Author's Note: Now, we begin our new arc, the "Appenzell Island Arc". Like the Straw Hats, the Capricorns will get their doctor on a winter island, but, through different circumstances. So, without further ado, let's begin!

Oh, I forgot to mention this... We hit twenty chapters with the previous chapter! Yay for me!

Disclaimer: One Piece is still the property of Eichiiro Oda, who is still breaking manga sales records in Japan.

Ch. 20: "Is There a Doctor Here?"

A couple of days of sailing later, the temperatures dropped and the Capricorn Pirates were sailing close to a winter island.

"Day two at sea. The temperature has dropped and the seas have gotten icier. It is very drafty in the Hyperion, and we do all that we can to keep warm. I wouldn't be too surprised if it began to snow soon. Our shipwright has taken ill and he's been in bed since yesterday. I hope he gets well soon, since we're sailing through icy waters, which could –" Kaoru thought to himself as he wrote in his journal. A crashing sound down the hall cut off his train of thought.

"Let me see Kartik!"

Down the hall, Aria was trying to hold off Karin. The day before, Kartik got sick and had to stay in bed since then.

"Karin, you've visited him ten times already! Let Kartik rest up a bit!" Aria explained.

"Then, how come Matsu gets to come and go as she pleases?" Karin asked Aria angrily.

"She VOLUNTEERED to take care of Kartik! You just want to watch him sleep," Aria explained.

"Ooh. Burned," Hatori said as he walked past the two. Karin sighed.

"Fine. I'll let Kartik rest up so he can be well enough to see me," Karin said before she walked walked down the hall.

"Good morning, Matsu. You're just in time, since Karin just left, Aria greeted the tailor.

"Thank you, Aria. I'm sure Kartik will be glad to hear that Karin isn't visiting him FOR ONCE," Matsu said.

"Hey, woman, I heard that!" Karin yelled from down the her and entered Kartik's room.

"Hi, Kartik. How are you feeling?"Matsu asked Kartik, who sneezed.

"I don't think this cold weather is good for me," Kartik stated.

"Hana says that we're almost at the next island. When we get there, we're going to go find a doctor for you," Matsu explained.

"That's good. I just want to get well and make sure the Hyperion can sail through the icy weather we're currently experiencing," Kartik explained before he began coughing.

"You don't sound like you're doing too well. Can I get you anything?" Matsu asked Kartik.

"Hmm… A cup of tea with some honey," Kartik suggested.

"Alright, coming right up," Matsu said. On the upper deck…

"Daisuke Saburo, I don't trust you anymore!" Yulia yelled to her green-haired partner.

"But, everybody's freezing cold!" Daisuke argued. Currently, he was using Hatori's fishing rod to fish up pieces of wood to collect so he can make a bonfire to warm everyone up.

"Well, you're going to end up burning the ship. Plus, Kartik is sick, and there's no way in Hell that he'd be well enough to replace the burnt wood," Yulia coldly told Daisuke.

"But, Yulia!" Daisuke cried. Yulia said nothing as she headed inside. "Come back! We need a way to keep warm so we don't die!"

Z.G. facepalmed.

"Daisuke, you are a class-A idiot," Z.G. said to himself.

"This makes me wonder if he's been dropped on his head during a thieving run," Drusilla added.

"If only Yulia could back us up," Maki-chan said with a sigh as Yuki-Rin exited the ship.

"Hana says that we're going to dock at the next island in ten minutes. She also says that that we're going to have to dock off of the coast, because the sea surrounding the next island is actually frozen over," Yuki-Rin explained. Daisuke sighed.

"Why do we have to dock at a winter island?" Daisuke asked everyone.

"That's where Hana's Log Pose pointed to. If I had my way, we'd dock somewhere else," Yuki-Rin explained.

"This sea's magnetic field sucks," Daisuke commented as he and Yuki-Rin made their way into the kitchen, where some of the other Capricorns were surrounding the stove for warmth.

"I hate winter islands!" Kazuma yelled.

"Me too! My hair is all dull because of the cold!" Aki cried.

"You're caring about your hair when we're sailing into an island where the ice could break our ship and our shipwright just happens to be sick right now?" Showtarou asked Aki.

"But, Showtarou, my hair is my best feature!" Aki argued. Before anything else could be said, Hana entered.

"Showtarou, we're about to dock, so, could you please take the sails down and store them away to prevent them from freezing?" Hana asked Showtarou.

"Yes, Hana," Showtarou said before he gave Aki a dirty look and walked away.

"I'm lucky I don't have to suffer through this, because I'm a ghost," Isabella commented.

"Isabella," Heathcliffe told the ghost.

"Yes, grandson?" Isabella asked mockingly.

"Shut up," Heathcliffe told the ghost. Isabella stuck her tongue out at Heathcliffe, who just rolled his eyes.

"By the way, Matsu, how is Kartik doing?" Hana askedMatsu.

"Not so well. I think it's because of this weather," Matsu said as she grabbed Kartik's cup of tea. "We should find a doctor as soon as we dock."

"I agree. We're sailing through icy patches, and we don't want the ship to get broken at a time like this," Hana explained. Matsu smiled as she walked to Kartik's room. Then, a loud thump could be hard from Kartik's room.

"Kartik?" Matsu said as she quickened her pace. When she arrived at Kartik's room, she saw him collapsed on the floor and sweating.

"Kartik!" Matsu cried, dropping the teacup in the process.

"Are we… At the island yet?" Kartik weakly askedMatsu.

"We're just docking. Don't worry, we'll get you a doctor," Matsu re-assured Kartik.

"Get my coat, please," Kartik weakly her hand to his forehead, and pulled it away within a second.

"Not in this condition. You're burning up with a fever," Matsu said as she picked up Kartik from the floor.

A few minutes later, the Capricorn Pirates were walking across a large ice patch that separated the island from the ocean. Kartik managed to get enough strength to walk, but, he was leaning on Matsu because he was still weak.

"So, what's this next island we've docked at?" Sebastian asked Hana.

"Appenzell Island. It's famous for a large, snowy island at the north side of the island. Unfortunately, it's also famous for avalanches and a very territorial group of penguins only known as 'The Tuxedo Penguins'," Hana explained.

"Penguins?" Kazuma asked Hana.

"Are you serious?" Soren asked Hana.

"Yes, Soren, we're probably going to end up battling penguins. Please arm yourself accordingly," Hana said seriously. Then, the ground began shaking.

"Earthquake!" Z.G. yelled. Then, a large sea king broke through the ice.

"A sea king?" Hana wondered out loud.

"Leave it to me!" Daisuke said as he got out his knife and began charging toward the sea king. After running about five feet, Daisuke slipped and fell. The Capricorn Pirates began to laugh.

"Oh, be quiet," Daisuke said as he got up from the ice. Holden then got his guns out, charged toward the sea king, jumped up in the air, and fired his guns, killing the sea king.

"And that, my friends, is how you kill a sea king," Holden said. But, when he took a step forward, he slipped and fell onto Daisuke.

"Goddamn! Not again!" Daisuke cried as he and Holden got up.

"Guys, come on! We can't waste anymore time, because Kartik's condition may worsen in this weather," Yuki-Rin explained.

"Good. I just want to get inside and warm up," Sebastian agreed with Yuki-Rin.

"Well then, let's go toAppenzell Island!" Yuki-Rin yelled. With half-hearted cheers due to the cold, the Capricorn Pirates continued on their way to the island, not knowing of the mayhem that will be caused because of some penguins.

Ending Note: Review so Kartik can get well soon.