A/N: Before we get to the story, I have something to say. To all of you asking where the romance is, it'll happen either between islands or during parties after they kick a villian's ass. Right now, they're trying to save Nami and Grace's lives and stop a war in Vivi's country. Not really the time for romance. Now, on to the story.
"Wait? You all know Wapol?" Dalton asked.
"Yeah." Usopp said. "He's just some jerk pirate that attacked us. Though, I drove him off." Usopp said which got him a fist to his foot, courtesy of Gin who was sitting down in the snow. "YEOW!"
"Don't take credit for things you didn't do." Gin said as Usopp hopped on one foot. "Especially since it was the Captain who did the deed."
"He did say something about wanting to get to Drum Kingdom." Alvida said.
"If it's Wapol, then it must be the man I met when I was little and went with my father to the Council of Kings." Vivi said.
"Council of Kings? Who are you?" Dalton asked.
"Um...anyway, I didn't see him, but I heard everyone call him Wapol. We ran into him yesterday on our way here." Dalton looked shocked at that bit of news.
"Are you...serious?" he asked.
"It doesn't make any sense." Vivi said. "If your country is destroyed, why is your king alive and being a pirate?"
"That's only a ruse." Dalton said. "He's probably just sailing around these waters, waiting for the chance to return."
"So Wapol and his men were chased out and forced into piracy because they lost to the Blackbeard Pirates?" Vivi asked.
"Lost to them? Tch!" Dalton said in disgust. "When the pirates attacked, they didn't even try to fight!"
"What do you mean?" Vivi asked.
"The moment Wapol realized how strong they were, he fled his country faster than anyone else, leaving the rest of us at the hands of those pirates!" Dalton said as his face twisted in anger at the memory. "All the citizens despised him for his cowardice.
"WHAT KIND OF KING WOULD ABANDON HIS COUNTRY?!" Vivi shouted in outrage. All of the Strawhats looked at her in shock. "To just abandon everyone like that is unimaginable!"
"I couldn't agree more." Dalton said. "But because of this, Wapol's reign has finally ended. Now this island belongs to the people who remained. The towns, and our hope for a better country, are slowly coming back to us. That's why we fear Wapol's return. We cannot let that happen, no matter what. We must make this a better country." Everyone stared at him as some smiled at his statement.
-With Luffy's group-
Luffy's group was steadily hiking up the mountains as the wind kept getting stronger.
"Jeez. Stupid blizzard." Greg grumbled.
"You got that right." Sanji said. "How can you walk around in just sandals and shorts Luffy?" Sanji asked.
"It's my polymer." Luffy said.
"You mean policy?" Sanji corrected.
"Yeah." Luffy said as they kept going, even with a baby lapahn trying to attack them. They kept on walking and dodging while talking about why people in snow countries don't sleep and why women have white smooth skin.
"You two are a bunch of weirdos." Greg said after listening to them.
"He's the one saying stupid stuff about snow women." Luffy said.
"And your snow people never sleeping is any better?!" Sanji said before kicking the lapahn away. "GET OUT OF HERE ALREADY!"
"If that was supposed to be a lapahn, I'm not impressed." Greg said before they kept going while sniffling a lot.
-Back in Big Horn-
Vivi and the others were chatting before a big woman appeared and, to their horror, told them that Dr. Kureha had come down to a neighboring village. After hearing that, Dalton, Vivi, and Usopp went towards Cocoa Weed Village in an attempt to meet Dr. Kureha. While heading their, Dalton apologized for thinking she wouldn't come down so soon and for the lack of doctors.
"It's not your fault about the lack of doctors Dalton." Vivi said.
"She's right." Usopp said. "Now let's get going to Cocoa Weed!"
-Near the Straw Hat Ship-
"MAHAHAHAHA!" laughed Wapol as his men took out the guard patrol. "Ah! Drum Kingdom! As beautiful as it was when I left! Chess, how does my castle look?"
"It looks to be okay." Chess said as he looked through some binoculars towards Drum Castle.
"Excellent!" Wapol said with a grin. "Time to return to my life as a King!" he said before ordering his men towards Drum Castle, then yelling at his pet White Walkie Robson for not moving.
"Wapol!" one of his men shouted as he ran towards him.
"What is it?" Wapol asked, still a bit agitated at Robson.
"Those pirates from yesterday are here!" he said as he pointed at the Straw Hat ship. "There ship is right there!"
"WHAT?!" Wapol said. "Those little bastards are here?! Even though they claimed to not have heard of this island?! KILL THEM ALL!"
"It's empty!" the soldier said. "No one's on board or around it!"
"Judging by the footprints, they went to Big Horn your Majesty." Kuromarimo said as Chess had a his hand under his chin in thought as Wapol ordered them to go to Big Horn.
"Chess!" Wapol yelled. "What are you doing?"
"Apologies my King." Chess said. "That pirate with the Straw Hat from yesterday...seems familiar somehow."
"You knew that guy and you didn't tell me?!" Wapol bellowed.
"Not in person!" Chess said. "I think he might've been in the newspaper awhile ago."
"Eh. Forget it." Wapol said before ordering everyone to continue on to Big Horn, none of them noticing an injured guard hurridly limping away.
-With Luffy's group-
Luffy and his group kept walking until they came across an entire herd of lapahns the size of polar bears.
"Are these...lapahns?" Sanji asked.
"This don't look good." Greg said as Luffy stared at the lapahns before looking at Sanji.
"Take Nami for a moment Sanji." Luffy said as he untied Nami from his waist and left her in Sanji's arms bridal-style.
"Huh? What are you doing Luffy?" Sanji asked. Luffy didn't answer as he walked toward the lapahns. One of the lapahns with a scar near his left eye lunged at Luffy, only to hit snow as Luffy dodged it.
"Don't tell me you're gonna fight them!" Greg yelled as the lapahn raised it's paw into the air while Luffy raised his own hand. Just before the paw hit Luffy, it stopped when Luffy glared at it and released a low level wave of haki. The lapahn glared at him before lowering it's paw as they stared at each other.
"Move!" Luffy said in a tone that said he meant business. The lapahn stared at Luffy before they all slowly moved on.
"What...the...fuck?!" Greg asked in bafflement as he shivered. "What did he do?"
"Something called Haki." Sanji said as he tied Nami to Luffy's back.
"Let's go." Luffy said with a smile before they started walking. Greg just stared in shock while the lapahns from earlier kept following, but at a distance.
-In Cocoa Weed-
"She left?!" Usopp said. "We just missed her?!"
"I'm afraid so." one of the villagers said.
"Do you happen to know where she went?" Vivi asked.
"We heard it was Gyasta next." another man said.
"Gyasta?" Dalton asked.
"Where's that?" Usopp asked.
"On the other side of Big Horn." he said.
"We gotta go back?!" Usopp shouted.
"DALTON!" came a shout from the doorway as an injured man came stumbling in before collapsing. Dalton quickly ran over and caught him to keep him from hitting the floor.
"Aren't you with the patrol?" Dalton asked.
"I'm all that's left of the patrol." the man wheezed out. "A ship came out of nowhere and attacked us."
"Who did this?" Dalton asked.
"It's...it's Wapol!" the man shouted. "Wapol's returned!" Everyone in the building were now looking shocked and horrified at this before Dalton mounted a horse and rode off.
"Mr. Dalton! Wait!" Vivi shouted. Dalton kept going before slowly changing into a bison and charged off to confront Wapol.
-Somewhere on the island-
"Ah man...it's freezing." Zoro said. "I followed those fish too far. Where am I?" he asked himself before spotting a sleigh in front of him with a reindeer pulling it and an old woman sitting in it. "Hey! I'm saved!" Zoro said before walking towards them. "Hey granny, mind giving me a lift?" he asked before seeing her outfit. "Why aren't you cold?!" he asked before Dr. Kureha motioned him to come closer with her finger.
"You should watch what you say!" she said before punching him far away. "I'm still in my youthful 130's!" she said before leaving Zoro in the snow.
-In Big Horn-
"Wapol's returned!" shouted a villager.
"Wapol?" Gin asked. He and the rest of the Straw Hats that stayed in Big Horn were chatting in Dalton's house.
"You mean that King that everyone hates?" Valerie asked.
"Judging by how the town's panicking, I'd say that it's the same guy." Alvida said before they all heard some gun fire. They all walked towards the windows and peeked out to see what was happening. They looked around until they saw a man standing on what looked like a white-furred hippo and laughing a lot.
"That's him." Nojiko said as Wapol walked toward a building and did something that none of them saw coming. They watched as Wapol's mouth grew huge before biting down on the building, chewed it, and swallowed.
"What the- Did he just eat a house?!" Gin asked as Wapol finished the building before laughing.
"First a knife, then a house." Valerie said. "What next?"
"I'll devour that hag along with those Straw Hats!" they heard Wapol bellow.
"Us apparently." Nojiko said before Wapol started screaming in pain.
"Dalton!" some of the villagers yelled out.
"This ends here Wapol!" Dalton said. Everyone stared at him as he, Chess, and Kuromarimo spoke before Kuromarimo ordered Wapol's personal doctors to heal him.
"Hey, I feel better." Wapol said after his quick surgery.
"Leave this island at once Wapol!" Dalton demanded. "This island doesn't need, nor want people like us."
"That's KING Wapol to you Dalton." Wapol stated before some of the villagers told him that Dalton cared for them, unlike he did. While they were talking, the Straw Hats walked outside and joined the crowd as Dalton spoke.
"Only outsiders wouldn't know of your decision to take the 20 best doctors this island had for yourself and either banish or kill the rest." Dalton said in disgust.
"That's the law." Wapol said like it wasn't a big deal.
"THAT'S INSANITY!" Dalton yelled. "With you keeping all the doctors to yourself in your castle, everyone on this island had to grovel and pledge loyalty to you for medical attention! A law like that is nothing but a crime!"
"Said enough?" Wapol asked. "MEN! Kill the former Captain of the Guards!"
"I owed a debt to your father, the former king, and had hoped you'd realize how horrible your actions were, but I see that you're a hopeless cause." Dalton said as he transformed into his 1/2 man 1/2, beast form.
"Watch it! It's the Bison model of the Ox-Ox Fruit!" one of the guards yelled before they started firing at Dalton. Dalton effortlessly dodged them before taking out.
"He's good." Valerie whispered.
"Leave Wapol!" Dalton demanded. "A Kingdom that would abandon it's people at the first hint of danger is better off gone."
"Such nonsense." Chess said.
"The two of us and you used to be the 'Three Heads of Staff.' Don't you know it's useless to try and defeat us?" Kuromarimo said with a grin.
"Besides, I know you Dalton." Chess said as he pulled out his bow and pulled back three arrows on the bow string. "I know your weaknesses as well."
"What?!" Dalton said, now seeing that Chess was aiming at a crowd of citizens who came to fight with Dalton. 'NO!' he screamed in his head. Just before he could move, a gunshot rang out as Chess dropped his weapon before grabbing his arm.
"GAH!" he screamed as blood trickled down his arm.
"A gunshot?!"
"Where'd that come from?"
"WHICH ONE OF YOU DID THAT?!" Wapol shouted.
"Over here!" came a voice in the crowd. Wapol and his men looked as the crowd parted to show Gin holding a smoking gun in his hand.
"That's one of the Straw Hats!" Kuromarimo shouted as the other Straw Hats joined him.
"So, you punks decided to show yourselves huh?" Wapol said before grinning. "Good. Now I have less of you to hunt down! Take aim men!" Soon, all of Wapol's men were aiming at the four before a low rumbling could be heard. Everyone stared at the mountains where the sound was coming from before they saw the snow start coming down.
"AN AVALANCHE!" someone shouted before everyone ran for cover. Wapol, Chess, and Kuromarimo got onto Robson before trying to flee from the avalanche, leaving everyone else behind. As everyone fled towards safety, Dalton noticed Nojiko staring at the avalanche with nothing but horror filling her eyes.
"MISS! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! Dalton shouted. That caught the attention of her friends, who looked back before running to retrieve her.
"Come on Nojiko!" Alvida shouted as she grabbed her arm.
"What's wrong with you?!" Valerie shouted.
"That's the direction...that the others took...towards the doctor." Nojiko said. The other three's eyes widened at that, now knowing what was on her mind as they dragged her to safety.
'Nami...please be okay.' Nojiko thought.
-With Luffy's group moments earlier-
Luffy and friends kept hiking up the mountain while Greg kept sniffling his nose.
"I hate Winter." he grumbled before he felt a sneeze coming. "Guys...get away!" he shouted before sneezing, which exploded right in front of him.
"What happened?!" Sanji asked after jumping away.
"Everything about me is a bomb." Greg said. "Even my breath." he said before feeling another one coming. "ACHOO!" he sneezed, causing another explosion. Sanji walked up behind him and grabbed Grace to keep her out of harms way as Greg kept sneezing. "AH! I hate the cold! It makes me sneeze too much!" he said before going into a sneezing fit, sending explosions out with each sneeze.
"Hold it in already!" Sanji yelled. "You're gonna-" he said before hearing the low rumbling and going pale. "Cause an avalanche!"
A/N: And that's the end of that chapter.