I'm sorry! I was supposed to post this yesterday but totally forgot! Well, it's here now so, all's well?

Anyway. Filler-chapter, I suppose. The outcome of the avalanche won't be until next chapter, posted on wednesday... hopefully.

Part 6: A white world

Chapter 3/5: We will resist even as we're buried in this land of snow

Since his childhood Zoro had viewed injuries as something trivial. They happened all the time during training and sparring. Bruises and cuts, the occasional broken bone, he'd suffered through a lot, and thus far the only injury he'd been unable to dismiss was the one that was currently scarring across his chest. That was a reminder. One that throbbed through his blood every time it ached.

His feet however were trivial wounds. He'd just cut himself to the bone, no big deal. They had already healed.

"What do you say, duck? Good as new, right?" he said and clapped his feet together in front of the shivering bird.

Carue was a desert dweller. He was evolved to be able to survive in extremely hot temperatures. This cold was not his element. He didn't even know about heat preservation aside from the blanket that he used to cover himself in desert night-time, and desert night-time couldn't compare to the environment he now found himself in. And in this predicament, he was expected to have commentary on his current companion's healing? Give a bird a break!

The human was nice though. He threw his warm jacket and shirt over Carue, who was as thankful as he was surprised. Until he saw the man's bare skin. THAT couldn't be healthy!

"Some Zen-meditation and an ice bath will do my body good."

"QUACK?!" Forget health. Didn't this man have self-preservation?

The day had been eventful already. The men on guard duty were gossiping while they spied the sea for any sign of their greatest fear.

"Those pirates were really strange. Dalton-san seemed calm, but I don't trust them."

"Apparently that girl with the straw hat is the captain. What has the world come to?"

"I know right? How old is she even? And the rest of them? I mean, none of them could be much older than my own daughter."

"Did you see the bird? What? Did the parrot grow out of fashion and this is the modern version?"

"Who knows how pirates think? Is there even such a thing as fashion amongst crooks?"

A splash distracted them, and suddenly a ship rose above the water, bearing the face of a white walkie. The crest of Drum Kingdom's royal family.

"Someone go get Dalton-san!"

One of the younger men, breathless from the fright, dove into the snow and crawled away. Behind he could hear the gunshots, then explosions, feel heat against his back. Then the laugher. That unforgettable, bubbly laugh.

The Devourer! The king!

Wapol was home. Home! Back to the land where he was king, the mightiest of men, above mankind where everything he did was law, his right from birth. No more need to hide from marines, bounty hunters or anyone else. Here he was safe and powerful and nobody could do anything against him. Truly the safest, happiest place on earth.

"Here at last! My beloved Drum Kingdom!"

All around him were bodies of people who had raised their guns at him and gotten killed for it, and it felt great. It was still a bit annoying though.

"How could they have set up a watchguard while I was gone? Hmph!"

"It was very foolish of them to open fire against us, your Majesty," Kuromarimo agreed with a huff.

Done with the silly opposition against his return Wapol lifted his head to gaze upon the might he ruled over. "Ah, those grand, majestic Rockies standing over everything else as always. Chess, is my castle all right?"

The chief staff officer lifted his binoculars to his eyes. "It appears in good shape, just as we left it, your Majesty."

"Perfect!" Wapol laughed joyfully. "Then let us be off at once! No more pirate's life for me! Back to the castle! Home to my life as king! Back to ruling!"

He urged Robson, his grumpy white walkie, to move, which it did with some reluctance. But just then one of his soldiers came running.

"Majesty! Your Majesty! Urgent report!"

"What is it?"

"Over there! Those pirates from yesterday, their ship is docked by the river!"

Wapol was king again, the ruler of this land, and as such in his full right to order an execution. Or barbeque. Yes, a pyre would be more fitting.

"Those scum dare tread my kingdom? I dare say they have some nerve after what they did to me. Find them and have them killed! Tie them to their own ship and set it on fire!"

"Well… Majesty, that's… none of them are on the ship, sir. We're not sure where…"

"Incompetent fools." Wapol glanced at Chess. "Judging from the tracks they left behind in the snow."

"They are in Big Horn, your Majesty," Kuromarimo finished.

Chess and Kuromarimo really were the perfect soldiers and magistrates to lead Wapol's royal army, just like their parents. Wapol appreciated them as he gave new orders.

"Well done. Let us head to Big Horn and celebrate Drum Kingdom's rebirth with their extermination!"

Cocoa Weed was, unlike Big horn, square, Usopp thought. Where Big Horn had round houses and roofs, Cocoa Weed had the more common square houses pushed up together like ducks huddling for warmth with roofs that slanted steeply, allowing the snow to fall right off once it got too heavy.

"Excuse me, ma'am," Dalton asked the first person they passed, a middle-aged woman with glossy brown curls peeking out under her hat. "We're looking for the doctor. We heard she was here."

"Yes, she passed through here. I think she headed for Stool's tavern."

"Thank you."

"Appreciate it," Usopp thanked as well when Dalton urged his bucks into motion again.

"Is it far?" Vivi asked their guide.

"No, just down this road."

They arrived at another cluster of houses, these ones with the words "Stool" hanging at the corner over a door that was just being fixed.

"She's been here," Dalton said and stopped the sleigh.

"Huh? How'd you know?" Usopp asked, astonished and looked all around, but save from the broken door, he spotted nothing unusual. He and Vivi still followed him inside the building.

"Pardon us. We're looking for the doctor," Dalton told the room in general.

A boy with bare feet, light hair and skin was lying on a cushioned sofa by the wall. "The doctor? She just left."

"Left?!" Usopp couldn't believe their luck. Or lack thereof.

"She treated me just a little while ago."

"You mean we just missed her?!" Usopp held his head in frustration, how could they have missed her with a mere few minutes!

"Dalton-san? Are you looking for the doctor?" a man in an apron and arms full of trays spoke up.

"Yes, it's an emergency. Do you know where she went?" Dalton asked.

"I think someone mentioned they saw her headed for Gyasta," a patron said, throwing a thumb over his shoulder.

"Is it far?" Vivi asked.

"Not farther than to Big Horn" Dalton informed them. "It's a village up north by the shore of the lake, ice-skating is a popular sport there."

"Let's go! We can't be dallying here, we should leave immediately!"

Big Horn was burning. The Devourer was back. Horst knew only that as he urged the horse to run faster. He'd called the warning, sent people scrambling for their weapons, and they in turn had sent him on horseback to find Dalton-san. Why wasn't Dalton-san in Big Horn? Horst asked the question silently, but his mind was blank. Why was Dalton-san not in Big Horn? Why was Wapol back? Why would he burn Big Horn? Horst had no answers at all. But he'd heard the gunshots, the screams, seen the abnormal red shadows on the snow around him, like something straight out of his nightmares.

'Dalton-san, please,' Horst prayed in his heart. 'Please save us.'

The snow returned to normal once he turned around a hill, but behind him the sky was still rouge from the flames. Horst took comfort in the cold and the smell of ice and frozen pine, in everything normal and safe around him, and tried to keep his eyes as dry as he could. He just had to find Dalton-san. With Dalton-san at the front, Horst would find his courage. He knew that. All he had to do was find him.

Cocoa Weed grew up from the dunes of snow and Horst wished the horse could run faster. Fly. Anything that could take him straight to the old soldier's side.

"DALTON-SAN! WHERE IS DALTON-SAN?!"

"Hush now, lad. What's the hurry? What happened?!"

"I have to find Dalton-san! Where is he? Has he left?"

"I don't think so. I saw him at Stool's a minute ago."

Horst didn't need further directions. He kicked the horse back in motion down the street, ignoring the startled cries and the people he almost ran down in his hurry. As soon as Stool's taverna entered his vision Horst jumped right off the horse, rolled and ran the last few yards.

"DALTON-SAN, WHERE ARE YOU?!"

The sight of the big man almost had Horst burst into tears.

"What is… wait, aren't you supposed to be on guard duty…"

"They're done in!" Horst cried. "Everyone but me. "The ship just sprouted out of the ocean! Dalton-san, please. You must come and help! We can't hold out!"

"Easy now. Are we under attack?"

"WAPOL!" Horst howled. "WAPOL IS BACK AND HE'S ATTACKING BIG HORN!"

Horst was young. He interpreted Dalton-san's wide eyes as simple surprise, not even taking note of how pale the soldier got, and then Dalton-san bolted out the door and was gone. Gone to fight Wapol, no doubt. Horst wiped his eyes and answered the questions of the people around him. Yes, it really was Wapol. Yes, he'd seen him with his own eyes. No, he didn't know if anyone aside himself who had had guard duty today had survived.

"We must pick up arms!" Horst demanded and was joined by every able-bodied men and women within the village. Weapons were dug out of closets, cabinets, taken down from walls and attics.

"Follow Dalton-san!"

Because now they would win. Dalton-san would protect them, and they would fight for their freedom. Wapol stood no chance against Dalton-san.

Usopp watched the mayhem grow around him and threw his arms up. What else was he supposed to do? Nami was still gravely ill and the person they had relied on for help had abandoned them for personal reasons. Yes, Usopp understood, and knew he would have done the exact same thing, because he only cared about his nakama.

"Vivi, let's ask someone for directions and head for Gyasta fast as the wind. We need to get that doctor to Nami."

"But… the people here might need…"

"No buts. What can we do, anyway? I'm a pirate. My main priority is to get my nakama back to health. Besides, what can that man do if everyone is against him?"

It sounded heartless, but Usopp didn't regret it and turned straight to the child on the sofa. "Hey, kid. How do we get to Gyasta? Is there a map?"

"What are you doing to my son?!" the man who had been serving a moment ago ran up to them and lifted the boy into his arms.

"We need to find the doctor, but we don't know the way to Gyasta," Usopp explained over Vivi's stumbling apologies.

The man looked at them for a moment, then he turned around. "Janni, bring these folks a map and draw out the road to Starfall Lake."

'What a pretty name,' Usopp thought absentmindedly.

A woman on crutches and her leg wrapped in heavy bandages hopped over to the counter and Vivi more or less ran after her with her arms out as if she expected the other to fall over. Usopp thought it was the most unnecessary move the princess had done to date, seeing the woman's movements appeared unhindered.

"We have a map here somewhere, but it'll take a minute to find…"

"Draw," Usopp cut her off and reached into his satchel. "Here, paper and pen. Just draw a map and explain the route at the same time."

"Oh, of course. Here. This is the island, these are the Rockies, Big Horn here and Cocoa Weed here." Janni drew one big circle for the island, small ones for the mountains, and crosses for the villages. "You just follow the trail straight north, in the direction of the right side of this mountain here until you find a sign that will point you onto the trail that'll take you straight to Gyasta."

"Thank you very much!" Usopp and Vivi said on top of each other.

Luckily Dalton had just run off by foot it seemed, because the sleigh and bucks were still outside. Usopp wondered what the goats' nerves were made of, being able to keep calm in the chaos around them.

"Let's go, Vivi."

The princess got in beside him and Usopp urged the bucks into motion, circling the worst of the activity, left the village and so exchanged the noise for the uncanny silence of this snowy island. Usopp had to throw a glance back to make sure the village they'd just left was still there. It had gone quiet so fast. This world didn't seem to have birds. The forest that quickly grew up around them was devoid of any of the noises existing in the woods around Syrup village. The only sound was the crunch of the now under hoofs and runners of the sleigh.

They travelled in silence, their breaths misting around them and the snow coming down obscuring their visions. A bit late Usopp remembered they were supposed to keep to the right of one of the mountains. But which one was it?

"Hey, Vivi. Are we on the right trail?"

"I… think so? I'm not entirely sure."

"Not sure?" Usopp demanded, happy to hear anything other than the snow. "That won't cut it, princess. Just imagine what those two will do if they reach that castle and nobody's home! You're a princess, think of something!"

Vivi looked up from the map, giving Usopp an incredulous look. "What does being royal have anything to do with anything?! Why don't you take the map and think of something?!"

"How am I supposed to do that? All I see is snow, snow and oh, more snow. And pines. I don't even know if we're even heading north or south right now! Which mountain were we supposed to go for?"

"I don't know! It looked so easy when she drew this up, but I can't make sense of the view! But there should be a sign. Let's keep our eyes out for it."

"Yosh," Usopp agreed, hoping they really weren't going in the wrong direction.

Kuromarimo was the chief magistrate of Drum Kingdom, and his favourite sound was that of King Wapol chewing. It brought peace to his mind the same way static electricity brought peace to his body. The soldiers cheered their king on as he chewed his way through Big Horn, through useless homes of useless people staring helplessly from the clusters they'd been gathered into, guarded by two or three soldiers. Kuromarimo truly enjoyed those looks too, the anger and fear directed at his king, the one who decided if they should live or die.

A decision that could only come from a place of power.

The king swallowed and declared from his place atop Robson how pleased he was, how good the town tasted, and the law: everything in the country was food for the king and the king only.

"Kuromarimo! Tell the people why I am the greatest in all the land!"

"Of course! You are King! That alone proves your greatness oh, royal highness King Wapol!"

"And nothing pleases me more than houses grilled to a perfect well-done as a hearty Welcome Home meal on this cold, snowy day!"

Kuromarimo let the king praise himself and respectfully sunk down to one knee, waiting to be acknowledged, hoping the news he brought would bring more destruction, more chewing, and more looks.

"Kuromarimo, report!"

"Majesty. Witnesses say the pirates are headed for Drum Castle."

"Say what?! Why are they going there?!"

"They appear to have an ill person among their ranks and are in search of Dr Kureha, who seems to have taken up residence in the castle during your absence."

The explosion was immediate. Dr Kureha had been a thorn in the king's side since she not only escaped his laws about practicing medicine on anyone other than the king himself, but also dared take payment for it. By law the only one allowed to take payment for medicine and treatments was the king. It was also forbidden by law to escape arrest. Yes, Dr Kureha's list of crimes was indeed long, and her punishment would be glorious. Kuromarimo shivered in anticipation as Wapol gave the order to head for the ca…

Kuromarimo didn't have time to react. Someone came flying like a bolt of lightning, a polearm spade cutting through Wapol's chest and shoulder as the attacker summersaulted over the king and landed behind the white walkie.

Blood rained down, and Kuromarimo ignored how it was indistinguishable from the blood of the commoners. If he looked closely enough, he would be able to tell the blood apart, he was sure. Right now he was on his feet and in between the attacker and Wapol, fists raised.

"…Dalton?"

It was indeed the youngster, and his name was called all around them. But it had different tones. Wapol's loyal retinue were outraged to see the traitor who had been left behind to die, but the people cheered as though a hero had just arrived.

"I'm cut!" Wapol squeaked and wailed. "I've been cut! I'm going to die!"

"Yes, please do," Dalton snarled in response, ignoring everything and everyone else around him, his sole focus on Wapol, such as it should be, but Kuromarimo didn't move. This kid had once again committed the crime of attacking the king.

"How can you be alive? And you dare to cut your king! What will you do if he dies?!" Chess questioned angrily as he pulled out his bow and arrows, but Dalton actually had the gall to roll his eyes. "

"Don't think I'm blind to the Isshi-20 amongst you."

Kuromarimo had a moment of pause before his mind caught up. "R-right! Isshi-20, surgical unit, come out! Save your king!"

The twenty doctors, the best of all in Drum Kingdom, stepped forward, hands up and dressed in plastic, glasses and face-masks. Dalton paced in front of Chess and Kuromarimo as the doctors worked their magic, patching Wapol up within a minute. And the king rose without a single word of gratitude.

"So, Wapol. Let us leave. This land has no place for the likes of us."

"Wapol?!" the king admonished. "That's Your Majesty for you, my subject Dalton." Voices rose in protest, as if they mattered. King Wapol rightly ignored them. "It would have been better if you died as the captain of the royal guards. At least then you'd still have died for a good cause. I'm amazed you survived without medical treatment."

Dalton wasn't about to share how his devil fruit not only made him resilient, but also healed him at a faster pace than normal men. As a devil fruit user who had never needed to heal by himself, Wapol was probably unaware of this his own ability, and if he was aware of it, most certainly thought it was unique to him alone.

"Drum Kingdom, renowned for its knowledge and progress in the medical field," he said instead. "Wouldn't the outside world be surprised to learn that beside the Isshi-20 serving the king, every other doctor was executed or exiled and their work destroyed."

"It couldn't be helped," Wapol said, pulling a face of innocence. "It was a political decision in accordance to the law."

"LIKE HELL IT WAS!" Dalton grew, giving in to the devil's cry inside him to use its power.

"THE BISON!" Someone from the line of soldiers cried out in absolute fright.

"OPEN FIRE! SHOOT!"

The bison was not a swift animal, but Dalton the human was. Combined with the raw muscle power of the bison Dalton was fast enough for his body to leave after images, confusing his opponents, avoiding bullets.

"Fiddle Banff." Dalton made short work of the soldiers, knocking them out with the handle of his polearm, because he didn't hate them. Not enough to kill. They had been his own men once, subordinates and friends.

"I've grown sick of you. A king who hightails at the first whiff of danger has no right to call himself a ruler. You deserve only your own destruction, Wapol!"

Chess and Kuromarimo had stepped back and taken up position closest to the king. No other but the king deserved their undivided protection. And Dalton wasn't dangerous. Not to them.

Chess nocked three arrows in his bow. "Disrespectful brat. Who gave you the right to sprout such cheeky opinions."

"Don't think you stand a chance against the two of us, just because you were once one of the three heads of staff it doesn't make you powerful." Kuromarimo added, perfectly relaxed.

"Your misfortune…" Chess said, voice full of arrogance and contempt as he lifted his bow and pulled it taunt, "is that I know you too well, and so your weakness."

Dalton's first warning was that Chess wasn't aiming for him, the second was the war cry from the direction Chess was aiming.

People had gathered from all villages around Big Horn. They were farmers, merchants, fathers, sons and mothers… everything but soldiers. Their only source of information were Dalton's training and stories. In their minds Dalton was an indestructible fighter with a devil fruit who would chase off Wapol and his people, but such a feat was never possible for heroes alone. They needed their own fighters, and the people of former Drum Kingdom saw themselves as the hero's fighters who would back up Dalton-san and win.

They had absolutely not expected Dalton to fall right before their eyes, just as they arrived, ready to fight for a better tomorrow. But there he was, kneeling in the snow, run through by three giant arrows, blood dripping off their tips.

"D-Dalton-san?"

And Dalton fell to his side, revealing the smirking, contemptuous and triumphant faces of Wapol and his two officials.

"DALTON-SAN!"

The gears shifted, the aim changed. It was no longer about chasing away Wapol and his dogs. Now all everyone wanted was to rush over and save the man who had fought for them, worked along-side them, trained and watched over them. Given them all hope. He didn't deserve to die. Not like this. Not by the hands of… "WAPOOOOL!"

The youngest, impassionate with fury, started forward, only to fall down. Because the earth shook too much to enable running.

"Earthquake?"

The elder people realized it first, and they too started forward, to get a hold of whoever they could. "Take cover! TAKE COVER!"

"What's going…"

On this island the snow was near constant, and it didn't take many years for the mountains to accumulate thousands of tons of snow, balancing on their own fragile structures. Now the frozen landscape was moving down, becoming waves and rivers of ice and snow so heavy they could easily crush a human. Big Horn was going to be buried. The snow was already a roaring tidal wave that drowned out everyone's screams.

Wapol grabbed Chess and Kuromarimo and beat his mount into motion. Too late. The wave was already over them.

Big Horn was buried, and its people with it.