Brother on Board

by J0HNS1LVER

Sabo survives the encounter with Saint Jalmack and is fished out of the water by some mountain bandits. Years later, a different Sabo sets sail with his younger brother Monkey D. Luffy to form the Straw Hat Pirates, bringing along his rifle Bonnie Anne. See how the story you know goes differently when Luffy has his brother on board.

32. Dalton

BROTHER ON BOARD

Bluejay Blaze - Miss Valentine is a relatively simple character that I don't really think meets the high Straw Hats standard the way Ayako does. You'll see her getting closer to the Straw Hats in this chapter but she isn't going to be joining the crew.

Psychochiken - Luffy's main goals in this arc will be getting Nami to the doctor and recruiting Chopper. Sabo's presence means that Luffy can focus on those things while he deals with Wapol.

The Keeper of Worlds - The Munch Munch Fruit is an interesting concept to explore. But I don't think we'll get a chance to find out about what would happen if Wapol ate a certain sentient rifle. If Wapol ate Bonnie... Sabo would literally tear his head off, reach down his throat and pull his rifle back out. I think I've made it abundantly clear how vicious and blood thirsty Sabo can be towards anyone that threatens Bonnie Anne.

Great - Thanks!

The Patient One - First of all, thanks for expressing your concern about my mother. I appreciate that. Also, I'm pretty sure Wapol was a King at that Reverie. Why else would he have been at the meeting with King Thalassa Lucas and King Nefertari Cobra? Even if he wasn't, I wrote this chapter under the assumption that he was. Doesn't seem like a big deal either way. You'll see Miss Valentine further integrating into the group in this chapter but you'll also see that her motivations are rather self serving. But if you didn't know who you were... I'd think you'd want to do everything you could for a chance to reclaim that knowledge. And Buchi's still alive. Characters with a name have a ten-times greater chance of surviving getting shot by Sabo compared to their unnamed companions. That's why he and Jango survived while a number of the nameless Black Cat Pirates didn't.

Lightsbane1905 - Maybe I'm starting to tease it because I'm getting closer to the big reveal? *Wink!* There's another Bonnie tease in the last scene of this chapter. But again keep in mind that it's colorized by Nami's sick and vindictive perspective. Enjoy. And no, Ayako can't keep Zoro from doing what he wants. But she might be able to stop Carue from diving in after him.

luvBonnieAnne - Thank you for your well wishes to my mother. She's recovering and already wants to get back to work. You'll get another Bonnie hint at the end of this chapter. But keep in mind that all the hints come from Nami who only sees Bonnie because she's sick and on the verge of death. And yes, I was thinking of that Zuko-Ozai scene when I wrote the one with Ayako and Galdino. Remember, Ayako's still just a fourteen year old girl. She doesn't have the same courage and heart that the older Straw Hats do. She hopes to become braver through her association with them. And if you liked Sabo and Vivi's interaction in the last chapter... wait until you see what they do in this one when Vivi's confronted with the manner in which Wapol used to run his country.

rasEnshur1KEn - Thanks for your well wishes. That fan service was strategically placed. I wanted to have a comedic moment before I went into the serious confrontation between Ayako and Galdino. Also, you'll see in this chapter that despite Ayako's ill will towards her uncle she still has a 'What would Uncle Galdino do?' moment where she uses her cunning to get out of a bad situation. So in a way, the crazy wax sculptor did rub off on his young niece. Too bad Sabo won't be able to beat up Eneru before learning that he's a God. I bet he'd love that.

Babyuknowme13 - The holidays are over so here's more! Enjoy!

yuzukikuran476 - Thanks for all those reviews. Here's that update you wanted.

A/N: Happy New Year! This year I'm going to switch over to a bi-weekly Monday update schedule. It was getting really hard to write a chapter a week so I'm hoping that with twice as much time I won't have to devote almost all my free time to writing.

---

Dalton-

"Are you telling me that the cook did this to you?" Miss All Sunday asked as she surveyed the Unluckies upon their return to Alabasta. She frowned as she took in her pets' ruffled appearance.

"…" The otter and the vulture nodded.

"I suppose he's never heard the phrase don't shoot the messenger," Miss All Sunday remarked. She calmly eyed the sketch of the blonde cook. "If he wants a bounty so bad… I'll give him one…"

Mr. 13 and Miss Friday simultaneously decided that now wasn't the time to inform Miss All Sunday that they'd attacked the pirate first when they'd caught him pretending to be Mr. 3 on a snail call with Mr. 0. Miss All Sunday didn't need to know that the cook had beaten them in self-defense.

"What are you doing?"

Miss All Sunday calmly rearranged the posters that Mr. 13 had drawn before she turned to face Mr. 0. "The Unluckies returned with the sketches Mr. 3 used to identify and execute Princess Vivi and the Straw Hats on Little Garden."

Sir Crocodile loomed over her as he surveyed the collection of sketches that she had arranged so only Luffy, Sabo and Vivi's were visible. "Hmm… your pet's sketches have improved."

"I believe we have Miss Goldenweek to thank for that," Miss All Sunday informed him as she traced the dark lines that outlined Vivi's face. "She taught Mr. 13 a few tricks."

Crocodile picked up the sketch of Luffy and stared at the smiling pirate. Miss All Sunday glanced down and was relieved to see that Crocodile removing Luffy's poster had only revealed Zoro's underneath. "This was him… 'Straw Hat' Monkey D. Luffy… Why do I feel like I've heard that name before?"

"He was in the news almost a week ago," Miss All Sunday answered. "He defeated all the big name pirates in the East Blue and helped the Marines."

"If he was on good terms with the World Government… why does he have a bounty?" Crocodile asked.

"Oh, that was my doing," Miss All Sunday explained. "I thought putting a price on their heads would give Mr. 3 some extra motivation to complete his mission. He'll probably be expecting to receive a nice bonus when Mr. 2 finds him."

"And why this amount?" Crocodile inquired, "Do you really think a rookie pirate is worth thirty million?"

"The Unluckies kept track of the Straw Hats' activities in Whiskey Peak," Miss All Sunday stated. "He had Devil Fruit Powers and defeated Mr. 5 with relative ease. We're sitting under a casino that makes thirty million berries in the span of a week. I should know, you made me the manager. Your casino is the only business in this entire country that's earning a decent profit. But I'd say that's mostly from the tourists. Speaking of which, you're due to make a public appearance upstairs in fifteen minutes."

"Fortunately, Mr. 3 will soon be dead and we won't have to pay him anything," Crocodile reasoned. He tossed Luffy's sketch down on the others then turned to leave. But when he reached the steps he stopped and called back to his Vice President. "Don't play games with me, Nico Robin."

Miss All Sunday frowned, "I wouldn't dream of it… Sir Crocodile."

Nico Robin waited until she was absolutely sure that Crocodile had left the lair before she turned back to her patiently waiting pets. "But he never said anything about not playing games with the Straw Hats. Let's see what we can do to make things a little bit more interesting when they finally reach Alabasta."

---

"Keep your eyes peeled, Sanji," Vivi called up to the Ship's Cook, who was taking his shift on lookout. "This snow has been falling for the last day and the temperature has been dropping consistently. Consistent weather is usually a sign that we're approaching an island."

The Princess continued up to the front deck where Sabo was leaning on the front railing staring off the front of the ship in a distance.

"Can I ask you something?" Vivi requested as she walked up behind the Quartermaster.

Sabo looked back over his shoulder at the blue haired girl. Vivi had been practically glued to Nami's side ever since the Navigator first fainted. The only reason she had Luffy, Zoro and Carue take over for her now was because she thought they were approaching an island. "Sure."

"Why are you so invested in this?" Vivi asked. "You and Nami don't even seem to get along that well. And I know that she doesn't like Bonnie. But you both appear to be just as invested as Luffy and Sanji."

"Bonnie and I promised her sister that we'd look after her," Sabo answered. "And we're not going back on that. So no matter how insufferably annoying Nami can be at times… Bonnie and I will always have an active interest in her well being. Plus, if we find a doctor for Nami, I can make good on my promise to Miss Valentine as well."

Sabo looked back to see the blonde dutifully sweeping snow off of the deck in front of the galley.

"Her condition isn't as critical as Nami's," Sabo admitted, "But if we can find a doctor out here then we might as well see if there's anything they can do about her amnesia."

"Vivi, my Princess! You were right!" Sanji suddenly called down from the crow's nest. "LAND AHOY!"

Sabo pulled Bonnie Anne off of his back and unzipped her sleeve partially so he could stare through the rifle's scope.

"Do you see it?" Vivi questioned.

KER-CHOW!

Sabo grinned, "Yup. There's an island dead ahead." The blonde pirate looked over at the Princess. "See? I told you Luffy was lucky."

Vivi nodded, "Although now I'm worried about the other kind of luck that you mentioned..."

---

Luffy was practically bouncing in his chair next to Nami's bed. "You hear that Nami? There's an island! We can get you better now! An island! Island!"

Zoro looked over at the Captain who was nearly vibrating with barely contained excitement, "Why don't you go check it out," he suggested.

ZZZzoooom!

Less than three seconds later, Luffy was sitting on the figurehead staring at the white-covered island that was steadily growing bigger as they approached. Sabo, Usopp, Sanji, Ayako, Vivi and Miss Valentine were all gathered on the front deck behind him.

"WHOOOOOAA! IT REALLY IS AN ISLAND!" Luffy cheered, "LOOK! IT'S SO WHITE! IT'S A SNOW ISLAND!"

"Luffy, I'm warning you now," Sanji said, "We're not here for an adventure this time. We're just here to get Nami-swan to a doctor. Once she's treated we'll leave right away."

"Snow is so fun!" Luffy gushed.

"It's no use… he's in his own little world now…" Sanji grumbled.

"Hold on… is it gonna be safe?" Usopp wondered, "if there's snow there could be snow monsters! Oh no! Oh no! I think my Better-Not-Go-On-This-Island Disease is acting up!"

Miss Valentine's eyes widened warily, "That's not a real disease… is it?"

Sabo looked over at Usopp, "I thought you said you've never been sick?"

"I am now!" Usopp exclaimed. "Back off! I'm contagious!"

"Then maybe you should go to see the doctor too!" Ayako chirped. She and Usopp had gone crazy and painted her big black coat to look like a rainbow. The top half was red, orange and yellow and had been tied closed with a pink sash that matched her bucket hat which allowed the green, blue and purple bottom half to hang open so the tiny Artist didn't trip over the extra length that was trailing behind her. "They might have a cure!"

"What do you think Vivi?" Sabo inquired, "Those mountains have a very distinct drum-like shape. Could this be Drum Kingdom?"

"I've never actually been there before," Vivi admitted, "But based off of the fact that this is clearly a Winter Island and it has drum-shaped mountains… There's a strong chance that this is it."

"Hey Luffy, aren't you cold wearing that?" Usopp asked. Sabo, Usopp, Sanji, Ayako, Vivi and Miss Valentine were all dressed in their winter gear. Luffy was still in his usual vest and shorts.

"I'm surprised he hasn't frozen yet," Vivi said, "It's negative ten degrees Celsius. That's the type of weather where bears start to hibernate."

"…" Luffy blinked and the cold suddenly registered, "BRRR! IT'S COLD!"

"COULD YOU BE ANY SLOWER!?" Usopp, Sanji and Miss Valentine all berated him.

"Luffy, there's a red coat for you down in the men's quarters," Sabo told him, "Go put it on."

Luffy rushed to put his coat on while Zoro came out of the storage room and joined them on the deck. "The ostrich is watching Nami. So what's the plan?"

The Going Merry had reached the island and they were now sailing along a waterway inland.

"First we need to find a place to dock," Sabo reasoned, "Then we need to see if there are people here. Hopefully one of them can give us directions to a doctor."

"Right, then who's going to go and look for the doctor?" Zoro questioned.

"I'll go!" Luffy volunteered the second he came back with his coat on.

"Me too!" Sanji added.

"Count me and Miss Valentine in as well," Sabo said.

"Well count me out!" Usopp whimpered, "Good luck, my friends!"

"But Usopp… don't you want the doctor to cure your disease?" Ayako asked. "What if Nami needs you?"

Usopp faltered under the girl's expectant gaze. It was like Kaya and his pirate crew all over again. "Well… when you put it that way… I suppose I could tag along… for Nami's sake, of course."

"STOP RIGHT THERE, PIRATES!"

Everyone looked up to see people gathered on both sides of the waterway. They were armed with guns and they did not seem pleased at the sight of the Going Merry's black flag.

"Hey look, there are people!" Luffy pointed out.

"But they don't look too friendly…" Usopp noted.

"…" Miss Valentine silently slipped behind Sanji. The cook was all too happy to stand protectively in front of the blonde.

A powerfully built man with a dark hair and a goatee who was dressed in a green tunic with armored arms stepped forward. "You will turn around immediately and leave this island at once!"

"Hostile natives, eh?" Sabo questioned. "I suppose I can't blame them for hating pirates. Everyone, stay back and try your best to look nonthreatening. I'll see if I can work my magic Quartermaster Sabo style." Sabo handed Bonnie Anne off to Usopp and held his hands up over his head as he climbed up onto the side railing. "My name is Sabo and we're the Straw Hat Pirates. We come in peace. We're only here to find a doctor for our sick crewmate."

"WE WON'T BELIEVE ANY OF YOUR LIES, PIRATE SCUM!" one of the guards shouted.

"YOU'RE NOT GONNA TRICK US!"

"YOU WON'T SET FOOT ON THIS ISLAND!"

"RAISE ANCHOR AND LEAVE NOW!"

"We would if we could, but we're desperate," Sabo replied. "Our sick crewmate is our Navigator. We've been sailing straight south for the last two days. It was sheer luck that we found your island at all. She's in dire, critical condition. She won't survive the journey to the next island. Just… hear me out. I have some valuable information that you'll really want to hear."

The green-clad leader of the guard narrowed his eyes, "What information?"

"This is Drum Kingdom, right?" Sabo questioned. "Does the name 'Wapol' ring any bells?"

CLICK-CLICK-CLICK-CLICK-CLICK!

Every gun in the area was suddenly pointed at Sabo.

"Looks like it does…" Sabo observed.

"This kingdom no longer goes by that name," the leader insisted, "Not since our King abandoned us. What do you know about Wapol?"

"He attacked our ship yesterday," Sabo explained, "Allow me to come ashore and I'll tell you everything I know. I'll come alone and unarmed. All I ask in return is two minutes to plead my case."

"Dalton… do you trust this pirate?" one of the guards asked the leader.

"No," Dalton admitted, "But Wapol returning is the worst possible thing that could happen to this island. If these pirates know anything that will help us fight him off… they might be worth hearing out."

"Do we have a deal?" Sabo inquired.

"Yes, for now," Dalton confirmed, "You, and you alone, have permission to come ashore."

SKISH!

Sabo leapt from the railing onto the bank of the snowy shore and made his way towards Dalton.

"He really is quite good at that," Vivi remarked.

"When we were kids Sabo could talk his way out of almost anything," Luffy recalled, "He's only gotten better since then."

"No one's better at negotiating then Sabro," Usopp boasted.

"When we first met… I might not have believed you," Vivi said, "The rifle pointed in my face was a major deterrent. But now I do."

"I'm glad he's here," Sanji admitted, "If we didn't have Sabo to talk down the gunmen one of us could've gotten shot."

"Yes, thankfully that didn't happen," Vivi said. She felt a phantom pain in her side for a split second. "Usopp, whatever you do… keep Bonnie pointed downward."

"As I mentioned a moment ago," Sabo addressed Dalton, "My name's Sabo and I'm the Quartermaster of the Straw Hat Pirates."

"I'm Dalton," Dalton introduced himself, "The acting Captain of this Island's Militia."

"Enough pleasantries!" a gunman interjected as he pointed his rifle at Sabo, "How do we know that this guy actually saw Wapol?"

"When he was on our ship… he ate a dagger," Sabo recounted, "Then his finger turned into the dagger he'd just eaten and he threatened to use it to cut my tongue out. He said his power came from the Munch Munch Fruit."

"That sounds like Wapol," Dalton said.

"I was trying to negotiate with him so he'd let us borrow one of his doctors for a bit," Sabo continued, "He said he had twenty of the best medical minds on his ship but that they were for his exclusive use."

"That sounds like him too," Dalton commented.

"He decided that I wasn't showing him the proper respect and ordered me to bow to him," Sabo stated, "He threatened to eat my ship if I didn't."

"Definitely Wapol," Dalton resolved. "How did you survive? Your ship appears to be unharmed."

"I shot him three times and knocked his fat ass off my ship," Sabo answered. "He flew clear over his own ship. Once he was gone, his men quickly ran off to retrieve him. You'd know better than I would… how good are those twenty doctors of his? Can they save him from three magnum rounds to the chest?"

"He's most likely still alive…" Dalton reasoned, "The Twenty MDs spent years advancing their skills to specifically cater to Wapol. What else can you tell us? This militia's main purpose is to fight off Wapol and his forces if he ever returns."

"His ship came out of the water," Sabo informed him.

"Out of the water?" Dalton repeated, "You mean he has a submarine?"

"I wouldn't go that far…" Sabo replied, "My crew did a good job of explaining it. The pirate ship is round and seals itself up in a metal dome. When it's sealed the ship can sink underwater and float there with only the crow's nest visible. There was an archer in a jester costume keeping watch when we encountered them. My crew says it looked like he was standing on the water."

"An archer… Chess," Dalton realized. "Wapol's Minister of Defense…"

"There was another man that stood out too," Sabo added, "He had a black afro and fuzzy boxing gloves. He swore that Wapol would have his revenge while they were sailing away."

"Kuromarimo," Dalton said, "The former Magistrate… Those two are Wapol's officers."

"Thirty soldiers boarded our ship," Sabo recalled, "Wapol himself said he had twenty-two more on his ship. That probably included his two officers. So that makes fifty soldiers, twenty doctors, two officers and one King pretending to be a pirate. I'm sorry… but if Wapol's the type to hold a grudge there's a chance that he could've followed us here. But now you're informed and he won't catch you off guard."

Dalton turned away from Sabo to confer with the guards closest to him, "We're going to need to double the number of guards posted out here for the next two days. And everyone is to be extra vigilant of anything that enters the waterway."

"Right, Dalton," the guards agreed, "We'll spread the word."

Dalton turned back to Sabo, "You have my sincere thanks for the information."

"No problem," Sabo said, "Now about my sick friend…"

Dalton held up his hand, "Say no more. You helped us a great deal by warning us about Wapol. Tell your crew that they're all welcome on our island. I'll help you find the doctor to show my thanks."

"Really?" Sabo asked, "I would've settled for you just sending the doctor to our ship…"

"Unfortunately, the situation is a lot more complicated than that," Dalton informed her. "All of our doctors left the island with Wapol. There's only one left. But people here call her a witch."

"Is she a skilled doctor?" Sabo inquired.

"Skill-wise she's head and shoulders above all of Wapol's doctors," Dalton replied, "It's just her… peculiarities make her difficult to deal with."

"We can handle a quirky witch," Sabo assured him, "And we're desperate so we're not exactly in a position to complain."

"Very well," Dalton resolved, "Gather your friends and I'll take you into the village."

---

"Are you sure about these pirates, Dalton?" one of the gunmen asked the Captain of the Militia.

"I don't think they mean us any harm," Dalton replied, "What we need now more than anything is to ensure that everyone available is on guard duty. Wapol is the one we have to worry about."

"Right, we'll keep our eyes peeled for anything," the gunman assured him.

Dalton led a group consisting of Luffy, Sabo, Usopp Sanji, Vivi and Miss Valentine away from the shore. Sanji had Nami on his back. The sick Navigator had been bundled up in the warm uniform coat that Sabo had gotten from one of Wapol's men. The Militia Captain decided to play tour guide for the visitors.

"This country was once known as Drum Kingdom," Dalton said, "But now it has no name. We decided to abandon the name Drum Kingdom when our King abandoned us."

"Abandoned?" Vivi repeated.

"A year ago our country was attacked by pirates," Dalton recounted, "There were only five of them but they were immensely powerful. The Captain called himself 'Blackbeard'. Although… he didn't have much of a beard…" Everyone blinked at the odd bit of information. "Wapol took one look at them and fled the kingdom with his men like rats from a sinking ship. He abandoned us to our fate."

"AND HE CALLS HIMSELF A KING!?" Vivi shrieked in outrage.

"He's not even fit to call himself Captain," Sabo growled. "Now there's a royal the world would be better off without."

"If anyone deserves that… it's him," Vivi replied. "Those are actions that give royalty a bad name."

Dalton looked back at the blue haired girl and the blonde pirate that had somehow wound up walking next to her. "Have I seen you somewhere…"

"WAAAAH! A BEEAAAR!" Usopp suddenly screamed. "EVERYONE PLAY DEAD!"

Everyone looked ahead to see a bear walking their way. The bear stood on two legs and walked with a walking stick.

"That's just a Hiking Bear," Dalton informed them, "They pose no harm unless you forget to bow. It's a mutual show of respect and a mountaineer tradition."

Everyone bowed to the Hiking Bear and the Hiking Bear bowed back as he continued along his way. The group kept going but Miss Valentine looked at Usopp who was still playing dead.

"Hey Usopp, you'd better come along," Miss Valentine warned him with a merry giggle, "Kyahaha! If there's a snow monster here it'll be more likely to get you when you're alone!"

"GAH! WAIT FOR ME!" Usopp shrieked as he sprang to his feet. "WAIT FOR CAPTAIN USOPP!"

"Anyway," Dalton continued, "Our country has only just started to recover from the damage that Blackbeard and his crew inflicted. It seems like we're better off without our King. We've managed to rebuild and we're even going to be installing a new government soon. But our country is still in a fragile state and that's why what we fear more than anything right now is Wapol's return."

---

Back on the Going Merry, Zoro, Ayako and Carue had been left behind to guard the ship.

"Alright, good as new," Zoro announced as he removed the bandages on his ankles and surveyed the poorly stitched wounds.

Ayako paled at the sight of the swordsman's barely healed injuries. "Um… are you sure? Most people would go to a doctor for wounds like that. It's only been two days!"

"I guess I'm not most people," Zoro replied. "These last two days have been really boring. I'm tired of taking it easy and only lifting weights. Now I can really cut loose and focus on my training."

"But… but… you nearly cut your legs off!" Ayako reminded him while Carue sputtered next to her.

"I think I'll start with a quick swim," Zoro decided as he took off his winter coat, "The cold will help me clear my mind and meditate."

"But that water's gotta be freezing!" Ayako protested. "Look! Even Carue thinks this is a bad idea! He's a duck! Ducks know water!"

"QUACK!" Carue objected and shivered at the thought of the freezing water.

"You two guard the ship," Zoro instructed as he took off his sash and swords, "And my swords. And the candle creep. Make sure everything is in one piece when I get back. Otherwise you'll have to fix it."

The Artist and the duck watched in horror as the Boatswain dove off the side of the Going Merry into the ice cold water below.

Splash!

Ayako and Carue ran to the side and stared down at the water until the ripples eventually stopped. "Zoro! Are you still alive?"

"…" They received no response.

"Well I'm certainly not diving in after him," Ayako told her companion.

"Quaa…" Carue bowed his head and took a couple steps back.

Ayako ran in front of him. "Wait! That wasn't an invitation for you to jump in either!" she cut him off. "Look… he survived in that raging fire on Little Garden… Maybe he'll survive the freezing water too… Besides, just because he's some kind of monster that doesn't feel temperatures doesn't mean we are. If either of us dove in there we'd be frozen solid in under a minute. And then we'd need the doctor."

Ayako and Carue both shivered.

"Just thinking about it makes me cold…" Ayako said. "Sanji said he left some tea… Wanna try some while we wait for him to come back?"

"Quack!" Carue agreed. The Artist and the duck dashed up to the galley to have a tea party.

---

"Welcome to Big Horn," Dalton told his guests as they walked into a small town. "You can bring your friend to my house while I figure out a way to get in contact with the doctor."

"Well, we're smack dab in the middle of snow country…" Usopp remarked as he eyed the snowy town.

"Look at all the funny animals!" Luffy called out as he pointed to a furry hippo.

"We're here Nami," Sanji told the girl on his back, "We made it to the town."

"You're certainly popular…" Miss Valentine noted as she watched almost everyone wave to Dalton as he went passed.

"LUFFY! LOOK! IT'S ANOTHER HIKING BEAR!" Luffy and Usopp quickly bowed.

Everyone sweat-dropped when they saw the 'bear' was actually just a heavyset woman in a fur coat.

"Dalton, you're back," the bear-woman greeted the Captain of the Militia. "I heard there was trouble with some pirates. Is everything okay?"

"Yes, everything's fine," Dalton reassured her, "These are the pirates. My instincts tell me that they mean us no harm."

"Very well," the bear-woman replied, "Good luck in the election. Everyone I've talked to says they'll be voting for you."

"Oh no, that's preposterous," Dalton insisted, "I bare too many sins."

"Kyahahaha…" Miss Valentine giggled to Usopp and Luffy, "He said 'bare'… to the bear! Kyahahaha!"

"Shishishishi!" Luffy and Usopp laughed along with her. "Hahahahaha!"

"What's this about an election?" Sabo inquired once the bear-woman had moved on.

"Our people will be selecting a new ruler in two days' time," Dalton explained.

Sabo turned and smirked at Vivi, "Hear that? They'll be choosing their new leader. And they're voting for Dalton because they already know and trust him from his position of acting Captain of the Militia. They know that, unlike Wapol, he has the country's best interests at heart instead of his own."

"Yes… but how do you think any government is started?" Vivi countered, "Mr. Dalton, if you don't mind me asking… Say you do win the election… what do you plan to do after your reign? Do you have a son that will inherit the position?"

"I have no wife and no son," Dalton told her. "If I'm elected I'll serve as King for as long as my people will have me. Should they decide that they want someone else to lead them… I will gladly step aside."

"Oh…" Vivi said in surprise.

"I know that the idea seems foreign," Dalton admitted to the girl who he was now about eighty percent certain that he'd seen before at a Reverie. "But Wapol inheriting the throne was where our country's problems started. His father was a good man… one that I faithfully served as Captain of the Royal Guard. But Wapol was spoiled from birth. He thought the kingdom should be handed to him on a platter."

"See?" Sabo said, "A spoiled Prince becomes a horrible King…"

Dalton hung his head, "Yes… a horrible King. And to my everlasting shame… I committed many atrocities while serving that horrible King… including the Great Doctor Purge. Wapol rounded up twenty skilled doctors and had all the others exiled. Anyone that got sick or injured was forced to go to Wapol and grovel before him. There were only two doctors that remained outside of Wapol's control. The first sacrificed himself for the sake of the kingdom. It was because of his noble heart that I finally decided to rebel against my King… not that it did any good."

"…" Vivi stared at Dalton in horror. "How could a King… how could anyone be so cruel?" The Princess' kind heart broke from hearing of Wapol's tyranny and she burst into tears. "I… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"

Sabo, of all people, pulled the crying Princess into a hug. "That's the kind of evil that exists in this world. That's the kind of tyrannical oppression that I set sail to fight." Sabo patted the sobbing girl on the back consolingly then leaned in and whispered so that only she could hear him, "And when I'm done… it's my sincerest hope that the ones who are left will be just half as kind, half as caring and half as good as you." Vivi's sobs trailed off. "If all the world's rulers were half as good as you've shown yourself to be… the world would be a much better place. That… is my dream."

"HEY! LOOK! I MADE A SNOWMAN!" Everyone turned to see that Luffy had recreated his sloppy barrel-headed snowman from when they'd left the Twin Capes. Only this one was five-times larger.

Everyone was unimpressed but Luffy lack of artistic talent.

"That… is the worst snowman… I have ever seen…" Miss Valentine dead-panned.

Usopp looked over at the amnesic blonde, "But you can't remember all the snowmen you've ever seen."

"I know," Miss Valentine admitted, "But I'm willing to bet that even if I could that'd still be the worst snowman I've ever seen."

"You mean you don't like it?" Luffy asked.

"Luffy, this is snow country…" the blonde reminded him. "They probably have snowman building contests here… yours would be in dead last."

Luffy crossed his arms and pouted. "This is why we recruited Ayako…" He wasn't actually upset because he saw smiles on his friends' faces.

"I'll show you how to make a proper snowman," Usopp offered, "You'll see why good old Captain Usopp was a close second choice for Artist."

"You okay?" Sabo asked Vivi when he finally released her.

"Yes… thank you…" the Princess replied as she wiped her eyes.

"…" Dalton silently watched as the increasingly familiar blue haired girl was comforted by her friend.

"Hey Nami-swan," Sanji once again addressed the sick girl on his back, "There's more good news. It looks like those two are finally getting along."

CLICK!

Vivi jumped back and blushed. Apparently Bonnie Anne thought that Vivi and Sabo were getting along a little too well and for a little too long.

"Anyway…" Dalton said, "It's because of my actions as Wapol's Captain of the Royal Guard that I believe I'm not worthy of being elected King. But thankfully there's one doctor who not only survived the Great Doctor Purge but is still here practicing medicine today. As I said earlier, everyone here calls her a witch."

"Not to be a bother," Sanji spoke up, "But is there a reason we stopped here? I want to get Nami-swan out of the cold."

"Oh, of course," Dalton agreed a he turned and pulled open a nearby door. "This is my house. Put her in the bed and I'll get a fire going."

A moment later, Nami had been settled in the bed and Vivi had reclaimed her spot at the sick Navigator's side. Sabo and Sanji were hovering nearby and Dalton had finished making the fire and removed his hood. Luffy, Usopp and Miss Valentine were still outside in the snow.

"Do you mind if I ask you something," Dalton addressed Vivi, "Have I seen you somewhere before?"

"Oh… um… no," the undercover Princess replied, "I guess I just have one of those faces…"

"Her temperature's up to forty two degrees," Sabo reported as he quickly changed the subject.

"It's been rising steadily for the last two days," Sanji added.

"That is bad," Dalton realized. "If it keeps going up like that… she could die."

"And the worst part is that we have no idea what's caused her illness," Vivi confessed. "What can you tell us about this witch?"

"Look out the window and you should be able to see the mountains," Dalton instructed. "Those mountains are called the Drum Rockies. If you look hard enough you should be able to see a castle on top of the tallest mountain."

Sanji looked out the window and was greeted by the sight of a massive, expertly crafted, snow dinosaur.

"PRESENTING… SNOW-ZILLA!" Usopp boasted.

"WHOA! THAT'S SO COOL!" Luffy gushed.

"Kyahahaha!" Miss Valentine laughed lightly. The blonde currently weighed only five kilograms and was sitting comfortably on the snow dinosaur's head. "Now this is a snowman!"

"QUIT FOOLING AROUND AND GET IN HERE!" Sanji yelled at them.

Luffy, Usopp and Miss Valentine eventually came back in.

"That castle used to be Wapol's," Dalton continued, "But now it has no King. When Wapol abandoned the kingdom Dr. Kureha claimed it as her own."

"How high is that mountain?" Sabo questioned.

"Roughly five thousand meters," Dalton answered.

"Meters…" Sabo repeated, "I've just realized that we switched over to the metric system at some point after reaching the Grand Line." Sabo looked over at Miss Valentine, "I blame you, Miss Kilo Kilo."

Miss Valentine shrugged, "Sorry… I can convert it if you'd like. You're looking at three point one miles straight up."

"Well that's not very convenient," Sanji growled, "Can't you call her down? This is an emergency!"

"I'd like to but we have no way to contact her," Dalton explained, "Her skill is undeniable. She comes down from the mountain whenever she feels like it, treats whoever's sick and then takes whatever she wants from their houses as payment for her services. She's been practicing medicine for a long time. She's nearly one hundred forty."

"One hundred forty?" Sanji repeated. "And she's still alive?"

"She sounds like a nasty old hag," Usopp remarked.

"She sounds like a pirate!" Luffy exclaimed.

"How does this old woman get down from the mountain?" Vivi inquired.

"There are rumors…" Dalton said, "That on clear, moonlit nights she can be seen flying down from the mountain on her sleigh."

"A flying sleigh?" Miss Valentine repeated. "So she is a witch!"

"And then there are the creatures that she travels with," Dalton continued, "Her flying sleigh is pulled by a reindeer… her castle is guarded by a yeti… and I've even heard rumors that she has a pet tanuki."

"NOOO!" Usopp wailed. "A BEWITCHED FLYING REINDEER! A YETI! A TANU… wait what's a tanuki?"

"A raccoon-dog… I think," Sanji answered.

"Compared to the other ones, that doesn't sound so scary…" Usopp admitted.

"It sounds adorable!" Miss Valentine gushed.

"Let's see… what else is there…" Dalton mused, "Oh, she likes pickled plums."

Everyone blinked at the seemingly unnecessary information.

"I'll be back!" Sabo called out as he headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Luffy asked.

"To buy pickled plums," Sabo answered. "I'm not negotiating with a witchdoctor without something I can use to barter. Can you imagine if she took all our treasure as payment? That would kill Nami."

"He has a point," Usopp admitted.

"There's a merchant three houses down that sells them," Dalton informed him. "His name is Pabu and he likes peppermint sticks."

Sabo blinked, "Peppermint sticks… right… I'll be back." He slipped out the door and was gone.

"So what are we supposed to do?" Sanji wondered. "The crazy old crone is the only doctor on the island and she lives on top of a mountain."

Luffy went over to Nami and shook her awake, "Hey Nami, wake up!"

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING TO HER!?" Usopp, Sanji and Vivi all berated him.

"Mmm…" Nami mumbled as she opened her eyes.

"The only doctor here lives in a castle on top of a mountain," Luffy stated, "So we're gonna climb it."

"ARE YOU CRAZY?" Sanji shouted, "YOU CAN'T PUT HER THROUGH THAT!"

"You'll make her condition worse!" Vivi insisted.

"She'll be fine," Luffy said, "I'll carry her on my back. We've gotta get her to the doctor as quick as possible, don't we?"

"You can't climb that mountain!" Vivi objected, "Look at how high it is! It goes straight up!"

"I can climb it," Luffy reassured her.

"Okay… maybe you can but think about what a climb like that would do to Nami!" Usopp argued.

"Well… if she falls there's a nice cushy blanket of snow below," Luffy pointed out.

"A NORMAL PERSON WOULD DIE INSTANTLY IF THEY FELL FROM THE MOUNTAIN!" Vivi yelled.

"And you're not dealing with a normal healthy person either!" Sanji added, "Nami-swan's temperature is six degrees above normal! Do you understand how serious her situation is?"

Nami laid still and listened to the argument going on around her, "I have to get well quickly…" Nami slid her hand out from under the blankets and forced a strained smile, "I'll leave it to you, Luffy."

"Atta girl, Nami!" Luffy encouraged her as he gave her a high fived. "I'll take care of everything!"

"Oh great," Usopp groaned, "Now our Navigator's gone crazy too…"

"Nami, do you understand how sick you are?" Vivi asked desperately.

"Just gimme some meat and I'll be ready to go," Luffy insisted.

"I'm back with the pickled plums!" Sabo had a sack on his back along with his rifle.

"Sabo!" Vivi exclaimed, "Please, reason with your brother! He's talking about climbing the mountain! And Nami's agreed to it."

"Well obviously," Sabo said, "If we have no way of getting the doctor to come down we'll have to go up. I'm planning on going along too as an extra precaution."

Usopp looked over at Vivi, "Did you really expect him to make the situation less crazy?"

"I'll admit now that I didn't exactly think that though…" Vivi confessed.

"If their minds are all set… I guess there's only one thing to do..." Sanji resolved. "I'm coming too."

"Um… can I tag along?" Everyone looked back at Miss Valentine.

"You don't have to," Sabo reassured her, "Your condition isn't critical. You can wait. Nami can't. When we get to the castle we can send the doctor down to get you."

"But you're all going anyway," Miss Valentine pointed out. "I'll admit that I'm not much of a climber… but if climbing that mountain is what gets me my memories back… I'll do it." The blonde looked over at Vivi. "Can I borrow your shoes? They're not my size but I definitely can't climb a mountain in heels."

And so it was decided. Luffy would be carrying Nami. Sabo and Sanji would be coming along to support him. And Miss Valentine had gotten Vivi's white boots and would be coming along so she could see the doctor herself. Usopp and Vivi would be staying behind so they wouldn't slow the party down.

"If you're serious about climbing the mountain you should at least climb up from the other side," Dalton warned them, "The path to the mountain from this village is filled with lapins. They're violent carnivorous rabbits! Encountering a pack of them means almost certain death!"

Sabo waved off Dalton's concerns, "Yes, yes, I'm sure they're the most foul, cruel, bad-tempered rodents we've ever set eyes upon with vicious streaks a mile wide."

"We can handle rabbits," Sanji said, "If the bleeders attack us we'll have rabbit stew coming right up."

"LET'S GO!" Luffy shouted as he took off running, "BEFORE NAMI DIES!"

"Don't say that, you idiot!" Sanji scolded him.

"Looks like we've found a way to have an adventure anyway," Sabo remarked.

"Memories… here I come…" Miss Valentine resolved.

"I hope they'll be alright…" Dalton said as the group departed.

"Those guys can handle anything," Usopp replied.

"The problem is if Nami can hold out long enough to get there," Vivi reasoned.

They stood out in the snow until the footprints of their friends were filled in. "Would you like to wait inside?" Dalton offered. "It's cold out."

"It's fine," Vivi assured him, "I want to stay out here."

"Me too," Usopp agreed.

Dalton smiled. Even though the two had stayed behind it was clear they were with their friends in spirit.

"Then I'll join you," Dalton decided as he sat down in the snow outside his house. He looked over at the blue haired girl. "I'm sorry you had to see this country in such a state. I wish we had more doctors. But either way, it's still good to see you again… Princess."

Vivi went stiff, "I… I think you have me confused with someone else…"

"Yeah! She's a member of our crew!" Usopp quickly jumped to her defense.

"Yes, not a Princess," Vivi quickly lied, "Just a pirate. Arrr…"

Usopp looked at her skeptically, "You do realize that pirates don't actually say 'arr' anymore, right?"

Dalton wasn't fooled. "I remember you from that Reverie six years ago," he said, "Wapol was frustrated over an argument he had with your father… and he took his anger out on you. My King was behaving like a petulant child… while you… a girl who couldn't have been older than ten at the time… acted with more maturity than my sorry excuse for a King ever did. You realized that in a meeting full of world leaders that words said out of anger could cause a war. You apologized while Wapol was the one at fault. I admired your spirit even back then. That was the moment when my eyes were finally opened to my King's behavior. Unfortunately I didn't do anything about it until Dr. Hiriluk's sacrifice."

"Mr. Dalton… Please… I… I'm trying to save my kingdom," Vivi stammered nervously. She'd been recognized. Her cover was blown. "My enemies think I'm dead. I'd like to keep it that way."

Dalton nodded, "Your secret's safe with me. I'm glad to see that you're safe and traveling with friends."

Vivi let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you…"

"For all the talk of elections… what this country needs more than anything now is a Princess like you," Dalton confessed. "I'm a soldier. I've been one all my life. I don't have the first clue how to be a King. I don't know to conduct myself in a meeting of world leaders… or how to negotiate a trade deal… or how to resolve disputes in a level-headed diplomatic manner. You've been taught how to do these things since you were a child. My greatest fear now… is that I'm elected and I end up letting my country down."

"I think the fact that you're so worried about failing your people is exactly why you'll be a great King," Vivi replied. "You have your country's best interests at heart. That's what counts."

"You've got my vote," Usopp chimed in.

Dalton smiled, he was moved by her vote of confidence. "Thank you."

---

"Kyahahahaha! You know, this isn't so bad," Miss Valentine laughed as she ran on top of the snow while Luffy, Sabo and Sanji all trudged through it.

"But how's the wind treating you?" Sabo asked. "It's starting to pick up."

"I'm managing," the blonde woman replied. "But if you guys want to move closer together to block more of it… I wouldn't complain."

"Luffy, are you seriously still wearing sandals?" Sanji questioned as he glanced down at the Captain's feet mostly bare feet. "Just looking at your feet is making me cold."

"I don't wear shoes or socks, that my police," Luffy stated.

"That's… 'policy'," Sanji corrected him.

"GRAAAH!"

SWISH!

Everyone blinked as a white blur whizzed passed them.

"What was that?" Miss Valentine wondered.

"Probably one of those Lapins," Sabo reasoned. "It's just a bunny… Ignore it…"

But while they ignored the attacking bunny, the bunny didn't seem like it wanted to ignore them.

"GRAAAAH!"

WHAP!

"Kyahaha! Gotcha!"

The three pirates looked back in surprise to see that Miss Valentine had managed to catch the rabbit. The rabbit actually looked more surprised that anyone. But then growled and bared its sharp teeth at the blonde woman.

"OH MY GOD!" Miss Valentine squealed as she hugged the Lapin to her chest, "YOU ARE THE CUTEST THING I'VE EVER SEEN!"

"URK!" the Lapin groaned as the blonde squeezed it. The other similarly sized Lapins that had been lurking nearby saw their companion being 'tortured' by the evil yellow human and unanimously decided to give the intruders a wide berth.

"Well, I guess that's one problem solved," Sabo reasoned.

"Be careful with that thing, Miss Valentine," Sanji warned the blonde woman, "You have no idea where it's been."

"It's been right here," Miss Valentine pointed out.

Luffy stopped in his tracks and stared ahead of them, "You might want to put that guy down…"

"Aw, I'll put him down when I'm done loving him!" Miss Valentine cooed. The blonde completely ignored the ornery rabbit's sharp fangs and futile struggles to get free as she continued to cuddle it.

"GGGGGGRRRRRR…"

Everyone froze at the much louder growl and looked ahead in the same direction as Luffy.

Standing ahead of them was a herd of no less than twenty massive gorilla-sized rabbits.

"What're those things?" Sanji wondered.

"They're big and white," Luffy noted, "Maybe they're Polar Bears…"

"I'm thinking that maybe these are the Lapins that Dalton tried to warn us about…" Sabo reasoned,

"Aww… so that means this adorable little guy is a baby," Miss Valentine cooed. "That just makes him even cuter!"

"Yeah… you should probably give that back," Sabo suggested.

"But I'm still not done loving him yet!" Miss Valentine protested as she gave the baby Lapin a squeeze.

"My valentine, those rabbits look angry enough as it is," Sanji pointed out. "I don't think you'll be helping matters by holding one of their young hostage."

"Okay… okay…" Miss Valentine conceded. She put the pint-sized Lapin down and it immediately ran over to one of the biggest Lapin and climbed on its back.

"GGGRRRAH!" The Lapins still weren't appeased.

"They still don't look very happy…" Miss Valentine observed as she slid fully behind Sanji.

"Luffy, don't even think about fighting them," Sanji warned the Captain. "Nami-swan will feel every move you make. Your job is to protect her at all costs."

"I'd like to avoid fighting entirely," Sabo stated. He raised Bonnie Anne and opened fire.

KER-CHOW!

The round left a large hole in the snow in front of the Lapins.

"We're not here to fight!" Sabo addressed the Lapins. "Stay back and no one gets hurt."

The great beasts eyed Sabo's smoking rifle and collectively decided to retreat when faced with the high powered weapon.

"They're running away?" Luffy questioned as he stared after the retreating rabbits.

"Well that's good news," Sanji sighed in relief.

"Hey Luffy…" Sabo called out. "What do you call it when a bunch of rabbits step backwards?"

"I don't know," Luffy replied. "What?"

Sabo smirked, "A receding hare line!"

"SHISHISHISHI!" Luffy and Miss Valentine laughed at Sabo's attempt at humor. "Kyahahahaha!"

But then Luffy trailed off, "Wait… I don't know what that is…"

"Kyahaha!" Miss Valentine shook her head at Luffy's confusion, "Then why are you laughing?"

"Because you're supposed to laugh at jokes!" Luffy replied, "Shishishi!"

"Ugh," Sanji rolled his eyes and groaned, "Do you really think this is the best time to tell bad jokes?"

Sabo shrugged, "I don't know any other rabbit jokes. And this was the only time that seemed appropriate for it. Give me some credit, at least Bonnie and I managed to chase them off. How hard do you think this climb would've been if they attacked us?"

"Good point," Sanji admitted, "But it still wasn't funny."

---

"CAPTAIN WAPOL! I'VE SPOTTED SOMETHING!" Chess called down from his lookout platform as the Bliking sailed along the open water.

"What's that? Did you spot those damn Straw Hats?" Wapol growled. He had a metal plate nailed into his chest through his clothes. "That smug Top Hat bastard will pay for what he did to me!"

"No sir!" Chess said, "It's not them… it's Drum Kingdom! It's our home! We've finally found it!"

A smile spread across Wapol's face. "Drum Kingdom… so we're finally home!"

---

"Dalton! I just heard that you were looking for the doctor!"

Dalton, Usopp and Vivi turned to see that the bear-woman had returned.

"Good news, she's just come down to the neighboring village."

"WHAT!?" the three shouted in alarm.

A moment later, Dalton, Usopp and Vivi were racing along a snowy trail towards the next village in a ram-pulled sleigh.

"I'm sorry…" Dalton apologized, "I heard that the witch had come down just yesterday. I didn't think she'd come back down again so soon. This is my fault."

"Don't worry, we don't blame you," Usopp reassured him. "The problem now is how freakishly strong my crewmates are. Those guys are probably halfway to her castle already. There's no way we could ever catch up to them. Now our best bet is to find the witch in that Cocoa Weed place and tell her to hurry back to her castle to meet the others."

"Forgive me…" Dalton continued to blame himself, "It's because of me this country has no doctors…"

"That is not your fault, Mr. Dalton!" Vivi insisted, "But let's hurry!"

---

"IT'S WAPOL!" someone shouted back at the shore. "OPEN FIRE!"

The militia gunmen hadn't been fooled by Wapol's submerged pirate ship and opened fire the second it began to emerge from the water.

BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG!

Over on the Going Merry, Ayako and Carue poked their heads out of the galley, "Did they say Wapol? Oh no… if he finds us here he'll eat our ship! Whatdowedo? Whatdowedo!?"

"Quaack!" the shivering duck suggested.

"We can't run away," Ayako insisted. At least that's what she thought the duck had suggested. "Zoro told us to guard the ship. We need to make sure those guys don't destroy it."

"Quack…" Carue warily pointed out.

"No, I don't plan to fight them!" Ayako said. She didn't actually speak duck. But having Carue on the ship with her meant she wasn't just talking to herself. "There are fifty of those gunmen!"

"Quack?"

"I don't know! Stop hassling me!" The Artist started pacing while prodding the side of her head. "Think… think… think…"

"Quack… quack… quack…" Carue echoed as he followed the young Artist in her pacing.

"What would Mr. 3 do?" Ayako asked herself. "He'd probably hide and attack them from behind."

"QUACK!" Carue turned to run off.

"We can't just hide!" Ayako told him, "If those guys search the ship they could find us… we need to make sure they don't…"

"Quack…" Carue said as he pointed his wing at Ayako's paint pallet.

"Well… I don't actually have a Colors Trap for that," the Artist admitted. "Buuut… I could probably make one… let's see… Colors Trap Bullfight Red is a target… it draws people's attention to it… so what I need now is the opposite of that… something to make people ignore stuff. People ignore stuff that's boring… What's the most boring color I can think of?" Ayako stared at the wooden deck at her feet then the Artist's eyes lit up with sudden inspiration. "BROWN! Boring Brown! Okay, I've got it!"

"Quack?" Carue asked.

"Quick, grab Zoro's swords," Ayako instructed. "I'll take care of the rest."

"Quack!" the duck saluted and darted off to collect Zoro's swords.

Ayako pulled out her paints. "Let's see… I can make brown by combining a primary color with its complimentary color… Since I want this to be the opposite of red I'll use that and green…" The Artist quickly mixed together her blue and yellow paint to make green then started adding red into the mix until she had a suitable brown color. "Alright… this'll do… Let's try it! Colors Trap… Boring Brown!"

SWISH!

Ayako slashed her paintbrush and a brown symbol was splattered on the galley door. "Hey Carue! Wanna grab the tea too?"

"Quack!" the duck agreed as he came running back up the stairs with Zoro's swords grasped in his beak. But he stopped in front of the painted galley door and stared at it in confusion. "Quack?"

"Yay! It works!" Ayako cheered. She darted down the stairs and quickly painted her new Colors Trap on the storage room door, the anchor room door and also the trap door down into the men's quarters. "Now that we know the ship is gonna be safe… we can get out of here."

"Qmmffh?" Carue mumbled around the three swords in his mouth.

"I know I said we couldn't leave the ship," Ayako admitted as she took Zoro's swords from Carue and stuck them in her blue backpack, "But that was before I had a way to keep it safe. They might see our ship but they won't find anything on it because of the paint. That means we can make ourselves useful and go warn somebody about the attack."

BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG!

The battle off the side of the Going Merry had picked up. Wapol's crew had lost their element of surprise. But the Bliking was still sealed up like a dome and Wapol's soldiers were returning fire from inside the crowned hippo figurehead's mouth.

"Um… although we might want to be careful about running through that battle…" Ayako reasoned. "I've got an idea…" The Artist turned and slashed her brown-coated paintbrush at Zoro's abandoned coat. Ayako picked up the coat and draped it over Carue's back. "There, not only do you have an extra layer to keep you warm in the snow but now anyone that notices you will ignore you."

"Quack?"

"I can still see you because I'm immune to my paints," Ayako told the duck as she slipped underneath the coat and climbed on Carue's back. "Can you still see me?"

"Quack!" Carue answered with an affirmative nod.

"Great, let's get out of here!" Ayako resolved.

"QUACK!" Carue crowed as he jumped from the Going Merry onto the shore and dashed away from the battle.

"Do you think you can find the others?" Ayako inquired. "Or at least Vivi?"

"Quack!" Carue confirmed and fired off a salute. He was Vivi's duck. Instead of pointing south, his bird senses gave him an internal compass that always pointed to his Princess.

"You know… this being crazy thing isn't so bad," Ayako reasoned. "I don't feel awkward having conversations with a duck and I've come up with two new Colors Traps in less than three days."

BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG!

The battle raged on while the Artist raced away on the duck.

"King Wapol!" Chess called out as he lowered the binoculars he'd been staring through. "I spotted the Straw Hat's ship!"

"You did!?" Wapol exclaimed. "WHAT'RE THOSE BASTARDS DOING IN MY KINGDOM? I BET THEY'RE THE ONES RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS RUDE RECEPTION! THAT'S TWICE THAT TOP HAT HAS DEFIED ME!"

"There was something else I wanted to tell you too…" Chess said. He'd seen a girl and a duck run off from the caravel. But they didn't seem important. "But it doesn't matter anymore."

"King Wapol!" Kuromarimo called out, "Our men can't get off the ship!"

"Damn those Straw Hats!" Wapol growled. "This is all their fault! Get me some cannons! I'll force that riffraff to make way for their King!"

"Yes sir!" Chess and Kuromarimo chorused.

---

"WHAAT!?"

Usopp, Vivi and Dalton had finally made it to Cocoa Weed but the doctor was nowhere to be found.

"You mean we missed her?" Usopp complained inside a store called 'Stool's'.

"She treated me a little while ago," a bandaged boy sitting up in a bed informed them.

"Are you looking for the doctor, Dalton?" the boy's father inquired.

"Yes, it's an emergency," Dalton said, "Do you have any idea where she went?"

"I think I heard someone say she headed for Gyasta," a man spoke up.

"Gyasta?" Dalton questioned, "Are you sure?" The man nodded.

"Where's that?" Usopp asked.

"It's a village on the shore of a lake further north," Dalton explained. "They like ice skating there."

Usopp blinked and repeated the unnecessary information. "Ice skating?"

"We don't have time to sit around and wait," Vivi reminded them, "We have to go there immediately!"

"VIVI!" Ayako suddenly burst in through the door on Carue's back. But no one noticed them until she threw off Zoro's brown-painted coat. "VIVI! USOPP!"

"WHOA!" Usopp shrieked as he visibly jumped at seeing the Artist and her web-footed steed appear out of seemingly nowhere, "Where'd you come from?"

"I came from the ship!" Ayako exclaimed. "Wapol's here! The militia's trying to fight him off!"

Dalton went stiff. "I'm sorry my friends. I have to go." The militia leader bolted out the door, jumped on a horse and raced off towards the waterway.

"It's time to settle this once and for all," Dalton resolved. "I'm not doing this for justice or any such noble intentions. Wapol, you and I are guilty of the same crimes! I'm coming for you!"

Dalton launched himself off of his horse and landed on all fours. His feet and hands were now hooves, he'd grown dark fur all over his body and there were two impressive horns growing out of his head.

Dalton had just transformed into a bison.

His speed was now even greater than his horse's. The captain of the militia raced off to meet his enemy.

---

Back in Cocoa Weed, everyone was frantic.

"WAPOL'S HERE!"

"EVERYONE WHO'S ABLE GRAB A WEAPON!"

"WE'VE GOT TO BACK UP DALTON!"

"WE HAVE TO DEFEND OUR KINGDOM!"

Usopp, Ayako, Vivi and Carue watched as a crowd of men rushed off after Dalton.

"Should we…" Ayako started to ask.

"As much as I'd like to help Mr. Dalton… we need to focus on finding the doctor," Vivi reasoned.

"Right!" Usopp happily agreed, "Let's find the doctor… and stay away from the battle with the soldiers and the guy who could literally eat us!"

Vivi got directions and they raced off in their ram-pulled sleigh.

"Keep your eyes peeled!" Vivi instructed. She was studying a map while Usopp manned the rams' reins. "There should be a sign for Gyasta up ahead somewhere."

"There's a sign over there," Ayako pointed out from where she was seated behind them with Carue. "But it's covered in snow."

"Vivi, hold the reins," Usopp instructed as pulled out his slingshot. The marksman spotted the sign that the Artist had pointed out and fired at the top of it.

CHOO!

The snow dropped off the sign and revealed that it said 'Gyasta' and had an arrow pointing to the left.

"Good eye, Artist!" Usopp praised Ayako. "We almost missed it!"

Vivi adjusted the reins and they veered to the left and continued on the correct route to Gyasta.

"Can you imagine what would've happened if we'd gone the wrong way?" Vivi asked. "We would have missed her entirely!"

---

Dalton the bison slowed to a stop when he finally reached the shore. But the battle was over. The smell of gun smoke lingered in the air. Men were pinned to the ground with arrows. And large chunks of trees had been toppled by what appeared to be cannon fire.

The battered and bloody civilian militia members were strewn out all over the place.

"D-Dalton…" a man called out. "Y-you're here…"

Dalton stood up on his hind legs and transformed back into himself in one fluid motion then rushed over to the wounded man. "What happened?"

"We held him off as long as we could…" the man gasped, "Uugh… But then Ch-Chess and K-Kuromarimo got involved and… and then W-Wapol starting using his p-powers. They… were too much for us…"

"You fought well," Dalton reassured him, "I'll handle everything from here. Where did Wapol go?"

"They're… heading for B-Big Horn…" the man wheezed. "He's following… the pirates."

Dalton glanced back over his shoulder and saw that the abandoned Going Merry had remained completely unharmed during the battle. Wapol's ship Blinking on the other hand was riddled with bullet holes from the militia's attempts to fight off Wapol's forces.

"Rest now," Dalton instructed, "I'll take Wapol's head or die trying."

Dalton transformed back into a bison and galloped off and followed the path Wapol's forces had made following the path to Big Horn that he'd made with the Straw Hats.

Dalton the bison snorted and his fur stood on end as he prepared for the fight of his life.

---

"I see the lake!" Usopp called out, "Dalton said the people in Gyasta like to ice skate. The town should be right up ahead!"

A moment later later they spotted a series of small houses.

"You're right," Vivi realized, "This is the place!"

They rode into town and Vivi called out to a man with a pair dangling around his neck by their laces. "Excuse me, sir! We're looking for Dr. Kureha! It's an emergency. Someone in Cocoa Weed said she was headed here."

"Well you just missed her," the man informed them. "She rode through town with her reindeer just five minutes ago. She went that way." The man pointed off to the other end of the town. "But you'd better hurry. Gyasta is always her last stop before she heads back up to the castle."

"Thank you so much!" Vivi gushed. She whirled around to face her duck. "Carue, we're closing in. Could you give us a boost?"

"Quack!" Carue agreed with a salute. The duck hopped out of the sleigh and braced himself against the back. "QUACK!" The sleigh went off like a shot. Now that Carue was pushing from behind the sleigh seemed to weigh a fraction of its previous weight and flew across the snow way beyond its previous top speed.

SHOOM!

There was, however, one drawback to their increased speed.

"Too fast! Too fast!" Ayako squeaked as she toppled over in the back and frantically covered her eyes.

"Hang in there, kid!" Usopp called back to her.

"I'm gonna be sick!" Ayako cried as she leaned over the side of the sleigh and lost her lunch. "BLEH!"

Vivi looked back at the Artist and flinched. "Well… at least we're heading towards a doctor…"

---

Luffy's group had finally made it to the Drum Rockies.

"Yay! We made it to the mountains!" Luffy cheered.

"Yeah… and now we know where all those Lapins went…" Sabo pointed out.

The herd of Lapins had gathered around the base of the Drum Rockies.

"Oh, right, the polar bears!" Luffy realized, "What're they doing?"

The huge gorilla-sized rabbits were all jumping up and down in a line.

"They're jumping…" Sanji noted.

"Is it a weird bunny line dance?" Miss Valentine suggested.

"Oh, maybe they're hopping mad!" Sabo suggested with a wry smirk.

"Uuughh…" Sanji and Miss Valentine both groaned. Even Luffy couldn't bring himself to laugh.

KER-CHOW!

Bonnie went off and smacked Sabo in the face. Sabo was knocked on his back in the snow.

"Kyahahahaha!" Miss Valentine giggled, "Okay, that was funny! Even your rifle didn't like your pun!"

"Everyone's a critic…" Sabo complained as he sat up and brushed the snow off of him.

"Oh, shit!" Sanji suddenly swore, "I just realized what those rabbits are doing! WE'VE GOTTA GET OUT OF HERE!"

"Why? We just got here," Luffy pointed out.

"Luffy! They're trying to start an avalanche!" Sanji exclaimed in a dread-filled panic.

---

Usopp pulled down his goggle lenses and peered ahead of them. "Hey! I see something! I think it might be another sleigh!"

"Keep going!" Vivi encouraged their three animals. "We're almost there!"

"Mommy I don't like this ride anymore…" a pale Ayako whimpered in the back as she cradled her head. "I don't have anything left to throw up… I wanna get off…"

"Hang in there, kid," Usopp urged her, "We're closing in! It's almost over… One final push!"

Their sleigh continued to close in on the other one and once they were within hearing range Vivi shouted to the driver. "EXCUSE ME! DOCTOR!"

The other sleigh slowed considerably and their three-animal team quickly caught up and pulled alongside them. Usopp, Ayako and Vivi surveyed the other driver and her steed.

The driver was an old woman… at least from the neck up. Her face had the wrinkles and hooked nose of an old crone. But from the neck down she had the hot, curvy body of a woman in the prime of her life.

Her steed was a young reindeer with a blue nose that was wearing a pink top hat and a blue backpack.

"Kids these days," the woman grumbled as both sleighs slowed to a stop, "They've got no patience. They're always in a hurry."

"Are you Dr. Kureha?" Vivi asked. "We have a medical emergency!"

At that moment Ayako fell out of the sleigh.

FWUMP!

"Uuugghhh…" the Artist groaned and curled up into a ball. "LAND! I missed you!"

"That's not an emergency," Dr. Kureha remarked, "It's a simple case of motion sickness. You could've easily avoided it if you hadn't been racing around like maniacs."

"I… yes… well…" Vivi stammered awkwardly. "That wasn't actually…"

Ayako pushed herself up off of the ground and looked up at the old doctor, "Motion sickness? But I've never been motion sick before. I was just riding a duck… admittedly we weren't going as fast… but why did I get sick this time?"

"Judging from your small size and lack of muscle tone… I'd wager that you don't lead a very active life," the Doctor observed.

"Well… my uncle used to say I'm lazy to a fault…" Ayako admitted, "But that was mostly because I didn't like what I was doing…"

"My diagnosis is that your body became so used to you just sitting around and being inactive that when you started moving at such a breakneck speed it violently rebelled and you became sick."

Snort…

Ayako turned to see the reindeer holding out a pill bottle. Everyone had been focused on the Doctor that they hadn't noticed the reindeer slipping off his backpack and fishing out the bottle.

"Good idea, Chopper," Dr. Kureha said, "Little girl, take one of those to settle your stomach. But be sure to wait at least fifteen minutes before eating."

Ayako twisted the cap off the bottle and popped a pill into her mouth.

Gulp!

Ayako blinked and patted her stomach. "Oh… I feel much better."

"My medicine is fast acting and highly effective," Dr. Kureha informed her. "Lay off the high-speed travel and you'll be fine. Well... are you happy?"

"Wow… she's good," Usopp quietly remarked to Vivi.

"Thank you!" Ayako chirped. She turned and surprised Chopper when she threw her arms around the reindeer and hugged him.

Chopper went stiff then bolted away from Ayako and ducked behind the sleigh. The reindeer attempted to peak around the sleigh but got it backwards. Instead of just his eye and antler being visible… his entire body was visible while just his eye and antler were hidden.

"Um… you're hiding backwards," Ayako informed him. The reindeer quickly corrected himself. Ayako smiled good naturedly and looked away. "I guess Chopper's gone. Doctor, if you see your reindeer tell him that I like his pink hat."

"I'll be sure to tell him…" Dr. Kureha said with a knowing glance in her clumsy reindeer's direction. "Now… there's a matter of payment for my services…"

"Actually she wasn't why we went so far to chase you down," Vivi informed her. "One of our friends is gravely ill. When we last checked she had a fever of forty two degrees. We didn't know that you had come down from the mountain so some of our more impatient friends decided to climb up and bring her up to your castle."

"They're climbing up the Drum Rockies?" Dr. Kureha questioned in surprise. "And I thought you kids were the crazy ones. Just who are you anyway?"

Usopp stood up and struck his most manly pose, "I'm Captain Usopp and we're the Straw Hat Pirates!"

"Did you say 'pirates'?" a high pitched voice inquired.

Everyone stared at Dr. Kureha and her peculiar reindeer that was still peeking out from behind the sleigh.

Ayako looked up at Dr. Kureha, "Did you just say 'did you say 'pirates'?'"

"I must have…" Dr. Kureha said, "because everyone knows that reindeer don't talk…"

"Right, of course," Ayako easily agreed. Vivi and Usopp didn't look convinced.

"Let's go Chopper!" Dr. Kureha ordered, "We're going to have company up at the castle. And if those idiots are climbing up the mountain then all the survivors are likely to be incoming patients."

Chopper slipped back into his harness and had at some point put his backpack on. The doctor and her odd reindeer rushed off and left the Straw Hats behind.

Vivi let out a long sigh of relief and dropped on her back in the sleigh. "Phew… we did it… The doctor will be at the castle to treat Nami when the others get there... We've done our part. Now we just need to count on the others to get Nami there safely."

---

"RUN FOR IT!" Sanji screamed. He, Luffy, Sabo and Miss Valentine all turned on the spot and raced away from the mountain.

CROOOOM!

A wave of snow broke off of the mountain and rushed after them.

"IT'S AN AVALANCHE!" Sabo screamed.

---

"Come on Ayako," Usopp said, "Get in."

"Oh no!" the Artist refused. "Not until you guys promise to slow it down. I don't wanna get sick again!"

"We caught the doctor," Vivi reminded her, "We don't need to go anywhere near that fast anymore."

"Hey you… could I get a ride?"

They all turned to see a shirtless and freezing Zoro standing behind their sleigh.

"Zoro!?" Usopp blurted out. "What're you doing here?"

"Yay! He's not frozen!" Ayako cheered.

"Quack!" Carue cheered along with her.

"You guys?" Zoro questioned. "What're you doing here?"

"I think that's our line," Vivi said.

"Ask the kid and the ostrich," Zoro replied, "I was taking a swim. I followed a fish upstream but when I got out I had no idea where I was."

"Wait… if you guys are all here then who's watching the Merry?" Usopp asked.

"The ship's fine," Ayako told them, "I painted it brown."

"Brown?" Usopp repeated.

Ayako reached into the sleigh and pulled out Zoro's painted coat and put it on.

Zoro, Usopp and VIvi all blinked in confusion.

"Wasn't Ayako here just now?" Usopp asked.

"We were just talking to her…" Zoro recalled.

"Where'd she go?" Vivi wondered.

Swish!

Ayako threw off the coat, "Ta-dah!" Everyone's attention went back to her. "Colors Trap Boring Brown. Everyone who sees it ignores whatever it's on. I painted a bunch on the Going Merry so Wapol's men won't find anything over there."

"What's that about Wapol's men?" Zoro inquired.

"Wapol and his men attacked," Ayako explained. "I left the ship with Carue so I could warn somebody."

"Zoro! You're here!" Vivi realized, "Now that we've found the doctor we can go back and help Mr. Dalton and the militia fight off Wapol's forces."

Ayako silently fished Zoro's three swords out of her backpack and held them out to him.

Zoro grinned. "Alright. I'll help out." He grabbed Ayako and lifted her into the sleigh then climbed in after her.

"Um… guys… I think we've got a bigger problem to worry about," Usopp spoke up.

"What's that Usopp?" Vivi asked.

Usopp pointed up the mountain the huge wave of white snow that was rushing down from the top.

"THERE'S A HUGE AVALANCHE RUSHING DOWN THE MOUNTAIN TOWARDS US!" Usopp screamed.

"THAT'S WHERE THERE OTHERS WERE HEADING!" Vivi exclaimed.

"How much do you want to bet that they're responsible for that?" Zoro quipped.

"RUN FOR IT!" Usopp shrieked. The two rams and Carue immediately started running and carried the sleigh away from the rushing wave of snow.

"Uuugghh…" Ayako groaned and fell over. "Here we go again…"

---

"THOSE DAMN RABBITS!" Sanji growled as he and Luffy surfed down the mountain on the top of a toppled tree while Sabo and Miss Valentine surfed next to them on part of the trunk. "Just when we were at the base of the mountain!"

"What do we do now?" Luffy wondered. "We're going the wrong way!"

"We have to find a way to stop as soon as possible," Sabo tells them, "At this rate we'll reach the bottom and have to climb up all over again."

"I swear to God if I see those rabbits again I'll make stew out of them!" Sanji snarled.

"Um… well… there they are…" Miss Valentine pointed out as she looked behind them.

Everyone looked back to see the huge lapins surfing after them on bits of wood.

"What's wrong with these polar bears?" Luffy wondered.

"GRRRAAAH!" one of the lapins lunged at them.

"KNOCK BACK!"

WHAM!

Sabo smacked the attacking rabbit with his rifle and sent flying away from them.

"OH NO!" Sanji gasped in alarm. "Look in front of us!"

There was another cliff stick up out of the snow but this one had sharp rocks and broken trees all over the top. They were on a collision course with it.

"I'm on it…" Sabo said as he aimed his rifle and opened fire.

KER-CHOW-CHOW-CHOW!

The sharp rocks and broken trees were blown to bits which allowed their make-shift sleds to slide easily up the cliff and rest at the top. The Lapins continued to ride the avalanche down passed them.

"That was a close one," Sanji remarked as he rubbed a phantom pain in his back. "Who knows what would've happened if one of us hit those rocks."

CROOOSSH!

The snow continued to rush passed them on both sides but for now everyone was safe on high ground.

---

"WAAAAAAAHHH!" Zoro, Usopp, Ayako and Vivi all screamed as their animal sleigh team rushed to outrun the avalanche.

The monstrous avalanche reached all the way to Big Horn and nearly buried the village in a blanket of snow.

But eventually the snow stopped and the island grew quiet once more.

---

CHOMP!

A big pair of metal-plated lips ate a chunk of snow and left a hole in its wake.

Wapol climbed out of the hole then turned and spat out Chess, Kuromarmio and his white walkie furry hippo Robson.

PTOI!

"Oh it's you guys," Wapol realized as he surveyed the only men that he hadn't abandoned in BIg Horn when the avalanche had reached it. "I thought I tasted something funny…"

Chess looked back the way they had come. "Even if Dalton survived being shot by all my arrows… he'll surely perish under this layer of snow."

"Sire, you can rest assured, that traitor who tried to take your head off is gone," Kuromarimo stated.

"Good then we'll move on to the next pest!" Wapol growled. "I bet this was all his fault anyway!"

"Pardon?" Chess asked.

"THAT DAMN TOP HAT AND HIS FRIENDS!" Wapol roared. "We learned those punks were heading up the mountain! They must have caused this avalanche! Damn that top-hatted bastard! This is the third time he's defied me! I'll personally execute that smarmy little punk!"

"Of course, Sire!" Kuromarimo was quick to agree with the King. "That makes sense."

It was actually partially true. Sabo had been responsible for the militia being on their guard. And his group and provoked the Lapins into causing the avalanche. But since Wapol's officers didn't actually know that... it just appeared that the King was just blaming Sabo for everything.

"If that witch Dr. Kureha is in my castle and those punks are heading there… then that's where we're heading too!" Wapol decided.

"Sire, the villagers reported that all the ropeways are down," Chess informed him.

"Then we'll have to climb the mountain after them!" Wapol resolved. "I'll teach those pirate peasants what Winter Warfare is all about!"

---

Further up the mountain, the wind blew as one of the baby lapins tugged at the paw of one of the fully grown lapins that had been buried in the snow.

"Hey… it's that the one that I clubbed with my rifle?"

"GAAH!" the young lapin gasped in alarm when it suddenly saw Luffy, Sabo, Sanji and Miss Valentine all standing over it. The small rabbit stretched itself up onto its hind legs and attempt to shield the bigger lapin's paw with its tiny body.

Shunk!

Sabo stuck his hand into the snow and yanked out the huge gorilla-sized rabbit.

CROOSH!

"There ya go," Sabo stated, "It turns out that causing an avalanche and attacking us was a very bad idea. I hope you learned a valuable lesson."

"Aaw… that was sweet!" Miss Valentine remarked as they continued on their way.

"This stinks…" Sanji complained. "Now we've got to go all the way back up to where we were before."

"Hang in there, Nami," Luffy addressed the sick Navigator on his back, "We'll get you to the doctor no matter what. Don't you die on me!"

"Sire, there they are!"

"I'LL KILL 'EM!"

A wide smile spread across Sabo's face as he turned to face the familiar voice and saw Wapol, Chess and Kuromarimo riding towards them on a their hippo.

"It's that fat hippo again!" Luffy realized.

"Wait… are you talking about the hippo or the hippo riding the hippo?" Miss Valentine asked.

"Hey Bonnie, look who's back for more," Sabo remarked as he pulled Bonnie Anne off his back and loaded six new rounds into the rifle.

"Sabo, we don't have time for this," Sanji warned him.

"No, Nami doesn't have time for this," Sabo corrected him. "I, however, am perfectly able to stay here ensure that this sad, sorry excuse for human life never reclaims his throne."

"You sure?" Luffy asked.

Sabo nodded, "Get Nami to the witch's castle. She needs the doctor. I'll take care of this royal pain in the ass."

Luffy ran off while Miss Valentine looked over at Sanji. "Three on one…"

Sabo ran forward to meet the charging hippo and blatantly barred the King's path.

"TOP HAT!" Wapol bellowed, "HOW DARE YOU COMMIT SUCH GRIEVOUS CRIMES AGAINST THIS NATION'S KING!"

"Actually, when I pumped you full of bullets yesterday, I had no idea you were a King," Sabo admitted. But then he flashed Wapol a malevolent grin. "Wait 'till you see what I do to you now that I know how you used to run your former country!"

"Used to? Former?" Wapol repeated. "I'M STILL KING OF THIS COUNTRY!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Sabo assured him.

"Chess! I just thought of a new law!" Wapol announced. "'Ignoring the King is to be punished by death!' Execute Straw Hat and the girl on his back!"

The archer readied his bow and aimed at the Straw Hat Captain.

SKISH!

Sanji was suddenly standing behind Sabo and blocking the Minister of Defense's shot. "Anyone who would dare threaten Nami-swan has to answer to me."

"And I'm here too," Miss Valentine announced as she stood behind Sabo on his other side.

"Why?" Sabo asked. "Your best chance at getting your memories back is on top of the mountain."

"Look... I get the impression that I was a bad person before I lost my memories," the amnesic officer agent admitted, "You may have caused my amnesia but from the moment I got on your ship... all I've done is hide behind you guys. This time I'm gonna make a new memory. I'm gonna stand here and fight beside you. I can't remember anything but I can count. Three versus three sounds better than three on two."

"I'll make sure she's okay," Sanji assured Sabo, "You focus on the King."

"With pleasure…" Sabo replied as he readied his rifle.

"AS THIS NATION'S KING… I SENTENCE ALL THREE OF YOU TO DEATH!" Wapol yelled as he and his men climbed off of their furry hippo.

"They'll be okay…" Luffy insisted as he raced away from the upcoming battle.

Nami was jostled awake and chanced a look back behind her. The battle line had been drawn. Wapol stood on one side with his two lackeys flanking him. Sabo stood opposite them with Sanji two steps behind him and Miss Valentine two steps behind the cook on the Quartermaster's other side.

Nami squinted and for a brief fleeting moment she was able to make out a fourth figure standing side-by-side with Sabo. Her arm was wrapped around Sabo's as she stood in the place of his rifle.

But then the Navigator's vision was jarred by a heavy stomp from Luffy. She blinked and the mysterious woman was gone.

"Sheez goda tayl…" Nami mumbled.

Unfortunately, the only person close enough to possibly hear the sick Navigator's observation was Luffy. But the rubber pirate was single-mindedly focused on getting Nami away from the battle so he was unable to hear her over his frantic foot-falls as they crunched in the snow.

"You guys ready for this?" Sabo asked his companions.

Sanji nodded. "If fighting these guys will allow Nami to get to the doctor… I'll give it everything I have."

"I'm gonna protect my eye candy," Miss Valentine vowed. "Let's go Blonde Squad!"

---

I know, I'm a tease. You think this is bad? This cliff hanger is just to prepare you for the one coming next chapter. I am currently laying landmines around my specially constructed bunker in order to prepare for the heavy backlash I'm sure to receive. So don't say I didn't warn you.

The presence of Sabo and Ayako is changing things on multiple fronts. Thanks to Sabo, Vivi didn't get shot by the militia and Sanji didn't break his back on those rocks. Thanks to Ayako, Carue didn't freeze in the water while trying to save Zoro and Vivi's group managed to catch Dr. Kureha (and an early glimpse of Chopper!). I skipped over old scenes like Dr. Kureha's introduction and Dalton fighting Wapol that happen exactly the same as they do in canon and instead I chose to focus on the new scenes. Also, does anyone remember that filler scene from the anime where Zoro finishes his swim and comes across Kureha and Chopper before the avalanche? Vivi's group were in the same place so he ran into them instead.

Other things from this chapter that are worth noting... Sabo and Vivi are finally friends! Woo-hoo! And Dalton revealed that he'd recognized Vivi because they already talked about Wapol and Blackbeard. He'd been distracted two other times but in lieu of not having any other conversation topics he went with that. Also, I borrowed Ayako's Boring Brown and motion sickness from QPython. I was given permission when he abandoned his series. I love character quirks so Ayako's is motion sickness. She's so used to be lazy that her body physically can not handle moving at extreme speeds.

Poor Chopper has no idea that a storm of crazy is headed straight for him.

Silver signing off