Vivi, Aya, Usopp and Zoro continued walking in the snow as the wind was continuing to blow the harsh cold. Zoro shivered, rubbing his arms trying to keep warm. "Then give me your shoes then!" He shouted at Usopp.
"No way. You did this to yourself. You can't blame anyone." Usopp smiled. Zoro growled.
"One shoe."
"Look at that!" Vivi shouted, catching everyone's attention. She pointed out and they saw a village up ahead that looked familiar to them.
"I've seen those building before." Aya murmured.
"You're right. We're back at Bighorn!" Vivi spoke. Then they noticed a large crowd gathering in the center and walked closer to get a better look to see what was happening. Zoro walked over to one of the guardsmen, who were trying to get past the crowd.
"Hey, what's going on?"
'Where are your clothes!?" one of the men exclaimed in shock looking at Zoro in disbelief.
"The avalanche buried Mr. Dalton!" The second guardsmen cried out.
"But those men won't let us dig him out!"
Zoro, Aya, Usopp and Vivi pushed past the crowd to see several other guards with swords strapped to their backs, holding guns and were standing and sitting on a pile of snow, that were preventing anyone from helping Dalton.
"Get back! Dalton is dead!" one of the men threatened aiming his gun at the crowd.
"Mr. Dalton wouldn't die that easily!" one of the villagers shouted.
"You used to serve under him! Don't you even care!?" another one shouted as well.
"We're King Wapol's vassals! To defy him is death!" the man smirked, evilly.
"I've seen that uniform before. Am I mistaken or didn't we meet them at sea?" Zoro wondered, trying to remember.
"Yeah, you're right. They're the ones who attacked the ship earlier." Aya spoke.
"Then they're not our friends, right? They're the enemy, right!?" Zoro asked.
"They're the enemy, all right. But what's gotten you so worked up?!" Usopp shouted.
"Anybody that doesn't like it can take us on, if you have the guts without Dalton to lead you!" Then Zoro suddenly slammed right into man, knocking him down.
"Mr. Bushido!" Vivi cried out. The villagers and Wapol's men were shocked as well.
"Who is that guy!?" one of the pirates shouted.
"Stop you fool! If you fight them-" a man shouted at Zoro trying to stop him. Zoro grabbed the coat from the man he had knocked out and put it on. Zoro also took the man's gloves, putting them on as well.
"Ahh ha ha! Nice and warm!" He laughed.
"You just wanted his clothes!?" Usopp exclaimed in disbelief. Then Wapol's men suddenly began to charge at the group, aiming for Zoro.
"Kill him!"
"Oh? They never learn, do they?" Zoro smirked, turning towards them.
Nami groaned as she slowly began to wake up. She weakly opened her eyes and felt a cold ice pack on her forehead. Then Nami heard footsteps coming closer to the bed and she quickly sat up.
"Who's there?" To her surprise, Nami saw a blue nosed reindeer standing upright on two legs like a human. They were wearing a large red hat as their antlers protruded from the sides, with an X in the center of the hat, and maroon shorts.
"Eeek!" They squeaked in surprise, startled by Nami when she sat up. The reindeer quickly ran, cowering behind the corner of the door entrance, peeking out, staring at Nami, cautiously.
"You're peeking the wrong way." Nami told them. She saw the reindeer tensed up and quickly move a little to the side of the frame as they continued to peek out. "I can still see you. What a moron. What are you anyway?"
"G-Get lost! Human! By the way is your fever better?" the reindeer shouted.
"You can talk!?" Nami gasped in shock. The reindeer screamed.
"Stop that ruckus, Chopper!" Nami heard an older woman's voice shouted, angrily. Then she saw a tall woman with long graying hair walk into the room, carrying a bottle of wine. She was wearing a shirt baring her midriff, a naval ring, bracelets on her left arm, purple blazer and purple low riding pants and a small pair of sunglasses. The woman walked closer to Nami. Nami could tell from the way that she was walking the woman was drunk and the woman put a finger to Nami's forehead, checking her temperature.
"Your fever seems to have gone down a bit, girlie! Are you happy!?"
"Who are you?" Nami asked but was cut off.
"100. 76 F. It's tolerable." the woman smiled, pulling up her sunglasses. "I'm Kureha. I'm a doctor."
"A doctor? But, um..."
"You want to know the secret to my youthful appearance is that it?"
"I didn't ask that!"
"You're in the castle on the mountaintop." the woman explained.
"Where are the four who were with me!?" Nami shouted.
"They're sleeping soundly in the next room. They're unusually tough."
Nami sighed in relief, relaxing a little. She saw the woman sitting down on the bed in front of her and she pulled up Nami's shirt, revealing her stomach.
"W-What are you doing!?" Nami cried out.
"Looky here." The doctor pointed out and Nami looked down to see a small bruise forming near her bellybutton.
"Huh?"
"This is what made you sick." Kureha spoke.
"What is it!?"
"You were bitten by an insect called in keschia. They live in hot steaming jungles. It's an infectious tick. Its bite infects the victim with virulent bacteria. Over the course of five days, the ravages the victim. It causes a fever that never drops below 104 F, super infection, myocarditis, arteritis, encephalitis! Judging from the bite, I'd say you were infected three days ago. You've severed terribly but it would've been over after the fifth day. Just two more days and you would've been dead." Kureha spoke as she finished explaining. Nami felt her blood run cold and paled as she stared at the woman in shock.
"What!?"
"It's called the "Five days sickness" But Keschuas are supposed to have been eradicated a hundred years ago. Lucky for you, I kept a supply of the vaccine just in case. Where did you people come from anyway? Were you traipsing around in a jungle on a prehistoric island with your belly exposed? Kak kak kak...But that's absurd." the woman snickered.
"I was."
"You were? Silly girl." Kureha tsked and pushed Nami down back on the bed. "Stay in bed your treatment's not complete."
"I appreciate all you've done for me. But my fever's much better now. I'm fine, really. Can't I finish convalescing on my own?" Nami asked her.
"Don't be foolish. You mustn't underestimate this illness! The treatment normally takes ten days. Do you want your sickness to come back and kill you this time? You'll lie here and take your medicine for three more days."
"Three days!? But I can't! We're in a hurry!" Nami insisted and suddenly Nami was pinned down with a surgical knife by her throat by Kureha, leering over her.
"There are only two ways a patient leaves my care." Kureha smirked. "Fully recovered or dead! You're not going anywhere."
"But-!"
Then the reindeer from earlier came busting into the room with Luffy and Sanji, latched onto him, screaming.
"AAAH! Help!"
"Hold it, deer meat!" Luffy grinned, chopping down on the deer's side.
"Wait Luffy, I'll cook him up!" Sanji shouted. "It won't take a minute!" and they ran out of the room.
"Luffy, Sanji...And what is that? Some kind of cute blue-nosed talking deer?" Nami wondered.
"Incredible! They're up and about already!?" Kureha exclaimed in disbelief.
Inside the castle, Kureha and the reindeer were looking down at Luffy, Nami, Sanji, L, and Ichi, who was shivering in a corner, in shock and in disbelief, surprised to see anyone out in the blizzard. Just as Luffy had passed out, Ichi saw something in the blizzard coming towards them and started to call out to them, crying desperately for help.
"Who are these guys chopper?" Kureha asked.
"That one climbed up here with the girl on his back!" Chopper told her.
"All the way to the top of 15,000-foot Drum Rock!?"
"He's nearly frozen. What was he doing dressed like that!?" Chopper wondered.
"Boil up some water and toss him in it!"
Chopper began to check over Sanji. "This one's bleeding badly. Six broken ribs and a cracked spine. Shall I operate on him?" Then he pulled off L's hood, seeing that he was sweating a little, revealing short dark spiky hair, and noticed L's injuries. "And this one's been shot and is losing a lot of blood. The wound appears to be infected as well."
"The girl's the most critical. She's barely alive. Chopper, get the phenicol and the cardiotonic and chialcillin! Focus on her first, then we'll work on the dark haired one." Kureha told Chopper.
"Is it an infection?" Chopper asked her about Nami, wondering.
"Yes, and it's not local." Kuraha spoke, about to pick Nami up, before a hand reached out and grabbed her arm. She looked down and saw that it was Luffy.
"It's okay. I'll fix up these blood splattered kids and the girl, too. Have no fear."
"By frems (My friends.) They're my frems." he shivered and lost consciousness again.
"I'll take care of them." Kareha ordered. "Chopper, get going!"
"Yes, doctor!"
Chopper came back running into the room with Luffy and Sanji still attached to him.
"WAIT, HUMANS!"
"HOLD IT, DEER MEAT!" Luffy shouted.
"Luffy, I told you not to eat him yet!" Sanji shouted.
"I HATE YOU PEOPLE!"
"Don't you know what he is?" Kureha told Nami. "That's Chopper. He's your basic blue-nosed reindeer."
"Reindeer don't talk." Nami replied.
"Get off me you!-"
"However..."
"I'M NOT FOOD!" Chopper roared. Nami's eyes widen when she saw the reindeer grew larger in size becoming muscular. He punched Luffy and Sanji, knocking them off of him. "You fiends!"
"He ate the human-human fruit." Kureha explained. "Which enables him to do anything a human can do. I've taught him all of my medical skills."
In another room, L groaned as he woke up hearing the loud noise.
"What is up with the racket? Where am I?" He said weakly and a little tired.
"L!" L heard Ichi cry out and he was body slammed back into the bed when Ichi jumped onto it. L yelled out in pain, holding his side. Ichi had bandages wrapped around his hands and was wearing a blanket around him, keeping himself warm.
"I thought you would never wake up! We made it, L! We found the doctor!" Ichi cried, dripping some of tears and snot on L. L pushed him off.
"How did we get up here? I thought it was a high climb." L wondered.
"It was! The captain and I both climbed up. It was hard carrying you guys with the wind and snow blowing everywhere! About halfway, Luffy lost consciousness and slipped, and I grabbed him and brought him up to the top with Sanji and Nami!" Ichi grinned. L tensed up.
"Did anyone see you?" L frowned.
"No! I made sure of it! Nobody could see anything in that blizzard!" Ichi spoke. Then the two saw Chopper run into the room as he tried to lose Luffy and Sanji who were chasing him. Chopper immediately froze when he saw Ichi then looked at L, seeing that he had woken up.
"Food!" Ichi shouted, grinned drooling a little and got up. Chopper screamed and ran out of the room and Ichi chased after him, leaving L sitting in his bed still stunned by seeing Chopper. Luffy and Sanji ran across the doorway, chasing after them.
"Get back here! That's my meat!" Luffy shouted.
