"So, what happened?" Zoro asked as they went to a house and sat in front of the fire.
Zack didn't reply. He was feeling a strange pleasure from sitting in front of the fire. He felt like he had missed the sun for a long time.
Seeing him not reply, Zoro didn't disturb him and let him take some rest. After a few minutes, Usopp came with the injured Dalton. They patched him, but he immediately stood up and said.
"I-I-I have to go to the castle. I can't let him take over the kingdom."
"Dalton-san, you are injured. You shouldn't move." Usopp tried to convince him.
"Yes, Dalton-san, you shouldn't move right now. Besides, Luffy and Sanji are up there. They won't let Wapol take over." Vivi also tried to convince him. At this moment, she was confident in Luffy and Sanji's strength.
As for reaching the top of the mountain, she did doubt that. But since Zack believed that Luffy could do it, then she also started believing in him.
"But... I don't want to rely on others to protect my kingdom. It is my duty to protect it. I must rely on my own strength. That's why I must go." Dalton slowly stood up and walked out of the house.
"Well, Dalton-san, how about we wait till the ropeway is repaired? After that, we can go together." Zack suddenly spoke and made him pause his movement.
Zack didn't stop there and continued, "After all, you do not want to climb the mountain. So, for some time."
Dalton clenched his fists and walked inside the house. He finally decided to wait as well. As Zack was heating his body, everyone else noticed something strange.
"Z.zzzack…. Your body is releasing steam." Usopp got frightened seeing that as he shuttered.
"Zack-san, what's going on? Why are you releasing steam from your body?" Vivi also panicked and got anxious.
"Huh?" Zack, living in a blessing for a moment, finally processed their words and looked at his body. He saw the vapor coming out of his body. His eyes widened.
He didn't realize it, but he was releasing steam like how Luffy does. Except, he wasn't using the Gear second. Heck! He can't even use the second gear.
"Zack, don't tell me your body was truly frozen from inside?" Usopp initially thought of it as a joke, but now, seeing his situation, he couldn't help but believe in it.
"I told you, but why? Why was my body frozen? You all got buried by the avalanche as well. So, what's going on?" At this moment, Zack panicked. He panicked so hard that he showed a frightened look on his face.
[ Host is suffering from internal muscles and bone cramp. ]
[Condition - severe]
[Priest Instant Healing activated]
Others looked at him with a severe gaze as well. They also had no idea about this. At this moment, Zoro looked at him and said.
"You don't need to worry. Didn't you say one of the best doctors is living in the castle? We can find her and understand what's going on with you. But, I never expected you to get frightened like this."
"Of course, I would be frightened. First, Nami got sick, and I am already worried about her. Now, I am also suffering from a strange problem. Damn that avalanche!" Zack was furious.
He asked to go with Luffy because he wanted to be with Nami. After all, at this moment, she was in the most pain. He wanted to be with her. But, his damn situation made it impossible to happen.
"Zack-san, can I tell you something? I hope you won't be offended." Vivi asked.
Zack looked at her with confusion but nodded his head.
"Why haven't you confessed your love to Nami? You already know Nami-san loves you, and you also love her. Don't you think you are being too cruel to her? You should know how hard it is for a girl to confess her feelings." Vivi bluntly asked.
Her questions suddenly turned Usopp, Zoro, and Dalton embarrassed. They didn't expect her to ask such a question.
Zack was stunned as well. He embarrassedly rubbed his head. He felt pretty weird when Vivi asked this question.
"It's not that I don't want to confess to her, but I am stuck."
Vivi looked at him with confusion and asked, "Why?"
"A long time ago, I had a girlfriend. Our relationship was quite different. I didn't even know whether I loved her or not. I mean, she confessed to me, and I naturally accepted her."
"But, deep down, I loved someone else. We had a relationship for three years and didn't break up. You see, the girl I loved was in my neighborhood, and after certain graduation, we were supposed to part away."
"Although we had a relationship for three years, I began to interact less with her in the third year. I didn't even talk to her for months. I kept telling myself that I had to study for this because this year was the major for me."
"But deep down, I knew I just wanted to be away from her so that she would eventually break up. I didn't want to be the one to break up. I was scum. Even though I kept my distance from her, she didn't break up with me; instead, once I started talking, she only cried for not talking to her."
"I never understood that I loved someone else more than the person I was supposed to love. So, I made a mistake. I pushed away even more, and finally, after getting a work , I confessed to the person I loved."
"I knew I was going to get rejected. It was quite obvious, but she was, after all, my childhood crush. So, I did. After I got rejected, I couldn't bring myself back to my previous relationship."
"No matter how much scum I was, I knew I had overstepped my boundaries. So, I tried to forget both of them and made a promise to myself."
"I will never confess to a girl, and if the girl ever confesses to me, I will love her with every bit of my heart. You see! This promise was something that kept me moving on."
"I didn't find any girls, never confessed to a girl for years because of this promise. And, now, I don't want to break it. This promise kept me going when I was at my lowest point. And, if I break it….."
Zack slowly raised his head and asked, "What kind of person would I become?"
At this moment, Vivi's heart suddenly fluttered. A red blush appeared on her face as the strange memories of her and Zack together on the ship appeared.
She couldn't help but think about it.
'If I confess to him, would he forget about Nami and love me? But….. Do I love him? I mean, he is handsome, and every time he talks to me, I can't think of anything else.'
'But, this is too sudden, right? We have only been together for a week. What would he think of me? A slut...… But, aren't Nami and he together for less than a month?'
'It's not like it has been two or three months since they have been together. Damn it! I am a princess. How can a princess fall in love with a pirate?'
Although she tried to reject it in her heart, her mouth opened on its own as she asked.
"Zack...."
"Yes?" Zack looked at her with confusion.
When Vivi tried to tell him something, Usopp grabbed her hand and laughed.
"Hahaha! Vivi, since Zack's problem, is solved, shouldn't we go and repair that ropeway? Zack is still tired, and Zoro isn't smart enough. Only you can help me out there."
Usopp pulled her away without even giving her a chance to speak. His heart was beating loudly, but he was calming himself down.
'Damn it! I underestimated Zack's charm. And, with the condition he has set for himself, this girl won't hesitate to confess. I can't let her confess to Zack.'
'Nami has been holding her feelings for so long. Although I am also Vivi's friend, Nami is much more precious to us. She is not just a crew member but also a part of our family.'
'No one would want to see her sad. I must take Vivi away from Zack.'
"Usopp-san, we are going in the wrong direction. The ropeway is in that direction." Vivi was surprised by his action as she didn't speak for a long time, but when he started moving in the wrong direction, she finally said.
"Ehh! Sorry about that." Usopp embarrassedly apologized and eventually let go of her hand. If he had kept holding her hand, it would've been awkward.
Vivi didn't say anything as she quietly followed him.
'It seems like Usopp-san doesn't want me to confess. I guess he didn't want Nami to be sad.'
At this moment, frustration appeared on her face.
'I really need to control my feelings. They are already risking their lives by helping me. I can't be so selfish.'
Vivi suddenly slapped her face. Usopp stopped and turned back. He looked at her with confusion.
She bowed to him and said.
"Thank you for stopping me, Usopp-san!"
...
"Mhahahaha! I have finally returned. This kingdom is going to be mine." Wapol laughed as he stood in front of the giant snow castle.
At this moment, Luffy, Sanji, a small reindeer, and an old woman were standing in front of him.
Luffy smashed his fists together.
"This bastard! How did he defeat Zack?"
"What? He defeated Zack? Are you sure, Luffy?" Sanji couldn't help but feel shocked hearing that.
"Zack stayed behind to stop him. Since he is here that means Zack was defeated or else Zack wouldn't let him come here." Luffy was angry at this moment, feeling the need to punch Wapol in the face.
"Is that so? By the way, Luffy, aren't you feeling cold?" Sanji asked as he looked at Luffy who wasn't wearing any coat.
"Huh...…. It's so cold."
It took a while for Luffy to realize that. As soon as he realized, he returned back to the castle to get a coat. He ran inside the room where Nami was staying and searched for a coat.
"Luffy, what are you doing here?" Nami asked.
"I need a coat. There is someone I have to beat outside." Luffy said while searching for it.
"Then, you can take mine. It's just over there." Nami pointed at the coat and said.
"Yours? But, that is too ugly." Luffy felt a bit disgusted by that.
"It's better than yours." Nami shrugged her shoulders.
"Is that so?" Luffy finally picked it up and left while closing the door.
Nami sighed and went back to sleep.
'Why hasn't he arrived yet?'
That thought remained in her head.
Luffy ran outside and saw the reindeer Chopper getting almost swallowed by Wapol. Sanji stretched his leg and shouted.
"Luffy, grab on it!"
"Gomu-Gomu"
Luffy stretched out his hands and held Sanji's leg. With the help of Sanji, he managed to fly at a great speed to smash Wapol. He freed Chopper and made Wapol fly away.
But, Wapol struck his ride and didn't fall off the mountain.
"Damn it, Straw Hat! I will show you the power of my morning breakfast."
Wapol shouted and his body slowly changed. He became a house. Not in a literal sense but his body transformed into a shape of a house. Then, he ate his subordinates.
"What? He ate them?" Luffy and Sanji looked at him doing this with shock. They didn't understand why he would eat his own crew. But a minute later, a new figure emerged.
It was his subordinates on top of each other. This made quite a little sense.
"Hahaha! With the Wapol-sama's powers, we have become one. We will show you the true strength of Wapol-sama number one and two." The new mixture shouted at Luffy and Sanji.
"This is my kingdom. Everything here belongs to me. I won't let that stupid flag on the top of my castle."
Boom!
Wapol shot his cannon at the top of the flag. Although it didn't hit the fag, it did hit the bottom and the flag naturally fell down.
Chopper also saw it and his eyes blazed with anger. That flag meant the world to him. It was the symbol of his first friend/parent. It was the symbol of the person he respected the most.
On the other hand, Sanji and Luffy were ready to fight them.
"Luffy, I will talk them down while you deal with the other." Sanji said as he rushed toward a new mixture.
As Sanji was proceeding, Chopper suddenly stopped him and said.
"I want to fight him. I will protect my kingdom."
Hearing his words, Sanji paused for a moment and decided to let Chopper fight. Sanji wanted to say something to Luffy and noticed that Luffy wasn't there.
Sanji looked around and saw Luffy climbing on the top of the castle with the flag in his hand. At this moment, Luffy held the flag high and looked at Wapol.
"You are just a bunch of frauds. What do you know about the pirate flag when you can't even put your life on the line?"
Wapol looked at Luffy with frustration and shot another ball of cannon.
"You bastard!"
Bang!
It struck Luffy but not even a scratch appeared on his body. Although his clothes were a bit ruined. Everyone, including Sanji, was left stunned there for a moment.
Luffy held the flag high and shouted.
"This flag is the symbol of faith. It can't be broken by the likes of you. YOU DON'T DESERVE TO BE THE ONE TO DESTROY IT AND LAUGH ABOUT IT."
Luffy turned his head at Chopper and smirked.
"Hey reindeer, I am going to hold this flag for you. So, what do you want to do now?"
Hearing his words, Chopper finally realized that he was in the middle of a battle and turned around. He rushed toward the new mixture but he was quickly stopped by them.
"Do you really think you can defeat us?" The new mixture shouted at him and took out two bows at the same time.
"Three minutes! I will defeat you in three minutes." Chopper took out a small golden ball and puts it in his mouth.
The next moment, he transformed back to his true reindeer form and rushed toward them. They shot the arrows at him but he quickly dodged them. Using his animal instinct, he quickly transformed into another form where his body was like a humanoid and punched them.
But, they reflected his punch with hammers. But, he quickly changed into a new form where he looked like a human animal with long legs. He jumped into the sky and dodged the hammers.
Then, he transformed into a new form where he looked like a massive moss with a head, horns, and four legs. The new mixture's attack didn't even make it faze.
But, Chopper turned back to his small form. At this moment, he was searching for the new mixture's weakness. As soon as he found the weakness, Chopper transformed into Heavy Arm Point and used his final attack.
"Sakura Fall"
Bang!
His paws left the mark on the new mixture's body as he transformed back to normal.
"Ahh! Where is he?" Chopper turned around and didn't see Wapol which surprised him.
"Oops! I missed him. I will find him and kick his ass." Luffy only then realized that Wapol was missing. He was too focused on Chopper's transformation that he literally forgot about the surroundings.
"Is he going to be okay?" Chopper looked at Sanji and asked.
"Don't worry, he might be an idiot but he won't lose." Sanji smiled at him and answered.
Inside the castle, Luffy started searching for Wapol and found out that Wapol was in a strange room with a weapon. There was also Nami. He was almost going to bite Nami.
But, Luffy instantly stretched his foot and kicked Wapol in his face. Wapol stood up and angrily shouted at Luffy.
"Bastard, I am the king of Drum Kingdom. If you dare to beat me, you will make enemies with the World Government."
Luffy stretched out his hand and closed his mouth.
"I don't care because I am a pirate."
"Gomu-Gomu No- Pistol"
Luffy stretched out his other arm and smashed Wapol on his face. Wapol broke his teeth. He looked at Luffy with fear and started threatening him.
"Hey, don't you care about your friend? Do you want to know how we came up here? We beat down your friend. He must be dying there. If you don't hurry up, he will truly die."
"Luffy, don't listen….." Nami shouted from behind but Luffy stopped her.
He looked at Wapol and clenched his fist.
"Zack won't die. He won't die till he accomplishes his dream. He always calls himself a dreamless pirate but his dream is to go on the biggest adventure in the world. So, until I become the King of the Pirates, he won't die."
"I don't know how you got here but you can't beat Zack. He isn't an idiot like me. If he can't beat you, he will run away. So, Zack won't die but I don't know about you."
His foot contracted and pushed him toward Wapol at an insane speed. Luffy's eyes were blazing with anger as he reached in front of Wapol. His hand expanded and contracted at the same time as he inject air into his muscle. He thrust his fist forward and struck Wapol with immense force.
Bang!
Wapol broke the wall and fly out into the sky. Luffy retracted his fist and gritted his teeth.
"Luffy, are you alright? Why did you need to use that attack? You could've defeated him with a normal attack." Nami got worried seeing his expression and rushed toward him.
"I was angry. That bastard neither deserves to become a king nor a pirate. He is just a scum." Luffy answered as he clenched his fist.
"You idiot!" Nami smacked his head and shouted.
"Don't injure yourself because of anger. Don't make us worried about you."
Hearing her words, Luffy let out a childish laugh.
"Hehe! Sorry"
"Anyway, let's go out! I am worried about Zack."