Chapter 10

On icy winds until dawn

My mind froze up for a moment at Luffy's statement as countless thoughts all strived to escape all at once. Really I hadn't been expecting that question so suddenly. Finally the most common of the thoughts worked it's way to my mouth.

"I could but we've got multiple chances to save Ace still unlike with Merry. Plus it'd ruin that part of the adventure."

I started to say more but snapped my mouth shut before the words could get out. Best not to tempt Murphy if at all possible. Luffy gave me one of his trademark grins before turning back to the front of the ship. I grinned back, the tip of my tail slapping against the deck.

I hung around the helm of the ship drinking in the sight of the sea and waves. The flapping of the sails, the gentle creek of wood, the sparkling sea spray. All of it served to drive home the fact that I really had been swept up into an adventure. Taken away from the boring, the mundane, and thrown into a world where anything could happen. It was exhilarating, something that I had always dreamed of having happen.

"Tii'chia time to train." I glanced up to find Zoro poking his head out of the weight room at the top of the mast. Waving one hand towards Zoro I turned and strode away from the helm to go join him.

The weather remained bright and sunny for the rest of the day and much of the next day as well. It wasn't until early evening of that day when the weather began to turn Nami's shout bringing us all running to the deck. Heavy black clouds had rolled in and the temperature was plunging fast. We barely had time to get the sails furled before icy rain spilled down from the heavens to lash across the deck.

The next two hours were a constant fight against the weather before the sea calmed, and the rain slackened off. Most of the crew stumbled to their beds that night exhausted and in search of a hot meal. The weather in the Grand Line really was something else in those last couple of hours I had seen ice raining upwards, waves that towered over Sunny, and sudden whirlpools that would have swallowed us all if not for Nami's instructions. I had the misfortune to ask how all these weather was possible within earshot of Nami. Who had done her best to explain how it all worked but as soon as things had gotten too technical my brain had shut down to protect my own sanity.

Since I had first watch that night I made my way down to the men's bedrooms to fish my cloak out of the locker. Pulling the heavy white furred cloak around me I felt it's magic going to work. The last lingering chill finally leaving my limbs as I pulled the hood up. The joy of magic at work, the fact that it was extremely comfy without magic was just a bonus.

Soon enough I found myself patrolling the deck the only light that night coming from a few lanterns that were placed strategically about the ship. It wasn't much but it there was just enough light to see by. I was making my third round about the ship, shoving off the ice and snow that were collecting on every surface when a door was shoved open below me and light spilled out from within.

Looking down I caught sight of Nami dressed in a thick pink coat step out onto the deck. I started back down the steps as she closed the door and joined her in walking to the helm. As I drew up alongside her I could see just how tired she looked. She stared irritably at the Log Pose before her eyes swept across the sea and the chunks of ice that bobbed nearby.

"Can't sleep?" A sigh and shake of her head was my only answer. We waited in silence for several minutes, the only sounds breaking the stillness that of our breathing. Finally she spoke.

"Just bad dreams I guess. I had this feeling that something was wrong that just wouldn't go away till I got up to check on it." Eyes continued their search for something before she finally closed them. "Well everything seems fine here so guess I can sleep easy for the rest of the night right?"

She forced a smile onto her face and managed a short very forced laugh before heading back inside. I watched her go troubled by the way she had been acting. When I returned to my watch I found that I couldn't sit still for long. A feeling of restlessness overtaking me. I began to pace Sunny's deck once more, eyes scanning for something out in the night.

It appeared that she wasn't the only one to have trouble sleeping as sometime later I heard what I figured to be Sanji moving about in the kitchen. Pot's and pans clattered as he fiddled with something followed by a low curse before it ceased all together. This pattern continued as the hours crept towards midnight. The other crewmates either joining me briefly on deck, Luffy, Robin, Zoro, Merry, and Nami one more time, or briefly involving themselves in a brief quickly aborted project below decks, Sanji, Usopp, Franky, and Chopper.

Finally midnight arrived and light spilled out from inside the ship as Usopp and Merry joined me on deck. Both were bundled up in thick fur coats, and thick solid boots. Merry clutched a steaming mug in her hands while Usopp carried two. One of which was quickly passed to me and I nodded gratefully.

"Thanks the colds gotten worse out here I swear. But what are you doing here Merry? It's not your turn on watch tonight."

Merry's shoulders rose and fell in a halfhearted shrug. "Couldn't sleep anymore. Figured I might as well do something instead."

Pressing our backs together we huddled in a tight circle for mutual warmth as the three of us sipped our drinks. The relative silence broken only by the chattering of Usopp's teeth. I could have turned the watch over but I didn't really feel like going to sleep this night. That restless energy that had gripped me earlier refusing to let go.

"Gah it's so freaking cold tonight and I can't shake this feeling that something is out there watching us. Please tell me that it's not just me that's feeling that?"

Usopp's voice quavered as he spoke and I shifted to glance over to him. Not only were his teeth still chattering but I could see that his knee's were knocking together. I looked away, gaze drifting into the night. A bit of a chill that had nothing to do with the cold sweeping over me. Now that it had been pointed out I could feel it as well. It was a heavy oppressive feeling somewhere between a suffocating wet blanket and the feeling of a predator waiting to pounce.

"I feel it too." Merry whispered at my side. I looked over at her to find that she was staring off into the darkness as well. Upon noticing my look she gave me a very forced smile. I forced myself to smile back. Consciously or not everyone had been reacting to that same feeling since night had begun to fall. The rest of the night passed in silence but the feeling never slackened.

Sunrise did little to dispel the cold if anything it only seemed to become colder. Even through the magic of my cloak the chill was starting to get to me. There was something supernatural about the cold. As the anchors were raised I took the chance to look over my crewmates. No one appeared to have slept very well, dark bags underneath the eyes. Even Luffy with his near constant sunny outlook on life was feeling the strain. Torches, lanterns, anything that could provide heat and light were lit. Sanji even dragged a grill out onto the deck to cook, drawing the crew to its warmth like a moth to a flame. As the Sunny set out snow began to fall heavily around us, severely limiting visibility. We maneuvered through the steadily thickening flows of ice, eyes peeled for danger.

"Vessel off the starboard bow!" Usopp shouted down from the crows nest. I turned to look but for several minutes I couldn't make anything out through the heavy snow. The wooden figurehead of a red phoenix loomed suddenly out of the snow and I realized just how close the other ship had gotten.

The eyes of the figurehead stared down at us balefully, like a bird that was sizing up its prey. The ship itself was eerily silent and thick sheets of ice hung across its bows. More ice and icicles hung from what little remained of the rigging. The deck was completely bare of life and from the build up of snow it looked like no one had traveled the deck in sometime. Doorways into the ships interior yawned open like hungry black maws.

As I examined the ship Merry walked to the Sunny's railing, tail thrashing agitatedly. Since I was looking in her direction I saw as her whole body stiffened before she let out an anguished scream and dropped to her knees. Clutching at the sleeves of her jacket with her eyes closed she shouted.

"Dead, it's dead! It's an abomination!"

The deck of the Sunny lurched suddenly nearly throwing us off our feet as the ship itself spun towards the Phoenix Pirate's ship. A glance towards the helm showed me a small girl dressed in an orange raincoat and boots standing there. She had the head and mane of a lion, her eyes narrowed with rage as she stared at the other ship. Peeking out of the sleeves of the raincoat were lion-like paws that were spinning Sunny's wheel

The mane around Sunny's figurehead spun, a whine filling the air just before they impacted with the other ship. The spinning mane dug into the wood, sending wood chips flying into the air, the whine growing louder just before the phoenix figurehead let out an unearthly howl, from the deck of the Phoenix Pirate's ship answering howls filled the air. The creature's rose up from beneath the sun where they had been buried or stepped forth from the interior of the ship.

Bloodstained claws, matted fur, each one bearing the head of a rabid, grotesque elk, bear, wolf, or seal, and the final chilling factor the burnt stumps where feet should be so that they glided rather than walked. Each of these beasts a horrible reflection of man's darkest impulses. A foul spirit possessing the body of a man. A spirit of cold, and desperate hunger. Wendigo.

They were fast, launching themselves across the distance between the two ships in an instant. Instinctively my shield arm snapped out in front of Merry just before a rather small Wendigo slammed into it. Scrambling claws leaving thin lines of ice across the metal. I shoved the Wendigo away as I also shoved the thought of who this had been into a deep corner of my mind. A second Wendigo darted in towards my unshielded side forcing me to pivot in order to block it. Unfortunately I had to drop my guard over Merry to do so, just as a third Wendigo darted in.

I had given her enough time to recover however and as the Wendigo swiped at her she rolled back out of the way and onto her feet. She jumped into the air, Goomba stomping off of the creature's head in order to get even higher.

"Zoro! I need a weapon, now!"

Zoro didn't even turn his attention away from his foe but Yubashiri flew through the air as he seamlessly shifted into two-sword style. Nimbly Merry caught the blade in her left hand just as she reached the top of her jump.

"One-sword style: Fiend's Anthem!"

The sword whipped out almost too fast for the eye to follow and split the Wendigo's head in two just as it was rising back to its feet. Despite the fatal wound the creature continued to rise and over the next few seconds the wound knitted itself back together.

"Fire! The only way to kill them is with fire, they'll just heal from anything else!"

I shouted while shoving the pair of Wendigos backwards. Spinning on one foot my tail snapped out and drove the pair further back. Just as I completed the spin an arc of fire leapt from Kintsugi's blade and slammed into them. The creatures howled as they went up like a particularly dry pieces of wood.

Now that the monster's weakness had been exposed the rest began to fall in short order, letting me get my first real view of the clash between Sunny and the Phoenix Pirate's ship. Our figurehead was dug deep into the other ships side, the massive paw anchors slamming down onto the other vessels deck with sharp cracks.

Despite the repeated pounding I could see the wood of the other pirate's ship pulling itself back together as fast as Sunny could damage it. Realization swept over me, Merry and Sunny's reaction making horrible sense. The other ship itself had turned into a Wendigo as well, a ship that devoured other ships.

"Everyone hit that other ship with fire as well, it's just like the creatures we fought!"

Robin raised the fiery bladed glaive that she had just dispatched another Wendigo. Pointing it at the other ship I saw a small ball of fire leap from the tip of the weapon and streak across the intervening distance. Upon impacting the other ship it suddenly blossomed outwards into a massive burning ball of flames.

Usopp and Franky added their own fiery attacks to the growing conflagration. Those of the crew without a way of making fire at range threw torches, lanterns, whatever burning material at hand onto the other ship. Heat poured from the the other ship as the blaze began to spread, hungrily devouring the timbers.

Twin arcs of fire impacted against the figurehead of the Wendigo ship, flames licking upwards towards the painted eyes. The anchors that had been slamming down upon the other ships deck retracted with a snap just before the deck trembled beneath my feet. A roaring rang in my ears as the whole world went white.

After a second the whiteness began to fade, being replaced by spots as I blinked slowly. Where the Phoenix Pirate's ship had once floated there was now just a few bits of still burning flotsam. Only as I continued to scan the area did I notice the straight line absence of ice and then put two and two together. Someone, probably Sunny's Klabautermann and that was it's own thing to deal with, had fired the Gaon Cannon as the finishing blow.

Everyone was standing around looking a bit shell shocked and furiously blinking their eyes. Chopper was the first to speak even as he reverted into his small reindeer form. The Shadow wrapped around his hat had its arms crossed and seemed to be sulking.

"Is everyone okay?"

Answers of affirmation echoed out from everyone, despite sporting a collection of scratches and frost burns. Those that didn't use weapons like Luffy and Sanji having the worst of the injuries. Letting out a sigh Chopper pulled out a roll of bandages and set to work. As I watched the thoughts and memories that I had shoved aside in the heat of battle came flooding back. My stomach roiling and bile creeping up my throat.

I rushed to the nearest railing just in time to retch over the side. I leaned against the railing for several long minutes as I emptied my stomach into the sea. Someone handed me a steaming cup of water which I took with a grateful nod. Taking small sips I swished it around in my mouth to get rid of the horrible aftertaste before finally straightening to look at the rest of the crew.

Most of the crew was looking on in genuine confusion with a few logical exceptions. Merry was looking a little on the sickly side, Robin meanwhile was also leaning against the railing with a green cast to her features. I drew in a deep breath to further steady myself before finally speaking.

"Those creatures that we just fought are something I recognize, you probably have myths about them here. Wendigo's." Dawning comprehension crossed across Nami, Chopper, and Usopps faces. Their eyes flicking towards the burnt patches of grass on the deck before their faces turned green.

"Wendigo's are generally humans that have been possessed by a spirit of cold, hunger, and cannibalism. It warps their bodies into what we just fought but..." Once more I took a breath to steady myself.

"But most people only turn after they've eaten another of their species. Meaning that before they changed they probably ate the flesh from someone they knew probably even a friend. Hearing the howl of a Wendigo is enough to infect those without strong enough wills with this craving for flesh. But with this many at once, something is turning these people into flesh-eating monsters on purpose. "

My tone was dark when I finished speaking, expressions of horror sweeping across the faces of those that hadn't yet grasped the full implications. It didn't take long after I stopped talking that those expressions morphed into ones of anger.

"Tii'chia where do we need to go in order to punch the face in of whoever did this? Luffy asked, his hands were clenched into fists and the straw hat shadowed his eyes.

That was a good question since the Phoenix Pirate's were supposed to lead us into a trap that would get us to the Accino's compound.

"G...guys we might have something more important to deal with first."

The quavering in Usopp's voice drew everyone's attention first to him then in the direction he was pointing. Well less direction and more to who he was pointing at. A young girl in an orange raincoat who waved awkwardly now that attention was on her still standing by the wheel.

"Ummm, so everything's fine. Nothings wrong with the ship that other ship just really really needed to die. So I'm just gonna gookaybyebye!" And with that rapid fire exchange of words she vanished. A stunned silence followed that statement with everyone just staring at the spot where she had been.

"So I'm sure nothing is going to come of that and we should all proceed to never think of it again." As she spoke Merry clapped her hands together which only served to draw our eyes over to her. Since she seemed to not be worried about the sudden appearance of a klabautermann on our brand new ship I settled for giving her the stink-eye and resolved to ask about it later. Turning back towards Luffy I addressed his earlier question.

"I'm not really sure, they." A gesture here at the wreckage that was starting to move afterwards as the Sunny chugged ahead. "Were supposed to lead us into a trap that would bring us to the headquarters of some bounty hunters. The head of the bounty hunters is a Devil Fruit User with the ability to generate immense amounts of heat so look for any unusual heat related weather "

Luffy continued to frown before giving me a curt nod and started up towards the bow. He jumped up onto Sunny's figurehead and crossed his arms as he looked out across the sea. The rest of the crew had split up to go about their own business and I found my feet leading me below deck. I desperately needed something to help settle my stomach. Wandering down into the kitchen I found Sanji busy at the stove. All of the burners were at full blast as he fried, heated, boiled, and otherwise prepared a meal. At any other time I would have stayed to watch but a growl from my stomach had me heading towards the pantry. Before I could reach it Sani spun and a plate slid across the table so that it stopped right where I was standing.

"You know for someone that doesn't need to eat, drink, or sleep you sure do a lot of all three." Smirking I settled myself down into a chair and began to eat. Sanji had turned back to the burners before I said anything.

"Guess it means that your food is so good even those that don't need to eat want a taste." Sanji grunted but I briefly thought I saw the hint of a smile on his face. After that I ate in silence until everything was eaten. Sanji swept by grabbing the plate and utensils as I got back to my feet, stomach settled. Time for me to get back topside.

Out on deck a light snow had begun to fall, big wet flakes that were already starting to pile up. It was better then the rain of ice I thought as I trudged up to the helm. The wind was starting to pick up and by the time I had reached my destination Sunny was rocking beneath our feet. Heavy gray clouds stretching across the horizon before us. Nami's hands were wrapped around the wheel, fingers drumming against the wood as she stared at the clouds.

"Even for the Grand Line that bank of clouds isn't natural. All hands on deck! The weather's about to get rough!" I was just opening my mouth to ask what was going on when she turned around and shouted. Everyone snapped into action under Nami's command, following her instructions to the letter. When we finally drifted into the clouds the wind was howling, waves 30 feet or more crashing into the sides and swamping the deck.

As Sunny passed into the clouds the temperature went crazy. Gusts of heat clashed with gusts of cold air leaving one feeling both way too cold and way too hot. The chaos lasted for only a few minutes until the ship broke through the bank of clouds.

The tropical styled palace of the Accino family was almost invisible due to the constant steam that wafted up from the melting ice. A chunk of the glacier that it sat upon had a massive chunk seemingly ripped off of it, revealing the ice prison interior. As the ship drew closer one could see thick green vines pushing out from the greenhouse section of the mansion and wrapped around the building.

As the Sunny drew closer a chunk of the glacier near the ice prison began to fall, at first with a soft crack that grew louder and louder. Soon the entire chunk pulled free and crashed into the sea. A huge plume of water shot up into the air and if we had been even a bit closer it would have soaked us.

As we drifted closer details began to emerge near the front of the Accino Family mansion. Details of bodies seemingly savaged by animals, red slush scattered in patches across the snow, and most sickening was the frozen bone cairns each taller then a man. Dark partially melted holes in the ice were dotted across the landscape, far too many for one to easily count.

"Look out!"

"Incoming!"

Screamed two separate voices as from cracks and holes in the ice Wendigos began to pour out. Most wore the tattered remains of Accino family bounty hunters but there were one or two that wore something closer to what a pirate would wear . As each one climbed free they let out their own horrible howls before leaping into the air to rush towards us and the Sunny. Usopp's slingshot twanged twice from above us and two of the beasts erupted into flames. There wasn't time to get a count of the numbers but there were certainly more then with the Phoenix pirates.

Drawing Kintsugi as I went I bull rushed the first Wendigo that had landed on the deck back over the railing and into the waters below. Twisting around my tail snapped into another one that had just landed besides me, knocking it to the ground. Before it could rise Merry was beside it a torch in her right hand and Yubarashi in her left. She jabbed the torch into the creature's face and set it ablaze even as she turned to block the attack of another with Yubarashi.

"Gum-Gum Torch Gatling!"

As more of the monsters rushed the deck Luffy met them with a flurry of punches, a torch clenched in each hand. Fists moving so rapidly that it looked like every punch was setting the air on fire. Nami spun her Clima-tact in her hands as she bashed the ones that confronted her away, putting them directly into the path of Sanji's flaming kicks.

As more Wendigos swarmed the deck Zoro danced between them. Twin blades flashing as he sliced off arms and legs, leaving them to flounder on the deck. Just as each one started to rise Chopper in his Walk Point would dart past and proud them with the torch held in his mouth.

"Franky Flame!" A solid stream of fire swept over the heads of the crew catching many of the Wendigos as they were about to land. Those that still managed to land where me by Robin's glaive as it danced through the air under its own power. Robin stood with her back to the mast, arms crossed as across the ship multiple arms bloomed. Some grabbed the creatures around the neck and snapped them, while other arms tripped them up.

Their numbers seemed to be endless and with each one that was destroyed two stepped forward to take its place. Wounds started to accumulate, a gash where a claw had slipped by ones guard, a bleeding bite from a dying Wendigos desperate attack, frost burns where the claws had scrapped the skin.

Finally the assault ceased with the remaining Wendigos retreating to lick their wounds. The air stank of burning fur and flesh, a miasma that even the alternating gusts of cold and hot air did little to dispel. While the crew had fought, Sunny had continued to drift forward until it ran aground on a shore of ice. Only a few hundred feet separated us from the entrance to the Accino Family mansion. A haggard looking man's head poking out from the doorway and around a thick vine. In his hands he was clutching a spear, knuckles white from how hard he was gripping it.

"Quick over here before the big ones come the heat and the fire keep them at bay for now." He gestured with the spear before slipping out of sight behind the vine once again.

It didn't take us long to disembark, torches and weapons clutched in our hands. Hurrying across the ice in a tightly packed group, Luffy and Zoro in the lead, I got a better look at the vine shrouded entrance. Green vines as thick as Sunny's mast formed a wall that covered the wooden doors of the mansion. As the crew stepped through the doors we were greeted by a barricade of wooden furniture that nearly reached to the vine-chocked ceiling above. Exhausted faces of men and women of the Accino Family peering at us through the gaps.

Several pushed a massive chair aside to allow us to slip into the entrance hall. A large bonfire burned in the center of the hall and standing besides it was a man dressed like a hockey player wearing a yellow ascot cap and sports gear. He was looking in our direction when we approached, shoulders sagging slightly in relief.

"Never thought I would be so glad to see Pirates but after everything else your a welcome sight. My names Hockera and..." He shook his head slowly as he fell silent.

"Perhaps you could explain what's been going on here Mister Hockera?" Robin asked as she leaned heavily on the Burning Glaive. During the fight one of the Wendigo's had dug its claws into her leg, so she was walking with a slight limp. The bandage that Chopper had wrapped around it darkening with blood. As the crew listened to Hockera's tale, Chopper hurried over to Robin's side and started to replace the bandage.

"It all started four days ago when a sudden storm blew in from out of nowhere cutting us off from any outside aid. We huddled within Lovely Land along with the Phoenix Pirates and a few other pirates that we had recently captured. Despite the storm everything seemed to be going fine until that first night.

There... there was a a terrible scream from down in the dungeons where we had been keeping the pirates. It was like nothing we had ever heard and roused everyone from their sleep. When we finally got people down there everyone was gone, no guards, no pirates, not even any bodies. All we found was a hole that had been torn out of one wall and a few scraps of fabric. You likely saw the hole as you came in as if a giant hand had come down and scrapped the ice away."

He pauses for a moment a distant expression on his face as he recalls the events. Usopp's legs were quaking in fear and he seemed to be ready to bolt. Likely only the fact that the Wendigos were waiting outside kept him from running back to the ship. Eventually Hockera gathered himself enough to continue the tale.

"The next day people began to go missing. Those out and about never arrived where they were supposed to and some reported hearing the occasional scream but just like at night we could never find any bodies. Everyone began to move in groups and no one else went missing so we thought we were safe. At least until the sunset when they launched the first attack, they caught us completely unprepared and we lost a lot of good people. Including most of my family."

He chokes out the words barely able to contain the sheer raw emotion behind them. "It's just me, father, and Lils now. T...the." He dissolves into a racking series of sobs as his strength gives out and he sinks to his knees. Luffy took a single step forward, placing a hand onto Hockera's trembling shoulders.

"You don't need to continue we can guess at the rest. We'll doing everything we can to help you." Hockera's head jerked up to look straight into Luffy's face.

"N..no I can't ask you to help us with something so dangerous. Especially not from Pirates."

"Pirates, Marines, Bounty Hunters, Civilians, Humans, Fishmen. None of those distinctions matter, when you see someone in need of help you help them."

"Everyone let's kick some Wendigo butt." Turning around and stepping forward Luffy seemed to be completely prepared to go out and beat up every last Wendigo he could find. At which point Nami and Usopp's fists smashed his head into the floor.

"You idiot!" "How are we supposed to do that?" They shout as a pair of impressive bumps formed on Luffy's head. A sigh escaped from Nami as she crossed her arms, looking like she was seconds away from smacking Luffy again.

"In case you didn't notice those things outnumber us by quite a bit and can only be killed by fire. While some of the crew can make fire on their own the rest of us are stuck using torches including you! Torches that don't always make the best weapons. We need a plan."

Nami grinds out the last few words before turning towards us with a pleading expression. "Someone has a plan right?"

The plan in the end is simple in theory, gather everyone together at the entrance with as many defenses as Franky, Usopp, and Merry can think up and then deal with the Wendigo's when they attack. It won't be hard to bait them into attacking, the survivors admit that the only thing keeping them from being overwhelmed already is the Don's Devil Fruit power. If the heat drops by even a little the creatures will swarm in.

Everyone is soon gathered into the spacious entrance hall, not that there was many left in other parts of the mansion. Don Accino, Lils Accino, and seven more of the families men were the only other group in the palace. 18 total people left out of how many hundreds that once worked and lived here .

Accino himself doesn't look good, the near constant use of his power has started to take its toll. Skin hung loose on his frame from the rapid loss of weight, eyes dark from lack of sleep. Steam wafting constantly from his cherry red skin. He hadn't spoken a single word as far as I knew since he had entered the room. Just sitting next to the bonfire, staring into the flames.

Lils looked little better, her eyes red and puffy from crying. Upon seeing us she had practically latched onto Robin and refused to move more then a few feet away from her.

The crew got to work, assisting in anyway that we could. Luffy and Zoro breaking and slicing up furniture respectively as needed to provide materials for the various projects. Sanji preparing the first proper meal that the survivors have had in days, it's incredibly spicy but no one complained as seemed to take the edge of cold that constantly seeped in. A cold that had no source and shouldn't even be able to be felt against the heat Don Accino was producing. But one that everyone could feel all the same.

Nami stood just inside of the doorway, looking out across the ice, hair crackling with static as she harasses the Wendigos with bolts of lightning. Occasionally a heat ball would drift back into the room with the rest of us and burst. Every little bit against the cold.

Robin walked around the room with Lil's at her side. Blooming hands appearing to assist about the room. Lil's while remaining near Robin would place her hands on the various vines throughout the room causing them to bend, flex, and grow as commanded. Sharp dagger-sized thorns forming on the outer layer of the vines.

Chopper made the rounds of everyone. Making sure that any injuries were being treated properly. The Shadow stayed curled around his neck the whole time, it moved so rarely that it one could mistake it for a black scarf. Quite a few of those that already had bandaged wounds got them cleaned up and rewrapped.

Franky, Merry, and Usopp were busy fortifying the entrance. The side doors were yanked closed and braced with heavy oak planks before Lil's grew new vines across them, thickening until they were the same size as oak logs.

The barricade at the main doors was completely replaced by a miniature gatehouse. Built mostly out of wood the outside was covered in thick metal sheets. Poking out of murder holes were the tips of fire sprayers, cobbled together combinations of burn dials and flavor dials mounted on swivels. The whole thing appeared to be quite solid and from the half-smiles on the three inventors faces it had some surprises in store.

I utilized the knowledge that I had by training the regular survivors in how to properly wield a spear and combine it with a shield for defense. As regular men and women they were aware that going toe to toe with the Wendigos was only going to lead to certain death. I taught them everything I could in the short amount of time that they could train with me and hoped that it would be enough.

Finally the time came and the crew gathered around the bonfire, Sanji passing out one last steaming hot drink. Luffy looked over at where Accino sat and the man let out a sigh and stopped producing the constant heat. If he had been standing he would have fallen over, even then he swayed drunkenly.

The cold came rushing back with a vengeance and even around the bonfire many started to shiver. The cold was like a creeping malignant thing that sought to suck the heat out of all livings things. Outside a Wendigo howled, soon joined by another, and another. Until the air shook with a sound of it, then they attacked.

AN: And so the Ice Hunter Arc begins. Keep up the reviews since I read every single one. I'm shooting for getting a chapter out every two weeks but we'll see how that goes.