When they finally reached the Drum Kingdom, having flown all the way here from Arabasta, in only a few minutes, Vivi finally understood why Robin and Bonney had made her wear so many layers of clothes, and even the gloves.
"This is amazing!" She was in awe of the scenery that would forever remain saved in her memories.
Standing on the edge of the tallest and one of the largest of Drum Rockies in the centre of the Island, they could see the Crystal River that cut through half of the Kingdom, originating from a pair of Twin Drum Rockies, and a massive waterfall that poured snow into the river.
They could even see the faraway towns of Gyasta and Bighorn, and Vivi just kept staring at one of the most serene sights she had ever witnessed.
She was not much interested in the Icy Castle that was standing proudly behind them, but still took a good look at it before meeting Sin's eyes.
"Where are you going to create the Capital?" She curiously asked, and Sin pointed at a Drum Rocky near the Crystal River, which was the shortest of them all, almost two hundred meters in height, but was, perhaps, the largest in terms of radius.
It was a plateau almost as big as the one on which Alubarna existed, and right now, there was a forest on top of it.
"The city will be created inside the forest, and a massive stairway will connect the Capital to the ground below..."
Vivi imagined the dream-like city that Sin talked about, and her eyes sparkled in excitement.
"What will it be called?" She could not help but ask and watched a smile appear on Sin's face.
"Whitehart." He told her. "And I am going to rename the Kingdom as well. It will be called Winterheim, The Home of Winter."
"They are beautiful names!" Vivi enthusiastically nodded her head and smiled.
"Indeed, they are." A raspy voice sounded out from behind them, followed by a very eerie laughter. "Heeheeheehee!"
Vivi instinctively hid behind Sin as they turned around, but seeing that it was just an Old Lady, who was wearing a leather jacket and leather pants, her fear wore off, now replaced by some curiosity.
"Doctor Kureha." Sin smiled at her in a greeting.
"Kid." And she greeted him back in her own way, which made the girl behind him giggle.
"Hi, I am Vivi!"
"Whose kid have you kidnapped this time?" Kureha curiously looked at the girl and asked Sin.
"She's the Princess of Arabasta. Her name is Nefertari Vivi, and she is King Nefertari Cobra's daughter," He informed her, making her look at him with a raised brow.
"Is he dead?"
"Hey!" Vivi immediately became angry when she heard Kureha's question and the old woman started laughing at her reaction.
"Don't mind her." Sin gently caressed her head, and Vivi calmed down a little. "She's likely the oldest human in the world, and she's the Witch Doctor, perhaps, the best doctor in the world. So, be respectful." He grinned, knowing well that his words about her being the oldest had ticked off Kureha.
Vivi was surprised at his words and took a good look at the old woman again. And she could not help her giggles when she saw a scowl that she was now wearing.
"The kids these days lack some serious respect for the Elders."
"Elders?" He lightly smiled at her, and Kureha ignored him as she started walking towards the Castle. "That foul-mouthed boy is studying right now. You can meet him an hour later." She told him.
"How old is she?" The princess curiously asked.
"131 years old." He told her and laughed as her mouth dropped open in shock.
"She's that old?!"
"She can still hear you. Careful." He warned her, and Vivi pensively looked towards Kureha.
"Let's go. The team is here." Sin picked her up in his arms and then disappeared from the spot, leaving a flash behind in his place.
Vivi thought that the meeting would be short, but to her immense boredom, Sin and the engineers and architects from the Future Country of Baldimore, discussed things for well over four hours on the ship.
And just when she was on the verge of falling asleep, Sin finally looked her way and smiled.
"Bored?" He knowingly asked, and she honestly nodded her head, making some people in the room smile at her.
"We are going to visit the Drum Rocky next. Would you like to come with us, or do you want to explore the place?" He asked as everyone in the room stood up.
Vivi was sure that if she went with them, she would have to listen to more boring stuff, so she told him that she wanted to explore the place.
"Alright. I will drop you off at the Castle. A man named Dalton will show you around the place." He said and then disappeared with her.
Before she could even raise a question, she found herself standing outside the Drum Castle with a few guards who were curious looking at her.
Sin had left as soon as he dropped her here, and now she was a little nervous about what to do.
She heard some footsteps approach her from behind, and she became a little pensive when she saw a small battalion of soldiers being led by a massive man, who were approaching her.
"Commander Dalton!" The guards at the gate of the Castle saluted the tall and muscular man, who immediately bowed to her.
"Welcome to the Drum Island, Princess Vivi. My name is Dalton, and I am the Head of the Kingdom's Royal Guards." He introduced himself, and she calmed down a little.
"Sin dropped me here so that I could explore the place." She said, and the man smiled and nodded his head.
"I will give you a tour around the Castle."
Dalton excused himself for a moment as he instructed the guards, and then returned to lead the Princess inside the Castle to show her around the place.
"When did Sin tell you about me?" She curiously asked, having been with him all the time since they had come to the Island.
"No, it was Dr. Kureha." He shook his head, and she nodded her head, understanding how he knew about her identity.
"What do you think about the new Capital that Sin is building?" She excitedly raised the question, and Dalton frowned at her words a little, which she immediately caught upon.
"I am not sure what to think about him when he is taking over our Kingdom." He said and sighed.
"You don't like him?"
"I am afraid it is hard for me to like a Pirate, Princess."
She turned silent after his words and then looked around the place, no longer asking him any questions. And it was not until the end of the tour that she looked into his eyes and spoke again.
"Are you going to rebel against him and refuse to serve him?" She seriously asked, and Dalton did not know why he felt a little restless under her gaze. It was as if an invisible weight was pressing on his heart.
"I serve the people of Drum Kingdom and will do what's best for them." He honestly answered, and clearly saw some disappointment flash in her eyes.
"You are not fit to remain a Royal Guard, Dalton. Much less their commander." She said, making him raise his brow at her. "A Royal Guard serves his King first, and then the Kingdom. He serves the King even if he is evil."
A wave of shame washed over Dalton as he was reminded of the oaths that he had taken as the Royal Guard.
"The King I served is dead, killed by him." He said, clenching his fist, making Vivi frown at him.
"Did you do your best to save him?" She asked, and he felt another wave of humiliation hit him.
Did he?
Dalton had asked himself this question over and over again, and though he had tried to convince himself that he had done as best as he could, it was not the truth.
"No. I chose the people over him." He truthfully said and felt his heart being relieved of all the weight that had been pressing on it since the passing of Wapol.
"I tried my best though. I tried my best for years. But Wapol was evil, and his cruelty reached a point where I found myself sickened to the core of my being. It made me question my own humanity more than his..."
Vivi stayed silent as the tall and muscular man poured his heart out with tears in his eyes, and his body shivered as he tried to control his raging emotions.
"I stopped thinking of him as my King. Was I wrong to think so? I am but a person with a heart." He took a deep breath. "If Wapol had even a single redeeming factor about him, I would have killed myself after his death. But he was not my King anymore."
Dalton raised his head and unexpectedly found Vivi wearing a brilliant smile on her face.
"You are a good man, Dalton." She said. "And Sin is not evil." She told him. "When he takes the crown, you should choose him as your King. You won't regret it."
The Commander of the Royal Guards was at a loss for words after what she said, and now free of all the mental blocks that had been giving him headaches for years, his mind was finally clear enough to think things over.
One of the first thoughts that crossed his mind was that Sin had not killed a single innocent person in this Kingdom. Other than Wapol, Chess, and Kuromarimo, not even a soldier had been killed by him or his crew.
The only thing he really did was save them from a tyrant.
At the top of the Castle, inside a room, Kureha smiled as she sensed Dalton's emotions, having heard his entire conversation with Vivi.
"Interesting child." She said and then laughed her eerie laughter.
"Who?" Law, who was sitting across from her, reading a book, curiously raised his brow at her words.
"That little girl your Captain has brought with him here," She replied.
"Sin is here?!" He excitedly asked, Kureha watched one of the most genuine smiles she had ever seen cross his face.
"Go." She said, and Law shot off to meet his Captain.
"These Kids and their Will of D. Quite an interesting bunch. Heeheeheehee!" She laughed and then sipped on some wine.