36 Straight Ahead

The Straw Hats decided to set out as soon as possible and the giants came to see them off.

Cabernet was keen on making friends with the Going Merry, much to the confusion of the others.

"Oh, right. I guess I should tell you. Cabernet is a ship who ate a human human devil fruit, Lunarian model I suppose." Cherry enlightened them.

"""""EHHH?!"""""

"Wait, how can a ship EAT a devil fruit?" Usopp asked.

"With her mouth?" Cherry shrugged.

"By the way, both your name and face seem familiar. You're not related to a man named Yasopp by any chance?" Cherry inquired.

Usopp was surprised and exclaimed that Yasopp is in fact his father. Cherry told him that she received some shooting tips from him many years ago, causing Usopp to grind his teeth in jealousy. Luffy was also excited that she had also met Shanks and his crew.

They began to set sail and when they reached the mouth of the river they anchored in, Brogy and Dorry stood at either side of the river facing the ocean.

"Whatever happens..." Said Brogy.

"Sail straight ahead!" Dorry finished.

Cherry had an idea of what they meant to do. She could sense the massive sea king just off the shore lying in wait for them.

After sailing straight ahead and being swallowed by the Island Eater as a result, the giants used the same attack they used after Cherry fixed their weapons to carve a hole straight through the sea king.

Things went smoothly for a couple days, but it wasn't long before something happened. Nami collapsed with a high fever.

Cherry was no doctor, but she did some standard medical check up procedures while looking over Nami's body with Life Sense. She could see a clear and fast deterioration occurring within her body. It was no common cold, that much was certain.

Nami tried to insist she was fine and that they shouldn't waste time fussing over her, but Cherry interrupted her.

"I'd say you've got a week to live, at most. By the time we reach Alabasta, it'll be far too late to save you." Her words shocked the crew.

Vivi resolved herself and gave a nice little speech about saving Nami being the fastest way to reach Alabasta.

They decided to follow Cherry's log pose to the island after Little Garden, which wouldn't be far away. There was a brief scuffle with some idiots called the Wapol pirates, but Cabernet sent their captain flying after he took a bite out of her new friend, the Going Merry.

Finally they spotted a winter island with large flat topped mountains. Upon entering an inlet, they were warmly received by a few dozen rifles aimed at them.

It was a tricky situation since they seem to be civilians rather than soldiers. Fortunately most of them are trained on Cabernet, as she is the most physically intimidating person here. She was perfectly capable of taking a few volleys of ordinary bullets with her durability.

While the crew pled their case, the one whom Cherry assumed to be the leader locked eyes with her and she smirked at him.

Dalton's animal instincts sent a shiver down his spine, then he heard a shot fired. He was relieved to find it was only a warning shot, but he saw the straw hat wearing man get angry. Another shot rang out, it hit the familiar blue haired woman who tried to calm down the straw hat wearing man.

He glanced back at the woman. The amusement had vanished from her face and her eyes pierced into his own as if to say "Do something about this before I do." His instincts were screaming at him, begging him take action, anything except sitting still. Fortunately, things didn't escalate further in his momentary panic.

The blue haired woman stopped the man again and said something to him. He apologized, then humbly bowed and asked for help. This calmed the other militia men considerably, even making them feel a bit guilty.

Dalton took the chance to tell them to stand down and that he would escort the pirates.

...

Meanwhile, somewhere in the surrounding seas of Drum Island.

"Brrrr! That was a close one! I would have drowned for sure if you hadn't pulled me out of the water, Jaxin! Mahahahaha!" Wapol praised.

Jaxin stood 4 meters tall, had ghostly pale skin and hair, a long ponytail cut off midway down his back diagonally, and was wearing a buttoned up trench coat with a long slash on the back that lined up with his hair. Bandages were clearly visible beneath the slash in the trench coat.

"No reason to be humble, your majesty. I am filled with gratitude for your magnanimity in allowing your excellent doctors to treat my wound. A terrible scoundrel with no honor slashed me across the back when I spared his life after a swordsmanship duel." Jaxin spoke in a snake-like whisper.

"Mahaha! This is a man who knows how to act before his betters! Jaxin, you're my new chief of the royal guard! That idiot Dalton can take a hike when we get back!" Wapol laughed as he stuffed a cannon into his mouth.

"I see land! It's the Drum Kingdom, we're back!" A soldier shouted.

Jaxin's mind drifted back to the moment he received his wound. His ship was cleaved perfectly in half and he was powerless to stop it. He tried to flee on a rowboat as his crew perished in the merciless waters of the Grand Line.

However that man, whose eyes would haunt his dreams forever, followed behind him. He drew his sword, a fine grade Meito, intent to at least die like a proper swordsman. However, the man's words to him destroyed that shred of dignity he had. "So now you want to die like a man?"

He turned his back on him and immediately felt a blade sink into his flesh. "Coward."

He fell into the water and was left for dead. It was a miracle that he even managed to get back into his rowboat.

2 days later he pulled Wapol out of the ocean and soon after saw his crew searching for him.

'I won't forget that day you wronged me! I swear I'll have my revenge, HAWKEYE!!!' He seethed with rage in his mind.

...

The group, except for Zoro and Karoo, arrived in the town of Big Horn.

Dalton explained a bit of the circumstances of their country and that there was only one doctor on the entire island, a witch named Kureha.

"If your country was nearly destroyed by pirates, why were you so reckless back there? You're already painfully aware that some pirates are too much to handle. That fiasco back there could have pissed off pirates who wouldn't have otherwise done much harm." Cherry analyzed.

"Um, I suppose that's a good point." Dalton acquiesced.

"Also, if Princess Vivi wasn't such a goody two shoes, your actions could very well have been a declaration of war against Alabasta." Cherry casually dropped a bomb shell.

"Huh?!" Dalton looked at Vivi and his face showed he just realized something.

"MY APOLOGIES, PRINCESS VIVI!" He bowed so low, his head plunged into the snow.

Vivi desperately tried to assure him it was fine, while she gave Cherry a look that asked "Why did you tell him that?!"

Cherry giggled mischievously.

Eventually, Vivi got Dalton to relax and he explained that Doctor Kureha only comes down the mount at her leisure, and that they'd have to wait. The group informed him of Nami's prognosis, but he could only apologize that there was no way to contact Doctor Kureha.

Luffy declared that he would bring Nami up the mountain himself. The others protested, but Nami said she would entrust herself to Luffy.

"Guys? Why don't you just go with Cabernet?" Cherry asked.

They looked at her perplexed.

"Cabernet is a ship. With wings." Cherry explained.

""""AH!"""" They understood.

Luffy, Sanji, and Cabernet took Nami out of the town where Cabernet transformed and flew them towards the mountain with the castle. The rest stayed in Big Horn with Dalton.

Meanwhile, Wapol and his soldiers easily defeated the militia and disembarked. They saw the Going Merry, so they eagerly set out towards Big Horn to start taking back their kingdom and to get revenge against the Straw Hats. Jaxin followed closely behind, hand caressing his sword and looking forward to being the strong one again.