To all readers I still have despite all the time you need to wait for each new installment; thank you for your patience. Thank you also for your support and kind words. My hands are still an issue, but with great co-workers, friends and family, and admitting my own limits, means I'm not in constant, unbearable pain. Yes, my pride as an independant woman is bruised, but it also means I'll be able to live longer doing what I want to do.

Next, so I had to go back and check how I've handled these long arcs before, and realized that since Baratie I have divided them in two. So that's what I'll be doing here as well. Plus this arc is a PATCHWORK! Before now I've been able to write everything in a cronological order in accordance with the original source material. Not this time! Reading the manga it doesn't stick out with the way Oda-sensei has managed the pacing, but I'm using a medium and have to pay attention to time. Curiously, the anmie and movie (winterland and the miraculous sakura) has also taken a few liberties with the pacing of this specific arc. So doing the best I can here.

Enough from me, please enjoy!

Part 6: A white world

Chapter 1/5: A cold welcome to a winter island

At first light, Ruffy saw it. As the sun started rising, just for a moment, before the sea misted over to cover the shadow again, Ruffy spotted an island. Her heart reached out for Nami and tugged, just a little, just to let the navigator know how elated and relieved Ruffy was.

Nami responded. Ruffy couldn't even tell what the response was but she had to run a lap around the ship in order to release the overjoyed giddiness that Nami responded!

"Hey Sanji! Hoist the anchor and turn us just a little to the left!"

"Sure," the cook answered. He was still in high spirits. Ruffy wondered if his face hurt because she'd not seen him smile for this long before, but she was glad. Whatever he'd been so ashamed about, whether it was the cage, the mask or the word "failure" thrown at him until he believed it, was cleaned out enough for him to be a proper part of the crew.

Usopp was rubbing his face and neck as he stepped out into the first rays of sunlight, yawned good and wide before shuddering in the cold and glared at Ruffy when she greeted him a good morning.

"What's with this cold? Why is it still cold?!"

"We must be near a winter island."

"Winter island?" Usopp and Ruffy parroted.

Ruffy was in too good a mood for the sight of Vivi to ruin it. Sanji was happy, there was an island in sight, Nami had returned the little tug on her heart and all would soon be well again.

"Yes. Someone should be in the crow's nest to keep watch. If the weather stabilizes it means we're nearing an island."

"I know. I saw it. Told Sanji to adjust the course," Ruffy said proudly.

Vivi gaped. "You saw an island? Why didn't you tell everyone?!"

"She never does," Usopp said with a tired wave of his hand as he pulled his jacket on. "She sees them too early for the rest of us either way. Now, winter island?"

"Oh, yes. Meteorologically the islands of Grand Line are catalogued into four categories; spring islands, summer islands, autumn islands and winter islands, and they all have four seasons. So that's sixteen seasons in total you can happen upon on Grand Line."

"Summer on summer islands and winter on winter islands are polar opposites," Ruffy sagely nodded along with her arms crossed. "Sun explained it to me, but she said she preferred the fall and winter islands because they had the clearest skies at night." Again Vivi stared at her with a strange look, making Ruffy tilt her head in question. "What?"

"No, I just… you seem… to know a lot more than… I thought you would."

"Oh, that's because I've been to Grand Line before. I travelled with Sun here for about a year. We rarely went to habited islands though. Sun had her favourite spots."

This time it was Usopp who gaped. "A year!?"

Ruffy just smiled at them and Sanji called that breakfast was ready.

This morning Ruffy ate. Vivi took her and Nami's food down to the girls' room, but Zoro, Usopp, Sanji and even Carue shared a proper breakfast for the first time ever, and inside.

Zoro kept throwing glances at Sanji who was happy to ignore them as he served freshly baked bread, fried fish and oatmeal porridge with mandarin marmalade and cottage cheese. In the end the marimo stopped his scrutiny, shrugged his shoulders, thanked Sanji for the meal and went back down to watch over Nami.

Ruffy burrowed down into her jacket, cheeks flushed and face bright before she bounced outside and onto Merry's head to spy forward.

Usopp stared after her for a while before turning to watch Sanji take care of the dishes.

"Did something happen?" he asked.

The cook was quiet at first, but his smile softened. "She… listened to my heart last night."

"Really? What did you get to see?! When she listened to mine it was sort of dreadful."

"Yes," Sanji agreed slowly, his smile dimming, but didn't elaborate. His hands worked methodically with the dishes.

Usopp regarded him for a while, but then shrugged and went out to continue fixing the damage from yesterday. He was glad though, he supposed. He still failed to understand what had stopped Ruffy from listening to Sanji's heart, but maybe the wait had been good. It might have gotten Sanji used to the idea and Ruffy was clearly getting over herself. Finally. So yeah, Usopp was glad. Now all they needed was to find a doctor, fix Nami and they could go on adventuring!

Carue quacked and nudged a plank closer to Usopp and the boy rubbed the smooth beak in appreciation.

"I see it!" Ruffy called out at late morning and looked up at Sanji who had taken up position in the crow's nest again. "Sanji? It's right ahead!"

The cook looked through the binoculars, sweeping slowly. "Not yet," he called back.

Usopp pulled his own googles down to take a look. The weather was clear, the air high and bitingly cold, so they could see quite far today.

"Ruffy, are you talking about that… dot ahead?" he asked. Though he felt generous calling it a dot. More like a hint of something there, like a see-through insect you could only see if the sun shone on it.

"Yes, the white one. It has funny mountains."

There was something wrong with Ruffy's sight if she could tell that much, Usopp decided. Well, it was a good thing since she could tell it was an island, which he certainly couldn't. Carue brought more planks, nails and an adjustable spanner.

"Thanks, but I'll need screws for this," Usopp said and took the tool.

The duck quacked, left and returned a minute later with nuts.

"I said screws! Where did you even find these?"

The sun rose higher on the sky, the temperature dropping another few degrees below freezing. It was high noon, more than two hours after Ruffy declared she could see an island, when Sanji finally called out.

"I see it!"

Usopp hammered the nail down to the head before standing to take a look himself. The almost-not-a-dot had taken shape. Usopp could see there was something with his naked eye, but he needed the googles to see it was, in fact, an island. White with funny-looking mountains.

The teen sent a look at his captain who hadn't moved from Merry's head since breakfast. Unlike before Little Garden, the girl looked calm and in control.

"Can you see a doctor?" Usopp asked, seriously wondering if she actually could.

"Don't know. The whole island is covered with snow. But I do see smoke in six locations, so there are people. And there's a building on top of the highest mountain as well. I just started seeing movement though. I wonder if all the animals are white."

Usopp looked back at the dot he could just make out without the googles. How did Ruffy's sight work? It was almost scary she could see so far.

Sanji had made it down from the crow's nest, running on the spot and waving his arms to ward off the chill of standing still for too long. "Captain, how big is the island to you?" he asked. "It's just a dot to me."

Usopp perked up, interested and paid full attention to Ruffy as she squinted her eyes and started measuring with her fingers.

"This big."

"THAT'S JUST A DOT!" Usopp hollered, as surprised as outranged. How could Ruffy see smoke, never mind movement, when it was no bigger to her than it was to them?!

"That means your sight is several times sharper than ours," Sanji pointed out thoughtfully.

"Sharper?" Usopp and Ruffy echoed.

"Like an eagle," Sanji explained. "Or other type of predatory bird. Ever seen it?"

"Yeah," Usopp nodded slowly. "You mean how a hawk can spot a mouse from up high?"

"Just like that. So Ruffy's devil fruit might be a bird."

"I would have said a house cat myself," Usopp argued, waving his hand. "Birds don't cuddle."

"CUDDLE WITH USOPP!"

Usopp choked as Ruffy jumped him with the force of a flying brick, hit his head on deck and promptly decided Ruffy was a dog. One of those overly affectionate breeds with a fluffy tail who was currently feeling the effects of cuddle withdrawal. Usopp could only flail as Ruffy squeezed around him like a python.

"You want to cuddle, Ruffy?"

The girl jerked up, and Usopp was immensely happy when she released him to jump straight into Sanji's much more expecting arms.

'Ruffy and her stupid strength,' Usopp thought to himself as he rubbed his ribs.

"I want to cuddle with Nami."

The words were gentle and voice soft like a wish. Usopp and Sanji exchanged a glance before throwing uncertain looks towards the door. Any other day it wouldn't be a wish. If Ruffy wanted to pounce on Nami she would just go with that impulse. Now there was Vivi.

"As soon as we arrive on that island and find a doctor, you may share a bed again," Sanji offered.

Usopp head the girl sigh, a frustrated huff of air before she let herself down from Sanji's arms. But she held onto his hands, then reached for Usopp with a determined fire in her eyes. Usopp reached out and squeezed his captain's hand in promise. They would make it through this crisis together, as they always did.

Vivi left Nami to Carue as they closed in on the island. A winter island. She wore double layers all over, socks, pants, shirts, but only one jacket and scarf. Growing up in a desert her body was used to extreme changes in temperature, but she realized she was strangely sensitive to this steady cold that seemed to slowly seep into her bones and stay there, compared to the sharp chill of desert nights that never made it further than her skin.

On deck she found everyone gathered around the figurehead where Ruffy stood with her head tilted.

"Hey, is anything wrong?"

"Oh, Vivi-chan. We're just looking for a place to dock."

"Hey, Vivi. Th-there aren't any… yeti or monsters or anything here… right?" Usopp was already blue in the face when he gasped out. "Guys, guys. I have Can't-Land-On-Island disease!"

Usopp was such a curious boy, Vivi thought. Should a pirate really be as scared of everything the way Usopp was? Besides, Ruffy was standing there with bare legs. Wasn't she cold? Everyone else was shivering slightly. Vivi brought out Nami's portable little thermometer.

"Minus ten Celsius," she read. "Probably even colder inland. No wonder the snow is so light."

"Ruffy, are you sure there are people?" Zoro spoke up.

"Yeah, they've seen us, and more are coming. They're scared because we're pirates."

Vivi looked up to stare at Ruffy's back, then walked around the rest to stand at the railing, ready to plead their case, but all she saw was snow and rocks and trees.

"What should we do, captain?" Sanji asked.

Something inside Vivi reacted, and just like before, she was surprised. But it shouldn't come as a surprise that these people turned to Ruffy for guidance. It shouldn't. She was the captain. And Ruffy was more well-informed than Vivi had given her credit for. She had sailed the Grand Line before. So why did Vivi's pride rear its head each time anyone turned the decisive power to Ruffy?

"Look for their leader, ask them to bring a doctor," the girl pirate said with finality.

Vivi glanced at Ruffy, saw her steady gaze and tried again to spot the people, any people, feeling frustration rise when she couldn't.

They sailed into an inlet in search of a place to anchor while Vivi scanned each inch of the area but couldn't find a single person.

"There's a waterfall!" Ruffy called. "Let's anchor here."

And just like that, people sprung out of the snow, the air filled with clicks from guns and voices hauled threats and insults at them. Vivi's heart jumped up into her mouth. If this was the reception, she needed every diplomatic trick she knew to save Nami.

"There you are. You hid really well," Ruffy greeted them with a smile, freezing Vivi's thoughts on the spot.

A man dressed in green with yellow details stepped up. "Turn your vessel around and leave!" he spoke with a level, firm voice that was an order and nothing else.

"We will!" Ruffy answered. "After you bring a doctor. My crewmate is ill!"

"Please! She has a high fever!" Vivi chirped in, more than desperate now.

But the people kept aiming at them.

"YOU THINK WE'RE STUPID?!"

"DON'T TRY DIRTY TRICKS ON US, YOU FILTHY PIRATES!"

"THIS IS OUR LAND! GO AWAY AND NEVER RETURN!"

"Ruffy wasn't joking when she said they were scared," Sanji mumbled behind Vivi, and that was all it took for the first bullet to fly.

Vivi didn't have time to think. She threw herself at Sanji, the one whose voice was cursing, to stop him from fighting. They couldn't fight here!

The second shot rang out, and Vivi turned to see where it landed. Only to find Ruffy behind her, curled in on herself with one arm out to stop the people behind her.

"HOLD YOUR FIRE!" someone roared, his voice deep and sharp with stress.

Vivi's heart stopped. Ruffy was hit. If Ruffy was hit, who could stop a fight from breaking out? What would happen to Nami?

But Ruffy straightened. Her other hand was clenched in a fist and bleeding. She opened it, and Vivi couldn't understand what she was seeing when a bloodied bullet fell from her fingers.

"I told you we will do as you say," Ruffy spoke. "We will leave. After you bring a doctor. My crewmate is ill. You can shoot at me if you want, but bring a doctor… Please."

Vivi stared, part appalled, part awe-struck, part mortified and suddenly found herself held in place by Sanji. His brow was furrowed and body trembling with restraint. Ruffy stood before them with her arms stretched out, and only now did Vivi realise the girl pirate was acting as a human shield. That's why she wasn't bowing, pleading properly.

On shore, the people hesitated, glanced at each other. The silence stretched.

Dalton had seen few pirates in his life, but he had seen his fair share of cruel men and thought he'd recognize them if he ever laid eyes on one. He'd seen even more good men and thought he knew how to tell them apart. He'd never been faced with a look like he saw in this young girl's eyes. She was staring straight at him without blinking, a promise to him alone she would go down fighting. As if she knew he would be the one to give the order to open fire.

It was too daring for a lie.

Looking at the group, it consisted of youngsters. Teenagers really. He and his fellow citizens had only seen the pirate flag before now. Seeing the pirates themselves, seeing the still, unblinking gaze of a small girl putting her life down before Dalton's feet despite her youth. Had she even turned fifteen yet?

Defeated, Dalton let his shoulders relax. "I'll take you to our village."

Those brown eyes blinked slowly at him, the lines around them softening in gratitude. The rest of the teens sagged behind the girl, shaking their heads and rubbing their faces. The other girl, the one with long hair, actually sank to her knees.

'A tight group,' Dalton observed with a measure of respect. "I will warn you though, there is only one doctor on this island: a witch."

They did have a sick person, just as they said. Dalton sympathized with the pirates as much as with his fellows, many of whom were still greatly suspicious. Yet the pirates were accommodating to them, allowing a search of their ship for the rest of a crew and weapons that evidently didn't exist. There really were only the five of them, the patient and a giant bird that seemed unable to fly.

'It's a bit of an eye-opener,' Daltron thought. 'Even pirates are human.' And sometimes, apparently, they were barely more than children.

The patient was yet another girl, and it was the tall boy with light hair who took her on the back to carry her though the snow. The other girl, the captain, ran around the pair on feet clad only in straw-sandals. Dalton found himself wanting to ask why, or protest, seeing those red toes, but forcefully refrained. He was no stranger to devil-fruit users after all.

One more boy came along, his most striking features being a long nose and skittish personality. The third boy stayed on the ship along with the abnormally big bird.

"Thank you for your hospitality. What country is this?" the girl with long hair spoke. Oddly enough her speech was much more cultivated and refined than the others'.

"This country is yet to be named."

The girl's big grey eyes blinked as she frowned. "A nameless country? How is that possible?"

Just then the long-nosed boy howled. "BEAR! EVERYBODY PLAY DEAD!"

Dalton had noticed the approaching animal using a pick-axe as a cane, but it was a creature that didn't need his full attention. It would probably be good manners to inform the pirates as well.

"A hiking bear. It's not dangerous as long as you are polite." Dalton and the people around him bowed respectfully to the tall, woolly beast, who returned the greeting with a noble nod of its head without even breaking its stride and peacefully went on its way.

"That bear was really old! His heart sounded so much like his footsteps I had to see him first."

Dalton tilted his head in the girl's direction, but the blond pirate spoke first.

"You mean his heartbeat?"

"Yeah, it was only the sound of crunching snow and the wind and starlight that continued on for years and years."

"Starlight?! What does that sound like?"

"The same way it sounds when you look at the stars."

Unable to help himself, Dalton tilted his head skyward. Huh, his heart really was doing something slightly different when he took in the clouds dropping gentle, light snow on them.

"You say the strangest things sometimes, captain," the blond boy sighed.

"I think it makes sense," Dalton injected.

"Then you're as strange as she is!"

They reached the top of the uphill slope they had walked and the familiar visage of round houses with steep, green roofs opened up before them. Some houses were still under reconstruction, the families sharing homes with neighbours while the youngest children had been sent away to live with relatives who had had their homes built back up faster after the pirate attack.

"This is Big Horn, our village," Dalton told the pirates before turning to the rest of the men who had followed as an escort. "Thank you everyone. Those on guard-duty return to your posts. Everyone else, thank you for your quick actions today, you may return to your regular duties."

"But Dalton, they are pirates! Will you be all right?"

"I can't sense any ill will from them. Please trust me."

The men reluctantly left, all the while throwing dirty looks at the teenagers who barely seemed to notice. Except for the girl with long hair.

"Those people, were they not the official guard platoon?"

"…No, just regular villagers," Dalton shared with some reluctance.

"Yeah, their hearts were much too panicked to belong to soldiers. And no one had uniforms or even armour," the pirate captain pointed out.

'Sharp,' Dalton noted, piling the girl's observation on his list of things to add to the training regime of the volunteers. A racing heart messed up your aim after all. "For the time being, please come to my house."

The blond man with the ill person as well as the girl with long hair followed, but the captain and the skittish boy went to investigate the village. Curiously they stopped before Maria-san who was making her way towards Dalton, the boy bowing stiffly while the captain just stared. They didn't think Maria-san was a Hiking Bear, did they?

Maria-san, bless her, spoke with a nervous voice. "Mr Dalton, you're back. What about the pirates? Oh? Who are these little boys?"

"E-everything is under control, ma'am," Dalton said reassuringly and hurried to open the door to his house to distract himself, lest he might burst out laughing.

"Good day, madam. You sound like chopping leeks!"

Again with the sounds? Dalton wasn't curious by nature, but considering Maria-san always made cakes out of leeks for the birthdays she was invited to, the pirate's comment felt too accurate. Maybe he should keep a keen eye on that girl.

"You may place your patient on the bed over there. I'll get the fire going."

"Thank you for your hospitality," the long-haired girl said again while she and the blond man untied their friend and stripped her from the jacket and boots.

"If I may, my name is Dalton, captain of the civilian militia. Do excuse our hostile welcome."

"Think nothing of it," the blond said and stepped back as he was pushed away from placing the patient under the covers.

The action turned Dalton's attention to the girl who had now planted herself on the bedside. Her hair was a pale shade of blue, like the shadow on snow on a sunny day. Her face was round and eyes a soft dove-grey colour with curved eyebrows that made her look more determined than innocent.

"May I ask you a question," Dalton said slowly, staring intently at the girl. "Have I seen you somewhere before?"

"Me?" the girl's face twitched nervously. "H-how can that be? I'm no one special! Are you sure you're not imagining things? I've never met you before! Oh, ah, I'd like to know more about the witch you mentioned earlier."

Dalton retreated, experience having taught him long ago how to choose his battles. The girl should work on her lying, though.

"Well, what illness is your friend suffering from?"

"Fever. It was forty-two degrees last we checked."

"F-forty-two!?" That meant the girl's brain was practically boiling. "If the fever goes up even a little more she will lose her life for sure."

"We know. It's been rising since it started three days ago and we don't know what's causing it or how to treat it."

"So it doesn't matter if it's a witch or a demon, as long as Nami-san can be cured," the male teen pressed, waving his hands around. "Where is that witchdoctor? Bring her or we'll go to her."

Dalton felt shame well up in his throat. The girl on the bed wasn't even twenty yet and she'd arrived on this island of all places.

He still felt obliged to correct the teen. "She is a proper doctor. You see the mountain out the window?"

"Mountain? You mean those…" Sanji's voice died down when he turned to the window in question. The view was of snow, rocks and sticks.

"Oi, Ruffy, don't shovel so fast! What are you even making?! Hey! Stop throwing snow on my dinosaur!"

Sanji headed out, took Ruffy under his arm, kicked her shovel so far away it probably landed in the ocean, lifted Usopp by the scuff of his neck, gave the piles of unfinished snow creations such a solid kick the heaps flattened themselves out, and carried the kids inside, ignoring their protests. All the while gnashing curses through his teeth.

They were both shivering, so Sanji set Usopp down inside the door and Ruffy by the fire. "Don't be so reckless, captain," the cook sighed and placed his warm hands over the shells of Ruffy's ears. They were so cold it must be painful.

Their host set a kettle over the fire, and Sanji had to throw the man a grateful look.

"But Nami's heartbeat is getting weaker!"

Sanji did a double take. Yes, Ruffy was shivering from head to toe and her skin was cold, but her jaw was relaxed while Usopp's teeth was clattering just slightly.

The cook brushed Ruffy's hat and hair aside and firmly kissed her brow. "That's why we're here, Senshou. Dalton was just about to tell us how to find that doctor."

Their host closed his eyes, as if something was hurting him.

"Those mountains are called Drum Rockies. You can barely see it right now, but at the top of the highest Rocky in the middle is a castle."

The kettle whistled and Sanji, by force of habit, reached for it. But their host waved a hand that he got it, poured the hot water into a teapot to let it steep. Sanji counted the seconds as the tall man kept talking.

"At present, the castle has no king."

"Does it have pirates?" the Ruffy asked.

"Of course it doesn't. Ruffy-san, don't be absurd," Vivi-chan protested.

"But the castle is flying the Jolly Roger."

"That's impossible!"

Sanji glanced at Vivi-chan with a slight frown. "Ruffy's sight is many times sharper than yours and mine combined, and my captain is not a liar."

Dalton poured the tea and served it to Usopp and Ruffy. "It is… possible for there to be a Jolly Roger," he said slowly, eyes distant.

"H-how can that be?"

"Hm… it's a long story, I suppose, though I don't actually know it. Anyway, Dr Kureha, the lone doctor on the island who we call the 'witch', lives in that very castle."

"What?!"

Sanji eyeballed the mountain, taking note of how sleek the cliffsides were as well as the lack of any visible ropes or chains to indicate there were sliding mechanisms in place. "How is that doctor… never mind. Please call her here. It's an emergency!"

But their host again closed his eyes. Sanji's heart sank through the floor.

"There is no way to contact her, regardless how much I wish to help you."

"What the shit?! And she calls herself a doctor?!"

"Her skills are indisputable," Dalton said, almost defensively. "But she's… a kook. And almost one hundred and forty years at this point."

Sanji's brain conjured an image of a woman who was just barely alive: frail, wrinkled and bony with shaking hands and a pointy hat. He was only seventeen himself after all, even seventy was too far away an age for him to fathom, never mind the double.

"Is she okay?" he asked out of incredulity.

"Oh, and she likes pickled plums," Dalton went on, not helping at all because what was Sanji even going to do with that titbit of information?

"But what about the people of the country?" Vivi-chan asked. "What do they do when they're sick or injured."

Their host made a complicated face. "She comes down the mountain as she pleases, finds patients and treats them." He took a bit of a steadying breath. "And then takes everything and anything she wants as payment."

"Oh, so she's a pirate?" Ruffy asked, sounding a bit too delighted.

"Definitely a pirate," Usopp huffed. "What a mean old lady."

"You just said she comes down the mountain," Vivi-chan spoke up. "But how does such an old granny…?"

"Well, supposedly, according to witnesses, she has a flying reindeer who pulls a magical sleigh, hence her moniker: the witch."

"I knew it!" Usopp wailed. "It's a monster! Yeti! That witch is a snow monster! Let's not!"

"It's certainly preferable to have as little as possible to do with that woman," Dalton agreed. "However the case, all you can do is wait for her to come down the mountain."

Vivi started objecting, Sanji groaned and complained. Ruffy got up and went over to the bed.

"Hey, Nami, can you hear me? You need to wake up."

"What are you doing!? Leave Nami-san alone!" Vivi shrieked and pulled at Ruffy's shoulder, but the pirate didn't budge an inch.

Sanji watched Vivi-chan's beautiful eyes widen and mouth fall open. She really was beautiful.

Nami made a little noise and opened her eyes.

"You're awake!" Ruffy smiled. "Hey, the doctor is up a mountain, so we'll be hiking."

"Are you insane!? Nami-san can't hike!" Vivi protested.

"I'll carry her," Ruffy said easily.

"You're just going to exaggerate her condition! Just what are you trying to put her through?! Just look at that mountain! Nami-san will never make it!"

"But we're in a hurry, right. What's the big deal?"

Sanji watched his captain and Vivi-chan go back and forth before glancing at the girl on the bed. Nami-san was, oddly enough, huffing out a weak laugh. The cook watched the blanket move and Nami-san's hand appeared over the covers.

"Carry me, captain."

'The women on this crew…' Sanji thought with such deep respect he almost wanted to bow before them.

Ruffy grinned and clapped Nami's outstretched hand. "Leave it to me."