Chapter 23
"My heart wants roots, my mind wants wings. I cannot bear their bickerings. "- E.Y. Harbur
It had been about a day since Nami had gotten sick and the snow began to fall. Kya wrapped herself up in the blanket in the kitchen, watching the Log Pose carefully. They were heading Southeast, hoping a doctor could be found in the direction they were headed. Looking around, she pulled out the Eternal Pose to her home. It was pointing to the Southwest; this was a good sign. Letting out a breath, she put it away. Hopefully they wouldn't run into any more of her problems for a while.
She was just beginning to get comfortable when Merry began to rock and nearly toppled over into the sea. "What the hell was that?!" She cried, running out onto the deck. In front of her something she'd never witnessed before; a boat like thing surrounded by tons of steel. A mast and crow's nest stuck out from the top, so this must be a pirate ship. "What are you doing?!" She yelled out at Usopp, Luffy and Zoro who were supposed to be keeping watch. No one answered her as the iron around the ship moved mechanically, revealing an actual pirate ship with a hippo wearing a crown as a figurehead. The ship was at least five times larger than the Merry; it could easily run the Straw Hats over.
Suddenly, someone let out a loud and ugly laugh. "Are you surprised?!" Kya moved up next to Luffy and Usopp. "This is the Bilking; the war submarine!" The person shouted at them. "This is bad! It's a pirate's ship!" Usopp muttered. "Super…." Luffy drawled out, still not wearing any warm clothes. "A submarine….." Kya had never seen anything like it; not even with the World Government. "Why are they coming while we're busy?" Zoro grumbled from the crow's nest.
Just as he finished speaking, groups of men in long, fuzzy coats holding guns trampled onto their ship. They climbed the mast and held Zoro at gunpoint as well as Luffy and Usopp. Kya went to fight off the ones cornering her, but she was in a bind when they pressed their guns up against her. "Hey! What happened here?!" Sanji came running out of the room where Nami and Vivi were at. As the guns drawled against him, he halted and calmly lit a cigarette. "What's going on here?"
"Our ship is under attack." Luffy stated bluntly. "Really? That's what I thought too, based on what I see." The chef returned lightly. "Hey! We are in a hurry!" Luffy yelled as more people began to walk onto the ship. "Ummm…..Five people. You only have five people?" A short and fat (and ugly) man walked up, eating a piece of meat on a sword before eating the sword itself. He was covered in armor, even his chin was iron, and he wore a fuzzy hippo pelt around him. "Anyway, let me ask you a question." He carried on, chewing through the metal of the sword. "What is that thing? He's eating a knife!" Luffy cried painfully just watching the man. "I can't imagine just how much that hurts!" Usopp added, his arms frozen in the air. Kya grimaced at the sight, cracking her fingers. The men surrounding her pushed their guns closer to her, backing her against the railing. 'There is no way we're getting out of this easily.' She frowned to herself.
"We want to go to the Drum Empire." The man threw the sword hilt into his mouth. "DO you have any Eternal Poses?" He asked, a smirk on his face. "No. And we've never heard of that country before." Sanji informed him. "Hey! Since you're done with your business, why don't you just leave!" Luffy yelled. The man sighed. "Why do you have to be so cruel? If you don't have it, why don't I just take all your treasures then?"
"What did you just say?"
The man turned, catching a glimpse of the pink haired assassin. "And of those five people, we have a beauty!" He laughed and walked over to her. "How would you like to be Queen of the Drum Empire?" He raised an eyebrow at her, trying to be smooth. "No." She said simply, a frown on her face. He looked taken back and he tried to pull it off by coughing. "Well then. No one says no to me. Guards, kill her." The men surrounding her grabbed her arms, one of them holding a gun to her temple. "But before that, I'm kinda hungry." The man turned around and took a chunk out of Merry. His jaws chomped loudly before he swallowed the wood. "Is he human?" Usopp shrieked.
"Hey! Don't eat our ship!" Luffy yelled as the man shoved the anchor in his mouth. "This anchor is quite tasty." The man sung as Luffy clinched his fists. "Don't interrupt Lord Wapol while he's enjoying his meal!" One of the guards shouted, pointing his gun at Luffy. "Shut up!" As Luffy charged towards Wapol, the men surrounded him. "He's going to fight! Let's shoot him!"
Without another word, Kya turned and punched the men holding her. They flew back, knocking down others along the way. "Chey, you guys are pathetic." She pulled some of her needles out and placed them between her fingers and in her mouth. 'Haven't used these in a while.' She flicked her wrist, and two men went down. She fought off at least three more before Luffy's hands suddenly came flying back, almost hitting her in the face. When she turned to look at his body, she was surprised to say the least. Luffy's body was in Wapol's mouth, and the man looked at his arms strangely. "Eh? What are these stretching things?"
Vivi had come up the deck, a look of horror washed over her face. "Vivi-chan, is there something wrong with Nami-san?" Sanji asked her calmly. She stuttered for something, but nothing came out. "Hey, this kid is really hard to chew." Wapol grumbled as he tried to grind up Luffy. Kya grimaced at the fact the man was trying to commit an act of cannibalism; people in the Grand Line where indeed strange. Luffy's arms came flying back, hitting Wapol dead on and sending him flying. "Get the hell off my ship!" His followers cried out after their 'Lord' as he flew far into the ocean. They all scrambled back onto their submarine ship and left quickly (after shouting at the Straw Hats) to find the man.
"I've never seen anything so strange in my life…." Zoro muttered, putting away his swords. "It gets worse." Kya said sadly. She hated to admit it, but it was true. Stranger things lie beyond the point they're at; they still have to get to the New World. She shuttered at the thought of those two words and she wondered if they'd even make it that far.
Night fell and Sanji and Kya were left on look out while the others slept in Nami's room. "Neh, Kya-chwan you don't have to stay out here any longer, I can handle this." He told her politely. She curled up in her blanket and scooted closer to him. "No, I'll be fine." Her teeth chattered when she spoke. "Baka, you're going to die if you don't go inside." He laughed lightly, his breath fogging the air along with his cigarette smoke. "I can't just leave you out here by yourself." She admitted. He let out a long sigh before leaning back against the mast.
"Kya-chan, have you been feeling well? If you don't mind me asking." He added the last part quickly, remembering the last time he had a personal discussion with her. "Just tired is all. I haven't been getting much sleep lately." She moved so she could lean over the edge of the wood. "I'll be fine, don't worry about me." With a flash of her pretty smile, Sanji melted, ending their conversation. She chuckled as she looked out over the black water. No island was in sight and she wondered if they would find a doctor soon; losing Nami would not go over well with the crew.
The next morning, Kya slugged her way to the kitchen. She really was feeling drained herself, and hoped she was getting as sick as Nami. She rested her head in her arms on the table, trying to hold back a pestering sneeze. The tapping sounds of a hammer hitting nails into the wood finally lulled her into a long awaited sleep.
She hadn't been asleep for long when Luffy's voice echoed around the whole ship. "Wow! An island!" Groaning, she stretched her arms and stared at the wall for a few moments. "I should probably make sure they aren't destroying anything….or I could go back to sleep." She pondered out loud. Letting out an irritated sigh, she stood to her feet. She decided not letting the idiots kill her in her sleep was a good idea.
The cold wind hit her hard as she walked back outside. Sanji, Luffy, Usopp, Vivi and Zoro were all standing on the front deck, staring at the island in front of them. Of course, it was a winter island, completely covered in snow. Off in the distance were cylinder mountains and the one in the middle held a large castle on top of it. She stared at the beautiful, yet familiar, scenery (although it did not change her opinion about the cold) as she walked up to the others quietly. "Phew, what's that? A snow mountain?" Sanji asked in awe. "I'm so happy there is this much snow!" Luffy cheered, clapping his hands. "Aren't you cold at all Luffy?" Usopp was shaking violently under his jackets. "-10 degrees Celsius; the right temperature for a bear to hibernate." Vivi informed them, making Luffy turn to them questionably. Apparently, thinking about the cold made him realize how could it actually was. "It's so cold!" He made a 'brr' sound with his lips, earning scolding from Sanji and Usopp. "Ah, Kya! I didn't even hear you come up." He chuckled right before she let out a sneeze. "I think I might just go back in."
As they Merry sailed forward, the crew came to halt. "We can't go any further. I think we'd better stop here." Vivi told them. "Who will look for a doctor? Well first of all, just look for people." Zoro crossed his arms over his chest as he spoke. Kya stared at him strangely, wondering how the hell he could stand in this cold for more than two minutes without gloves. "I will!" Luffy raised his quickly, and even he had gloves on. "I will go too!" Sanji declared passionately. "Very good, just hurry up!" After Usopp spoke the last words, armed people came into view on the ledges surrounding them. "Stop right there, pirates." The voice dripped with malice as it spoke. "Hey! There are humans!" Luffy said as if he had accomplished something. "But they don't look too friendly." Kya murmured, staring at the large man in the middle of it all. He was tall and muscular, extremely muscular, and had on a furry hat that covered his ears. His parka was a dark green and trimmed with white fur and his arms looked like they were covered in metal rings. "Get off this island. You're not welcome here." She frowned at his demands; something was oddly familiar about him too. "We are looking for a doctor!" Luffy called out to them. "We have a sick person on board!" Vivi screamed afterwards.
"That trick won't work on us, evil pirates!"
"This is our village and we won't let you in!"
"Just get out, otherwise we'll shoot you!"
"They just met us, but they act like they've hated us for a hundred years." Sanji said weirdly, blowing smoke from his mouth. "Shut up!" One of the villagers fired their guns, almost hitting Sanji in the foot if he hadn't moved. "What are you doing?!" Usopp cried as the others got into fighting positions. "Are you trying to mess with us?" Sanji growled as the villager swallowed and cocked his gun. He went to charge, but Vivi stopped him in his place. "Wait, Sanji-san!" She yelled as another shot rang out around them.
It seemed like the world was moving in slow motion as the blue haired girl fell to the ground. Everyone froze in anger, staring at the scene before them. "Vivi!" Kya breathed, running over to the poor girl. "How dare you!" Luffy and the others went to attack the men, but Vivi suddenly pushed the assassin away from her and grabbed him by the waist. "Wait! Don't fight them! I'm okay, the bullet just grazed me!" She explained, short of breath. Blood seeped from the small wound on her shoulder, and Kya let out a sigh. The damage could have been a lot worse. The young princess turned to the villagers. "We won't go into your village, but our friend is in serious condition." She bowed so low her forehead touched the floor. Everyone stared at her strangely, wondering why a princess would bow so low to commoners. "Vivi…" Luffy trailed off.
"You still don't understand the way of being a good captain, Luffy." She scolded him. "If you do something right now everything will get worse. If you fight them, what will happen to Nami-san? Think about it!" He stared at her for a moment, lost in her words. 'She is too humble.' Kya thought, scanning the crowd. They were still on edge as Luffy turned to them, determined look in his eyes. "I'm sorry. It's my fault." He said to them before bowing down next to Vivi. "Please call a doctor. Please help my friend."
The villagers still pointed their guns at them, but the main man finally caved in. "I will show you the way to our village. Just follow us." He turned around, waiting for the pirates to follow. "See? They understood us." Vivi smiled at Luffy, who looked at her strangely. "Yes, you've done a good job."
As the pirates went to climb up onto the snowy hill, the man stopped them quickly. "You can't come." He pointed straight at Kya, who stood on the railing of the Merry. She frowned and furrowed her eyebrows. "Why me?" She asked, earning a glare from the large man. "Don't act like you don't remember." He said lowly before walking off. The rest of the crew stared at her intently, their looks demanding answers without words. She jumped back down onto the deck and crossed her arms over her chest as she shivered. "Look, I honestly don't know what he's talking about."
"It's okay Kya-chwan~! We'll be back in no time; I wouldn't let you spend that much time alone with the shitty swordsman!" Said man grunted at the cook as he twirled away with the others, leaving Kya, Zoro and Carue. She watched in anger as they left into the white land, struggling to figure out why she was not wanted here. She racked her brain for answers, only to be interrupted by a clapping sound behind her.
The sight she was witnessing when she turned around was incredulous. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" She nearly shouted at the idiotic swordsman. He clapped his feet at her as he sat on a crate; no shoes on. "I can practice now. I almost lost all of my muscles, but they asked me to guard the ship. That's so boring." He explained as he slipped off his jacket, leaving Kya and Carue with dropped jaws. "If I have a strong enough will and enough practice, I can swim in the middle of winter." He clapped his hands in front of him, breathing out into the freezing cold air.
Not letting this stupidity slip, she marched over to him and grabbed his ear, making the gold earrings jangle violently. "I'm putting you in front of Luffy as the stupidest person I've ever met." She grumbled. "You're not going out there. You'll get hypothermia and you're stiches will rip; you'll be fine for the next couple of days and then you can practice." He grabbed her wrist tightly and made a huffing sound. "Shut up. You're-" His comeback was cut off by a child crying loudly on the island. The two of them walked over to the edge of the ship, spotting a little boy curled up in a ball. "We should do something….." She bit her lip indecisively.
And being the ass that he was, Zoro pushed the small girl forward into the freezing cold water. Being submerged for a mere three seconds made her whole body numb; her teeth chattered loudly as she broke through the surface. "I hate you!" She screamed, swimming over to the shore. She could hear his laughter as she removed her soaking wet jacket; her other articles of clothing were soaked as well, but she was not about to run around an Iceland naked. "Will please give me some clothes." The swordsman nearly busted a gut from laughing so hard at the sight of her. Her pink hair was clinging to her face just like her arms around her torso. Her body was shivering violently and he began to feel slightly sorry for her. "I couldn't resist." He chuckled as he tossed her his shirt and jacket. "There you go." She shot him a glare as she removed the long sleeve shirt she was currently in. The boy behind her had stopped his crying and was staring at her, as well as Zoro. After putting on the long coat she flipped him the middle finger before turning to the young child.
"Are you alright?" She asked softly, putting her hair into a ponytail. The kid wiped his eyes and nodded, sniffling slightly. He looked to only be around six or seven and had shoulder length black hair. He was wearing a light pink coat that stopped above his knees and black pants on after that. "What's your name?" She held out her hand to help him up, which he gladly took. "D-Deno." He whimpered, clinging to her arm tightly. "Alright," She turned to look at the Merry, only to see no one on board anymore. "Well, what happened?"
"I was walking down to my fort when the rabbits saw me. I didn't know what to do so I just ran and ran. I tripped and fell down a hill and ended up down here. I was so scared so I just stayed here." He explained, tears pricking the corners of his eyes once more. "Uh, okay. I'll help you find your parents, just stay close to me, okay?" He held tightly to her hand and nodded. "Okay."
They trudged through the thick snow for a while in complete silence. She felt a bit nervous coming onto this island; she had no recollection of this place whatsoever. "You look angry? Is it me?" Deno asked quickly, his bottom lip quivering. She chuckled lightly and squeezed his hand. "No, I was just thinking. I wasn't allowed on the island for some strange reason."
"We were attacked by pirates not too long ago. Maybe that's why." He said quietly. She shook her head. "No, he pointed specifically me out of the whole crew. I must have been here some time ago. I just don't remember it." He looked at her strangely like he didn't understand, but nodded anyways.
It was silence again until a loud rumbling from the top of the mountains stopped them in their tracks. "Is that an animal?" She swallowed hard. "I-It doesn't sound like it." He squeaked. A wave of white came rolling down the mountain, hurdling straight towards them. "Shit!" She picked him up and ran; the only thing she could do. 'Maybe I can make it back to the ship in time.' She turned to see how far back the avalanche was and realized there was no possible way to out run it."God dammit." She turned in front of a small ledge like thing with a tiny cave in the bottom of it.
"Stay in here, okay?" She pushed him into the one man space. He grabbed her hands, tears rolling down his pale cheeks. "P-Please don't go! You won't survive." He sobbed. She removed herself from him and began to run off. "I'll be back in a minute!" She shouted. The avalanche was so close; debris came flying at her in every direction. She skidded to a halt in front of a small tree, looking between it and the monstrous natural disaster behind her. "This is it." She breathed as the snow washed over her, sending her into the tree and knocking her out.
Deno waited for what seemed like forever for the avalanche to calm down. He curled up into his ball in the hole, silently crying as he waited for her to come back. He waited and waited and waited and waited.
She never came back.
Slipping onto the crunching snow, he saw the effect the avalanche had on the land. Trees, piece of buildings, clothes, anything you could think of lay among the empty white sea. "Miss." He yelled, wrapping his arms around himself. "Miss!" She still did not answer his pathetic cry. He didn't know what to do, so he sat on the ground and cried loudly. He didn't want to die, nor did he want her to die. He scanned the area with watery eyes, spotting something by a tree some odd feet away.
"Miss!"
He ran as fast as he could over to the woman who had saved his life, using his frostbitten hands to dig her out of the snow coffin. She wasn't awake, that's for sure, but her stomach had been pushed up against the tree. Her head was bleeding profusely and her body was shaking violently. "Miss." He sniffled, managing to pull her out carefully. He couldn't wait for an answer, so he grabbed the surprisingly light woman and began dragging her into the direction they were headed. There was no way he would let her die out here.
It took longer than expected, but he managed to come into the clearing where he thought his home was. People were outside, yelling at something angrily. Tears filled his eyes at the sight of hope. "Someone! Help us! Someone!" He screamed, but no one heard. He fell to the ground, holding the woman in his small arms. "Help!" His cracking voice echoed around the town.
"Everyone! It's Deno!"
He smiled through the tears as he saw a middle aged black haired woman come running towards him. She was crying also; her rosy cheeks indicated she had been outside for a while. "Mama." He whimpered as she fell to her knees before him. "Oh my little Deno. Where have you been? You're not hurt are you? Who is this?" She asked him quickly as he begun to shake. "She's hurt. Help her. She saved me." A few men came running up behind his mother, staring down at the little boy. "Get the first aid kit!"
Zoro was content with himself now. He had never really been in a cold climate like this with no clothes on, and the thought of beating the shit out of some guy and getting his clothes made him strangely happy; then adding the fact he destroyed the rest of the man's entourage. "What a bunch of losers." He smirked, tossing the crappy swords he had borrowed onto the ground. People were suddenly cheering, thanking him for his good deed. "What's going on?" He asked Vivi, who looked happy as well. "I'll tell you later! Let's help them first!" She exclaimed, running off with the others. He shook his head, but turned to help out anyways.
"M-Mister."
He grunted as someone tugged on his coat. "What do you want?" He growled, looking down at the small kid. "Come with me." He started to cry a little as he reached for his hand. Staring down at the little boy, Zoro recognized him from somewhere. "You were that kid, weren't you?" He asked, taking his hand. "Y-Yes. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He had broken down into sobs now as he dragged the swordsman away from all the frantic people.
He was starting to worry; the kid was crying, apologizing and Kya was nowhere in sit. He hated to admit it but his heart did drop a little at the thought of her possible demise. The kid dragged him over to a secluded area where a group of people were surrounding something. "What is it?"
The people turned to look at him, but their eyes mainly stayed on the little boy. "De-chan, who is this?" The only woman there asked lightly. "H-Her friend." He sniffled, pulling the pirate closer to the center. Zoro hadn't expected to see what was in front of him; Kya lay on the ground, wrapped tightly in blankets. Her face was battered and bruised and dried blood had crusted on the side of her face. "Damn, what the hell happened?"
"She was protecting me from the avalanche. She put me in this small cave and said she would be back but she never did come back. I found her buried under the snow. I'm so sorry." The little boy was shaking as he cried now and Zoro placed his hand on top of his head. "What's wrong with her?"
"Cuts and bruises all over her body, probably broken ribs, possibly a concussion. We're not doctors; we don't really know." One of the men said. "Then why the hell don't you get a doctor?" The swordsman nearly shouted at him. "T-The only doctor we have is witch! She lives up in the castle."
"I don't have time for this shit." He grumbled, pushing past the people. He bent over and scooped the tiny girl into his arms carefully. "I'll take her to the witch doctor or whatever the hell she is." He grumbled, walking away and leaving a path of stunned faces behind him.
"Zoro!" Usopp cried, running over to him. "We found Dalton but-what the hell happened?!" The long nosed boy's jaw dropped at the sight of the assassin. "Forget it; we just need to find a doctor." He told him as the princess came over. "Miss Assassin!" She cried, a horrified look washing over her face. "Don't look so scared. She'll be alright."
Suddenly, a group of doctors in coats, masks, goggles and gloves came up to the people. "Isshin Twenty!" Someone cried out fearfully. "Mr. Dalton is still alive; his body has just become frozen. We will take care of him." One of the doctors informed them. "I thought there were no doctors in this town." Zoro said. "But why?" Vivi breathed. "Aren't they the doctors that ran away with Wapol? I thought they were bad doctors." Usopp mumbled.
"How can we trust you? You are the doctors who served Wapol!" Someone shouted at them. "What are you trying to with Mr. Dalton?!" The doctors became angry at the accusations and finger pointing. "If you want to help him you must listen to us!" One of them shouted. "We served Wapol because we were afraid of him, but we're still doctors. We always do the medial research to help the people in this country, because we've learned from one fake doctor that we should never give up. We shall not lose to that crazy man anymore!"
Zoro didn't really understand what was going on, but he was thankful these guys showed up.
"This is a good chance for this empire to escape from tragedy! If we don't fight them now, this country will never be rising again!"
Kya shot up, pain searing through her abdomen as she did so. "Shit." She cursed, leaning on her arm as the other clutched her side. "What the hell happened…?" Looking around, she saw she was in what was left of a village. People were scattered everywhere, staring at the large man in the middle. 'That's the same man who was at our ship earlier.' She thought as she watched him struggle to his feet. "I will fight them, even if I have to risk my life. I will fight with everything I've got, even if I have to cheat!"
"Get on. I will carry you to the castle." Everyone's jaw dropped as Usopp bent down in front of the man, ready to carry him on his back. "Miss!" A small bundle collided (painfully) with her leg. "Oh, it's you." She patted Deno's head lightly as his grip tightened around her leg. The man fell onto Usopp's back heavily; the distress of the weight was clear on Usopp's face. "You can't carry me Usopp-kun." The man said softly. "Who says I can't?! I will show you that I can do it! You want to fight for this empire right? Trust me, I won't let you down!"
That's when Zoro walked over to the sharpshooter and easily put the man onto his shoulder. "You want to go to the top of the mountain right?" He asked as if it was nothing. "I have to go help my friends." Kya pushed the little boy off her leg. "I'll be back for sure this time." She patted his cheek lightly. "Promise?" He sniffled. "Promise."
She walked up behind the princess as Usopp was seething at Zoro. "It seems a lot has happened since I was out." She chuckled lightly, scaring Vivi. "Miss Assassin! Are you feeling better?" She asked quickly, a worried look washing over her face. Kya waved her off. "Peachy."
"Wait! If you really want to go to the castle, just give us thirty minutes and we will fix a lift for you. It'll be a lot faster if you sue the lift." One of the villagers said to them. "Are you out of your mind? We don't have any rope that connects to the top of the mountain!" Another one cried. "Actually, we just found one white rope tied around a tree at Gyasta."
"Gyasta?" Usopp repeated, looking at Vivi. "The last town that Dr. Kureha visited." She said to him. Kya looked around at everyone; she was completely confused, but she figured she didn't have any time for explanations right now. She turned to follow them but a jabbing pain stopped her in her tracks. "Shit." Hands grabbed her upper body, carefully steadying her. "You've broken quite a few ribs; some are almost poking into your lungs. Don't push yourself, you may die." The man holding her was a doctor by the looks of it; where did he come from? "I'll be fine. Thank you." She brushed him off, clearing her throat awkwardly.
At lightning fast speed, Usopp grabbed the assassin and threw her on his back. "What the-" She tried to gasp but he cut her off. "That stupid Zoro, trying to make me look like a loser." He muttered, locking his arms under her thighs. "Wow you're really light Kya-san."
"Bastard, you almost killed me." She coughed, hanging her body over his shoulder. "Oh, sorry about that." He laughed awkwardly as they trudged forward. "Anyway, what happened to you? Zoro was kind of upset." She sighed heavily, regretting her decision to even go on land in the first place. "Well, we were supposed to be guarding the ship, but we saw Deno crying. Zoro pushed me off the ship so I just went and helped the kid and got caught in the avalanche. Not my best moment, but I'll be fine." She coughed lightly; her ribs were scraping against her poor lungs.
"So it's pretty much Zoro's fault?"
She snorted loudly. "Honestly, no. I would have helped the kid anyways, but the stupid marimo is going to feel guilty about it anyways. Baka." She shifted uncomfortably in the sharpshooters arms as they reached a giant tree with a rope connecting it to the mountains.
"A boy in the village just found it." Someone explained as people were tinkering with the lift. "This is quite surprising. I can't believe that there you be a rope here! And isn't this place Dr. Kureha's old house?" This caught her attention as Usopp carefully helped her inside the lift. "Dr. Kureha?" She repeated. "She's the witch doctor here."
More and more people crowded onto the lift, pushing her against the large man named Dalton. "Hey, there are too many people on this lift!" Someone cried out. "But we can't let Mr. Dalton fight alone!" Another shouted. "We will fight with you!" "I understand, but with this many people it will take longer for us to get to the top!" Dalton shifted uncomfortably as Vivi came over. "Mr. Dalton, don't overdo it." She scolded as Usopp yelled at the man pedaling to go faster. "Such nice scenery." Zoro said to himself off to the side.
Kya looked at the man next to her, seeing the struggle apparent on his face. "I would like to apologize; first for coming onto the island after you told me not to. Second for whatever I did before to make you unable to trust me." She played with her hands in her lap awkwardly. "No, please. I am thankful you came onto the island; you saved Deno-kun's life." He placed a firm hand on her shoulder. "I just recognized you from a long time ago. It seems you really don't remember. Honestly, I just remember you being with them as they destroyed our villages; you never really harmed anyone. I was just worried you would be a threat."
Her hands clenched into fists as he spoke quietly for only her to hear. "I am so sorry. I can't even remember; though this place does look familiar. I had no choice but to work with them you see-well it's a long story, and one I am not going to tell. But I will say that I hate them, and I will get revenge for whatever they did to you." He chuckled lightly at the young girl. "Do not worry about us; just make sure not to follow that path again." After he spoke these words, he doubled over in pain and began to cough up blood. "Mr. Dalton!" People cried as she placed her hands on his shoulder in chest. "I will end this painful tragedy" He declared. "What is history? What is government?! What's wrong with giving your heart to the country?!" Vivi squeaked, placing a hand over her mouth as her eyes began to water.
He sat up slowly, people crying out for him. "Listen up, when we get to the castle, I want everyone to stand back." He pulled a long row of explosives out of his jacket. "Dynamite?!" Murmurs spread around the lift, until someone shouted: "Look! Someone is at the top of the castle!" Squinting her eyes, Kya could make out the outstretched arms of her captain. "It's probably destroyed now." She muttered, a small smile spreading on her face.
The lift slowly came up to a hole in the side of the mountain and stopped. "I will go look at the situation first, everyone wait here." Usopp informed them, racing up the steps first, until he grabbed Zoro and pushed him out into the snow first. "Hey, would you stop pushing me!" Zoro groaned. "I'm just trying to support you." Kya couldn't help but snort at the lame excuse. "If you're scared you can just wait here with them." The swordsman pushed Usopp's head away from him. "Who says that I'm scared?! There's no way I'm scared!"
Suddenly, a loud cry erupted from the sky as Kya climbed the steps up behind the boys. "What is that?!" Usopp cried. "Luffy!" Zoro yelled as the captain caught sight of them. "Zoro and Usopp?" He questioned before slamming into the ground with them. Vivi sighed behind the assassin as the boys quickly rose from the snow.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Zoro yelled at the boy. "I thought you were one of them because you are wearing their clothes." He laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "So you're climbing up here to see us? Didn't you say that you don't know how to hike Usopp?" the sharpshooter swayed back and forth, still dizzy from the impact. "Are you kidding me? A man like me can't be stopped by a mountain. Talking about that, this is one tough adventure." Kya chuckled as she grabbed her side and walked up over to them. "We just took a lift to get here."
"By the way, are Nami-san and Sanji-san doing okay?" Vivi asked quickly, earning a smile from Luffy. "Yup, they're doing fine." Everyone let out a small breath. "That's good to hear." She replied as Usopp went on talking about some vulture thing. "What are you doing at the top of the castle anyway?" Kya asked him, looking at Nami's torn jacket adorning the boy's torso. 'I bet she's pissed.' She held back a laugh as he answered her. "I just chased that stupid king away."
"So that thing that just flew away was Wapol?" Dalton exclaimed as he limped over to them. "What about the other two?" Luffy waved that off. "That reindeer has already taken care of them. Hey listen up, we got a new crew member!" Everyone raised an eyebrow at Luffy but turned to a small tree next to them. There a small creature wearing pink pants with a pink hat that had a white x on it. He was small but had antlers protruding from his head and a blue nose. Upon seeing the reindeer, Dalton fell to his knees and bowed to it. "Thank you very much! I am sure that from now on, Drum Empire will become a better country!"
"Ah! Look!"
"What is that weird creature?!"
"Reindeer? No it's a monster!"
People were beginning to get their weapons ready at the poor creature, but Dalton intervened. "Don't do anything to him!" He shouted. "Evil?!" Usopp's jaw dropped to the ground. Seeing the weapons and the look on Usopp's face, the reindeer screamed (like a human) and ran off. "Hey! You idiot! He's the new crewmate I talked about" Luffy hit Usopp in the face. "You made him run away!" He cried before going after the reindeer. "Wait for me!"
"Hey!" Zoro sighed, rubbing his head. "Our new crewmate, is a reindeer?" Kya blinked, holding her side tighter; the idea of having an animal as crewmate was sort of neat. "Everyone!" A woman's scream echoed around them, causing the villagers to panic. "Dr. Kureha!" They cried out at the sight of her. She was old and strangely ugly, but had the body of a sixteen year old. She was in pants that had lightning symbols, a shirt that stopped above her pierced naval, and a jacket that stopped below her elbows. "Just looking at her makes me cold." Kya muttered, shivering to herself.
"Is everyone okay? Just take all the hurt people inside!" She told them, but no one moved. "And that means everyone's okay?" She decided. "Yes ma'am." The old woman suddenly turned and kicked down the wall behind her. "You two have to go inside too!" She shouted over the screams of whoever was behind the wall. Nami and Sanji came scurrying out, terrified looks on their faces. "We're sorry Dr. Kureha! We really are!"
Kya chuckled at the sight, which happened to be a bad idea. Pain shot up through her chest and blood came pouring from her mouth. "Kya!" Zoro caught her before she could hit the ground, cradling her in his arms. "Looks like we do have new patients." Dr. Kureha laughed, walking over to the two. She grabbed the side of Kya's unconscious face tightly, turning it to the side. She then pressed down on the girl's side, frowning. "Just what I thought. Come with me, she'll need surgery." Zoro's eyes widened at the word. "S-Surgery?!"
The surgery didn't take too long, and when Kya awoke she was laying on a cold bed with the doctor and Zoro by her side. "Aha! Success! Anyways, take these for a while. Change your bandages often, don't get your stitches wet, and no sudden movements. Oh and you have to stay here for a while." Kureha grabbed a bottle of sake off the table before she left the room. "Your coat is by the door and no one is here. Don't do anything stupid." With that, she left the room.
"I think she just told you to leave…." Zoro muttered under his breath. "What the hell happened anyways?" Kya groaned as she sat up. "The old bat said a part of your rib poked through your lung, but nothing too major. You'll be fine in a few weeks." He winced slightly, looking at her bandaged body. "Ah, fun. Anyways, get my jacket. Let's go."
The swordsman fixated her on his back as they began the long descending of the stairs. "Look, I'm sor-" She put her hand over his mouth quickly. "Don't even start with that shit." She grumbled. He tried to answer, only making muffled noises behind her hand. She chuckled lightly; that is until her licked her hand.
"You are…disgusting." She frowned and wiped her hand on his jacket. "That should teach you not to put your hand over my mouth." He informed her as they went outside. The cold hit her like a bullet, and she instantly buried her face into him. "Back inside. Now." He snorted and ignored her demand, walking out in front of the castle. "We'll just wait for the others out here." He carefully dropped her to her feet on the soft snow.
"But, it's cold." She muttered just as Luffy ran up next to them, Usopp trailing behind. "Hey reindeer!" He called, holding his hands on either side of his mouth. His jacket only had one sleeve, and he was still in shorts. 'Baka.' She shivered looking at him. "Just come and be a pirate with us!" He yelled again. "Give it up Luffy, we have been looking for him for a long time, but he's still running away." Usopp informed him sadly. "Maybe he doesn't want to become a pirate." Zoro sat on the ground with a thud.
"How can you know that? I want to take him with me." Luffy declared. "That's your only decision!?" Zoro shouted at his captain, but earned no response. "Reindeer! Reindeer!" Kya shook her head as Nami and Vivi came out of the castle, literally dragging Sanji behind them. "I'm sure he as a name Luffy."
"Ah! Reindeer!"
Standing between the trees was the little reindeer, his hat shadowing his eyes as he looked at the ground. "Hey, you want to become a pirate with me right?" Luffy asked, laughing happily. "That's impossible." The reindeer replied. "Why is it impossible? A pirate's life is very fun you know!" Luffy was getting more excited by the minute. "Don't you understand his words at all?" Usopp sighed heavily.
"I really was to thank you." The reindeer said slowly before looking at them. "But I am a reindeer! I have hooves and horns! I also have a blue nose! Actually, I want to be a pirate too! But I'm not human, I'm a monster! I can't be friends with humans! That's why I came here just to thank you!" He wiped his eyes before calming down. "Thank you for asking me, but I will stay here. If you are bored, just come to visit me sometime."
"Just come with us!"
Tears welled up in the (Kya wouldn't say it out loud, but he was rather adorable) creature's eyes as Luffy shouted this loudly. "What a noisy persuasion." Zoro muttered lowly as the reindeer sniffled. "Okay!"
The reindeer, whose name was Chopper, left to go get something, leaving the crew to entertain themselves. "Hey, why don't we say goodbye to doctor and uncle?" Luffy asked, sitting on a large ball of snow. "You'd better let Chopper go by himself because it will be very sad goodbye. Even though doctor Kureha looks mean and scary, she's really a kind person." Nami explained to them. "So we are going to leave them without saying goodbye?" Usopp asked, slightly saddened by this fact. "That's right. When Chopper comes back we will go to our ship and head to Alabasta. I hope this is fine with you Vivi." Nami turned to the princess, who smiled lightly. "Of course, as long as we have a doctor with us I'm okay."
"Doctor?"
Kya sat against the large snowball Luffy had rolled for her and sighed. "What an annoying adventure" She muttered as Usopp and Luffy went to fix the lift up. "Exactly what happened to you?" Nami stared the assassin down as she spoke. "Nothing." She mumbled, earning a laugh from Zoro. "She saved a kid's life; who knew she actually had a heart!" He laughed again, and she frowned deeply. "Shut up! At least I don't push people into the freezing cold water!"
"You asked for it."
"How?!"
"You leaned too far over the edge. I couldn't stop myself."
Before he could stop it, a large chunk of snow hit him in the face, knocking him off the mound he was sitting on. Everyone laughed loudly and his face grew red in anger. "What the-" Loud crashing noises followed by screaming interrupted his shout, making everyone stop. "What's going on inside the castle?" Vivi asked. "Why can't they just have a quiet goodbye? It's already late." Nami grumbled as Chopper came into sight. He was in a different form and pulling a sled behind him.
"I'm being chased!" He cried, dodging the oncoming knives thrown by Dr. Kureha. "Everyone hop on! We are going down now!" Everyone's eyes widened as the crazy woman manically threw weapon after weapon at them, screaming 'Stop!'. "What the hell is she doing?!" Kya cried as they all struggled to jump onto the sleigh. "Come on stupid." Zoro growled, practically throwing her on there. Luffy missed as Chopper ran right onto the rope. "Usopp!" He yelled, stretching his arm out for the sharpshooter to grab. "Got you!" He held on tightly as Luffy flew in the wind behind them. She frowned, looking down at the passing villages. "How bothersome." She muttered just as Chopper jumped down onto the snowy ground. The sleigh rattled and shook, nearly knocking everyone out.
"Yahoo! That's so cool! Can we do it again?"
"Are you nuts?!"
"We have to go now!"
"I thought I was gonna die!"
"Hey! Where am I?" The shaking had woken Sanji up, and he now looked around, dazed and confused at the passing scenery. "Oh! You're conscious." Usopp noted the obvious. Everyone simultaneously let out a sigh; they were all glad to have everything back together. That is, until cannons started to shoot from the top of the mountain. Chopper stopped the sleigh, turning to look at the castle.
Spreading through the sky like a wildfire was a pink mist, almost like snow. Luffy sat on the back of the sleigh, Kya on one side of him, Usopp and Sanji on the other, and Nami stood behind them. Vivi and Zoro got out staring at the beautiful scene as Chopper turned into his regular form. He trudged his way back up the mountain a little, letting out a loud cry.
"That's so cool!" Vivi exclaimed and Zoro agreed. "It's so beautiful." Kya couldn't help but laugh lightly. The sky was turning into the color of her hair, and the sunlight made the whole island turn into a pinkish color. Chopper screamed and wailed as he looked upon the sight; it must have meant a lot to him.
Eventually they managed to get Chopper back to the Merry, a little less teary eyed. Everyone was rushing around trying to get the ship ready for their next destination. Kya was stuck on the ground; unable to lift her arms to climb aboard. "Dammit." She chewed her lip; trying to figure out how she would do this.
"Here, let me help you."
Suddenly, she was on top of someone's shoulders, looking over the ship. Chopper had apparently transformed into another form, which was more human like. "This whole transforming thing is pretty cool." She chuckled as he started to climb the rope. "O-oh." He mumbled, his cheeks turning red. "Uhm, Doctorine told me to look after you; your ribs were broken and poking into your lungs. I should check up on you later." He whispered as he set her down onto the deck. She smiled lightly at the reindeer. "Welcome aboard, Chopper."
Night fell as the Straw Hats sailed away from Drum Island, leaving behind a sakura covered kingdom. And what do the Straw Hats do when they gain another crew member? Party of course! Luffy was currently running around with chopsticks stuffed in his nose and everyone else was eating and/or getting drunk. Kya was sitting in between Usopp and Sanji, chugging her alcohol like a professional. "Chopper! How long are you going to sit there?!" Usopp asked loudly, looking at the little reindeer sitting on the railing by himself. "Let's come here and drink together!" She cheered, raising her class in the air. "It's a very beautiful sakura night. I never thought that I would see sakura in this winter empire." Sanji said calmly as Zoro poured him another drink. "That's right we need to get drunk tonight!"
"Wait a minute here!"
Everyone looked at Nami who pointed at Vivi holding poor Carue in a blanket. AS the Straw Hats had arrived back at the ship, they discovered that Carue had fallen into the water and was frozen solid. "Can you just keep it down and look here?!" She screeched. "Isn't it good that he is still alive?" Luffy asked blatantly. "Carue, why did you jump in the cold water?!" Vivi cried as her duck quacked.
"Maybe he just fell into the water accidently…What an idiot!" Zoro laughed loudly, earning a glare from Vivi. "Shut up!" She shouted as Chopper spoke for the first time since they left. "He said that after Kya fell into the water, Zoro did too and they disappeared. He thought they were in trouble so he jumped into the water to save them, but he became ice." Nami was quick to punch the assassin and swordsman in the head. "It's all because of you two!"
"Tony-kun, you understand Carue's words?" Vivi gasped. "I used to be an animal, so I understand their language." He explained, jumping onto the deck. "That's great Chopper, not only do you know medicine, you have other talents!" Nami clapped her hands at him happily. "Damn it! I won't be happy by those words you know?!" He cried, although he was dancing with a smile. "If you're not happy, why do you act like that?"
"Nami-san, why do you buy medicine?" Sanji asked suddenly, breathing out cigarette smoke. "Chopper is a doctor." Kya told them, nursing her throbbing head. 'That wench can hit.' She grumbled to herself as shock spread through Luffy and Sanji's faces. "What?! Chopper is a doctor?!" They shouted together. "Why do you think I asked him to join us?" Nami grumbled.
"Because he can transform into seven different forms."
"Emergency food supply."
Nami placed a hand on Chopper to stop him from running away. "Ah! I forgot to bring my bag with me! All my medical supplies is in there!" He cried loudly, suddenly realizing this. "Then what is this?" She pulled out a pink bag with a white x on it, just like his hat. "I found it in the sleigh." His mouth dropped to the ground. "My bag? But why?" He gasped. "Why? I thought you were the one who prepared it?"
Luffy and Usopp shoved chopsticks in their noses again, dancing in the center like maniacs. Kya chuckled from her spot in between Zoro and Sanji, chugging her drink. "Chopper! Come and dance with us!" They cried, making Nami angry. "Would you guys keep it down!" She shouted before turning back to Chopper, who now had chopsticks in his nose too. "Why do you copy them?!"
"Alright! Everyone listen up!" Usopp stood and whistled, holding his cup out. Everyone seemed to be ignoring him. "Hey! Stupid chef, get me more food!" Zoro suddenly shouted. "What did you say? How dare you order me!" Sanji yelled back. "Can't even get a long for two seconds." Kya muttered, grabbing her grog and getting the hell out of there. "Sanji! Are we out of dino meat?!"
"Let's have a toast!"
She moved over to sit next to Nami and Chopper, the latter had tears pricking his eyes and chopsticks still in his nose. "This is the first time in my life that I feel happy." He giggled. "Let's drink for our new friend!" Everyone stopped what they were doing to cheer and clank glasses. "Kanpai!"
Things didn't die down; there was even more eating, drinking and dancing. "Are you okay, Kya-san?!" Chopper was twirling in front of her as she sat against the railing. "Just fine, my side hurts a little so I thought I'd take a rest." She smiled at him. "Ah, you know. I remember you now. You came to my home once." He stopped dancing to sit cross legged in front of her. "You came with these mean people; even meaner than Wapol. They killed a lot of people and kidnapped others. And you were there; you were younger and didn't have that black. You were crying behind a tree, and covered in blood. I thought you were hurt but there weren't any cuts on you. That's when I knew you were one of them and I just….I left you there."
She frowned deeply, swirling her drink in her cup angrily. "I-I don't remember anything. I'd rather not think about it right now either. Just now leaving me there was a better choice on your behalf and you should not feel bad about it." The little reindeer looked down at the ground. "I'm sorry, I didn't me-" She leaned forward and flicked his forehead. "Baka, go have fun! We're nakama now! No worries!" She smiled happily at him, making him laugh. "Okay!"
Long ass chapter. I apologize for the lateness. D: and the bad ending. There will be no Christmas special, simply because I do not believe in Christmas. (I'm sorry!) But I promise a New Year's special! And also check out my other story, which is pretty much the same thing as this, except different setting. :3