Chapter 30

Drum Island, a Winter Island in the first half of Paradise, where snow never ceased pouring from the sky, was the location for the World Government-affiliated Drum Kingdom.

The Kingdom was famous for having the best Doctors in the Grand Line, and also the renowned Doctors Association, constituting dozens of capable Doctors that were sought after in the entire world.

"This is Hell!" Kuina shivered uncontrollably in the freezing temperature of the Island, and she was struggling really hard to walk in the knee-high snow that covered the ground. It was the first time in her life that she was exposed to such freezing temperatures, and she could now safely say that she was not a fan of Winter Islands.

And she was not the only one that was suffering. Augur and Hachi were shivering too, with their teeth chattering no matter how hard they tried to not do it. Even for Law, who hailed from the coldest of the four Blue Seas, the freezing temperature of a Grand Line's Winter Island was too much, and he was struggling just as much as Kuina.

Bepo, being a Bear-Mink, was not too bothered by the freezing temperature. Nojiko and Nami were holding Hancock's hands, which were comfortingly warm, and Bonney was in a child form, huddled in the arms of Sin, who was carrying her. So, they were fairing a lot better than the rest.

Thanks to their Devil Fruits, Sin, Robin, and Hancock were not troubled by extreme temperatures, and to them, the freezing temperature of Drum Island was quite comforting. However, they did not voice out their glee at being here as they knew it would only earn them the ire of the crew.

"Think of it as training. Train your bodies to get used to cold and it will make you stronger!" Little Bonney commented with a light smile.

"Why don't you come out of his arms and join us then?" Law glared at her, which prompted her to laugh giddily.

"Why should I?" She stuck a tongue at him. "Bonney wants to be in her Big Brother's arms." She nuzzled her face in Sin's warm chest and comfortingly sighed when he gently squeezed her in his embrace. "This is paradise."

Her words made the little girls giggle, but Robin and Hancock dangerously narrowed their eyes.

Law, being wise, stayed quiet and did not push the matter. He knew that arguing with Bonney would only result in him getting in harm's way.

"Aren't the Drum Rockies beautiful?" Sin lightly whispered, prompting Bonney to turn and look far away towards the strange drum-shaped mountains that gave the name to this Island.

One thing that all Winter Islands had in common was the silence, except for the bellowing and howling freezing wind, there was no other sound that could be heard if one was not focusing. And looking at those tall Drum Rockies, with the winds whispering in your ears was an experience that she found strangely mystical.

"Yup. They are beautiful." She nodded her head.

"Are you sure that the Ship will be alright?" Kuina worriedly asked. "Shouldn't someone stay onboard to guard it?"

"Heh... you just want to get off this Island, and no you are not going anywhere." Sin shot down her plans, and chuckled. "The ship will be fine. We docked it away from the port on the River, and with the veil of snow, it won't be discovered easily."

"Sin! Look!" Bonney pointed her hand towards a distant Drum Rock, under which some lights could be seen flickering. "A Town! And there's a Frozen Lake!"

"Want to skate?" He guessed her intentions and laughed.

"Yes!"

"Let's go." He nodded and disappeared with her in a flash of lightning.

The two of them arrived in the small town, which was, despite the extreme temperatures, bustling with a lot of people. Their sudden arrival alarmed the Townsmen, but soon they calmed down when they saw that it was a young man carrying a little girl in his arms.

"Hey!" Sin waved his hand at a young boy. "Can you tell us where we can find some Skating Gear?"

"Of course!" The little cheerful boy happily nodded his head and led the two of them to a Store that was located right beside the frozen lake.

"Thank you!" Sin tossed him a gold coin, which the little boy stared at with wide eyes. "It's yours." Only after he assured him, did the little boy jump out in excitement and immediately ran away, probably to show his parents what he had earned.

"Let's go!" Bonney, who suddenly returned to her normal age, grabbed his hand and pulled him inside the store.

She was not too picky when it came to shopping, and immediately picked a set of skates that fit her size. And then she proceeded to pick a pair for all their Crew Members.

The shopkeeper was ecstatic to see that they were buying a lot. He thanked them over and over again for their patronage, and even presented Bonney with a pretty pink Scarf that she graciously accepted.

By the time the rest of the Crew arrived by the Lake-side, Sin and Bonney were happily Skating on the Frozen Lake, playing around with each other.

"They don't even care about us." Bepo folded his arms on his chest and complained, but then Law nudged him with his elbow. "What?"

"You can join them." Law pointed out at the pile of Skating Gear that was placed not far away from where they stood.

As soon as Bepo saw the gear, he rushed at it and found the pair that was meant for him.

"Captain! You are the best!" He excitedly called out.

"It was me who bought it for you!" Bonney yelled right back at him.

"You are the best too, Bonney!" Bepo laughed and then clumsily started Skating on the Frozen Lake.

Seeing Bepo struggle so hard at Skating, everyone burst out laughing, and the change in mood distracted their minds away from the harsh weather, prompting the rest of them to try it out as well.

Even if it was ridiculously cold, Kuina loved every moment of it. She did not take much time to learn how to skate, and soon she was effortlessly doing it all over the lake. Law was already good at it, showing that he was not skating for the first time in his life. And Hachi was doing pretty well as well.

Hancock smiled when she saw Nojiko and Nami longingly looking at the crew members happily Skating, and she pulled them to the pile of Skating Gear before helping them Gear up and taking them with her to the Frozen Lake.

They had never in their life skated before, and they proved to be even more clumsy than Bepo, who could, at least, Skate. However, Hancock was patient with them and guided them by holding their hands and letting them Skate with her.

Augur was a little too embarrassed to join everyone else on the Lake, but had to give in when Sin commanded him to do so. Given his height, it was quite a funny sight to watch him Skate, and there were now children of the Town gathered around, cheering and laughing at their antics.

However, the commotion soon attracted the Townsmen to the area, and strangely, the adults started ushering their Children away from the place.

Sin frowned when he saw them looking at Hachi in disgust, but he did not bother with them and let his Crew have their fun. He knew that prejudice could not be washed away with brute force, and it would only make things worse in the future.

By the time they were done with all the skating, there was a battalion of soldiers waiting for them.

"Blackstar Pirates!" A tall muscular man with a goatee called out to them as soon as they stepped out of the lake. "Marines have been informed of your presence on our Island. So you better leave this place as soon as possible."

"Why don't you come forward and make us leave this place?" Bonney challengingly called out, and the Captain of the Battalion visibly tensed at her words.

The fearful looks the soldiers were giving Sin, Robin, and Hancock made the crew realize why the soldiers were hesitant to fight them. It was all thanks to their bounties, which were decently high in the first half of Paradise.

"Do not bother us, and we won't bother you." Sin coldly whispered, and the Captain froze in fear at his words, failing to comprehend how he had suddenly appeared right behind him.

"The power of a Devil Fruit!" Some soldiers called out in alarm as they saw the electricity sparking from Sin's body.

"Want to have a taste of it?" He playfully asked, and smirked when he saw the soldiers step away in fear. "Since we are not here to fight, why don't you lead us to the Doctor's Association?" He turned back to the Captain and asked with a gentle smile.

"Doctor's Association?" He gulped when he heard the name, and his eyes grew more fearful.

"Yes."

"There's no longer a Doctor's Association on Drum Island..." The Captain fearfully revealed.

"And why's that?" Sin narrowed his eyes and asked.

"King Wapol killed most of them because they refused to become his personal Doctors. And now there are only 21 Doctors left on the Island." The man did not dare to keep Sin waiting and replied immediately. "Twenty of them now form a Team that is addressed as Isshi-20, and they are King Wapol's personal Doctors. Everyone in the Kingdom must now ask for King's permission to get treated by them, and they have to pay high fees."

"And the 21st Doctor?"

"She's the Witch Doctor Kureha. She's on the run, and we are looking for her. King wapol has put a Bounty on her head, but she sneaks into the towns at night to treat the sick, and she takes away whatever she fancies as a payment."

"A strange doctor." Sin smirked. "How does she know where to find the sick?"

"We don't know. No one knows how she does it." The Captain shook his head. "And I don't know where she can be found." He honestly said.

"Is that so..." Sin sighed and looked at the sky. "By the way, what's the name of this Town?"

"Gyasta."

"And what's your name?" He smiled and asked.

"Bruno."

"Well, Bruno," Sin patted his shoulder and smiled brightly, "I need you to deliver a message to your King."

Bruno gulped when he heard that and fearfully looked at the young man, whose grey eyes were as cold as death.

"I want your King Wapol and his Isshi-20 to come to the Town of Gyasta within the next twelve hours to greet us." He lightly spoke. "Tell him that if he fails to do so, I will pay him a visit in his Castle, and it would be a bloody affair. Understood?"

"Y-yes!" Bruno obediently nodded his head.