Summer

Characters: Heart Pirates, Bepo. Rating: K. Warnings: None

The Grand Line's strange seasons bothered everyone. No-one was comfortable across the entire range, from a Winter island's winter to a Summer island's summer, but they could usually cope to some extent.

Being from North Blue, the Heart Pirates were as a general rule most at home in the winter islands and the colder seasons. Some, like Law, favoured the cooler seasons of an autumn island, not quite enough for snow, but a crisp temperature that could be enjoyed without bundling themselves up to the point that movement was restricted. Penguin and Shachi liked it even colder, the seasons of a winter island reminiscent of Swallow Island. They were used to the thick clothes required to survive such temperatures, and their movements remained fluid even as their nakama fumbled around. The rest of the crew varied, some going as far as enjoying the warmth of a spring island best.

Who ran chores on what island was often determined by the season in question and who fared best in those conditions. It was a practical choice, leaving those least comfortable in the environment back in the safety of the ship.

On Summer islands they drew lots. No-one wanted to go out and brave the scorching, sometimes arid, heat of a Summer island in summer, but if that was where the log pose took them then they had no choice but to land (and pray that the log pose wouldn't take too long to set so they could escape). The unfortunate victims who drew the short straw would huff and pant their way through the shopping, keeping their heads low to avoid unnecessary confrontations when no-one was at their peak.

Out of all the crew, there was only one exempt from the lots. The cold-loving Penguin and Shachi would grit their teeth and bear it no matter how much they felt like wilting, and even the captain allowed himself to be a potential victim to Lady Luck's whims. However, the poor Bepo would be found flopped on the coolest available surface, unable to muster the energy to move and forcing the rest of the crew to manage without him until they left the island in question.

Of course, every effort was made to reduce their navigator's suffering. The cook would keep up a steady supply of cool drinks, while other well-meaning nakama would hunt down blocks of ice (often stolen from their freezer) to surround him with. Bepo appreciated it only until the ice invariably melted, unimpressed with the wet fur he gained, even if it did help keep the temperature down a little. Law had offered to add a cryonics chamber to the infirmary, which Bepo would be allowed to use to remain cool, but the Mink had found the idea a little too disturbing, even if it was meant well. In the worst of the seasons, he occasionally regretted his refusal, but only until he remembered what, exactly, a cryonics chamber was actually for.

He knew Law too well to think that he wouldn't end up sharing it with dead bodies and preserved organs. The crew were generally tolerant of their captain's curiosities, but there were lines, and dead body storage was one of them. No, he'd told Law when the topic was brought up. He didn't need to go quite so far for him. He'd survive – as long as they hurried up and got off the island (log pose, what log pose? He didn't need that to navigate just get him off this island already!).

Summer islands in summer sound a bit like hell to me, so I can't even imagine how bad they must be for poor Bepo.

Regarding the temperature preferences, Flevance is never implied to be particularly prone to snow, but Minion Island and Swallow Island have both been shown to have quite a lot of snow and colder temperatures. We've also seen that the further north you get in East Blue, the colder it gets, so the same would be true for North Blue (conversely, West and South Blues would get colder the further south you get, and the existence of cold poles are implied by one of Buggy and Shanks' arguments). Therefore, I think that Swallow Island and Minion Island are much further north than Flevance or Spider Miles, and colder.

Thanks for reading!
Tsari