(A/N: New chapter! I've started watching Netflix's One Piece, because I'll be meeting Jacob Romero Gibson at Con this Saturday! Excited, and nervous! Anyway, enjoy this update!)

Chapter 3: An Island Without Doctors? Adventure in a Nameless Land!

"Attention, pirates! Leave this place at once! This instant!"

"We came to find a doctor!"

"We have a sick person onboard!"

"We won't fall for that trick, you filthy pirates!"

"They really hate our guts. And we've just met too."

"Don't talk back!"

"They're shooting!"

"You didn't just do that! Bastard!"

"Stop, Sanji-san!"

"Vivi!" Luffy screamed, before turning to the culprit with fury. "Why, you-!"

That only made the men redraw their guns. "Aim!"

Luffy went to charge in, but to everyone's surprise, Vivi held him back. "No! Stop! Fighting won't help anything! I'm fine! It only grazed my arm!" She knelt down next to him. "In any case, we won't land here!" She bowed her head in pleading. "But could we ask for a doctor? Our friend is suffering from a grave illness. Please help! I beg you!"

Luffy watched her in awe. "Vivi!"

"You're not fit to be captain, Luffy," She almost whispered, "Not everything can be fixed by acting recklessly! If you start a fight here, what will happen to Nami-san?"

Venus frowned with sympathy. "She has a point."

"Yeah," Luffy agreed after a beat of silence, and turned to the residents, "I'm sorry! I was wrong! Please call a doctor!" He bowed down next to Vivi. "Please help our friend!" His hat rolled off his head, landing in front of them both.

The men watched for signs of attacks, but none came. Only silent pleading. "I will show you to the village," The leader decided, "Follow me." Vivi straightened up with a sigh of relief, then turned to Luffy. "See? They understood!"

"Yeah!" He whispered. "You're amazing!"

Most of the crew trudged through the snow after the residents, trekking up a hill. "I must warn you; the only doctor we have here is a witch."

Venus perked up at that. "A-a witch? For real?"

"Witch?" Usopp frowned.

"You gotta be kidding me," Sanji grumbled, carrying a coat-clad Nami on his back, "Nothing here makes sense. What is this place, anyway?"

"This land still does not have a name."

"There's a witch here?!" Venus interjected.

"A nameless land?" Vivi asked. "Does that really happen?"

Both of their questions were left unanswered, when Usopp screamed in terror. "A bear!" A hulking white bear was walking close by. "Everyone! Pretend to be dead!" He flopped down in the snow, as Venus looked down at him silently.

The man noticed a pickaxe held in one of its paws. "A Hiking Bear. They pose no danger. Don't forget to bow; it's proper hiking manners." They did so when passing each other; that is, except a still fearful Usopp, who stayed down.

"Okay!" Zoro finished patching up the self-inflicted wounds on his legs from his escape attempt in Little Garden. "All better! See!" He clapped his feet in front of a shivering Karoo, who was bundled in a warm blanket. "Now I can finally do some real training! I was getting sick of that watered-down training."

Thanks a lot, Venus. 'Quit pushing yourself!' Her words rang through his mind. 'You almost cut your own feet off! You gotta take it easy!' For a meek girl, she could be quite demanding when she wanted to. 'Fine, as long as you stop bugging me about it, short stack.' He had caved.

"And just watching the ship is boring as hell." He stripped out of his shirt and jacket, and held his palms together. "Maybe I'll go for some cold-weather swimming to suppress myself." He puffed out some air.

Before long, after Venus pulled the sniper to his feet, and back to the group, they arrived at a small village. "This is our village, Big Horn."

"There are weird animals walking everywhere," Luffy remarked, as he, Usopp, and Venus looked around the area.

"That's snow country for ya!" Usopp agreed.

"Nami-san! We made it to a village with people!" Sanji told her. "It's a village!"

"Okay. Thanks for the help, everyone." Vivi turned to see the leader talking to the other guards that escorted them. "Those who aren't guards can return to their work."

"But will you be alright by yourself, Dalton-san? They're pirates!"

"I believe they pose no threat. That's my hunch of many years of experience; you can trust it."

"What do we do? If that's what Dalton-san says, then..."

"And they don't seem dangerous."

"Yeah."

"Alright, Dalton-san! We leave the rest to you!" Vivi watched in awe, as the men, sans Dalton, promptly dispersed.

"Be ever careful, Dalton-san."

"Just call us if anything happens!"

Dalton turned to see the princess looking up at him. "They weren't this land's security forces?"

"They're ordinary citizens. Come to my home for now."

"Hey! Look, Luffy! A Hiking Bear!" Usopp pointed out.

"Again?!" They quickly bowed, only for it to be a tall human.

"Oh, Dalton-san! I heard there were pirates!"

"Yes, everything is okay. There's nothing to worry about."

"Oh, Dalton-kun!" An elderly man called to him. "I look forward to the election in two days! Everyone says they're going to vote for you!"

"Y-you can't be serious!" Dalton waved his hands in modest protest. "I'm nothing but a sinful man!" Vivi watched on in curiosity.

Later, they were at Dalton's home in the village. Over the fireplace was a pair of swords crossed together, and a white tiger skin. "Use that bed there," He offered, "I'll warm the place up." Sanji laid Nami on the bed, and Vivi covered her with a warm, green blanket. "I haven't told you my name yet."

"Dalton?" The young witch piped up.

"Venus," Vivi scolded.

"It's okay, she's right. I'm Dalton, captain of the security squad of this island." Sanji glanced around the room curiously; there was a strip of brickwork above the walls. "Please forgive our heavy-handed welcome." Dalton set his bag down. "May I ask you a question?"

"Eh?" Vivi looked up from the bed when he turned to her.

"I somehow feel like I've seen you before," He remarked.

Vivi quickly turned away. "I-it's probably just your imagination! Anyway, please tell us about this witch!"

"Yes, please do!" Venus perked up.

"Nami-san's temperature was 42 C when I checked it just now!" Vivi continued.

Dalton's eyes widened. "42?!"

"Yes, sir," Venus nodded.

"Her fever's gone up for three days in a row."

"She'll die if it goes up anymore!"

"Yes," Vivi agreed worriedly, "But if we don't even know the cause of this illness, or how to treat it."

"We need a doctor!" Sanji urged. "Anyone will do! Where is this witch of yours?!"

"The witch, huh. Do you see those mountains outside the window?"

"Yeah, those insanely tall-" Sanji turned to look, but only saw a snowman with barrels and wooden beams.

"Hyper Snowman!" Luffy announced.

"Snowzilla, the snow beast!" Usopp followed.

"Yeah!" They shared a high-five from their spots high up on their creations.

"Don't make me kick your asses!" Sanji glared.

Venus peered outside, and smiled brightly. "Wow, those are awesome!" Her heart dropped when the cook started barreling outside with anger. "Sanji, no!"

"Those mountains are known as the Drum Rockies," Dalton informed, pointing to the tall, tower-like mountains peeking behind the totaled sculptures. "Do you see the castle at the top of the tallest one in the middle?"

"Castle?!" Usopp asked through some hot chocolate.

"That castle no longer has its king."

"That warms me up," Luffy sighed happily.

"Yeah, there it is," Sanji observed, looking out the window.

"What's so important about the castle?" Vivi asked. It was on the middle tower, and was almost microscopic.

"The only doctor in the land, Dr. Kureha, lives there," Dalton replied, "People call her a witch."

"What?!" Sanji exclaimed. "Of all the places, why does it have to be so far away?!"

"Can we call her here?" Venus suggested. "Nami needs treatment now!"

"Even if we wanted to, there's no way to contact her," Dalton answered.

"Huh?!" Sanji glared. "And she calls herself a doctor?! What the hell is she like?!"

"As a doctor, she's very skilled. But she's an eccentric old hag; she's nearly 140 years old right now."

"Eh?!" Vivi looked up.

"140?!" Sanji exclaimed. "I think she might need help!"

"Well guys, witches are very mysterious," Venus lectured, "I'd read about them when I was little."

Dalton stared silently at her for a moment, before continuing. "Anyway, let's see... she likes pickled plums."

"What happens when people get sick, or injured?" Vivi asked.

"She comes down from the mountain when she feels like it. She looks for patients, treats them, then as payment, she takes whatever she wants from their houses before leaving."

"Sounds like an unfriendly old hag!" Usopp glared.

"Sounds like Nami, minus the doctor part," Venus commented.

"Hey! She almost sounds like a pirate!" Luffy remarked.

"But how does such an old woman go down that mountain?" Vivi asked.

"It's an odd rumor... but several people claim to have seen her riding a sleigh through the sky on moonlit nights. And that's the reason she's called a witch."

"Wow," Venus breathed in awe, "A witch on a sleigh! I thought it'd be a broomstick!"

"Some also saw her with a strange creature they'd never seen before."

"That must be her familiar!" She perked up.

Usopp tensed at that, and fell face-up on the floor, his legs flailing. "I knew it! See? It's a Snow Man! It's a snowy mountain, after all!" He sat up, and fell forward. "I knew there'd be one!" He rolled around on the floor fearfully. "A witch, and a Snow Man?! Oh, please never let us run into them!"

"She is the only doctor, but she's a hag I'd prefer to stay away from. All we can do is wait for the next time she comes down the mountain."

"You can't be serious," Vivi said.

"Dammit!" Sanji exclaimed. "We can't wait for that! Even as we speak, Nami-san is-!"

"Hey! Nami, Nami!" Luffy patted her hot cheek. "Can you hear me?"

"What are you doing?!" Vivi, Sanji, Usopp, and Venus raged simultaneously.

To his delight, her eyes squinted open. "Oh! She's awake!" He then turned back to her. "Hey, the only way to see a doctor is to climb a mountain. We're gonna climb it!"

"Eh?"

"Don't be crazy!" Sanji scolded. "What are you doing with Nami-san?!"

"It's okay! I'll carry her on my back!"

"That'll only make things worse!" Vivi glared.

"What's the problem? We need to hurry, don't we?"

"That's true, but you can't! Look how steep and tall it is!"

"I can make it."

"Maybe you can make it, but it'd be too hard on Nami-san!" Sanji pointed out.

"But look! If we fall, we'll land in snow!"

"Even a healthy person would die instantly after a fall from there!"

"Seriously!" Usopp added. "She's 6 C over normal temperature! Do you even get it?!"

"What other choice do we have?" Venus chimed in.

"V-Venus!" He stammered.

Everyone turned to Nami when they heard her struggle to talk. "I need to get over this fast," She panted heavily, "I need to hurry... for Vivi." She moved her hand, so it was weakly held up. "I'm counting on you, Captain!"

Everyone gawked in awe, before Luffy beamed, and shared a careful high-five with her. "That's more like it! Just leave it to me!"

"I can't believe it!" Usopp exclaimed. "Like captain, like navigator!"

"Do you know what condition you're in, Nami-san?!" Sanji fussed over her.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Vivi asked. "It'll take hours to get there!"

"Old guy! Meat!" Luffy eagerly demanded. "Gimme meat!"

"Meat?"

Sanji glared in determination. "Alright! I'm comin' too!"

"Count me in!" Venus chimed in.

"What?!" Usopp cried. "W-why?!"

"I'm going to meet the witch! I bet I'll learn a lot from her!"

"B-but it'll be dangerous!"

"More dangerous than Marines, dinosaurs, and agents?" She quirked an eyebrow. "I'll be alright, promise!"

Usopp sighed in defeat. "Alright. Now listen, Luffy!" He then turned to the captain, who had Nami on his back. "Don't fall even once, or you can expect Nami to die!"

"Eh?! Even once?!"

"And keep Venus-chan safe for me! I-I mean, for us! Both of you! Got that?!" He glanced between him, and Sanji.

"Wait! Hold still!" Vivi was in the process of tying Nami to Luffy for safety. "I need to tie this right!" Once she was done, she straightened up. "All set. Okay, I'm going to wait here. I'd only get in the way."

"Same here!" Usopp agreed.

"Got it!" Luffy looked back at the navigator, who was back in her yellow/orange plaid coat. "Okay, Nami! Hold on tight!"

"Yeah..."

Dalton watched them for a quiet moment. "If you're really set on going, I won't stop you. But at least climb up from the other side. There are Lapins on this course; fierce, carnivorous rabbits. If you encounter a pack of them, you're as good as dead."

"Rabbits? But we're in a hurry. We should be fine, right?" Luffy turned to Sanji.

"Yeah! I'll kick 'em!"

"Kick?! You can't be serious! You'd be walking to your deaths!"

"It's okay!" Luffy assured, and began sprinting. "Alright, then! Let's go, Sanji, Venus! Before Nami dies!"

"What?!" He ran after him, with Venus close behind. "Don't say things that could jinx us, you dumbass!"

"Venus! B-be careful!" Usopp called out.

"I will!" She promised with a wave of her hand.

Dalton watched them with Vivi and Usopp. "Will they really be all right?"

"Well, I'm not worried about those two," Usopp replied about the captain, and the chef.

"But the question is if Nami-san's strength will last long enough," Vivi added, "I hope they make it there safely."

With that, Dalton started heading back inside, but saw they weren't moving. "What's wrong?" Vivi turned to him. "Come inside. It's cold out."

"Oh, that's okay," She smiled nervously, "I want to stay outside."

"Me too," Usopp shivered.

Dalton let a smile grow at their apparent loyalty, and closed the door, staying out as well. "I see." They turned to him, as he sat cross-legged. "Then I will join you." Usopp and Vivi smiled gratefully in his direction, before they all watched the mountains. For a few seconds, it was eerily silent, before he spoke up. "We did have some, long ago," He recalled.

"Eh?" They turned to him in surprise.

"Doctors," He clarified, "But they're all gone now, for certain reasons. They were all incredibly skilled. We were even known as an advanced medical nation."

"So, what happened?" Vivi asked.

"This country was destroyed just a few months ago. At the hands of pirates!"

"Eh?!" Usopp and Vivi's eyes widened in shock.

"The entire country?!" Usopp exclaimed.

"So that's why you were so nervous about us?" Vivi asked.

"Yes. The word "pirate" is still too much for everyone to handle. I'm sorry about that. But there were only five people in that pirate group. The captain called himself "Blackbeard", and he destroyed our country in the blink of an eye with his devastating power."

"Only five people?!" Vivi gawked. "You can't be serious!"

"Blackbeard?!" Usopp glared.

"But there are some who say it was actually good for the country."

"There's nothing good about a country being destroyed!" Vivi pointed out.

"Yeah!" Usopp agreed. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!"

Dalton smiled at them again. "Thank you. But people say that because the monarchy that existed here until then was appalling in the eyes of the citizens. The country's former name was the Drum Kingdom! The king's name was Wapol!" Dalton glared at the ground at the name alone. "He was the worst king possible!"

Vivi and Usopp gasped in shock; the same man they encountered at sea earlier! "Yes! That man! I remember him!" The former recalled.

"Wapol?!" Usopp exclaimed.

Up in the mountain, Luffy, Sanji, and Venus were hiking through the snow, with Nami securely on the captain's back. "It's gotten a little colder," Luffy remarked, "The wind's picking up."

"So why aren't you wearing shoes?!" Sanji pointed out his sandals. "Just seeing that is painful!"

"This is my police!"

"Police?! You mean "policy"!"

"Yeah! Anyway, did you know? People in snowy countries never sleep!"

"Huh? Why's that?"

"'Cause they'll die if they go to sleep!"

"Don't be stupid! There's nobody like that!"

"It's the truth! Someone told me a long time ago!" Through their sprint, a certain kind of creature was lying in wait, scattered on the mountain.

Lapins.

One attempted to pounce on the group, but it missed all of them. "Usopp, I bet," Sanji snarked.

"Uh, guys?"

"No! I heard it in a pub, in my village!" Luffy insisted, as Venus went unnoticed. The Lapin yanked its head out of the snow, and growled in anger, continuing its pursuit.

"Then why did that Dalton guy have a blanket?" Sanji challenged.

"That's a good point." It went in for a bite, but chomped down on a tree instead. "Maybe it's for when he dies then?"

"Guys?"

"Yeah, right!" They avoided a downed tree by leaping over it. Sure enough, klutzy Venus tripped on the landing, and fell in the snow "Venus-chan!" Sanji immediately backtracked, and helped her up, still dodging the predator. "Okay, did you know this: Women in snowy lands all have silky smooth skin!"

"How come?" The Lapin kept the chase up.

"Isn't it obvious? Whenever you're cold, you rub your skin for warmth." Venus stared on in confusion at the random banter. "So you get smooth skin."

"Fellas?" She kicked it away, but it stubbornly kept going

"So women in snowy places have such silky-smooth, white skin!"

'What the hell are they talking about?' Venus thought, before kicking the Lapin away again, and getting frustrated when it returned. "Boys!"

"How come it's white?"

"Because the color of the constantly-falling snow dyes their skin!"

"Huh?! You're so dumb!"

"Like you're really anyone to talk! And..." Just as Venus was about to try gaining their attention yet again, Sanji actually kicked the Lapin away, to her surprise. "Quit being so damn annoying!"

"What was with that guy?" Luffy wondered aloud.

Venus was quiet with exasperation, as they kept running. They noticed it the whole time?

"Hang in there, Nami-san!" Sanji urged through their sprint. "We're gonna get you to a doctor!"

"The snow's really deep around here," Luffy remarked.

"Guys, wait up!" Venus called out, having to take slower, higher steps. The snow was almost up to her hips. "My legs aren't as long as yours!"

"Hey, Luffy! Run more smoothly! You're gonna make Nami-san worse!" They then stopped, giving Venus time to catch up, but there was an obstacle in front of them; lots of them. "W-what are these?"

"They're white and big, so they're polar bears!" Luffy guessed. "I'm sure of it!"

"No, those are Lapins!" Venus' eye widened. "Dalton told us about these guys!"

"Wait! You know Wapol?!" Dalton exclaimed.

"We don't just know him!" Usopp replied. "He's the pirate who attacked our ship! I got rid of him, though," He claimed, "But I do recall him saying something about the Drum Kingdom."

"Yes," Vivi agreed, "There's no question about it! I remember clearly now! I met him once at a monarch meeting my father took me to when I was very young!"

Dalton looked up at that. "Monarch meeting?! Just who are you?"

"No, uhh, you see," She stammered, having said too much, before changing the subject, "In any case, we met Wapol! Yesterday, on our way here!"

"Yesterday?! Are you sure?!"

"But what's going on, then?!" She asked. "He called himself a pirate, not a king!"

"He must be calling himself that, as camouflage. Wapol is merely wandering the sea, trying to return to this island."

"So the people on that ship were kicked out, because they were no match for the Blackbeard pirates when they attacked this country?" She guessed.

"No match? It's not like that!" He glared at the snowy ground.

"Eh?"

"When it happened, Wapol's army didn't even try to fight!" Dalton shook with fury. "In fact, the moment he learned how strong the pirates were, Wapol abandoned the country, and was the very first to flee out to sea! That threw the entire nation into despair. Is this what the king-"

"Is that what the king of an entire country does?!" Vivi finished for him with immense anger. "That's appalling! A king abandoning his people!"

Usopp watched her in concern. "Vivi..."

"You're exactly right. But at least Wapol's tyranny is finally over. The remaining people on this island have come together to try to create a new country. So what we most fear right now is Wapol's return; the return of his monarchy. We must avoid that at all costs, while people are still feeling unsure! If we're to create a new, peaceful nation on this island!"

On the mountain, one of the giant Lapins leaped in the air, straight towards the group. "It jumped!" Sanji exclaimed. He and Luffy jumped out of the way, the former yanking Venus away, and protectively keeping her behind him. "You gotta be kidding me! How can it move like that?! What is it, a gorilla?!"

"No! A polar bear!"

"It's a bunny!" Sanji glared.

"You're the one who just called it a gorilla," Luffy pointed out.

"It's a Lapin!" Venus corrected.

"You're right, Venus-chan! Like what Dalton was talking about!" He turned to the pack standing in their way. "This many of them?!"

"How do we get past them?" Venus asked around nervously.

"Oh! Oh! Wapol-sama!"

"What is it, Chess? Did you find Straw Hat's ship?!"

"No, Wapol-sama! We've finally returned home!"

"What?!"

"How many months have passed, as we've wandered the sea?"

"It's our homeland! The Drum Kingdom! Truly?!"

(A/N: Oh boy. As Usopp would say: Pirates are coming! You know the disclaimer.)