#18-19

Name: Life In The World Of One Piece

By: jlee0799

Synopsis: I was laying in bed terribly bored as usual, when suddenly I went unconscious and woke up to find myself in a void, being offered power and adventure beyond my wildest dreams.

Original Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13188534/1/Life-In-The-World-Of-One-Piece

Ratings: M

Please support the author by visiting the link above. I'm just here to share this with you. If you're the original author of this story, then you can message me to remove it. I only upload chapters up to the recent ones. You can read more chapters on the original author link or search the title on the respective site.

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Not too long after leaving Whiskey Peak, the Straw Hats were back sailing on the open sea again, with Alabasta as their destination.

"The fog is starting to lift... It's almost morning." Nami said, looking up at the sky.

"Did the log pose lock on to the next island yet, Nami?" Luffy asked, sitting on the front of the ship, which he claimed was his 'special seat'. A distance away from the two, Zoro was lying on the deck, napping as usual, while Nojiko was talking to Vivi about something. Usopp was up in the crow's nest, and Sanji was in the kitchen preparing lunch.

With a sigh and shake of her head, Nami replied, "Unfortunately not. We did only stay on Whiskey Peak for a few hours, after all."

Hearing her response, Luffy couldn't help but sigh. If the log pose wasn't set, then that meant that they were essentially just sailing aimlessly, not really knowing where they were going.

"This sucks." He said, twirling his straw hat on his finger.

"It certainly does. However, I'll congratulate you on your escape."

Abruptly, Luffy stood and turned around, and frowned as he saw an unfamiliar woman sitting on one of the higher railings on the deck. The movement of their captain seemed to spur the others into action, as they all prepared themselves for a possible fight.

"Monkey D. Luffy... I must say, you're not as tall as I was expecting."

"Who are you?" Luffy asked, cursing internally at the fact that he hadn't sensed someone sneak onto his ship. His sensei would probably- no, he would definitely be scolding him right now if he were here.

Finally getting a good look at the woman as she looked up, Vivi gasped with wide eyes, drawing the attention of the others.

The woman had lightly tanned skin, stormy gray eyes, and long, light brown hair, reaching just past her shoulders. She was wearing a white, sleeveless turtleneck, which left her midriff exposed, a tight, white skirt that showed off her smooth legs, and a pair of white, high-heeled, open-toed shoes.

"I'm guessing you know who this woman is, Princess?" Zoro asked, ready to draw his swords at a moments notice.

Swallowing thickly, Vivi spoke up with a slightly shaky voice, "Th- That's Miss All Sunday."

"Miss Sunday?" Nojiko asked, standing productively next to the young princess. "Whose partner is she?"

"M- Mr. 0. She's the boss' partner!" Vivi responded, getting surprised expressions from the Straw Hats, while the female agent simply looked amused.

"What?! Are you sure?!" Usopp screamed all the way from his position up in the crow's nest.

"I'm positive! Igaram and I followed her back to the secret base, which was how we found out his identity!"

"Well, more like I let the two of you follow me, but whatever. And speaking of Mr. 8, it sure was unfortunate what happened to him." Miss All Sunday said, making Vivi glare at her with wide eyes, all her fear replaced by a burst of anger.

"You! It was you that blew up Igaram's ship, wasn't it?!" Vivi asked furiously, balling her fists tightly. "I'm sure you were also the one that told Crocodile that his identity had been leaked, despite letting us tail you. Just what is your objective?!"

"I just find it interesting how a single princess foolishy thinks that she can take on all of Baroque Works, and save an entire nation by herself." Sunday replied, raising an eyebrow ever so slightly.

"Stop underestimating me!" The young princess yelled, and it was at this point that Sanji came rushing out of the kitchen, before he, to the surprise and shock of all the Straw Hats, held a pistol to Miss All Sunday's head.

The woman was silent for a bit, before finally letting out a sigh.

"You know, there's no need for you all to be so on guard. I didn't come here on any orders, and I have no particular interest in fighting any of you." She said calmly, barely sparing Sanji or the gun he held a sideways glance.

"Then, why are you here? I doubt it's to have a friendly chat." Zoro asked with a frown, getting the woman to glance at him, before she turned her stormy gray eyes to Luffy.

"I've always wanted to meet a 'D.' Such an interesting clan." Miss All Sunday responded, making Luffy blink in slight surprise. However, before he could reply, she stood up and walked over to one of the side railings.

"Well, as fun as this little chat has been, I suppose I should be getting back." And with that, she hopped over over the side of the ship, and the Straw Hats watched in surprise as she sailed away on a giant turtle.

This Straw Hats were all silent for a bit, before Luffy walked over to Vivi and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you alright?" He asked, making her release a deep breath, before she gave a slow nod.

"Umm... Shouldn't we have captured her, Luffy?" Nami asked, getting the captain to turn to her.

"Yeah, that probably would've been a good idea. It's too late now, though, so there's nothing we can do. Plus, they already knew about us, anyway." He said with a shrug. "Anyway, let's continue on our path, for now. Whatever happens, we've still gotta get to Alabasta and kick Crocodile's ass!"

[ Two Hours Later ]

"Nami?" Vivi said as she approached the orange-haired navigator, who had been sitting at her desk and looking at some sea charts.

"Hm? What is it, Vivi?" The navigator responded, sporting a curious expression.

"Ah, well, since it'll be a while before we get to our destination, I figured I should use this time to get to know you all."

"Oh." Nami said, blinking as she fully turned to the Vivi, before gesturing for her to sit down in a chair on the side of the desk. "Sure."

The two then spent around twenty minutes making small talk and getting to know each other, before Vivi remembered something that she had been wanting to ask.

"Back on Whiskey Peak, I remember you saying you've known Luffy for years. So, does that mean that you and Nojiko were the first two to join?" The princess asked, tilting her head curiously.

"Hmm..." Nami began, tapping one of her index fingers against her chin. "I guess if you wanna get technical, you could say we were, since we agreed to join back when we were kids. Officially, though, Zoro was the first."

"Oh. Well, you and Luffy must be pretty close if you've known each other for that long." Vivi guessed with a smile.

With a faint blush, Nami brushed some hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. "Yeah. We're really close."

"That must be nice... With everything happening in my country, I haven't been able to see any of my childhood friends in years. Not even my closest friend, Koza. He's actually the one who's leading the rebels." Vivi said with a dejected sigh, and Nami couldn't help but feel sorry for her. On top of being stressed and worried all the time for her home, she was also probably very lonely.

"You're strong, Vivi." Nami began, getting the princess to look at her with surprised eyes. "If I was in your position, I don't know if I could be as brave as you."

"That's very kind of you, Nami... but I don't know if 'brave' is really the word I'd use. If I'm being honest, it'd probably more accurate to say I'm just determined and desperate."

"Well, that determination is what's gonna save your country." The navigator rebutted encouragingly, getting an appreciative smile and nod from the blue-haired princess.

"So, how did you and Nojiko meet Luffy? Did you all grow up on the same island?" Vivi asked, before blinking in confusion when Nami let out a nervous laugh.

"That's... not really something I can talk about. Not yet, at least. All I can really say is that it was thanks to a certain group of people." Nami said, making Vivi even more curious, but she decided not to push it. The two then moved on to other subjects, becoming fast friends as they learned more about each other.

[ Two Days Later ]

"Snow, again?" Zoro muttered, slightly annoyed at how random weather was in the Grand Line. He was currently on lookout duty. Below him, Luffy and Usopp were having fun in the snow, while the others were all inside.

As he was looking through the binoculars he was holding, Zoro had to blink a few times when his eyes met a strange sight.

"Hey, Luffy, Usopp!"

"What's up?" They shouted back up to him.

"You guys ever heard of someone being able to stand on water?"

"What the heck are you talking about, Zoro?" Usopp asked with half lidded eyes, wondering if the cold weather was messing with the swordsman's head. As for Luffy, he chose not to say anything, since he actually did know someone that could stand on water, and was pretty sure that he would not be here.

"That." Zoro said, pointing straight forward. Following his line of sight, Usopp and Luffy both saw that there was indeed someone standing on water.

"Hi." The strangely dressed man greeted them. He looked similar to a jester.

Luffy was about to say something in response, but stopped when his senses picked up on some other people below the man, making him frown in confusion, along with raising his guard slightly, discreetly preparing himself for a possible fight.

"Quite cold today, isn't it?" The man asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Uh... Yeah. It's pretty cold." Usopp said, scratching his head with a dazed/confused expression. He then fell on his butt when a huge, spherical, metal object came up out of the water.

Luffy, Zoro, and Usopp then watched as the some of the metal began lowering like walls, which revealed a massive ship, easily dwarfing the size of their own. Its Jolly Roger was a skull that had a metal crown, and was wearing a king's crown.

Nami, Nojiko, and Vivi were all sitting at the table in the kitchen as they made small talk, while Sanji was about to start preparing lunch for the crew a short distance away from them. They were all interrupted when they felt the ship shake yet again, along with hearing loud voices outside.

"Just what are those idiots up to, now?" Sanji grumbled, pulling off his apron, before he began heading outside, with Nami, Nojiko, and Vivi quickly following.

"Luffy! What is-" Nami began once they made it outside, before almost instantly cutting herself off.

Beside her, Sanji pulled out a cigarette and stuck it between his lips, before lighting it up and taking a long drag of it. He then asked with a calm tone, "Well? What's going on, Luffy?"

"An ambush." Luffy said simply, doing a wide gesture with his arms at all the unfamiliar people standing on their ship.

"Hmm... That makes 7 of you in total." The man that was obviously the leader said. A whale of a man with violet hair, and a cylinder-shaped jaw that was made of metal.

As Vivi got a good look at the man, she gasped quietly, getting Nojiko to look at her.

"What's wrong?" Nojiko whispered, making sure none of the intruders could hear her. "You know this guy, too?"

Before Vivi could respond, the man began speaking again. "Let me ask you something." He began, with the Straw Hats and Vivi all cringing as they watched him chew threw a knife, before swallowing it down.

"We're trying to get back to Drum Kingdom. Tell me, do you have an eternal pose, or even just a regular log pose?" He asked after burping loudly.

"Does your crew not have a navigator?" Nami asked, folding her arms across her chest.

"No. Now, the log pose?" The man said, holding out his hand expectantly.

"Look, we don't know where this 'Drum Kingdom' is. In fact, we've never even heard of it." Sanji said, flicking some ash from the tip of his cigarette.

"I see. That's too bad. In that case, I guess I'll just have to take all of your belongings. Naturally, that includes your ship." The man declared, before his stomach rumbled. "Ah, guess I'm feeling a bit peckish." After saying this, his mouth opened inhumanly wide, before he took a big bite out of the side of the ship.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Luffy yelled in anger.

"Don't you dare move! Lord Wapol is enjoying his meal!" One of the many underlings shouted, aiming his rifle right at Luffy's face.

"Shut up!" The rubbery young man yelled, sending the underling flying with a punch to his face.

"About time." Zoro said, smirking as he unsheathed his swords, before quickly slicing down a few henchmen.

"They're resisting! Shoot them!"

Moving quickly, Sanji delivered a series of strong kicks to a small group of Wapol's underlings that had surrounded him.

Cursing, Usopp began releasing shot after shot from his slingshot, using everything in his arsenal.

As for the ladies of the crew, Nami had taken out a metal, three-section staff, which she was using to swiftly take out enemies, in perfect tandem with Nojiko, who was simply using her bare hands to knock them out.

"Huh. This ship isn't half bad." Wapol said, taking another bite out of the ship.

"Stop eating my ship!" Luffy yelled, stretching both of his arms far behind him, while Wapol turned to him with his mouth opened wide.

"Wait, Luffy!" Vivi shouted with wide eyes.

It was too late, for Wapol was sent flying off into the distance, eventually appearing as little more than a speck.

"Lord Wapol!"

"This is terrible! If His Majesty falls into the water, he's done for!" The jester-looking man exclaimed with concern. "Back to the ship, everyone! If we don't go rescue him quickly, he'll drown for sure!"

"You scum had better remember this! We'll get you for this! Remember that!" A man with an afro and a strange beard yelled, running away with all of the other underlings, with many of them having to drag/carry their unconscious comrades. "Please remember us!"

As the enemy ship sailed away, Luffy sighed and put his straw hat back on his head.

"Luffy! Why did you do that?!" Vivi yelled, getting confused looks from all of the Straw Hats.

"Why did I do what?" He asked, genuinely confused as to why she seemed so upset.

"You shouldn't have attacked that man, Luffy! He's a king! He could cause a lot of trouble for you all if he reports this to the World Government!"

"Why wouldn't I kick his ass? He was trying to eat my ship! And it doesn't matter that he's a king! We're already pirates, anyway!"

"Even so, you can't just solve everything with your fists!"

"What, so I should have nicely asked him to stop eating my ship? You seriously think that something like that would work?"

"Maybe not, but you never know! If you just use violence to solve everything, then you're not worthy of being a captain!"

Seeing that this was starting to get out of hand, Nojiko quickly got between the two, "Look, why don't we all calm down?" She said, getting the both to release deep sighs as they stepped away from each other. "Sanji, can you go finish lunch? I'm sure we're all pretty hungry."

"As you wish, my dear Nojiko." The cook replied, walking back to the kitchen.

'I should apologize.' Vivi thought, feeling guilty as she remembered her argument with the captain. Turning to him, she said, "I'm sorry, Luffy. I'm not even part of the crew, yet here I am trying to tell you how to run your ship. I just-"

"It's fine, Vivi." Luffy began, surprising Vivi when she saw him give her a smile. "I get it. You're under a lot of stress."

'He's... surprisingly understanding.' The princess thought with a slow blink, before a grateful smile bloomed on her face.

"I don't get it, though." Zoro began with a contemplative frown, getting the others to look at him. "If that guy was a king, then why was he all the way out here? Actually, if he was a king, then why did he need our help to get to this 'Drum Kingdom'? Shouldn't he have been able to get a good navigator?"

"I was thinking about that, too." Nami said, frowning slightly as she cupped her chin. "It doesn't make sense to be sailing anywhere, especially somewhere as dangerous and unpredictable as the Grand Line, with no navigator."

"Couldn't someone have just stolen all of their navigation tools?" Usopp asked.

While the others were still talking about Wapol, Luffy was sitting in his usual spot at the front of the ship. After a while, he spotted some tall, drum-shaped mountains off in the distance.

With a big smile, he took a deep breath and yelled.

"Land, ahead!"

...

"So, it just snows here all the time?" Nojiko asked, looking around at the island the crew were currently on. It hadn't been easy, since there had apparently been another pirate crew here before them, that had caused a lot of trouble on the island, leading to its inhabitants being very wary of the Straw Hats. After a long conversation, however, they agreed to let them on the island, under the condition that they would be watched very closely.

"Yes. The only thing that changes, is how much comes down." The man leading them said. He was a big man that had lightly tanned skin, dark brown hair, and a goatee. His name was Dalton.

"Don't people get tired of it?" Sanji asked, taking a puff of his cigarette.

"Not really. Most of the people here have never left the island, so they don't really have anything to compare it to." The man explained, before his expression became somewhat worried. "More importantly, you all said that you're just waiting for your log pose to set, right?"

"That's right. Why, is something wrong?" Luffy asked, frowning slightly as he looked around, noticing how sick some of the people looked.

"You came at a bad time. For the past month or so, there's been a terrible flu going around."

"How bad is it?" Usopp asked, shivering a bit from the coldness.

"....It's already claimed 3 lives." Dalton said with a grim tone, getting wide eyes from the Straw Hats.

"It's killed 3 people? Have the doctors said what kind of flu it is?" Nami asked in shock, making Dalton's expression darken.

"The king took the 20 best doctors for himself, while the rest were either banished or killed, not allowing them to help any of the citizens." He said, balling his fists tightly.

"What?!" Vivi hissed, stopping in her tracks with an angered look on her face. "What kind of king does something like that to his own people?!"

"Wapol." Dalton said, his tone clearly indicating that he had no love for the king.

"Wapol? You mean that fat guy with the metal mouth?" Luffy asked, getting Dalton to turn to him in surprise.

"You know him?"

"We ran into him on our way here. Him and his crew attacked us." Nojiko said with a frown. "Vivi mentioned that he was a king, but we didn't know what country he ruled."

'Vivi? Why does that sound familiar?' Dalton wondered.

"He tried to eat my ship!" Luffy shouted, still upset about that.

"If he's the king, what was he doing out at sea? His crew didn't even have a log pose to get back here." Sanji said with confusion.

"That coward left when we were attacked by those pirates." Dalton informed them with a heavy frown. "It's bad enough to be dealing with this flu that's going around, but adding a pirate attack on top of that? It's made some people wonder if maybe we're cursed."

"Just who were these pirates? How bad was the attack?" Nami asked while looking around. Honestly, despite having heard about this pirate attack multiple times now, it didn't look like there had been any type of battle here recently.

"It happened just a few months ago... It was a crew of 5 people, led by a man called 'Blackbeard'. With overwhelming strength, they completely wrecked our island, practically in the blink of an eye."

"5 people?!" Usopp and Vivi both exclaimed in unison, shocked that a mere 5 people could do so much damage.

"Honestly, we got lucky. Although they destroyed the island, it didn't seem like they were particularly interested in killing us. If they had been, then I wouldn't even be talking to you right now. As much as I hate to say it, I was no match for any of them." Dalton said, before shaking his head with a sigh. "Anyway, we've reached my home. We can continue our discussion in here."

As they all walked inside, nobody noticed Nami cough.

"Are you alright, Nami?" Luffy asked with a concerned expression, sitting next to the orange-haired navigator in Dalton's house. It had been a few days since they arrived on this island, and Nami had been looking much more pale than usual.

"I'm.... fine." She replied, panting as she swiped some sweat from her forehead. "Why is it so hot in here?"

"Sis, you're the only one that's hot." Nojiko said as she walked over, before she crouched and placed the back of her hand against Nami's forehead. "You're burning up!"

"I said, I'm fine." Nami said tiredly, pushing Nojiko's hand away as she stood up, only to start swaying unsteadily. She would have fallen, too, were it not for Luffy quickly catching her.

"Nami-swan!" Sanji shouted, rushing over with Vivi, Usopp, and Dalton.

"This is bad." Dalton said, getting the attention of the others.

"What do you mean?! What's wrong with Nami?!" Nojiko shouted, looking at her sister with worried eyes.

"She's showing the same symptoms as others who have caught the flu." He told them with a grim tone, shocking them. "I had noticed that she looked a little pale, but hoped it was maybe just a common cold. Unfortunately, that's not the case."

"W- What do we do?!" Luffy asked hurriedly, holding Nami close to him. He would not let her die!

Placing a hand on his forehead, Dalton paced back and forth, before he stopped and turned to the Straw Hats with a serious expression. "If you want to save your friend's life, there's only one possible choice. Even then, it's not a guarantee."

"Just tell us!" They all, including Vivi, shouted.

"Right. Well, as I mentioned to you all a few days ago, Wapol took the 20 best doctors for himself, while the others were banished or killed." Dalton began, getting nods from the Straw Hats as they all remembered that. "However, there is one doctor left on the island. She had gone into hiding when Wapol subjugated the other doctors, and only came out after he was ran off the island. Since then, she's taken up residence in the abandoned castle."

"Then, all I have to do is take Nami there, and this lady will help her, right?" Luffy asked, only to frown when he saw Dalton slowly shake his head with a complicated expression.

"It's not that simple. You see, this woman - Kureha is her name - sometimes comes down to help people in the village. However, her help doesn't come free. She often asks for more than anyone can give up without it causing them a lot of trouble. There've been times when she's asked for over 50% of someone's profits from their business, along with huge discounts, free food, and the list goes on. Sometimes, if she's feeling generous, she'll lower her price, but only by a little. Because of all this, people have taken to calling her a witch." Dalton explained to them.

"And I'm guessing for something as serious as this flu, the price would be pretty steep." Sanji guessed, getting a nod from Dalton.

"Then it's a price we'll have to pay." Luffy said with seriousness, getting the others to look at him as he stood up, before he put Nami on his back. "Saving Nami is what's important, and I'm not leaving until this Kureha lady agrees to help her."

"Agreed." Nojiko said, before she turned to Dalton. "Any idea where she is now?"

"Last I heard, she was in a town not far from this one, called Cocoa Weed, just earlier today. "By now, though, she's might already making her way back to the castle, if she's not already there."

"What should we do, Luffy? Split up?" Usopp asked, turning to his captain.

"Yeah. It would take too much time to go to both places, and Nami's only looking worse as more time goes by." Luffy replied with a nod. "Nojiko, you're with me. We're gonna go to the castle. Sanji, Usopp, and Vivi, you three head to Cocoa Weed."

"No way! I'm coming with you to watch over Nami-swan!" Sanji declared passionately, making Luffy actually frown in slight annoyance. He didn't usually mind Sanji's fixation on maintaining his code of being a white knight or whatever, but now wasn't the time for this. He was about to say something, only for Nojiko to speak up first.

"We've got this, Sanji." She said, placing a hand on the cook's shoulder. "You want to help Nami, right? Listen to what Luffy says."

"B- But..."

"Trust us." She said, getting a reluctant nod from him. She then turned to Luffy, who gave her a thankful look.

"When you guys get there, use your transponder snail to call us and let us know if the doctor is there or not. We'll do the same." Luffy said, getting nods all around.

"Before you all go, there's one last thing I need to warn you about." Dalton said, stopping them just aa they were about to leave.

"What is it?" Luffy asked quickly, not wanting to waste any more time.

"Watch out for the lapins. They're monstrous rabbits that have the strength and physique of bears, with all the nimbleness of normal rabbits. If you come across them, especially a group of them, be careful not to let your guard down."

"Great." Usopp muttered nervously. As if there wasn't already enough to worry about.

"Thanks for the warning." Luffy said, with Dalton waving it off, before they all exited the house. "Let's go."

With one last worried look at Nami, Sanji turned and began running in the direction of Cocoa Weed, followed by Usopp and Vivi.

"Let's go." Luffy said to Nojiko, getting a sharp nod in return, before the two began heading towards the mountains.

'Just hold on, Nami!'

"These damn things are annoying!" Nojiko yelled, kicking one of the lapins away from her and Luffy. Once the two started ascending the large mountain, it hadn't taken long for the carnivorous rabbits to start coming after them.

Any other time, Luffy would be wanting to make one of these rabbits his friend. Now, however, he was inclined to agree with Nojiko.

As the two (three, technically) pirates made their way further up the mountain, they came to a stop when they saw over twenty lapins in front of them, seemingly waiting for them. And then, as if on command, they all started hopping in place.

'What're they....' Nojiko trailed off in her mind, before she noticed how the mountain was beginning to shake, make her eyes widen as she realized what they were trying to do. Quickly turning to Luffy, she hurriedly informed him, "Luffy, they're trying to start an avalanche!"

"What?!" The young captain exclaimed, his eyes also widening, before they narrowed as he decided to hurry up and end this. Focusing as much as he could, he stretched out his observation haki as much as he was currently able to, before releasing a burst of conqueror's haki. Since he could only safely use it once a day, he often chose to save it as much as he could for a time when he really needed it. This, he supposed, was as good a time as any to use it. They didn't have time to get caught up in a long, drawn out fight.

"Good. Now, let's go!" Nojiko said, getting a nod from the rubbery captain as they continued to make their way to the castle. A few minutes later, Luffy's transponder snail started ringing.

Pulling the snail out from inside his jacket, Luffy answered without slowing down, "Is that you, Sanji?"

"Yeah. The doctor isn't here. We just missed her by a few minutes." The cook replied with a frustrated tone.

"I see. Good thing we didn't bring Nami there, then." Luffy responded, with Nojiko nodding beside him.

"Have you all made it to the castle yet?"

"Not yet. These mountains are huge. We're not too far, though."

"Do you-" The cook suddenly paused, and Luffy and Nojiko could hear some shouting in the background. "You've gotta be kidding me."

"What's going on, Sanji? What's all that screaming?" Nojiko asked, grabbing the snail as Luffy held it out for her.

"Apparently, Wapol and his underlings just made it back to the island."

Frowning, Luffy said, "If you guys see him, feel free to kick his ass. We don't need him getting in our way while Nami is sick."

"How's she doing?"

Turning his neck all the way around, Luffy took a look at the navigator's face, frowning in concern. It didn't take medical knowledge to see that she was not fairing well. It didn't help that, the higher up they went, the colder it got.

"Not great. We're gonna have to pick up our speed. Call you when we get there." Luffy said, before he ended the call. "Come on, Nojiko. We have to hurry!"

"Right!" She said, before the pair doubled their efforts.

About ten minutes later, they finally reached the base of the large, drum-shaped mountain that the castle was on top of.

"This is really tall. It'll take too long to climb it." Luffy said, before he turned to Nojiko. "Can you get us up there faster?"

"As long as we move quickly, it shouldn't be too much of a problem." Nojiko said, taking a few steps back, with Luffy doing the same, before she held her arms out in front of her, with a thick, silvery liquid shooting out of her palms.

This was due to the power of the Metal-Metal fruit. A logia that allowed her to manipulate liquid metal.

As she expected, the metal began to quickly solidify, due to how cold it was.

"We have to be as quick as possible. The longer we take, and the higher we get, the more brittle this is gonna get." She told Luffy, getting a nod from him, before the two began running up the long ramp she was creating, making it swirl around the mountain as they continued to make their way up.

"Finally." Nojiko said, panting a bit as she and Luffy made it to the top of the mountain. Her devil fruit really did not mix well with weather like this.

"Hey! Is Kureha here?!" Luffy yelled, his voice being somewhat muffled by the heavy wind. "Hello?!"

'It's freezing!' Nojiko thought, shivering as they continued on their way to the castle. It felt like she wasn't even wearing a coat.

As they continued to approach the castle, they both came to a stop when they saw a figure walking towards them.

"Who are you?" The person said, their silhouette showing that they were a big man.

"Please! We need a doctor! My sister is sick with the flu that's been going around!" Nojiko explained, her teeth chattering as she spoke.

"What?!" The person said, running towards them. As he became visible, the two pirates were finally able to take in his appearance.

The... man(?) was covered in brown fur, had a blue nose, and was wearing a red hat with a white X on it. He had a big body, and looked to stand a little over 6'.

Figuring this was no time to be surprised about his appearance, especially considering that she'd definitely seen weirder things before, Nojiko wasted no more time, asking, "Well?! Can you help her?!"

"Come on! Follow me!" The furry man said, ushering them inside the castle.

They ran down a hall for a bit, before the man/creature pushed a door open, shouting, "Doctorine! Someone else with the flu!"

As they entered the room, the two pirates saw an elderly woman with long, pale blonde hair and dark glasses sitting in a chair, one leg over the other as she drank from a bottle of booze.

"Oh? And who would you two - or, I suppose I should say three - be?" The woman asked, sitting her bottle down as she looked at them. "I've lived here quite a long time, and I'm certain that I've never seen any of you. Meaning you must be the pirates that arrived here a few days ago."

"That's right." Luffy said, walking further into the room, before he repositioned Nami so that he was now holding her in a bridal fashion. "We went through a lot to get all the way up here. Can you help her?"

"That's not how it works. When I feel like helping, I go down to one of the towns, and look for a patient." Kureha said, standing up. "However.... I suppose I can make an execption, seeing as you did brave the harsh weather to come all this way. I'm not heartless."

"How much will it cost?" Luffy asked, gently putting Nami down on the bed.

"We can discuss that later." The doctor replied, cracking her knuckles as she walked over to the unconscious Nami. "Go get yourselves soaked in some hot water, help treat that frostbite. Just keep walking down the hall, you'll find the bathroom eventually. While you're doing that, I'll attend to the girlie here."

"Thank you." Nojiko said, still shivering. Nudging Luffy, they both gave Nami one more worried glance, before the captain turned to the doctor.

"She's important to me." He said, surprising Nojiko when he bowed his head slightly.

"I know." Kureha replied, her tone sounding a bit softer. "Now go."

Groggily, Nami stirred awake, feeling like she had a terrible hangover. As her eyes fluttered open, a feeling of confusion washed over her as she took in her surroundings.

"Where....?" She trailed off, struggling to push herself up. Her arms were feeling like noodles.

As she managed to get herself up into a sitting position, she turned her head to the right, blinking at the little creature she saw standing on a chair, facing away from her.

"Um... Hello?" She croaked out, watching as the little creature jumped off the chair in shock, before spinning around to look at her. The creature then ran to hide behind a wall, but did it in a rather strange way.

"You know you're doing that wrong, right?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

'A reindeer?' She wondered, taking note of the horns on the little creature's head.

"Shut up, you human!" The reindeer yelled, surprising Nami that it could actually speak. Then, the reindeer's expression suddenly changed. "By the way, are you feeling better? Do you still have a fever?"

Putting the back of her hand against her forehead, Nami shook her head and said, "Just a little hot."

"That's good. It means the medicine is already working." The reindeer said, still trying to hide.

"Thanks for taking care of me." Nami said with a smile, making the reindeer's expression change to one of surprise.

"I- Is it true that you guys are pirates?" The reindeer asked, leaving his 'hiding' place, before he started to slowly inch his way into the room.

"Yes."

"You have a pirate flag?"

"Yup. It's on our ship." Nami responded, before asking curiously, " Do you want to be a pirate?"

"D- Don't be stupid! Who told you that?!"

"Why don't you join us? We need a doctor, anyway."

"There's no way a reindeer could join a bunch of humans!" The reindeer yelled, before he ran out of the room, making Nami sigh.

"Well, looks like you're awake, girlie." An unfamiliar voice said. Looking up, Nami saw an elderly woman walk into the room, holding a bottle of booze as she sat down in the chair next to the bed.

"How long have I been here?" Nami asked, hoping that it hadn't been that long. They still needed to hurry and get Vivi home.

"Relax. It's only been a few hours." Kureha informed her, getting a breath of relief from Nami. "Your friends are in the other room."

"Are they alright?"

"Sure. Just a bit of frostbite."

Releasing another sigh of relief, Nami tried to get up off the bed, only for Kureha to hold her down. "Uh, I'm feeling better now, so-"

"Listen, girlie." Kureha began, suddenly holding a scalpel. "The only way my patients leave, is if they die, or have been cleared to leave by me. Neither of those two options apply to you at the moment."

"But-"

"The medicine hasn't fully set in yet." Kureha cut her off. "You may be feeling better now, but that won't be the case if you rush and push yourself."

Sighing, Nami reluctantly laid back down, while Kureha went back to her seat. A few minutes later, a question arose in Nami's mind. "Hey, Doctor."

"What?"

"Just what is that reindeer? He's able to walk and talk like a human, and even knows about medicine." The navigator asked with interest.

The doctor took a long gulp of her drink, before she went on to explain Chopper's past.

"That's awful." Nami said with a frown.

"I heard you asking him to join your crew." Kureha said, finishing off her booze with another long gulp, before looking at Nami seriously. "So, do you think you all can heal the wound in his heart?"

"DOCTORINE!" They heard Chopper yell, making them both jump, before the reindeer came running into the rum. "Doctorine! It's Wapol! He's back!'

"I see." Kureha replied, closing her eyes, before she stood up. "Well, let's go greet our guest."

"Lord Wapol! There's something strange at the top of the castle!"

Looking up, Wapol scowled as he saw a black flag - a pirate flag - at the top of his castle.

"This is unacceptable! Where is the Drum Kingdom flag?!" The whale of a man yelled, only to scowl further when he heard someone laughing.

"I burnt that flag to ashes." Kureha said, walking out of the castle, with Chopper next to her, now looking more like an actual reindeer.

"Kureha." Wapol said with a sneer. "After all your hiding, you actually dare to try to make yourself at home in my castle."

"This is Hiriluk's resting place. It's not fit for a rotten kid like you."

"That old fool's resting place? Don't make me laugh!" Wapol yelled, before laughing obnoxiously, with his two henchmen joining in.

Suddenly, a new voice was heard.

"Gum-Gum.... Bullet!" Was the shout heard across the top off the mountain, before Luffy suddenly appeared in front of Wapol, delivering a strong punch to his stomach, sending him flying back. Before the king could go flying off the mountain, the rubbery captain stretched his arm out and pulled him back, before proceeding to deliver another punch, this time to the face, nearly burying his head into the ground.

This all happened within the span of a few seconds, and when those present finally registered exactly what it was that just happened, they were left with gaping expressions.

"That was for my ship." Luffy said, putting his hat on as he walked over to Kureha and Chopper, who now also had Nojiko next to them, while Wapol's henchmen fretted over him. As he was walking, he paused mid-step, looking at the flag on top of the castle. "I didn't notice that before. Did a pirate used to live here?"

"You.... stretched." Chopper was the first to speak, sounding a rather interesting mix of confused, awed, and surprised.

"Hm? Ah, yeah. I ate the Gum-Gum fruit, making me a rubber man." Luffy said, pulling his cheeks to demonstrate, making Chopper's eyes widen as he saw it.

"How do you know them?" Kureha asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

"They attacked and tried to rob us on our way to this island." Nojiko answered with a frown.

"You dare to strike me?!" Wapol yelled, pushing himself up out of the snow, now sporting a bruise on his face as blood dripped from his mouth.

"Guess he's tougher than I thought." Luffy said, cracking his neck, before turning to Chopper with a smile. "Chopper, right? Can you fight?"

Caught off guard by the sudden question, the reindeer stuttered, "W- What?"

"Can you fight?"

"Um... Yeah?"

"Then, why don't we kick these guys asses?" Luffy suggested, his smile growing wider as he pointed at Wapol and his lackeys. "This is your home, right? You should fight for it."

Chopper was silent for a few seconds, before he turned to Wapol, thinking about everything the awful king had put him and this country through, making his expression slowly shift into a glare. Then, he transformed back into his 'human' form, balling his fists as he shouted at Wapol and his henchmen, "Doctor Hiriluk just wanted to help this country. I won't let you destroy this flag-- his symbol of faith!"

"Then you will all just have to die here!" Wapol yelled, as if he hadn't already planned on killing them.

"Don't worry, Lord Wapol." His two henchmen said, stepping forward. "We will deal with these arrogant fools, and put you back in your place as the rightful ruler of this country."

"I'll let you take them, while I deal with that bastard." Luffy said, getting a nod from Chopper.

"Seven transformations?! What kind of zoan are you?!" Wapol's henchmen, now fused into one being, yelled in confusion, having trouble fighting against Chopper, due to the way he kept switching to different forms on the fly.

"Whoa." Nojiko whispered in awe, amazed to see how far the reindeer was able to push his devil fruit through research and his knowledge of medicine.

"I've found your weak point." Chopper said, now back in his normal form, which he referred to as 'Brain Point'.

After dashing in with the use of his Leg Point, which boosted his speed and jumping ability, he then switched to Arm Point, which greatly increased his arm strength, before delivering a strong punch to the lackey's chin, knocking them (him?) out cold.

"Whoa! You're amazing, Chopper!" Luffy said with stars in his eyes.

"D- Don't think calling me amazing will make me feel happy or anything, you bastard!" Despite saying this, the reindeer was now smiling happily as he did a strange dance.

Turning to the angry Wapol, Luffy grinned, saying, "You're the only one left."

"Fool! If you think I'll go down as easily as those two, then-" Once again, Luffy suddenly appeared in front of the fat king, both arms stretched far behind him.

"Gum-Gum.... Bazooka!" Luffy yelled, sending Wapol flying far off into the sky as the attack landed.

And just like that, it was over.

'I guess Sensei was right. As I am right now, I probably won't have much trouble in this part of the Grand Line.' Luffy thought, sighing as he realized it would probably be a while before he was able to get a good fight. He hoped that, at the very least, Crocodile wouldn't go down so easily.

'Now that I'm thinking about it, I wonder what Sensei's up to?'

"This is..." Jeremiah muttered, the sound of his footsteps echoing loudly as he walked around the familiar place he found himself in. He had gone to sleep on his ship, only to wake up here.

The dark, endless void. The same one that he was in before being sent to this world.

And then, he heard the sweet, oh so familiar voice.

"Welcome, my champion."

"Hey... It's been a long time." Jeremiah said slowly, floating in a lotus position (something that had become a habit over the years).

"I know, and I apologize for that. I wished to let you get fully accustomed to this world and enjoy your journey, though, and I know that you would have been... displeased if I was to hold your hand the entire way." She said, her voice sounding just as beautiful as he remembered it being.

"You're definitely right about that." He replied with a nod. "I appreciate it."

"I'm glad. Now, I'm sure you have a lot of questions."

"I do. When you sent me to this world, the last thing that you said to me, was something about being your champion." He said, feeling a smile involuntarily creep onto his face as he heard her let out a melodious giggle.

"You don't need to worry too much. As my champion, your main duty will be to occasionally carry out missions that I need your assistance with, such as dealing with threats throughout the omniverse."

"The omniverse?" Jeremiah repeated, his eyebrows raising. "I can't say I was expecting that."

"Well, there are certain rules that prevent me, and others like myself, from getting directly involved in the affairs of mortals. Thus, we choose champions." She informed him, getting a nod of understanding, before his expression turned to one of curiosity.

"You and others like yourself... Exactly what are you?"

"I'm exactly as you've thought for all these years. I'm a goddess."

"I see..." He said, running a hand through his hair. Strangely, he didn't feel overwhelmed with the knowledge that he was speaking with a literal goddess. Maybe it was due to the warmth in her voice. "Well... Can I have your name? I think it'd be a little rude of me to just always refer to you as 'The Goddess'."

After he asked this, the void fell silent for a few moments. He was about to say something else, only for there suddenly be an extremely bright flash of light, making him have to close his eyes.

Feeling wind on his face, Jeremiah opened his eyes, now finding himself standing in a grassy plain. The sky was actually gold in color, making everything appear to have an extra shine to it.

At the edge of the plain, on the hill overlooking the ocean, he could see the figure of a woman standing there. Feeling himself being drawn to her, he began walking towards her.

With her back facing him, the first thing he was able to make out was her long, gorgeous, bright red hair. As she turned around, he very nearly gaped in disbelief.

"Beautiful..." Was all he could say, having just laid eyes on possibly the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. There was only one person that this could possibly be.

The woman let out an angelic laugh, before she grew a soft, warm smile. "I'm glad that my champion thinks so."

As he'd expected, this was the goddess. Naturally, among many other things, he'd often wondered just what the goddess looked like, and to finally get to see her appearance.... He was certainly not disappointed.

As mentioned before, she had long, flowing red hair that went past her knees. She also had light brown eyes, and very lightly tanned skin. She had on light purple eyeshadow, and red lipstick, with a shade that matched her hair.

She was wearing a long-sleeved, pale blue dress, which went all the way down to the ground. She was also wearing a gold and red, sea glass circlet, with a matching necklace.

"Jeremiah..." She said, walking up to him and cupping his cheek. "You've grown so much from the first time we met."

"It's all thanks to you." He responded, placing his larger hand on top of hers. "Everything I've been able to accomplish is all thanks to you."

Shaking her head, the goddess said, "You're wrong, Jeremiah. It's true that I gave you a number of gifts to help get you started, but your work ethic is what has brought you this far. Whether it be training your mind, your body, or your powers, you've never once tried to slack off, and I'm so proud to have chosen you as my champion."

Smiling, Jeremiah rubbed his neck, feeling just the tiniest bit flustered for the first time in decades, making the goddess giggle again.

"Granmamare. That's my name."

"It's beautiful." He said sincerely, watching as she smiled again.

"Thank you. Now... Oh. It seems that your lovers are awake. I suppose I should send you back now. It wouldn't do to make them worry." She said, turning to look out over the horizon with a somewhat downcast expression.

"Oh... I guess you're right. They'd probably panic if they didn't find me anywhere on the ship." He said, only for Granmamare to shake her head.

"I didn't bring your body here, only your mind." She said, before turning to him. "Give me your hand for a second."

Doing as she said, Jeremiah watched as the tip of one of her fingers glowed, before she began moving it across the back of his right hand. When she was done, there was a black star that had a red G inside of it, with a spear going through the middle.

Seeing his confused look, she explained, "This will allow us to communicate more often. All you have to do is focus on that mark, and you'll be able to contact me. If you do it while meditating, you'll be able to meet me here whenever you wish."

"I'll try not to let my hand get chopped off." He said, getting the goddess to laugh and shake her head.

"Now then, are you ready?" She asked, getting a slow nod from Jeremiah. Walking up to him, she cupped both of his cheeks, looking into his eyes with a smile. "If you ever need anything, or if you have any more questions, don't hesitate to contact me. Seeing as I'm not allowed to directly get involved with mortal affairs, I have far too much free time on my hands."

"Will do. Thanks again, for everything you've done for me. I can't imagine what my life would be like if I'd never been chosen by you." He said, getting a wonderful smile from her, before she placed a soft kiss on his forehead, result in another flash of light. When it died down, he was gone.

Sighing, Granmamare went back to looking out over the horizon, her expression back to being downcast.

She hoped he contacted her soon.