rail, stumbling to land on his butt. "What was that for?!"

"There's a thing out on the water. What is it?" Luffy pointed at the speck he'd seen. Sighing, Usopp got up and pulled his goggles down over his eyes.

"It's a- a person." The gunner shook his head in disbelief. "He's just… standing there, out on the water."

"Cool! I didn't know people could stand on water!" Luffy bounced on the rail. Seconds later, Nami's wine bottle hit him on the back of the head.

"They can't! Unless there's a Devil Fruit for it…" The sailing master calmed down remarkably quickly.

Sanji answered with a shake of his head. "No, Nami dear, there's no Devil Fruit that allows you to stand on water. It wouldn't work with the shitty weakness they all have."

"You're sure?" Nami sounded skeptical. "How'd you know?"

"Read a book about Devil Fruits when I was a kid. I don't remember all of it, but I know enough." The cook seemed… torn. He was happy that the sailing master was taking interest in his life, but also bitter about something, and a little sad. Luffy wondered what it was. Was there anything he could do to make it better? He didn't like his friends to be sad…

The person standing on the water didn't move as the Going Merry got closer. He stared dully up at the Straw Hats, his face an uncaring sort of sad. Luffy kind of wished he had the stranger's big, fluffy cloak though. It looked warm.

Dark eyes blinked slowly. "It sure is cold out, eh?"

"Um… Yes?" Usopp stared, confused. Luffy was confused too- very, very confused. The silly green jester had the same accent as Jones. How was that possible? Didn't she come from another world?

Wood creaked as the water-walker drew his bow, arrow pointed at Usopp. The twang as he released his bowstring was followed immediately by the Straw Hat gunner's scream, as well as the rubbing hiss of a line unravelling. A trailing rope end flicked across, knocking the arrow just enough that it flew to the left of the sniper's head, leaving him panting and trembling with fear. Above them, the corner of Merry's mainsail flapped loose in the wind.

And then came the sucking splash of something large emerging from beneath the water. It was a sound that Luffy had been familiar with since he was a child- although usually, it was followed by a creature appearing. Instead, this time it was a weird ship that looked like an oyster shell. The green jester guy turned out to be standing on top of its hippo figurehead. There was a faint hiss, followed by a series of creaking noises as the shell of wood and steel opened to reveal the decking inside.

Something dark and shiny flashed across the gap between the ships. A loud thump sounded as it landed on the rail of the Going Merry. It was a man- a large man with a metal chin and the biggest, fluffiest coat Luffy had ever seen. There was something about the man that just seemed wrong; he gave off an impression of stale cooking grease and moldy fruit. It was a familiar sliminess, although Luffy couldn't quite decide what it reminded him of. And that was before the newcomer even opened his mouth. When he did, his voice sounded like leftover caulking pitch.

"Oi! Do you peasants know how to get to Drum Kingdom?"

For a moment, none of Luffy's crewmates said a word, staring at the newcomer in confused silence. Then Usopp glared, one of his flashes of bravery rising as he shrieked and waved his arms. "Hey! An apology would be nice- your buddy just shot me!"

The man on the rail shot Usopp a disparaging look, as if the gunner was little more than a slug. A slug that had been sprinkled with rat poop. "Shut it, peasant. I asked you a question."

Luffy scowled. "Don't talk to Usopp like that! And he's right- your jester guy needs to apologize!" And preferably an ass-kicking. If that line hadn't come undone, Usopp would've been really hurt.

"Nonsense! Chess was getting the attention of you buffoons for me- perfectly acceptable! Now, I'll only ask one more time. Do you peasants know how to get to Drum Kingdom?"

Peasants… Oh. Now Luffy knew what the slimeball reminded him of- Sabo's dad. He was a noble. And not a nice one like Vivi. Well, that settled it. Even if they did know how to get to Drum Kingdom, no way would they have told this guy. He was an asshole. Was he the guy Jones had called Sabo about?

"No." The rubber boy folded his arms and glared at the unwelcome visitor. "And even if we did, we wouldn't tell an asshole like you. Now get off my ship before I kick your ass." Although… Luffy kind of hoped the noble would ignore him. He wanted an excuse to kick the slimeball's ass.

Shiny skin flushed red with rage; steam poofed out the noble's ears. "You- how dare you! Do you know who I am? I'm Wapol, the rightful king of Drum Kingdom, on my way back to my homeland! Peasant scum like you could never kick my ass, as you so quaintly put it- I've been trained to kill since birth!"

"Oh really?" Sanji lit a cigarette and took a long drag. Since he was outdoors and Jones was safely inside with Lisa and Ruatha, no one said anything. The cook blew a smoke ring into the irate king's face. "And how long have you been training to be a prat?"

Wapol's eyes bulged out; his voice became painfully high as he shrieked in outrage. "You can't talk to me like that!"

"Heh. You're right; my apologies." Sanji bowed- the most flourished, mocking bow to ever be given on all the seas. Even Luffy could read the sarcasm in it, and Ace always used to say he wouldn't know sarcasm if it bit him on the nose. "How long have you been training to be a prat, my lord?"

Luffy bit back laughter; out of the corner of his eye, he saw Usopp, Johnny, and Yosaku cover their mouths to prevent their own giggles from escaping. Even Zoro and Nami were smirking. Wapol clearly didn't appreciate the joke though, as he immediately leapt at Sanji with a growl. The king's face had gone beyond red into a shade of deep burgundy that looked terrible with his spiky purplish hair; he had steam coming out his nose as well as his ears, and his entire body was shaking with anger it could barely contain. All in all, he looked hilarious. Luffy had an even harder time holding back his laughter when Wapol started to shout.

"You filthy peasant scum! The penalty for insulting the king is death! Munch-Munch- gak!"

A spinning tonfa came in from the side to crash into Wapol's gut before he could get anywhere near Sanji; the king wheezed as his wind was knocked out. Watery, buggy eyes stared up into the glowing red glare of the only member of the crew not currently amused by Sanji's teasing and the silly king's antics.

"PIPE DOWN! THERE'S A SICKROOM RIGHT THERE- IF YOU CAN'T SHUT UP, GET THE HELL OFF OUR SHIP!" Ghin spun his tonfa again, launching Wapol into the sky. The hefty king soared over the horizon and disappeared. A twinkle of light reflected off his metallic chin just before he dropped from view.

Immediately, the crew of the weird oyster-hippo ship flew into a panic. The green jester's jaw dropped. "Ah! His majesty can't swim! We have to save him!"

"Aye-aye!" Dozens of men raced around the ship, getting oars into the water so they could turn it around. A sneering man with an afro- so cool!- came into view as the hippo-oyster turned its stern to Merry.

"You kids just wait! We'll get you next time, as soon as we've saved our beloved leader!" The afro man shot them the finger as the hippo-oyster moved away.

Rude. Luffy stuck out his tongue at the stern of the retreating ship. So it wasn't just the king… it was an entire crew of assholes! Now he was sure- this was the guy Jones had called Sabo about who was gonna cause problems in Drum Kingdom. Well, they couldn't have that. Drum Kingdom needed to be as peaceful and happy as possible so his crew mate could get healed fast and they could go on and save Alabasta. Hmm… Luffy was willing to bet any kingdom would be happier without an asshole king like Wapol. So they should keep him from ever getting back to Drum!

"Usopp, can you shoot their rudder?"

The gunner looked mildly offended at Luffy's question. "From here? Of course! At this range, with her stern to us, I could sink that ship before she had time to turn around!" Usopp frowned thoughtfully. "Um… Why?"

"That Wapol guy's an asshole; if he gets back to Drum Kingdom, he's just gonna hurt people. So we should si-!"

"NO!" Vivi burst up from below decks, shivering but resolute. Luffy wondered how she's heard him through the wood- although Ace and Makino both said he could be a little loud sometimes. Maybe that was it? "Luffy, I know Wapol is a bad king, but you can't sink his ship!"

"Why not?" The rubber boy cocked his head to the side, confused.

"Because Drum Kingdom is famous for their doctors- it's why we're going there, remember? And since Wapol's their king, he probably has the best of the best doctors with him. If you sank his ship, you wouldn't just be ridding the world of a few rude soldiers and their detestable monarch- you'd be killing brilliant medical professionals! Doctors who do so much to help people when they're not voyaging with their king…"

"Oh… That makes sense." Luffy had never thought about that. But if his crew needed a doctor, that meant other ships needed doctors too. And if Wapol had a doctor… "So you think we should capture them instead? Get the doctor to help Jones? Okay! But if we do that, can I make Wapol walk the plank?"

Vivi stared at him. "I- why? Just why?"

"Because he's an asshole." Luffy spoke very slowly so the princess would understand. She didn't always seem like the sharpest cutlass in the barrel. And this was definitely one of her dumb times, from the way she was blinking slowly and looking at him like he was mystery vegetables without any meat.

The princess tried to respond, but Luffy couldn't understand her through her chattering teeth and the sound of her shivering. Mairead shot Vivi a sympathetic look. "Yeah, I'm cold too. Too bad we didn't have any winter gear at Whiskey Peak." Despite her comment, the muscular woman wasn't shivering in the slightest.

Jack frowned at the both of them. "Isn't there a jacket in the storage hold? You know… the one with red and white maple leaves all over it? I used it for a pillow sometimes when we were locked up down there. Why doesn't one of you wear that?"

Mairead snorted. "Yeah, I've seen it. You think that little thing would fit me? No way. Vivi could wear it though." The ex-Baroque Works agent placed a hand on the princess' shoulder and gave her a comforting pat. "Want me to bring it up?"

"No." Vivi got her shivering under control enough to answer as she brushed snowflakes out of her hair. "It's Jones'."

"Ah." Mairead nodded in understanding. Which was all very well for her, but Luffy didn't understand. Why would that be a problem? They were all family here, right? Like him, Sabo, and Ace. He used to borrow Ace's things all the time. The rubber boy pouted.

"I don't get it. Why's that a problem? Do you still not like Jones?"

"It's not that." Vivi was turning pink, but was that from the cold or what she was thinking? Zoro snorted as the princess shuffled in place.

"Jones doesn't have cooties or anything," the bosun said, folding his arms. "And I don't think she'll mind if you borrow it, as long as you wash it before you give it back. She has a decent cold tolerance, which is more than can be said for you."

"I'm from a desert kingdom!" the princess snapped. "I'm used to it being hot! And that's not the problem anyways. Jones' things wouldn't fit me."

Zoro scowled, as much in the dark as Luffy was. "But you're not that much taller than she is… And she's broader through the shoulders than you."

"Not enough to make up for…" Vivi waved her hands vaguely in front of her chest. Luffy didn't understand what that was supposed to mean, but apparently Nami did. The sailing master burst out laughing.

"Hah! Right- Jones is a member of the Itty-Bitty-Titty-Committee!" Smiling and shaking her head, Nami took Vivi's hand and led the princess towards the girls' cabin. "Don't worry; you can borrow something of mine. I may not have an extra jacket, but I should have something a little warmer than what you're wearing, at least. Maybe a cute little cardigan…" The navigator's voice was cut off as the hatch slammed closed behind them.

Luffy rubbed his temples. All this confusion was making his head hurt. "I still don't get it…"

Mairead huffed and shook her head, smiling. Although her face was a little red too- was that a thing that happened to girls when they talked about stuff guys didn't understand? Were the red faces some sort of secret code? "Let's just put it this way- for reasons I don't think anyone here is comfortable explaining, you and Lisa are the only ones able to borrow Jones' clothes."

But that didn't make sense at all! Jones was a little bit taller than Nami and not much shorter than Vivi- why couldn't they all wear the same things? And why would no one explain properly? When Luffy looked at the other men, everyone was very carefully avoiding his gaze, to the point where Johnny and Yosaku had voluntarily started sparring without Zoro telling them to. The only one not occupying himself with either training or trimming the sails was Sanji, and he was too busy having a nosebleed to be of any use.

A heavy weight landed on Luffy's shoulder with a thump, accompanied by small claws digging into his vest. Mr Thirteen poked the rubber boy's cheek and waved a sign around. If we're done discussing who has the biggest boobs, can we get back on track? Go after Wapol if you mean to go after him; otherwise, we'll keep going this way. Either way, one of you hosers needs to man the fucking whipstaff.

"Bossy little furball, aren't you?" Zoro scowled at the otter even as he made his way over to do as he was told. Mr Thirteen snorted.

Oh, bite me. I'm the one with the eternal pose; without me and my partner, you hosers are toast.

X

They didn't end up going after Wapol's ship; it was over the horizon by the time they were ready to keep moving, and chasing after it would've taken them too far off course. By the time they saw land on the horizon several hours later, Vivi wasn't the only one who was cold. Johnny and Yosaku were huddled together for warmth, with the blue hunter wearing a brand-new hat and gloves that his partner had crocheted, while Nami, Vivi, and- surprisingly- Usopp were wearing matching pink cardigans that the sailing master had found in her wardrobe. Ghin and Sanji engaged in short, furious battles every few minutes to warm themselves up between tasks. Zoro and Lisa, the ones who stayed indoors, were lucky- although the door had to be kept open so the bosun could communicate with Nami and Mr Thirteen, so a chilly breeze sometimes made its way back into the galley.

Lisa compensated for the breeze by burying herself and Jones in blankets and tablecloths, until the only things that were visible were their hats and noses. Ruatha borrowed in with his mother, a little dragon snout poking out of the blanket fortress.

"L-land ho! Island off the s-starboard b-bow!" Usopp's teeth chattered from the cold as he made the welcomed call.

Mr Thirteen's eternal pose wasn't pointing at the island, so Luffy assumed it was Drum Kingdom. The rubber captain leaned back, hanging off the line he'd just tied off for support. "Bring us about Zoro! Umm…"

"Fifteen degrees to starboard!" Nami supplied. Wood creaked as Zoro complied, the Going Merry swinging across the waves.

Little ice floes appeared on the water as they got closer to the island, joining the snow that fell more and more heavily from the sky. Everyone was shivering as the ship approached the shore- Jack had put on a second shirt and pair of pants in an attempt to keep warm. Sanji looked up at Luffy and shook his head, although that action dislodged the scarf the cook had found.

"Aren't you cold? Put a coat on or something, idiot."

Luffy pouted as he started to shiver. Well, he was cold now. He wouldn't have noticed if Sanji hadn't said anything. "Yeah, it's cold. But I don't have a coat."

"Then wear Jones' coat," Ghin said gruffly, poking Luffy in the forehead. The rubber boy made a face; he understood that the rigger was worried, but he didn't like the forehead pokes. That was Jones' thing. When the captain didn't respond immediately, Ghin disappeared into the cargo hold for a moment, reappearing with the fluffiest, leafiest jacket Luffy had ever seen. Before the rubber boy could react, Ghin had grabbed him by the back of the neck and was manhandling him into the coat. Luffy went limp, not resisting, but not helping either. He wasn't sure he wanted to wear Jones' coat when everyone was being so weird about it earlier.

It was warm though. The rubber boy snuggled into the thick fabric. So nice… Although… if Jones knew about Drum Kingdom ahead of time, why hadn't she told everyone to buy coats? That hadn't been on any of the special lists in Loguetown; if it had, everyone would be wearing their coats by now. Maybe she forgot. She called herself high INT, low WIS a lot; Luffy wasn't entirely sure what that meant, but sometimes he thought it was Jones' way of calling herself an airhead.

The Going Merry slowly came to a stop near a shore blanketed in thick snow. Zoro came out to drop the anchor; ice shattered like glass as the heavy weight crashed into it. Lisa waddled out of the galley behind the bosun, wrapped in blankets and rubbing her eyes. "Why'd we stop?"

"We're here," Vivi told her. The princess was gripping the rail of the ship as if she meant to break it, her knuckles white from more than just cold. There was relief in her voice. "This is Drum Kingdom, one of the most medically advanced countries in the world."

"So they can save the sca- Jones?" The little girl was adorable, all wrapped up in her mess of blankets. Luffy just wanted to hug her, squeeze her… Was this why Ace and Sabo pinched his cheeks so much when he was little- did he used to be cute like that?

"If anyone can, it's the doctors here." Vivi forced a smile and patted Lisa on the head. "How is she? Is your paint still holding up?" The princess' tone reminded Luffy of Makino comforting him after Shanks lost his arm. Vivi would make a good mother someday.

"She's not breathing much, but I guess it's enough." Lisa bit her lip. "I've gotten really good at telling when she's starting to wake up- the paint only keeps her under for so long. She must be in so much pain… I've been reapplying Soothing Seafoam every two hours, but she's started whimpering even when it's fresh."

"That's a good sign," Vivi soothed. "It means Jones is getting stronger, that she's fighting back. She's still trying to live."

That was good. Luffy would've been even angrier at Jones if she wasn't. Throwing her life away, saying she was expendable… Now that he thought about it, he'd never tried giving someone a Fist of Love before- he might not get it right on the first try. He should practice on Jones until he could do it reliably.

Heavy footsteps crunched on snow; people were approaching the Going Merry. There were about a dozen of them, all wearing heavy coats and carrying muskets as if for hunting. They stopped one by one, at varying distances, but all in firing range. Their leader was the only one to come close to the ship, a great bear of a man with dark hair and a bull-like face. He scowled up at the pirates while his companions raised their guns.

"What are you doing here, pirates? Get off our island!"

Well, that was rude. Luffy glared down at the man. His crew mates came up to stand beside him; Zoro and Ghin looked threatening, with their folded arms and scowls. Everyone else was less so, ranging from Sanji's cold stare to Usopp's trembling. But… They wanted these people to help them, to help Jones. These people wouldn't help if they were threatened- or worse, they might pretend to help, then hurt the crew while Jones was helpless and everyone was distracted worrying about her. Luffy made a face at that thought. He'd never worried about things like that before. Jones must be infecting him with her sneaky ninja thoughts. Except she didn't like being called a ninja… and now his brain hurt.

Now that he was worried about that, though, Luffy couldn't stop. It was his responsibility as captain to protect his crew. So the rubber boy forced his expression to soften, placing his hands on Zoro and Ghin's shoulders in an attempt to calm them down. It sort of worked; their threatening scowls turned into slightly-less-scary flat expressions, which was the best he could expect. Ghin hadn't smiled since Little Garden and Zoro… well, Zoro always looked like that. But what-?

Luffy's mind flashed back to when he and Ace were little, and Makino was teaching them to be polite. Not that he'd listened, or been very good at the lessons. But it was his best bet. The rubber boy jumped down to land in the knee-deep snow- it was cold and wet on his bare legs. A dozen muskets shifted to focus on him. Cold snow stung his knees as he fell forwards into a low bow he vaguely remembered; ice crystals dug into the palms of his hands. Everything was cold, hard, and sharp in this place… frozen. He just hoped the people would be warmer than the ground.

"Please… one of my crew mates is hurt. We need a doctor- she might be dying."

"Then there'll be one less pirate in the world. That's alright by us." The man with the bull face levelled his gun at Luffy's head as the rubber boy looked up, but that was fine. Bullets didn't bother him. But the sound of movement from behind did, as did the gun's sudden swing back up to aim at something aboard the Going Merry.

"It's alright- please! These pirates don't mean any harm- if you just let us see a doctor, we'll be on our way as quick as we can."

"Stay back! Your crew has five minutes to get back aboard your vessel and prepare to leave- if your ship hasn't started moving by the end of that time, we'll be forced to shoot!" The bull man sounded serious, bitter and in pain. Luffy took a good look at him, not rising from his bow. The rubber boy recognized the way the bull man's shoulders were bowed; responsibility. Whatever this man did, he was like a captain to these people- he protected them the way Luffy was supposed to protect his crew. And right now he was afraid for them.

Vivi didn't stay back, didn't listen; snow crunched under the princess' shoes as she jumped down from the rail. BANG! The shot rang out before Luffy could do or say anything, cutting the air like a knife. His ears rang in the ensuing silence. Aside from that, everything else froze; even the snow stopped falling for a moment.

"ARGH!" Vivi stumbled back, her hand flying to her shoulder. Blood welled up around her fingers, staining the sleeve of Nami's cardigan and running down the princess' arm. Luffy jumped to his feet, politeness forgotten as he tackled the bull man into the snow.

Snick-schick. The sound of blades being drawn echoed from the Merry. Three katana, two dadao… Nami's staff was out and together, Usopp's slingshot was pulled back, and Ghin had his pistols drawn instead of his tonfa. Lisa had her paints out- could she fight with those too?- and Miss Friday raised a machine gun in her talons. Mr Thirteen pulled clam blades from somewhere in his jacket. Even Jack and Mairead looked ready for a fight, a pair of steel bats and a couple sets of brass knuckles reflecting the light.

"NO! Everyone, stand down!" Vivi was panting, her breaths ragged as she winced and clutched her shoulder. "Fighting will only make it worse!"

"But he shot you!" Yosaku snapped. Johnny nodded mute agreement.

"Which just means we have two people who need a doctor instead of one." Vivi grit her teeth. Tears welled up at the corner of her eyes; they started to fall as she turned to face Luffy and the bull man. "Don't hurt him, please. It won't help anyone."

Sighing, Luffy got up and stepped back. Vivi was right; even if he was angry at the bull man, hitting him wouldn't fix anything. They needed these people to get them to a doctor, and the bull man was only trying to protect his friends. Didn't mean Luffy had to be happy about it, though.

The young captain glared at the bull man. "Why're you being such a jerk? Yeah, we're pirates, but we're not here to rob anyone. We just need to see a doctor- or two now, since you shot Vivi."

"A few weeks ago, our island was attacked by pirates like yourselves. Why should we trust anything you say?"

Luffy glowered. Why was the bull man being so difficult? "Because my crew mate is dying. Why would we attack people who could help her? That's stupid."

For a few long minutes, the bull man did nothing but stare and sniff, like a nervous animal. Luffy began to fidget, impatient. His friends needed a doctor, dammit! Bright red drops fell to the snow with quiet plops, dripping from Vivi's arm. The bull man looked from the captain to the princess, then up at the rest of the crew waiting on the Going Merry. He sighed.

"Everyone, stand down!" He waved his arm, prompting his followers to lower their guns. They did so with some hesitation. Dark eyes bored into Luffy's for a moment before the bull man nodded. "My name is Dalton; I'm the mayor of Bighorn, a nearby village. Your crew can come to my house. I'm not a doctor, but I can patch up bullet wounds well enough."

There was a story there, one Luffy wasn't sure if he wanted to know. It sounded like it might be sad. "That won't be enough for Jones. She wasn't shot."

"Bring her anyway and I'll see what I can do." Dalton turned, but didn't leave right away. His people fell in around him as he waited for the Straw Hats.

Luffy nodded, still scowling. Weren't there supposed to be lots of good doctors here? Why couldn't Dalton take them to one? "Zoro, guard the ship." They couldn't leave Merry alone after all. She would be sad if they did.
"Aye-aye Captain." The bosun stood at the rail with folded arms. Jack and Mairead stood behind him, as did Carue. The duck quacked loudly, knees shaking a little.

"We'll stay back too!" Luffy shrugged at the agents' words. They weren't part of his crew, even if they were sort of friends- as long as they didn't cause trouble, he didn't care what they did. Mr Thirteen didn't hold up any signs, but from the way he was sitting on the figurehead polishing a blade made of shell, the otter didn't mean to move any time soon. Not far away, his vulture partner had her head tucked under her wing, shivering as she tried to keep warm.

Sanji jumped down from the Going Merry and offered Vivi his arm; the princess frowned at him before addressing the cook with reproach. "I'm fine on my own, you know. It's my arm that was shot, not my leg." A hitch in her voice betrayed her pain, but Vivi was no longer crying.

The cook looked a little hurt. "I didn't mean to imply you were helpless, Vivi dear," Sanji simpered. "It's only right for a gentleman to assist a lady is all."

Luffy made a face at that. Why did Sanji always act so weird around women? Except Jones… Did that mean Jones was a guy? But she had boobs… Could you be a guy in a girl's body? That sounded about right. Although Jones didn't always act like a guy either… The rubber captain shook his head and put the thoughts aside before they made his brain start hurting. It didn't matter; whatever his crew mates wanted to do that way, he would support them.

Ghin, Johnny, and Yosaku took longer to descend. The three brought Jones with them, carefully maneuvering her immobilized form out of the galley and down to the shore. Lisa stayed beside them, still wrapped in blankets. She refreshed the paint on Jones' chest once everyone was down in the snow. The Soothing Seafoam wasn't having the same effect as it had at first though; Jones groaned as she was jostled, a wet, bubbling sound. Ruatha crooned worriedly and scrambled down from the ship, nuzzling his mother's dangling hand before hopping over to bury his face in Vivi's knees.

Nami and Usopp were the last to land on the shore, both appearing hesitant to leave the safety of the Going Merry. But a look at Jones hardened their resolve. Usopp's knees stopped quaking; the sniper grit his teeth. Meanwhile Nami spent a moment considering Dalton and his men before snapping her staff together. Although the sailing master still looked uncertain. She leaned in close to Usopp as the whole group started moving; Luffy strained to overhear.

"You're good with gadgets, right?" the sailing master fixed Usopp with her amber gaze. "I mean, you do your own special ammo and stuff? Your fire stars?"

The gunner squawked. "Y-yeah. Although I'm running out of some of the stuff I need- I think Johnny and Yosaku've been sneaking stuff from my supplies when they run low. Why?"

Luffy knew eavesdropping was rude, but the look on Nami's face worried him. She'd tried to run off once before- was something wrong? The answer was yes, in a way, although Nami's words made Luffy smile. He hadn't needed to be worried after all.

"I'm a thief." Nami glanced off into the snowy distance. "Stealing, navigation… I've practiced those as long as I can remember, and I'm damn good at them. My staff's mostly for self-defence if a mark gets a little handsy- great on the East Blue, but here… Jones trains hard every day, plus she has her Devil Fruit, and she's still barely hanging on. Half our crew is made of monsters- Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Ghin… But they can't be everywhere. None of them were able to save Jones from the Tyrannosaurus. A simple staff isn't good enough anymore. I need something else, but I don't know what, exactly. I need you to help me figure something out, and probably to make it too."

Usopp gulped nervously before flashing a thumbs-up. "Of course! After all, the great Captain Usopp would never let a friend down! We'll figure out what you need, then I can get some supplies to try and put it together. With any luck, I might even have something ready for you by the time we get to Alabasta."

"Good." Nami nodded, smiling. "I'll double your supply budget while you're working on this, so you better not gyp me."

"Double?!" The gunner fell back on his rear in surprise. Luffy whistled; he may not be able to the math, but he knew that getting a beri more than the usual allotment out of Nami was impossible- not to mention as scary as his grandpa. She must be really worried about this weapon thing. "Holy crap on a cracker, with that… I could finally try that Leyden bottle experiment I heard about in Loguetown. Actually…" Usopp trailed off in thought as he scrambled back to his feet.

"As long as it doesn't take time away from helping me figure something out," Nami warned. Usopp shook his head.

"No, no, no. Actually, it might help. How'd you feel about being able to catch lightning in a jar?"

Luffy tuned out there. Usopp and Nami were starting to talk science; that was even worse than math. Although it must be important, since so many of his crew mates liked to play with it. Maybe he should learn some sometime?

…Nah. It sounded complicated.

The walk to Dalton's house was a long one; the village of Bighorn was well up into the hills, with a good view of the sea. It was a very nice walk though, despite the cold. Evergreen trees rose like fluffy spears from shimmering white snow, giving off a feeling of perpetual Christmas. High above was an overcast sky, shining dim silver as the occasional flake drifted down. If Jones and Vivi weren't injured, Luffy would've enjoyed the walk immensely. As it was, he found himself constantly worrying over the slow pace and the cold.

A great, fluffy thing approached them from the opposite direction as the group neared Bighorn. Dalton and his people bowed to it as the thing came closer; when the pirates failed to do so, one of the men with muskets hissed at them. "Bow, dammit! You're being rude!"

Luffy opened his mouth to protest the order, only to have Nami grab the back of his head and force him to bow. "Don't push our luck. Remember why we're here."

Right. They couldn't afford to make these people angry. The rubber captain glanced up through his bangs as the giant fluffy thing walked past. It was a bear- the least hostile bear he'd ever seen. A small smile adorned its muzzle; it used a walking stick just like some human hikers, and even carried a battered green backpack. Cool. Luffy wished some more animals would join the crew; all these Grand Line creatures were so interesting.

"What's that?" the rubber boy asked Dalton once the bear was gone and the group started moving again.

"A hiking bear. They're common around here, and as long as you're polite, they're quite friendly." The bull man smiled. "Hiking bears have been known to guide lost hunters to the nearest village, or to fetch help for people injured in avalanches. If you don't show them the proper respect though, they'll force you to sit in seiza for an hour while they teach you about manners and politeness."

That made Luffy wince. No thank you; that was worse than some of the things Makino used to do to make lessons stick. He'd have to remember to bow to the bears and be nice to them.

It wasn't long after meeting the hiking bear that they got to Dalton's house. It was a small, cozy place, with a fire crackling in a large hearth to ward off the cold. Ghin carefully arranged Jones on a clean, low table while Dalton retrieved a first-aid kit from a cupboard. The bull man sat Vivi down and tugged her shit open so he could get at her wound.

Hissing in pain, Vivi kicked him. "Ow! Be a little more careful, please!"

"Sorry Miss. Like I said, I'm no doctor. Just a mayor and former royal guard- I have some experience in field dressing, but that's all." Dalton examined the wound carefully. "And I'm afraid you're not going to like what comes next. The bullet's still in there; I have to get it out. Sorry about this."

Vivi paled, but said nothing. She gathered the edge of one sleeve into a lump and bit down on it, glancing at Dalton nervously. Then she nodded. The bull man frowned sympathetically and pulled out a pair of tweezers. After a moment's hesitation, he carefully began digging the bullet out of Vivi's shoulder.

"MRPH!" Vivi's eyes watered; she bit down harder on the wad of fabric in her mouth. Luckily it didn't take long for Dalton to get the bullet out. He cleaned the wound with rough, efficient professionalism before binding it. The whole process took less than ten minutes. Dalton smiled apologetically at the end.

"Again, I'm very sorry about that. I know how much it hurts, but your shoulder would never heal properly if I didn't get the bullet out."

"It's okay." Vivi wiped her eyes and forced a small smile.

Dalton nodded. "And I'm sorry for shooting you in the first place. We've had a lot of trouble with pirates recently; I thought you meant to attack us."

"I understand," Vivi said with a wince. Luffy pouted.

"Hey! We don't even have bounties yet- not that I don't want one- so don't go confusing us with those other pirates!"

Dark eyes shot him a flat look. "The pirates who attacked us didn't have bounties either, and they still managed to turn the island upside down. So many casualties… our wounded have barely recovered even now. It's hard, with only one doctor left on the island. Our king took all the others with him when he fled."

"He wasn't a very good king then." Luffy folded his arms with a scowl. "A good leader looks after his people. Wait- was he that Wapol guy? We met him on the way here; he's an asshole. You're better off without him."

"Indeed we are." Dalton glanced at Jones. "So, what happened to that one? I take it she's not just suffering from a couple bullet wounds."

Johnny and Yosaku shook their heads. "Big Sis got ripped up by Velociraptors, then nearly bitten in half by a T-Rex." The hunters stared at the floor. "It's kinda amazing she's lasted as long as she has; she really needs a doctor."

"I would certainly think so." Dalton looked stunned. "Putting aside where and how your friend managed to get attacked by dinosaurs… Like I said, I'm afraid we only have one doctor currently on the island."

"Then bring him here," Ghin ordered gruffly. Dalton shook his head, his face falling.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple. She doesn't just come around at our word; she travels from town to town at her own whim, and spends most of her days up in the old castle in the Rockies. We don't even have a way to contact her in an emergency- although she usually just knows."

"Not even a den-den mushi?" Sanji asked with a huff. "Shitty luck…" Dalton glared at him.

"We take what we can get. There's not exactly anyone else we can rely on, even if the witch charges an arm and a leg sometimes. Her fees are… unpredictable. Although she's unusually fond of pickled plums, if you need to pacify her." The bull man made a face. "I'm sorry I can't help you more."

"So there's no way to help Big Sis?" Johnny and Yosaku drooped. "We have to just wait and hope the doctor shows up?"

Silence fell over the house for a long minute. Lisa bit her lip and placed her hand on Jones' wax cast. Luffy frowned at the hunters' words. No. He wasn't going to wait- Jones might not be able to wait. He wasn't sure what her injuries were like, but the wet, bubbly groans of pain she was making weren't encouraging, even if Vivi told Lisa that it meant Jones was getting stronger. Luffy was starting to think it was the opposite. The otherworlder's breathing was becoming shallower in between the whimpering groans, and the noises themselves sounded like she was trying to breathe through a mouthful of water. Or blood.

"No." The rubber boy frowned, his hat shadowing his eyes in a practiced movement. "We're not waiting. If there's no way to get the doctor down from her castle, I'll take Jones up to her."

Nami whacked him over the head with her staff. Unlike lots of times, it didn't hurt. "Are you crazy? Jones can't make that kind of trip! Even carrying her here was risky! Have you forgotten the part where jostling her the wrong way even with the wax could make her ribs pierce her lugs?"

"That's not the only place she's hurt though." Luffy couldn't bring himself to meet the sailing master's eyes. "Her arm, her back, her breathing… She's getting weaker, isn't she, no matter what Vivi says. Jones is hurt inside."

There was no response. Luffy knew he was right, and he was pretty sure Nami did too. She sighed and looked over at Jones, biting her lip. A shiver ran up the sailing master's spine. Luffy wondered what that was about. He placed a hand on Nami's shoulder; she answered his question before he could open his mouth to ask.

"Was just… wondering what would've happened without Jones here. Would someone else be lying there? The dinosaur attacked Vivi- would it be her? Maybe Zoro or Sanji?" Nami bowed her head.

"I dunno. But worrying about that won't help anything." Luffy glanced out the window, spotting the castle where the doctor lived at the top of one mountain. It looked pretty far… carrying Jones there wasn't going to be easy. The rubber boy took off the coat he was wearing and began trying to figure out how to use it to tie his immobilized crew mate to his back.

"You're right." Nami sighed again and ran her hands over her staff. "But in that case… now what? Even if you can carry Jones up the mountain, what if the doctor's not there. Dalton just said she travels on a whim; she could be anywhere in Drum Kingdom."

"But if the castle's her home, she'll always go back eventually." Luffy beamed as Usopp jumped in on his side.

"Shitty Longnose has a point, Nami dear," Sanji huffed. He turned to Luffy, hands in his pockets. "But you can't do it alone. Even if you can carry Jones comfortably, you can't risk fighting with her around if something happens. Nami dear is right too; jostle Jones the wrong way and everything could get worse. I'll come with you."

"Me too." Ghin reached back and tapped on one of his tonfa. His expression was dark and eager; Luffy pitied anything that did attack them and became the focus of the rigger's angry worry. The rubber boy beamed at his friends.

"Shishishishi! Of course! I wouldn't expect anything else!" Because they were family, a team… Call it what you will, they would always be there for each other, because none of them could do everything on their own. But at what they could do, they were the best.

Dalton stared at them. "Your crew… Are you sure you're pirates? You're nothing like the ones I've seen in the past, pillaging and fighting… They wouldn't have gone to such lengths for a crew mate."

"Then they don't deserve to be called pirates," Luffy said firmly as he tried to figure out how to maneuver Jones onto his back without hurting her. "Yeah, we fight- fighting is fun- and we pillaged once. The other guys started it though. But you don't need that stuff to be a pirate. Being a pirate is about being free, about being able to go where you want and have adventures and explore and have fun, without anyone telling you to stop or to do things a certain way. You can't do that alone; being alone's no fun."

Johnny and Yosaku nodded. "Those who abandon their friends are worse than trash," the green hunter said, gently grabbing one of Jones' arms and helping heave the unconscious young woman onto their captain's shoulders.

"Yeah! We'd never abandon our friends when there's a chance of saving them! Or even if there isn't; we have to try!" Johnny held Jones up and helped Luffy loop and knot the jacket around her. "Here Big Bro; if we do this one as a slip knot, you'll be able to adjust Big Sis without having to untie everything."

"Thanks guys!" Oh, how Luffy loved his crew mates.

Even Nami shot Dalton a tight smile. "Loyalty before reason- that's the Straw Hat way. And as aggravating as it can be sometimes, I don't think any of us really regret it."

Dalton opened his mouth, closed it, and shook his head. He said nothing as Luffy, Sanji, and Ghin made their way out the door. Johnny, Yosaku, and Usopp waved as the three left. "Have fun storming the castle!" the hunters cackled, totally confident in the away team.

Luffy waved back at them as he started slogging through the snow. He… he wasn't as sure of himself as Johnny and Yosaku were. Not in his ability to get to the castle on time, at least. He could feel Jones getting weaker, her breathing shallower, pulse fainter. A few of her rattling gasps even spat warm droplets onto the back of his neck- blood. The rubber captain saw it when he wiped some of the dampness off. That meant Jones was hurt inside, and that she was losing the fight to hold herself together, right?

No! He couldn't let himself think that. They would get there on time, the doctor would be there, and everything would be fine. Luffy reached back and patted Jones' wax shell. "Don't give up yet, ne? You're not allowed to die Jones."

Sanji huffed at that. The cook had taken point in their little formation, with Ghin bringing up the rear. "Shitty captain… It's not that simple. You can't just order someone not to die; sometimes they can't help it. No man commands death."

Luffy knew that. He'd learned it long ago, back when he thought Sabo was dead, when he and Ace had seen people burn and die in Grey Terminal. But what else could he do? What could he say? The rubber captain hardened his gaze. "I know death doesn't listen to me! But Jones does. So if I tell her not to die, she won't!"

The cook didn't respond, aside from another huff as he continued to stomp through the snow. When Luffy glanced back at Ghin, the rigger nodded grimly. The ivory armband on his arm glinted in the light, its crooked lightning bolt a ragged patch of shadow. Something about it suited the man, even if it didn't match the rest of his outfit. Luffy wondered if Jones could make more things like that for the rest of the crew; the armband was cool.

Heavy, wet snow crunched under their feet as the three men marched up into the mountains. It was different than any snow Luffy had experienced on Dawn Island- denser, more packable. Great snowball snow. Knee deep, icy, and slick… For once in his life, Luffy found himself wishing he wore close-toed shoes rather than sandals; his toes were starting to turn a little blue. In front of him, Sanji stomped the snow flat in a narrow trail to make it easier for the rubber boy to walk up the hill.

A long time passed as the three men plodded along. Large, fluffy white flakes began to fall from the sky. Luffy rubbed his nose, which was starting to feel as numb and blue as his toes. On his back, Jones began shivering. She tensed not long after, as if she was in pain. That meant they'd been walking for two hours, right? That was how long Lisa's Soothing Seafoam had been lasting the last day or so. A rattling breath deposited a few drops of blood on the back of Luffy's neck.

"We need to go faster," Luffy told Sanji. The cook grunted an affirmative and redoubled his stomping efforts. As they picked up their pace, Luffy stretched his arm back to pat Jones' head. "Hang in there just a little longer. You're not allowed to die, remember? Captain's orders."

X

If the otter and the vulture weren't there, Zoro could've gotten some decent training in. Maybe he could've even gone for a swim, built up his cold resistance. But while the swordsman was okay with Jack, Mairead, and Carue by this point, he didn't trust the fluffy, grumpy newcomers as far as he could throw them. Which was probably a few hundred meters, now that he thought about it, but still…

Folding his arms, the bosun glared at the animals. The vulture glared right back; it was a little harder to tell with the otter through his dark glasses. It was a safe bet to assume he was glaring too though- the hairball was a grumpy little weasel.

"So… I thought you were supposed to be an assassin. Never heard of an assassin who'd help someone they were supposed to kill."

One of the signs the otter used to communicate slapped Zoro on the side of the head. I am an assassin.

"Then why help us? You work for Crocodile, right? Doesn't he want Vivi dead or something? That'd be a lot easier to do with a few of us out of the way."

Because I may work for Crocodile, but I prefer your Jones. She understands my kind better than most humans; I want to give her a chance to keep the promise she made to me. The otter began preening his tail. I have some honour, you know, even if it's different from yours.

Well, that was… weird. For a moment, Zoro could've sworn he was talking to a marine, not an assassin. Mr Thirteen pulled something out of his little backpack; Zoro couldn't tell what it was supposed to be, but whatever it was seemed very important to the otter. He kept turning it over in his paws. After a few minutes, the assassin put his treasure away with a sigh.

I know what you're thinking, because I've thought it myself. "How can I trust them? How can I believe what he's telling me?" And believe me, hoser, I don't like you any more than you like me. Nothing I'm willing to share with you will make you trust me, so you'll just have to deal with it.

Zoro supposed that was fair. Didn't lessen his suspicions though. Well, if he couldn't leave the ship to work on his cold resistance, he would just practice sword forms until the others got back. Drawing all three blades, the bosun began sweeping through katas of his own design, the only master of Santoryu in the world. Speed, precision, power- especially the precision. A good swordsman hit only what he aimed for, no collateral damage.

Three forms in, the sound of steel pinging off bone broke Zoro's concentration. His eyes widened when he realized a pair of clam shells meeting Wado Ichimonji had caused the sound. They were held by the tiny paws of the otter, who was… smiling? Mr Thirteen held up a sign with his tail.

I know I'm not a swordsman, and you don't trust me at all, but how about a duel? It keeps us both occupied, and you can keep an eye on me while we fight.

"Heh. Now you're talking." It had been a long time since Zoro had heard such a sensible suggestion, and from an opponent, no less. Maybe this otter wasn't so bad after all.

X

"I should've gone with them," Lisa fretted, as she had been for the last ten minutes. Luffy, Sanji, and Ghin had been gone for about an hour and a half, which meant Soothing Seafoam was timing out. Nami reached out to pat the little girl on the shoulder.

"Are you sure you could've kept up?" the sailing master asked gently. "Those three are monsters."

"I know…" Sighing, Lisa curled up into a ball on the floor. "Sometimes I hate being little…"

This time it was Vivi who came over to pat Lisa on the head. "Don't." The princess winced as the movement pulled at her bandaged shoulder. "Keep being a child as long as you can; something will come along soon enough to take it away from you."

Nami nodded in agreement. Then something chattered behind them; Lisa jumped to her feet and was halfway to hiding behind Yosaku when she realized it was just Ruatha. The little girl laughed nervously, her face turning red. For some reason, she'd thought it was a Velociraptor. She reached out and scratched the little dragon's head; he crooned sadly.

"You wish you'd gone too, eh?"

"Geh!" Ruatha nodded and nuzzled her hand, licking her. His spit was very sticky and slimy; gross! Lisa wiped her hand clean on the edge of Yosaku's jacket.

Johnny beamed, a sound that could only be described as a quiet squee escaping his lips. "Aw, Li'l Sis is already copying Big Sis Jones. She's so cute!"

"Eh?" Lisa stared up at the blue hunter in confusion, slowly edging away from him. That just made him laugh.

"Exactly! Big Sis says that all the time!"

"How would I know that?" Lisa asked with a pout. "I barely know her." She wanted to, though. She wanted to know what kind of person would save an enemy just because they were a child and throw their life away for someone she'd been told disliked them. Not that Lisa had seen Vivi's supposed disgust with Jones herself; the princess had been rather quiet and withdrawn since they left Little Garden.

Usopp frowned. "Actually… Going back a minute- I get why Lisa stayed back, but what about the rest of us? Why didn't we go with Luffy?"

Nami shot the gunner a flat look. "Johnny and Yosaku are second-string fighters, Vivi's injured, you're best at a range, and I'm stealth and support. What makes you think any of us would be able to keep up with Luffy, Sanji, and Ghin while climbing a mountain? The only one who'd manage for any length of time is Zoro, and he's guarding the ship."

The gunner deflated. "It was just a question… But if we can't go help them, what can we do? A brave warrior of the sea doesn't just sit and do nothing while his friends are in danger- right?"

"Right." That was Vivi's voice, soft and quiet. The princess glanced out the window. Her eyes turned inwards, deep in thought. "But I don't know what to do either… Igaram or my father would- I guess I'm still too inexperienced."

"Don't feel bad Sis." Johnny and Yosaku moved to pat Vivi on her shoulders. "We'll think of something; we always do."

"Although Big Sis Nami and Big Sis Jones do most of the thinking," Yosaku added with a wince. Johnny let out an indignant gasp, but said nothing to refute the statement.

Lisa continued to pet Ruatha, running her fingers through feathery scales. The dragon crooned and wound around her legs like a cat. Like her mother's cat, back when she'd still had a family… The little girl shook off that thought. Instead, she tried to think of what she could do. After all, Jones couldn't answer her questions if she was dead.

Maybe… It wouldn't help right now, but no matter how good of a doctor they found, Jones wouldn't recover right away. Lisa pulled a piece of thick paper out of her pocket and retrieved her palette and paints. Green for healing and growth- and calm, if Jones would just keep her mind games out of things for five minutes- cut it with yellow for hope… But that was too close to Friendship Yellow-Green. Maybe a little bit of grey to darken it…

Within moments, the young painter was absorbed in her work. Her awareness of the world around her faded out as she worked on making the colour she was envisioning; when a messenger came trotting into Dalton's house, she took no notice. But the rest of the assembled Straw Hats did.

"Dalton, the witch is in Cocoa Weed," the runner huffed, leaning on his knees. "Is there anything, any treatment or medicine anyone from Bighorn needs? She seems to be in a fairly good mood; we can probably convince her to come over."

The Straw Hats, used to 'witch' referring to Jones- or occasionally Nami- were momentarily confused. Then Usopp cleared his throat. "Wait… By witch, do you mean the doctor? She came down the mountain?"

Pausing, the runner stared at the pirates. "Who're you? What do you want with the witch?"

"One of our crew mates is badly injured," Vivi said quietly. "Our captain, cook, and rigger are headed up to the castle to take her to the doctor, since Sir Dalton said that was where she lived."

"Sir…?" Dalton's eyes narrowed for a moment, full of- not quite suspicion, but maybe recognition. It was gone in a moment though, the mayor shaking himself as if he'd walked into a spider web. He turned to the runner. "Unless there are a lot of high-priority illnesses and injuries in other nearby villages, please ask the doctor to make her way back to the castle with all haste. Not that I expect she'll listen… If you think it might help, tell her there's an interesting case set to arrive there soon."

Nodding, the runner took off. Usopp looked at Nami and Vivi as the man left, rubbing his nose nervously. "Is there anything we can do to help?" the gunner eventually asked Dalton. "Should we check out other towns or something, in case she's gone by the time he gets back?"

The mayor shrugged. "I suppose it couldn't hurt. If she's in Cocoa Weed right now… Checking Gyasta and Robelle might be worthwhile. Be careful in Gyasta though; they have the best skating there, so this time of year the town is full of hockey fans from further parts of the island. The final game of the playoffs is tomorrow; the village will be packed beyond belief. Robelle is much quieter, despite having a music festival this week. Scheduling major events during the playoffs is always a mistake."

"We'll keep that in mind." Nami smiled at Dalton as she spoke. All of the Straw Hats ignored the fact that they'd never heard of this hockey thing before, filing it away under Grand Line strangeness. The sailing master got everyone's attention with a clap. "So… Who's going where? This island seems relatively safe, and we'll cover more ground if we split up."

"Do we have to?" Usopp whined, his voice quavering a little. Nami's response was a swift blow to the head.

"YES!"

Johnny and Yosaku immediately clung to each other. "We'll go to Robelle! A music festival sounds fun!"

"I guess I'll go with them to supervise," Nami said, rubbing at her temples. "Vivi, will you be okay to go to Gyasta with Usopp and Lisa?"

"Of course. Even with my arm hurt, you did just say this was a relatively safe island."

Lisa looked up sharply at the sound of her name. "Do I have to come? I'm working on something."

"You can work while you walk," Nami told her gently. "It's the only way to keep the groups even."

"But what about Ruatha? Can't he go with Vivi and Usopp instead?" It was so much harder to mix colours while she was walking, and she was nowhere near the hue she wanted. Lisa pouted, not wanting to risk bumping into things while focused on her work. It had happened before.

"Ruatha doesn't count as a person." Nami patted Lisa on the head. The little girl pouted some more, but got to her feet. She was followed by the baby dragon, who seemed to have decided that she and Vivi were the most acceptable Jones substitutes while his mother was indisposed.

"Fine! But I'm doing this under protest!" Not much of a protest, but still. Lisa had to trot to keep up with Vivi and Usopp as they walked out the door. Ruatha bounded along beside her for a moment, before deciding that perching on Vivi's shoulder was a much more convenient method of travel.

X

The snow was coming down harder now- no longer fluffy, it was heavy and wet, and stung exposed skin as it landed. As clouds covered up the sky, the air grew colder. Luffy, Sanji, and Ghin stuck closer together, though the cook still maintained a slight lead to break a trail through the growing drifts. The slick footing made Luffy slip a few times, already unbalanced by Jones' weight. Luckily Ghin or a pine tree was always there to catch him before he fell. Jones groaned wetly every time this happened; the red wetness on the back of Luffy's neck was no longer a few drops, but a small-yet-growing stain.

A couple of hours passed; the ground sloped ever more steeply upwards. Looking ahead, Luffy wondered how they were going to get up to the castle when it was perched atop the tallest cliff he'd ever seen. He didn't think he could Gum-Gum Rocket up something that high- and even if he could, that might hurt Jones. But if there was a building up there, there had to be a way up, so he didn't worry about it too much.

"Nya! Nuknuknuknuknuk!"

Something small and fluffy burst out of the snow, launching itself at Sanji's ankles. It was… a rabbit with fangs? Luffy smiled, unable to decide whether that was cute or tasty. If she'd been awake, Jones probably would've tried to pet it or something. As it was, the little rabbit sank its teeth into the cook's pants and was promptly kicked away. When it charged again, Sanji growled and punted the rabbit in the side and sent it crashing into a tree.

"Move it," the cook growled. "We're in a hurry, you shitty stew meat, but that doesn't mean I won't cook you with pepper and onions if you piss me off."

The rabbit scrambled to its feet and limped away with a snarl. Luffy's stomach growled; Sanji's description sounded yummy. But the cook was right- they were in a hurry. The young captain picked up the pace, urging his companions on silently with his actions. Not that either needed much urging.

They had been walking for maybe another twenty minutes when the ground began to shake. Something heavy- make that many somethings- thumped against the snow somewhere ahead. Cresting a rise, the hiking pirates came face-to-face with the little bunny again, crouched above them on a snowy ridge. Only this time it had friends. Giant rabbits, white as the snow and twice as tall as Sanji, with great bulky bodies like bears. Their eyes shone red in the cold, dim light. There were about a dozen of them, each with their fangs gleaming. Some of them drooled, looking hungry; others were more angry and vengeful.

Little paws rose and pointed at the pirates. The small bunny chittered. Scowling, the largest of the adult rabbits- one with a scar over its eye- snarled. It picked the little one up and held it securely, signalling to the other rabbits with a paw. They growled in unison and crouched, preparing for something. Luffy frowned.

"Can you bunnies get outta the way please? We're kinda in a hurry."

When the rabbits didn't move, the rubber captain motioned for his crew mates to go around. But when they tried, the rabbits moved with them, still towering over the pirates on the ridge. Luffy frowned.

"Hey! What's up? Move!" The pirates tried to go around again, this time in the other direction. Once more, the rabbits moved with them. Ghin scowled at the fanged creatures and rolled his eyes.

"Ten beri says they're man-eaters."

"Man-eating rabbits?" Sanji huffed. "What kind of stupid idea is that? It sounds like one of Shitty Longnose's stories."

Ghin responded by pointing at the rabbits' very prominent fangs, making the cook pause. Sanji huffed again, inclining his head. "Alright, fair point. Well, they're not very tough. We can take the shitheads." The cook tapped one foot against a rock, preparing for a fight.

But the rabbits didn't look like they were about to fight, and an unnecessary battle might hurt Jones. It was better if they'd just get out of the way. Luffy growled at the rabbits. "I said move."

The rabbits responded by beginning to jump upside down. It created a thunderous noise, giant feet tossing snow and stone in little showers with every movement. Beside Luffy, Ghin drew his tonfa and flipped them around a few times. "Don Luffy, I don't think they're about to do as they're told."

"But they're not attacking either," Luffy pointed out. Not that he knew what they were doing- nor did his crew mates, judging by their confused expressions. Although that was solved quickly enough. After a few more seconds of jumping, the rabbits charge.

"You were saying, Shithead?" Sanji shouted as he flipped out of the way. Luffy squeaked and backpedaled. He didn't want to fight with Jones on his back… She might get hurt. One of the giant rabbits' paws slammed into the ground where he'd just been standing.

"Gum-Gum Whip!" Jumping up, Luffy swung his leg through two of the rabbits' legs, knocking them sideways. "We've gotta get outta here before Jones gets hit!"

"What did you think we were trying to do?!" Sanji demanded, jump-kicking a rabbit that tried to bite his captain. Then he hooked his other leg around another rabbit's neck and slammed the beast into the ground. "Mouton Shot! Reception!"

"Hah! Yah!" Ghin flung a couple of rabbits up into the air with spinning tonfa, then jumped up and kicked them into each other. "They may not be hard to fight, but these bastard sure are annoying."

"Yep!" Luffy ducked under a kick from one of the rabbits. He didn't quite duck enough; the giant foot clipped Jones and knocked her hat off. Luffy stretched back and grabbed it, plopping it back on his wounded crew mate's head as he punched the offending rabbit in the face. "OI! YOU BASTARDS LAY OFF! WE NEED TO GET TO THE DOCTOR!"

Yet another rabbit tried to get Sanji from behind as he kicked one of its companions into a boulder; Ghin knocked it out of the way before it could lay a paw on the cook. There was a tremendous thud as the large mammal slammed into a snowy cliff. It was followed by three more of its brethren that were thrown by a Gum-Gum Whip. That portion of stone shook, dumping snow on the dazed rabbits.

Claws and teeth kept up a vicious onslaught. The three pirates continued to kick and toss, flinging the animals into stone. Against their teamwork, the furry attackers were slowly beaten back, battered until the bruises were visible through their fur. This angered the largest. Rising up on its hind legs, front paw raised, the rabbit leader let out an echoing roar. "KASHAAAAAAA!"

"Gum-Gum Pistol!" Luffy slammed his fist into the rabbit's chest, driving it backwards until both the beast and his fist slammed into stone. For once in his life he had to control the recoil as his arm snapped back, so as not to elbow Jones in the face. It was an unusual feeling, and such control was not made any easier by the fact that the air chose that moment to thrum with a low, distracting noise.

RUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMBLE.

Something shook in the stones of the mountain itself. Seconds later, a wall of white rose up over one of the ridges. The beaten rabbits bolted as the white thing came rapidly closer. Luffy stared, cocking his head to the side in confusion.

"What's that?"

Sanji's eyes went wide; the cook then turned and kicked Luffy in the side of the head, although not very hard, to avoid jostling Jones. "Idiot! All that fighting started an avalanche!"

"Oh." Luffy blinked twice before turning and bolting through the snow, Sanji and Ghin right beside him. Running through the drifts made the rubber boy's legs burn with cold and effort.

The rumbling mass of snow and stone approaching didn't have that problem. It rolled easily over each ridge as it thundered down the mountain, ripping up trees that were unfortunate enough to stand in its path. Closer, closer, closer… Soon Luffy could feel a spray of ice and broken branches bouncing off his hat, flung before that massive wall of white.

RRRRRRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMMMBLE!

They didn't run straight back the way they'd come- there was no shelter in that direction. Even Luffy knew the trees wouldn't be enough to protect them from the tumbling snow. Instead, the pirates raced away from the avalanche at an angle, hoping the new territory would yield some sort of lee or rise they could use to protect themselves. Time slowed to a standstill; what couldn't have been more a few minutes stretched on to seem like hours, the thunderous wall of snow growing closer with each second. And then Ghin shouted over the din, four of the most welcome words Luffy had ever heard.

"Over there! Take cover!"

Glancing where his rigger was pointing, the rubber captain saw a great, jagged spike of stone emerging from the ever-present snowdrifts. It rose high over their heads, despite being tilted over to form almost a sort of cave on its downhill side. In other words, it was perfect. Luffy and Sanji followed Ghin's lead as the eldest pirate scrambled under the craggy overhang.

The rumble of snow grew beyond deafening as the avalanche was suddenly rushing past them on either side. A second later came a curtain of frozen rubble arching down from above as part of the avalanche was driven up and over the stone spur by its own momentum. The cornered pirates could no longer see the world outside; existence had contracted to a tiny chamber of stone and snow. But they were safe, at least. None of the frigid whiteness invaded their haven as they waited for the avalanche to subside.

"Those rabbits were jerks," Luffy muttered, shifting Jones slightly so he could wipe the blood off the back of his neck. Sanji and Ghin nodded their agreement. Jones let out a painful, gurgling groan. Then, to everyone's surprise, she began to mumble something into the back of Luffy's head.

"Rabbits…? Idiots… Ropeways…" The otherworlder's voice was weak, unsteady, and dazed. She was still unconscious, more or less, but not for much longer. Luffy's skin crawled as he imagined how much pain she would be in when she woke up.

Sanji groaned and rolled his eyes skywards. "Of course she knows a shitty shortcut to where we're going, but is too delirious to tell us. Why wouldn't she?"

"Where'd you get that from?" Ghin wanted to know. "All I heard was her calling you an idiot."

"Not now," Luffy ordered before the two could start something. Sanji, who'd been halfway to kicking Ghin in the head, put his foot down with a huff.

"It's just obvious, alright War Dog? I bet Jones woulda known how to stop the rabbits attacking like that too."

"And the Lord spake… saying, 'First shalt thou take out… the Holy Pin. Then, shalt thou count to… three, no more, no less. Three shalt be the number thou… shalt count, and the number of the counting… shalt be three. Four shalt thou not… count, nor either count thou… two, excepting that thou then… proceed to three. Five… is right out. Once the number three, being… the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou… thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards… thy foe, who being naughty… in my sight, shall… snuff it."

Luffy wasn't sure which amazed him more- that Jones was able to say so many words while still mostly unconscious, though with many pauses to cough up more blood onto his neck, or that she managed to make even less sense than usual while doing so. Unless this was one of those science things he didn't feel like learning about. "What's a Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch and what does it have to do with avalanches and bunnies?"

Sanji shook his head. "A hand grenade's a small, shitty thing you throw at people to make them explode," the cook informed his captain. "As for the rest… Not a clue."

Ghin shrugged. "Me neither. But I'm willing to bet that if Jones was awake right now, she'd be having one of her crazy moments, yelling at the air for making a 'stupidly forced reference' to something or other. Whatever that means." The rigger waved vaguely in the direction that Jones always flipped off when she got angry at things no one understood.

Luckily, it didn't take long after that for the avalanche to subside. Ghin dug them a way out of their sheltered overhang, and the pirates resumed their trip towards the castle with renewed haste. Jones' moans and whimpers were a near constant thing now, interspersed with the occasional mumbled words. And blood. Uncomfortable amounts of blood.

Ten minutes into their resumed trip, Luffy nearly tripped over one of the man-eating rabbits. It was the baby that Sanji had kicked, whining and digging in the snow. Dirt covered its fur; bruises were visible even through the thick pelt. The baby rabbit glanced up at the pirates and growled, but didn't have the energy to do anything more. Luffy paused and glanced down to see what the rabbit was digging up.

A paw. One of the large rabbits, maybe a parent.

Luffy reached down and grabbed the paw with one hand, heaving upwards. Taking offense to this, the little rabbit clawed and nipped at his fingers. Tiny red lines shredded rubber skin, although something so small wasn't capable of doing him any real damage. Luffy ignored the stinging as he tugged on the adult's paw.

It took a few good yanks, but soon he had the larger rabbit free and resting atop the snow. The baby crooned and licked its parent; the adult fixed Luffy with a tired stare. Nodding, the rubber captain continued on his way.

Sanji and Ghin stared at him as they resumed their hike. "What…?" The cook shook his head. "Shitty Captain… Why'd you do that?"

Luffy shrugged. "The little one was angry and scared. I didn't want to leave him alone that way."

"But what if they attack us?"

"They won't." Luffy wasn't sure why he was so certain of that, but somehow he knew the rabbits wouldn't come after them again.

No longer was their march through the snow a silent one. Jones mutterings grew more coherent- and also more pained and bubbly- as the pirates approached the base of the cliffs. She whimpered less, but that wasn't reassuring at all. Not when Luffy could hear pain in her struggling voice.

"…My mouth tastes like I swallowed a handful of pennies." Jones' words were accompanied by yet more blood. Luffy was honestly amazed that she was managing to spit up so much of it. He also wondered what a penny was and why they would taste anything like blood.

Glancing back over his shoulder, Luffy met a bleary grey eye. Jones didn't look like she could see at all, her unfocused gaze turned inwards. Her skin was pale and sweaty, far warmer than it should have been- Luffy could feel her fever even through layers of wax and clothing. Did that mean something had gotten infected? He didn't know…

Ghin came closer and placed a hand on the wax shell. "Jones, go back to sleep. We're almost there."

"Can't. Hurts. Wait… Where?"

"At the doctor. We're in Drum Kingdom. You know about that, right? From your story?"

"Oh… Good. Thanks." Jones' eye closed. "How's Sanji's back?"

"What?" The cook jumped and spun around. "I'm fine! Why would something be wrong with my back?"

"Don't remember… Canon… You got hurt." Jones groaned and spat up yet another wad of blood. This one landed in Luffy's hair. "Cliff or rope?"

"Again, what?" Sanji shook his head and resumed walking. "I guess I shouldn't have expected you to make sense when you're hurt, since you can't make it when you're your normal shitty self."

"Cliff or rope?" Jones' eyes opened again, glaring dazedly at the cook. Sanji huffed.

"Fine, geez. Since it seems so important to you… We're almost at the shitty cliffs. You know a good way up? They're gonna be a bitch to climb."

And indeed, by the time Sanji spoke, they were almost there. A towering pillar of granite and quartz rose high above Luffy's head, sheer and smooth and covered in icicles. There were few visible handholds, and those that existed were covered in a slick film. While Luffy was fairly certain he could climb it, if Jones knew of some secret stairs or something, it would make life a lot easier. And faster too.

"Idiots. Should've asked Dalton about the ropeways. Too far now…" Jones closed her eyes again; her head flopped forwards onto Luffy's shoulder as shivers wracked her body.

Sanji snorted. "Well, that was useless."

"Not usele- ergh…" Turning her head to the side, Jones puked onto the snow. Although, since she hadn't eaten in a few days, all that came up was more blood.

The snow started to fall more heavily as a chill wind whipped up. That would make climbing harder. Luffy burrowed his chin into thick fabric, thankful now that Ghin had forced him into Jones' coat. The rubber boy flexed his fingers in preparation for climbing up the cliffs. "Alright guys! Let's go!"

Ghin nodded and walked immediately to the based of the cliff. The rigger ran his hands over stone and ice, staring upwards win consideration. Sanji huffed. "I know we've gotta go up, but do you really think a war dog like you can sniff out a clear path? Is there even a clear path? Just face it, this is gonna be shitty."

"Just checking something." Ghin pulled out one of his tonfa and spun it around so the business end was facing the stone. "Granite may be harder than steel, but it's brittle- and these cliffs are all granite. You're right, there isn't an easy way up. But I bet I can make one."

Sanji scoffed. "And what makes you think you-?!"

BOOM!

Ghin punched his tonfa into the stone. Shards of granite flew outwards from the site of impact; where they had been, there was now a hole at shoulder height. It was fairly deep, and level enough to make a decent handhold. Another strike, this one above his head, created a second hole. Ghin gripped the edge of this with his free hand, planting his feet in the first hole he'd made before swinging to punch a third hole above his head. The rigger then reached up to grab that hole, drawing his feet up into the one below it and swinging again to repeat the process. He glanced down at Sanji and Luffy with a smug smirk.

"You coming, Don Luffy? Shit Cook?"

Grinning, Luffy was quick to follow his rigger's example. Climbing up the ladder of holes was still tricky, but much better than trying to grab narrow, ice-covered ledges. Grumbling Sanji brought up the rear. "You and the moss ball… Just because you have a weapon doesn't make you a better fighter, shithead."

"But it does make climbing easier." Ghin shot Sanji another smug smirk as he continued to bash handholds in the stone.

Even with the handholds, it wasn't an easy climb. And it was long. Luffy's hands and feet started to go numb about twenty minutes in, making it hard to keep his grip. The wind picked up too. It nearly plucked Luffy off the cliff. He squinted and pressed his body closer to the stone- the flying snow and ice pellets didn't make climbing any easier. Luffy's eyes burned, but when he raised a hand to rub them, he was nearly blown off the cliff again.

An hour and a half into the climb, Jones began to shiver uncontrollably on his back. Then the rubber captain felt something warm and wet on his back and side- not the blood Jones had been coughing up on his neck, something lower down. Twisting his head around, he saw a red stain spreading on his side, its source at Jones' hand. The wounds on her arm had reopened. Luffy looked up at Ghin.

"How much longer?"

"Afraid I can't tell, Don Luffy. It's hard to see from here. Why? Is Jones getting worse?"

"Yeah. Fast."

The rigger hissed and sighed, although he didn't take a break from his bashing. "Of course… We didn't bandage her properly… It's surprising this didn't happen before."

"We weren't moving her around as much," Sanji pointed out.

"Don't worry… about me. I'll… manage." Luffy could feel Jones trying to force a smile, but it wasn't very convincing when she couldn't stop shaking. "I always… do. S'why Imma… I dunno… Forgot the words…" Jones coughed a few times, then went eerily still. Luffy couldn't even tell if she was still breathing.

"Ghin! We need to go faster!"

"I'm going as fast as I can!" the rigger retorted. "You're not the only one who's worried! If there was a way to climb up faster, don't you think I'd have pointed it out by now?"

"Sorry…" Luffy hated this, hated feeling so helpless. He was trying to save his friend! She'd held on for so long- why was she starting to fade now, when they were so close?

His fingers were starting to turn blue. Luffy flexed them to try and warm them up, but it did nothing. Everything was cold. Keeping his grip was becoming harder and harder with hands that didn't want to move; he didn't want to know what the climb would've been like if Ghin hadn't been there. A quick glance up and down showed the captain that his rigger and his cook were just as cold and blue as he was.

Not long after that realization, the wind began to drop. That was a pleasant relief, even if it didn't make anything less frigid. At least they were no longer being plucked away from the stone though. Once it was gone, the air was nearly silent. All that could be heard was a voice echoing from somewhere above. Luffy couldn't tell what it was saying; they were still too far away.

"Ah!" Sanji let out a yell as one of his hands slipped. Luffy released his own hold, stretching back to steady his cook before Sanji could fall off the cliff. The blond nodded his thanks as he regained his grip. "Dammit! I can't feel my fingers!"

"Me neither!" Luffy turned back up to Ghin. "Are we close to the top yet?"

"I think so! Just a li- Argh! Dammit!" The rigger's tonfa slipped out of his numb fingers. Ghin kicked out with his foot as it fell; the steel ball on the end bounced off his toes as he kicked the weapon back up into his hand. Wincing, the rigger gingerly replaced his foot in the hole with his other. "Aw fuck. I think I broke something."

"You gonna be alright?" Not another one. Cold- and not that of the island- gripped Luffy's chest. He didn't like seeing his friends in pain, especially when he couldn't do anything to help.

"I've had worse." BOOM! Well, that wasn't really an answer to his question, but Luffy let it slide. Besides, the answer was easy enough to see. Ghin was not alright, but he would be. The rigger's teeth were grit together and his jaw muscles were tense, but he was still able to climb without too much trouble. Although really, what else was there to do? They were already on their way to the doctor; not like Ghin maybe breaking his foot could change anything about that, or the cliff they had to climb to get there.

As they got closer to the top, Luffy could hear the voice more clearly. It appeared to be someone talking to themselves- and maybe looking for a pet. "Where'd that fluffy brat get to? Chopper! Come here!"

Chopper. Had Luffy heard Jones say that name before? He felt like he might have. Or maybe not- he tried not to hear when she said future things. The rubber captain glanced back to see if Jones had any reaction to the voice. Nothing. And her skin, previously feverishly warm, was suddenly ice cold to the touch. To be expected, in this weather, but the rapid change was worrying. And he still couldn't tell if she was breathing…

Then the periodic bashing above him stopped. Luffy looked up to see Ghin's upper body disappear, followed by the rest of him as the rigger heaved himself over the edge of the cliff. Yes! Luffy scrambled up after him, Sanji hot on his tail.

Tired and frozen, the pirates slumped together as they looked around. Snow, snow, snow, frozen castle, snow, snow, old woman dressed in funky purple clothing, snow, snow… Wait, what? Luffy's gaze snapped back to the old woman. He'd never seen someone her age wear something like that. And why was such an old woman up here anyway? Was she the doctor's grandmother or something?

"Who're you?" the young captain asked as the old woman approached. She glared at him.

"I should be asking you that, brat." Bending down, the old woman fixed Luffy with a keen, piercing gaze. Something about her made him shake a little. It was almost like being glared at by Grandpa! Why were old people so scary?

The old woman's glare grew even more piercing, if that was possible. "Beware of the elderly in places and professions where one doesn't usually grow to be old, brat." Oh, had he said that out loud? "And another thing… I'M NOT OLD! I'm 139 years young!"

Scalpels flew towards Luffy's face out of nowhere. They pinged off a tonfa as Ghin spun it up to block. "Oi! Watch it! He's got a wounded girl back there- we came up here looking for a doctor."

"Oh, did you?" The old woman's face shifted into a mysterious smile. "It must've been a long, difficult journey… I suppose I can give you a discount, given all you've put yourself through. Just answer me one question…"

"Yes?" Luffy perked up. The old woman was gonna take them to the doctor soon? Excellent!

"WHAT ON EARTH WERE YOU IDIOTS THINKING?!" The old woman didn't lay a hand on him, but Luffy felt like he'd been slapped. "YOU DON'T CLIMB A MOUNTAIN IN A SNOWSTORM WITH A WOUNDED GIRL STRAPPED TO YOUR BACK! WHAT IF YOU REOPENED HER WOUNDS? WHAT IF YOU DROPPED HER? I CAN SMELL THE BLOOD FROM HERE! IF THINGS WERE SO SERIOUS, YOU SHOULD'VE HAD DALTON SEND FOR ME!"

Cringing, Luffy stared at the snow. "He said they didn't have a way to contact you…"

"Poppycock! Dalton used to be a guard in this castle; he knows about the ropeways." The old woman shook her head. "I'll deal with you idiots later. Bring the girl inside; she's our first priority."

Turning towards the castle, the old woman let out a shout as she led the way inside. "Oi Chopper! Get your fluffy ass to the examination room! We've got a patient!"

"Two," Ghin grunted. He fought and failed to hide a limp in his step as the pirates made to follow their guide. "I broke my foot on the way up."

The old woman glanced over her shoulder. "Ah, you'll live. Maybe a little pain will teach you to be more gentle with injured girls, eh?"

That wasn't exactly the best thing to say to the rigger. His face turned red; his eyes narrowed. As Ghin started to swing his tonfa though, Sanji grabbed his shoulder. "Hey, shitty War Dog, a gentleman doesn't hit a lady. Especially when she's probably the doctor we came up here to see."

Ghin froze, sighed, and grumbled something under his breath. Placing his weapon back across the base of his spine, the rigger lapsed into a sullen silence as they followed the old woman into her castle. Luffy, however, felt the need to speak up.

"Hey, Doctor Lady? Could we maybe walk a little faster? I don't think Jones is breathing anymore, and even I know if that lasts very long, she'll die."

The old woman didn't say anything. Indeed, her only reaction was to shoot the rubber boy a piercing glare over her shoulder. That said, her pace did quicken noticeably at the word die.

X

Lisa couldn't believe how lucky she was. If she'd run ahead like Usopp, she would've been buried under that heap of snow that appeared out of nowhere. Not that she had the energy or focus to run ahead… Glancing up, the young painter froze in shock. The snow that had buried Usopp wasn't just any old heap- it was the edge of what looked to have been an avalanche! How had she missed it? Avalanches were supposed to be loud, weren't they?

Vivi was already kneeling in the freshly disturbed snow, working on digging the gunner out. She didn't appear to need any help- his head was already free, and his torso would be soon. That was nice; it meant Lisa didn't have to find somewhere to put her palette down. She was so close to getting the colour she was looking for.

A few minutes later, Usopp was lying flat on the snow. He was unconscious, but otherwise uninjured. Vivi prodded him gently. "Usopp, you need to get up. We're almost at Gyasta."

No response. The princess poked the gunner a few more times; when Usopp still didn't wake, Vivi began to slap him gently. Still no reaction. As the next few minutes progressed, so too did the princess' slapping, until she was practically beating Usopp up. Even so, it took another two minutes for him to wake up- and by the time he did, his face was so swollen and purple, he looked like some sort of mutant eggplant.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Sorry." Vivi bowed slightly. "It was the only way I could think of to wake you up. Are you hurt anywhere?"

"…Just my face and my pride." Usopp got to his feet, brushing snow off of himself. "Geez… Aren't princesses supposed to carry smelling salts or something?"

"Not princesses who go on long-term undercover missions, no." Lisa froze at the sound of Vivi's voice. It had steel in it, something harsh and bitter. "I know I'm not a fighter, and that I've been a bit of a brat- especially towards Jones- but did you really expect me to act like a damsel in distress from one of your stories?"

The accusation made Usopp flinch. He rubbed his nose nervously as Vivi stared at him. "Umm… yes?"

A stare became a glare. "I'll have you know, I've never fainted once in my life. I was one of the co-leaders of the Suna-Suna Clan!"

"Sorry! Sorry!" Usopp waved his hands and backpedalled into the snow. Vivi stopped glaring and looked off to the side with a sigh.

"Apology accepted. And I'm sorry for snapping at you." The princess rose and dusted herself off. "Come on; we're almost at Gyasta. We need to see if the doctor was in town."

Lisa suspected that would be easier said than done. The town they were approaching was so loud they could hear it even though it was still out of sight over a rise. Talking, shouting, laughing, music… And something smelled good. Chocolate, caramel, and deep-fried sweetness… Plus something else Lisa couldn't identify. It was sweet in a woodsy way, impossible to describe.

Coming over the ridge, the chaos was indescribable. Thousands of people crammed into a village meant for a few hundred, all talking and milling about like it was some kind of party. And, well, it seemed to be- every building was adorned with colourful pennants in either blue and white or blue and red, every street lined with shining lanterns. There were vendors everywhere, selling strange sweets that Lisa had never seen before. And also beer. Many of the people were drunk, loudly revelling and singing off key. But there was no fighting- though there were two factions that kept glaring at each other. They shared the same colour schemes as the fluttering pennants.

"What's going on here?" the little girl asked in wonder. Vivi shrugged and stroked Ruatha.

"Dalton said something about playoffs, I think. Some kind of sport? It looks to be a fairly big deal."

Someone overheard them as the pirates and the princess walked into town. A big man- bare chested, but with a blue leaf painted across his chest- laughed heartily. "You're not from Drum Kingdom, are you? It's hockey- only the greatest sport to ever exist. Tomorrow's the playoffs, and its Leafs versus Seas to boot. Always a fierce one. I'm a Leafs fan myself. This is our year, I just know it!"

The man pumped his fist and let out a whoop before wandering away. Lisa, Vivi, and Usopp stared after him in confusion; Ruatha preened his wings unconcernedly. "Is it just me, or do these people have the same accent as Jones?" Usopp wondered.

Vivi shrugged. "I wasn't paying attention; too busy trying to figure out what all that meant. Maybe that accent goes with a certain type of crazy?"

Lisa whimpered. "Forget that- I wanna know how he can run around in this cold without a shirt on. It's freezing."

"Alright, let's ask if the doctor came here." Vivi winced and rubbed her bandaged shoulder. "I'll see if I can find the-."

Sweets. So many things smelled so good. Lisa's attention wandered as Vivi told them the plan. The little girl wandered away from her companions and over to one of the vendors. He was selling some sort of pastries, deep fried and covered in chocolate, bananas, and whipped cream. A small part of Lisa wondered how far away they had to trade to get bananas to such a cold island. The vendor smiled down at her.

"Can I help you, little one?"

Pouting, Lisa folded her arms. "Do you have to rub it in? I may be little, but I can look after myself- most of the time…" She looked at the pastries, her pout crumbling as it fought with her desire for sweets. "What're those?"

"These?" The vendor laughed. "These are called beavertails- they're a Drum Kingdom specialty. Would you like to try one?"

"How much do they cost?" Lisa didn't have much- she'd spent most of her money back on the resort island where she and Mr Three had been before Little Garden. The vendor smiled.

"For a cute little thing like you? First one's on the house."

Lisa accepted the treat, although she was starting to get some creeper vibes from this guy. Once she had the beavertail in her hand, she raced back to Vivi and Usopp. The gunner jumped as she skidded into place beside him. "Ah! Where'd you go Lisa? We were worried."

For an answer, the little painter held up her beavertail before taking a bite. It was good- sticky and sweet and warm. Lisa wished she could try more of the sweets she saw everywhere. She wished Jones was here so she'd have someone to wander around the fair with- the creepy vendor probably wouldn't have creeped her. Usopp and Vivi were nice, but they didn't exactly inspire confidence in their ability to protect small children.

Vivi sighed. "Well, at least you're back now. No one I've asked has seen the doctor, except one man who saw her in Cocoa Weed this morning. But there are still a lot more people here."

"Do you expect us to ask everybody?" Usopp asked in disbelief. The princess shook her head.

"Of course not. That would take forever. But we need a decent sample, at least."

Nibbling on her beavertail, Lisa shrugged and followed her companions around the fair. Every few minutes, they would stop and ask someone about the doctor. No one had seen her. As the afternoon wore on into evening, Lisa watched Usopp and Vivi slowly lose hope. Even Ruatha was drooping.

As darkness fell, all the people in the village gathered together in a large, icy square just outside the perimeter. There were bleachers all around. No one was sitting in them though; they were all gathered around in a huge, milling crowd. Then one man jumped up on one of the lower tiers. He had spiky white hair and wore the loudest, most obnoxiously turquoise, paisley suit Lisa had ever seen. It made him impossible to ignore.

"Now! I know everyone's excited for the big game tomorrow- Leafs versus Seas, whoop, whoop!" The paisley man had an even louder voice than Luffy. He pumped his fist in the air; the crowd followed his lead. "But just in case anyone's been living under a rock or something these last couple months- no offense to the folks from Craterville- let's have a quickie recap, eh?"

Usopp looked at Vivi, a sweatdrop rolling down his neck. "Do we have to?"

The princess glanced around. "We can't exactly get out." Vivi gestured- with some difficulty- to the press of bodies around them. There was no elbow room, let along room for pushing through the crowd.

Lisa finished her treat and shrugged. "At least we'll finally figure out what this hockey thing is?" she offered.

X

Robelle was a quiet town- aside from the low rumble of a distant avalanche. Johnny knew it was supposed to be hosting some sort of music festival, but it certainly didn't look it. There may have been posters on the walls and a bandstand in the main square, but there was no music playing and the streets were practically deserted. Maybe they were still setting up? Or starting to tear things down?

He, Yosaku, and Nami wandered into a bar- if there was anyone around, it would be there. Johnny was immediately drawn to the bulletin board; it had been a while since he got a chance to pick up some new bounty posters. The ones he saw made the blue hunter whistle. These were no East Blue punks up on this board. There were even commanders from Yonko crews on display.

The bartender chuckled when he saw where Johnny was looking. He put down the glass he was cleaning with a click. "He was actually in here a few days ago, ya know?"

"Huh? He who?"

A dirty rag pointed at one of the posters, a grinning man with freckles on a background of dancing flames. One of the Yonko commanders. Johnny felt his knees go weak at the thought of such a powerful pirate in their part of the Grand Line. The bartender continued with his story, oblivious to the hunter's fear.

"Yeah, Fire Fist was in here a few days back, looking for Blackbeard. Course, we couldn't help him; haven't seen the bastard since he attacked us, and good riddance. Good riddance to Fire Fist too, I say. Brat ate half my stock, then took one look at the calendar and bolted. Said something about saving his baby brother from traitors and perverts- didn't really catch it. Was too busy with the fact that he didn't pay. I lost 256,000 beri that day!"

"Baby brother, huh?" Johnny took a copy of the poster and showed Yosaku. "He look familiar at all?"

"Only as far as he's a world-famous pirate we've been seeing in the papers for the last three years." The green hunter was examining other posters, of pirates more their own skill level. Or at least, Big Bro Luffy's skill level.

"Will you two idiots focus?" Pain bloomed across the back of Johnny's head as he and Yosaku were simultaneously slammed into the bar by Nami's fists. "We're here to find out if the doctor came here after Cocoa Weed, not to discuss bounties!"

"Doc- oh, you mean the witch." The bartender shook his head. "Nope, haven't seen her all week. If no one fetched her to Bighorn, she probably went back up to the castle."

"Oh. That's good; Luffy and the others will catch her then. Thank you." Nami smiled at the bartender, although no such manners were forthcoming for her crew mates who she'd punched into the bar hard enough to dent the wood.

Not that they would've expected an apology or anything. Not by now. And with the doctor thing solved, picking up bounty posters was back on the table. Johnny just couldn't look away from Fire Fist's grin though. It looked so familiar. "Are you sure that face doesn't ring a bell Bro?"

"Of course it does. He's been in the news a thousand times." Yosaku rolled his eyes as he collected posters for a number of more reasonable bounties.

"No really! Look closer!" Johnny shoved the poster in his partner's face. "Doesn't he look a little like Big Bro? And wasn't the other one of Big Bro's Big Bros named Ace?"

"Yeah, but he'd be Monkey D Ace. Not Portgas." Yosaku rapped Johnny on the head. "Use your brain, Bro. Besides, Big Bro wouldn't need saving- there's no traitors on our crew, and the only person we know who might count as a pervert is Big Bro Sanji."