Vivi was in no state to be moved. After confirming her identity, Dalton thus agreed to escort them up to the castle in order to meet with the King himself and discuss the situation with him directly. Of course, bringing the entire crew up there might be seen as an attempted coup, so it was quickly agreed that only Luffy and Brynlee would go up on their own, while the others watched over Vivi and the ship.

Luffy because he was the Captain, and Brynlee because she was the only one fairly capable of wrangling him in while also avoiding some serious political strife.

"I must warn you, even with an official request for help, our King might not be keen to lend one of his doctors," admitted Dalton as the mechanical cabin carried them up the ropeway.

"He'd be willing to risk invoking the wrath of Alabasta by letting its only heir die?" replied flatly Brynlee, already fully aware of the answer.

Dalton flinched. "Our King is… well within his rights to refuse, seeing as you are pirates and not honored representatives."

"We'll convince him," assured Luffy, determined. "And if he's too stubborn then I'll just kick his ass and then get a doctor to help!"

Brynlee cuffed him behind the head. "Don't go making threats against the one person who can help us right now. Because of course, every single doctor works for him. Every. Single. One. Not a singular doctor dares to stand against him and aid the people instead. Not even a crochety old bat who enjoys wringing money out of people even more than Nami. Or her strange little assistant with a tad too much fur. Absolutely no one."

Dalton had started sweating as Brynlee described the only two people on this entire island who dared to stand against Wapol's tyrannical rule – because even if he was a good guy, Dalton was still loyal to a fault, even if it meant supporting an unfit ruler.

"Ah, well, that is—"

"Oh, we're here!"

Luffy let out an excited gasp as the castle finally came into view. It was a pretty incredible sight, an entire castle made of ice amidst a snow-storm.

Hopefully we won't destroy too much of it once things turn south…

They were escorted through various halls, Brynlee keeping a hand closed on the hood of Luffy's coat to ensure he wouldn't stray the moment he smelled some food, and they eventually made it to the throne room. And of course, on the throne sat Wapol, even uglier than she remembered him to be as he swallowed entire plates of food and munched on the meat and cutlery alike with his inhuman jaw.

"Greetings, your esteemed highness," greeted Dalton, bowing deeply. "I bring you visitors seeking aid—"

"No."

"But they're—"

"I said no!" snapped Wapol, narrowing his eyes at Dalton. "Don't you know the laws of this kingdom? How dare you bring these filthy peasants in my castle!?"

"Oi!" exclaimed Luffy, quickly getting annoyed. "We want a doctor!"

"Aah? How presumptuous! Guards, get rid of them at once—"

Brynlee stepped forward and shoved Luffy's head down, forcing him to bow, while she did the same, keeping her head as low as possible.

"Greetings, your esteemed highness," she greeted, mirroring Dalton. "We do not wish to impose and will take our leave should you request it, but please be aware that sending us away might very well doom any semblance of relationship between Drum and Alabasta."

Luffy had already claimed a formal request, so might as well push through with it. Thankfully, implicating Alabasta was enough to make the guards around them pause, at the very least, and even Wapol quirked a brow.

"Alabasta? What does this backwater, sorry excuse of a kingdom could want?"

"Oi! That's Vivi's kingdom you're talking about—!"

Brynlee shoved Luffy's head down a little more, cutting him off. "Princess Vivi is currently a guest on our ship, and we were tasked with bringing her home. Unfortunately, she's gotten incredibly sick, and we have no doctor of our own to treat her. In all your wisdom, you obviously understand that sending away the only heir to the Alabastan throne without proper care might very well lead to her death, and thus greatly affect the alliance you worked tirelessly to establish with Alabasta."

"Hmm, that's true…" Wapol leaned forward a bit, a vicious glint in his beady eyes. "But King Cobra has made a fine show of impoverishing his kingdom and leading it straight to ruin. Alabasta is on the brink of civil war, the Nefertari name is worth little more than a dirty penny – no one over there would think twice if the Princess never came home."

"Ahem." His magistrate, Kuromarimo, stepped forward. "Let us not forget that the Princess actually went missing several years ago and was already believed dead by many. If she was to truly die out at sea, no one would even know."

Damn it, I didn't expect Wapol to keep up with international news. I thought he was too self-centered to be bothered by whatever else was happening in the world!

"Nonetheless, we humbly request your assistance," she insisted. "You are the only person capable of aiding Princess Vivi."

Something finally shifted in Luffy, who stopped struggling against her – and then he bowed even lower, all tension leaving his body.

"Please," he requested, his voice a little more subdued. "Please help her."

A few seconds passed as Wapol didn't even spare them a glance, too busy devouring his countless meals. He had yet to outright cast them out, though, so Brynlee decided to try her luck.

"Your Majesty, we have the means to pay for the services provided," she assured. "I'm sure we can agree on a price that will suit your fancy, in exchange for a doctor."

[Confirm to use ABILITY Silver Tongue?]

[YES] [NO]

She subtly activated it, and Wapol's demeanor immediately shifted. A slightly glazed look graced his eyes before it quickly vanished, and he then straightened up, finally looking at them with apparent greed.

"Very well. Let's talk price, then."

Alright, things are moving! Luffy learned an important lesson from Vivi in the original story, about choosing his battles and knowing when to ask for help rather than force it. So, I tried to keep it in, but we'll explore more of that in the next chapter. Important talk between Luffy and Brynlee incoming!

ALSO! I know it's the 80th chapter, but I've decided against posting the updated [CHARACTER PROFILE] for now. I'm working out a few kinks that I've noticed while re-reading my previous ones, so I'll probably post the new version only once we reach the 100th chapter. I'll let you guys know!