Chapter 60: Dream Rainbow, First Glimpse of Observation.
The cabin suddenly turned cold, and the rambling doctor continued his detailed explanation.
"This disease was once famously known as the 'Five-Day Disease,' which claimed many lives. However, the parasite called 'Guy ski' went extinct over a hundred years ago, so..."
That's it,
Little Garden!
That island even had dinosaurs, so it was normal to have a parasite called 'Guy ski.'—No wonder there were so many human skeletons on that island, it turned out...
"Is there any medicine to treat this disease?"
Faced with Roman's question, the doctor hesitated for a moment before shaking his head.
"Sorry, it's from a hundred years ago... we don't have any on our ship..."
Crack, crack, crack!!!
A cold killing intent made the doctor stop talking, even though it wasn't directed at him, but the aura emanating from Roman—
"Roman, don't scare Nami."
Luffy's words brought Roman back to his senses. He rubbed his stiff face and nodded to the doctor, who was drenched in cold sweat.
"Sorry, I lost control for a moment,—please prescribe some antibiotics for my friend."
"Al... alright..."
——————
"What do we do now?"
Zoro's words broke the cold atmosphere in the cabin. They had originally thought it was just a common heatstroke and fever, but it turned out to be a deadly disease with only five days to live... This was hard for everyone to accept.
"It's all my fault,"
Pressing his temples hard, Roman tried to recall his vague memories. It seemed that going to Drum Kingdom was a must, and this sea area should be near Drum Kingdom, but:
Damn Wapol, he's the most useless of the useless!
Facing Blackbeard's revenge, abandoning his people and fleeing was already pathetic enough, but the most crucial thing was that he didn't even bring his country's Log Pose? This was a new level of uselessness, making Roman want to go out and cut that guy down.
"I didn't think ahead... didn't anticipate Nami getting sick..."
????
Seeing the 'what does that have to do with you' expressions on everyone's faces, Roman suppressed his chaotic thoughts.
"Luffy,"
Forget it, let's solve the immediate problem first.
"Go and punch Wapol—the fat guy covered in metal—out of here."
"Okay."
Although he didn't understand Roman's reasoning, Luffy nodded and walked out. A few seconds later:
"Ahhhhh—"
"What did you do?!"
"You actually punched Lord Wapol away..."
"Lord can't swim, catch up quickly..."
"Just you wait..."
"Just you..."
"You..."
---
"Next, I'll find the island! Nami must receive treatment immediately."
Now is not the time to think about other things. Roman had Usopp take the helm, then asked Marianne to cast buffs like 'Gold of Focus' and 'Silver of Wisdom' on him, before sitting cross-legged by Nami's bed.
"Hold on a moment,"
We'll soon find a place to treat you.
Flap, flap—
As Roman fully concentrated, paper cranes flapped their wings and flew out of the cabin! They soared through the wind and snow, radiating outwards from the Going Merry!
Unlike the usual few or dozen, this time, Roman was giving it his all!
He needed to control hundreds of paper cranes to find the Drum Kingdom in this sea. Although in the 'story,' the Straw Hat crew drifted safely to Chopper's Drum Kingdom and successfully treated Nami,
Roman never dared to rely on the uncertain 'fate' for tomorrow. Only what he firmly grasped with his own hands was the future he wanted!
As Roman sent out the paper cranes to scout, Usopp and Vivi steered the ship forward, Sanji prepared nutritious food for everyone, and Luffy and Zoro guarded the defenseless Nami and Roman. The Straw Hat Pirates were united, everyone doing their best to help their comrade, making the quiet Marianne's eyes flicker.
---
Where is it?
Where is the Drum Kingdom!
In the sky, the paper cranes struggled against the wind and snow.
Paper was still just paper, and with Roman's current strength, he couldn't eliminate its weaknesses. As snowflakes fell on the paper, the cranes became damp and struggled more. This large-scale puppet control scattered Roman's focus, making it impossible for him to control them as easily as the 'White Knight' from a distance.
Damn it!
Which direction is it...
Do we really have to rely on luck? But if fate doesn't favor us, Nami might...
No!
I shouldn't have such weak thoughts.
Ultimately, all difficulties stem from a lack of strength!
As the paper cranes flew farther, each crane's 'range' expanded! Correspondingly, the pressure on Roman's mind increased.
It manifested in waves of dizziness! His body kept sending signals to 'faint,' but Roman ignored them, desperately pushing the cranes to fly farther.
---
Drip,
"Roman—"
"Don't go near him!"
Zoro grabbed the instinctively approaching Luffy and shook his head seriously.
"We can't help him. We just need to trust Roman right now."
"I understand..."
Luffy looked seriously at Roman, whose nose was bleeding, pressed his straw hat, and clenched his fists!
As time passed, the blood flowing from Roman's nose was no longer 'dripping,' but gushing like an open faucet, pooling into a large red puddle on the floor!
A few minutes later:
Splat,
With a soft sound, two streaks of red slid from Roman's eyes. Forcing himself to use abilities beyond his level came with a price!
"Roman, hang in there."
Gritting his teeth, Luffy and Zoro could only watch silently as Roman struggled alone, unable to help. They were fighters, and fighting was all they could do!
————————
Thud,
An overburdened paper crane fell into the sea, disappearing after a small wave.
In Roman's perception, another 'screen' went dark.
Only... eight scouting paper cranes left?
With his eyes closed, Roman didn't know how bad his condition was, but the falling paper cranes were a clear sign of his deteriorating state. Even his mental world was showing unstable fluctuations—
Should he give up?
No, never!
Is this all you've got?
Roman, you're a transmigrator, show some spirit!
Others like Fujitora can pull down meteors from near-Earth orbit, and Kuma can precisely send people to any island on the Grand Line. Are you telling me you can't even command paper cranes to scout a small sea area?
Whether it's self-hypnosis or sheer determination, Roman commanded the remaining paper cranes to fly through the wind and snow. Although controlling fewer cranes was easier, each crane's 'vision' was only at a normal human level. If he missed something because of this...
Fly a little further...
Maybe soon...
Is that an island...
Blurry...
Black—!
The sudden blackout of several paper cranes' 'vision' startled Roman's gradually muddled mind into clarity.
Reached the limit?
Is this the end of the exploration...
No! Compared to Nami's dire situation, can he not endure this small difficulty? Unlike others, he knew Drum Island was in this sea area. There's no reason to retreat when the goal is right in front of him—keep going!
————————
On the Going Merry,
"Roman, stop! Stop now!"
Facing the 'bloodied' Roman, Luffy's eyes were filled with rage, but:
He was still powerless!
His rubber fruit gave him incredible resilience and flexibility, making him stronger the more he fought. But—he couldn't save people.
"Is it worth it?"
The little girl Marianne asked softly, then calmly took out her palette and brush.
A meaningless question. If it were her, wouldn't she make the same choice?
Clang!
"What are you doing?"
Zoro's thumb flicked, and his 'Wado Ichimonji' was already unsheathed. Even if she was a little girl, if she dared to harm his comrade...
"I'm helping him."
Marianne calmly pointed at the bleeding Roman. As Zoro frowned, Luffy had already pulled Zoro aside, then:
Bang!
"Please."
Facing the 'prisoner' Marianne, Luffy decisively knelt, his head hitting the deck hard.
Such vibrant colors...
In the little girl's eyes, the Straw Hat boy was kneeling, but the colors rising from him seemed to reach the sky.
"The essence of color—"
The brush quickly swept across the palette, blending all the colors. Then she flicked it towards the bleeding Roman. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet danced in the air, creating a fantastical display—
"Dream Rainbow!"
---
Have I reached my limit?
In Roman's 'vision,' only three paper cranes remained, flickering like an old TV, as if they could crash at any moment.
Ha, what kind of transmigrator...
This is all I can do—
Light!
Just as Roman reached his limit, a colorful rainbow suddenly appeared in his 'vision'! The colors were so vivid, so lively! They even painted pictures in Roman's paper crane vision!
Fish swimming in the sea,
Birds flying in the sky,
Distant islands,
And... wait!
An island?!
A white island covered in snow appeared in Roman's 'vision,' clearly visible despite being thousands of meters away. Roman could truly 'see' the existence of that island!
This... this shape is...
On that island, there were huge cylindrical landforms, like 'drums,' making the exhausted Roman suddenly feel a surge of energy!
This shape, yes, it's Drum Kingdom!
Snap, snap,
Instantly cutting off the other two paper cranes, Roman focused on controlling one paper crane to fly rapidly in that direction. The surrounding 'rainbow' carried him at high speed, and the white continent in his vision got closer and closer!
---
Pfft!
A mouthful of blood spurted out, and in the cabin of the Going Merry, Roman suddenly opened his blood-red eyes. Without looking at the anxious figures around him, he waved his hand and threw a blood-stained paper strip onto the ground! The paper strip, like seaweed, immediately bent in one direction.
"Found it! Head that way—"
Thud,
Everything went black, and Roman collapsed into his own pool of blood.
Thud,
Several pairs of hands firmly caught him.
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