In the wind and snow, the Going Merry,
The huge white mainsail was filled with wind, propelling the ship forward at high speed.
Since they decided to find a doctor first, they couldn't follow the original route. So now, Roman and the others didn't know which sea they were in. Fortunately, they had the 'Eternal Pose' from Alabasta, so they weren't afraid of getting lost. But:
"Searching aimlessly like this... relying on luck?"
Nami had already fallen asleep—Roman had Marianne apply 'Calm Green' to soothe her spirit, and Sanji and Karoo were taking care of her. So the task of steering the ship and navigating fell to Roman and Vivi.
"It's not just luck,"
Vivi, dressed in winter clothes, shook her head.
"The wind and snow in the surrounding sea have lasted for a day and a night, which means there must be a 'Winter Island' nearby."
"On the Grand Line, many islands exhibit a natural phenomenon of having only one 'season' all year round. We generally name them 'Spring Island,' 'Summer Island,' 'Autumn Island,' 'Winter Island'..."
Vivi, who knew the Grand Line best, continued to explain.
"And no matter what kind of island it is, there will be people living there—even if it's a Winter Island with snow all year round."
"Yes, so as long as we find that Winter Island, we can find a doctor."
Roman felt relieved because he remembered that Drum Kingdom was a Winter Island covered in snow all year round, and Chopper was a blue-nosed reindeer who had eaten the 'Human-Human Fruit.' It seemed their quest for a doctor was on the right track.
Speaking of which, if someone ate that Devil Fruit, how would they introduce themselves?
—I'm the human who ate the Human-Human Fruit?
A superhuman?
Hmm?
Roman received a message from the paper cranes flying around in the sky, making him turn to look ahead of the Going Merry. At the same time, Zoro, at the top of the mast, put down his telescope and asked the people on the deck with a puzzled look.
"Have you ever seen someone standing on the sea?"
This...
"A Devil Fruit user?"
Usopp looked up and answered. When in doubt, quantum mechanics... cough, cough, Devil Fruit abilities. Anything beyond 'common sense' could be attributed to Devil Fruits. But:
"Devil Fruit users can't touch seawater, right?"
There were two Devil Fruit users on the Going Merry, so they were well aware of the weaknesses of Devil Fruits—seawater and Seastone...
So what could it be?
As the Going Merry sailed forward, a court jester with a bow and arrow appeared before them. Just as Zoro had said, he was standing on the sea—
"No, there's something under his feet!"
Roman pointed to the water beneath the jester's feet—if you looked closely, you could see a huge shadow below.
In other words, this court jester-like guy wasn't standing on the sea but on 'something' in the sea.
"Is it a pirate ship?"
Facing the approaching Going Merry, the court jester with the bow and arrow calmly nodded.
"Never seen that pirate flag before, probably rookies who just entered the Grand Line, small fry—"
Although his judgment was largely 'correct,' his analysis of their strength was...
---
"Consider this food for the master, or who knows what he might eat when he's starving."
Muttering to himself, the court jester tapped his heel on the deck in a peculiar rhythm, clearly sending a signal.
?
Roman frowned and immediately used his ability to control the sails of the Going Merry, abruptly changing direction and forcing the ship to slow down! Because:
Clang—
As the seawater surged, the court jester standing on the surface 'rose up,' revealing a massive object beneath him! Just as Roman had said, he wasn't standing on the sea, but on:
The top of a mast!
It was a giant submarine... watermelon? Or a ship? Well, the technology in this world is all over the place, so nothing is surprising. As the iron ship in front of them opened like a lotus flower, it revealed numerous soldiers on the deck and:
"Wa hahaha, ignorant bumpkins!"
A truly 'eight-foot-tall, eight-foot-wide' ugly man laughed heartily.
He was fat and ugly, with dark purple hair, a huge mouth, and a cylindrical tin plate attached to his chin. Covered in armor and studs, he looked three parts human and seven parts monster.
"This is the large submarine surprise attack ship 'Iron Barrel'! So:"
Taking a fierce bite of the meat in his hand, even crunching through the small knife skewering it, the iron-studded, fur-clad man scanned the people on the deck.
"Are you heading to Drum Kingdom?"
"Hand over your Log Pose or Eternal Pose—"
However, seeing the confused expressions on Luffy and the others, the ugly iron fat man clicked his tongue.
"Don't have one?"
"If it weren't for that guy, I wouldn't be... never mind!"
He waved his hand and loudly declared:
"You're unlucky to run into the 'White Iron Pirates.'"
"Now it's pirate time! Your ship and treasures are—"
Boom!
With a whistling sound, a figure crashed down beside the iron barrel-like man like a cannonball, startling him into silence. —Of course, Roman hadn't planned to listen to his nonsense any longer.
Paper Dance - Blade!
With a flick of his fingers, a sharp sword appeared in Roman's hand, and before the man could react, Roman slashed down!
The blade was swift and powerful! In an instant, the arrogant iron barrel man who had just declared a robbery was cleanly cut down. Roman then stepped on his face, controlling his biggest weapon, his mouth, and then:
"Paper Dance - Maple Leaf Dance!"
Sheets of white paper appeared around Roman, spinning rapidly as soon as they formed! They flew out like spinning blades, cutting through the soldiers surrounding them. Amidst the screams and spurting blood, the deck was quickly cleared.
The once white paper was now stained red, like maple leaves!
Roman had controlled his strength; otherwise, it wouldn't be screams but chunks of flesh everywhere...
"Devil Fruit user?"
"Call Lord Wapol—"
"Lord is right under him!"
...
"When dealing with pirates, there's no need for honor, everyone attack together..."
Roman, who had taken down the enemy leader with a preemptive strike, looked at the pirates swarming around him... Well, with their uniform clothing and weapons, they were clearly regular soldiers of the country, but now they had fallen to a level even worse than pirates.
"Luffy, Zoro—"
Whoosh, clang!
With Roman's shout, although they didn't know why he suddenly 'attacked', Luffy and Zoro simultaneously leaped onto the enemy's giant submarine. With punches and sword strikes, they quickly subdued the soldiers, gaining control of the situation.
"Ahhh, I'm bleeding! I'm hurt!"
The rolling guy under Roman's foot screamed in panic. In fact, with his iron-like defense and thick fat cushioning, Roman's strike was just a 'superficial wound' to him. But clearly, this guy was not a qualified warrior; he couldn't even maintain a calm face, let alone endure pain.
"Doctor! Where's the doctor—"
Facing the round guy shouting under his foot, Roman directly placed the buzzing paper knife against his neck.
"That's right, quickly call your doctor."
"Or I'll make sure your king loses his head!"
!?
"You—"
"How do you know..."
The two guys on the deck who hadn't been cleared by Roman's 'Falling Maple Leaves' looked surprised. One was the court jester with a bow and arrow, and the other was the boxer with an afro. Just by their 'art style', they were clearly the leaders of this ship.
"This stupid face is unforgettable after seeing it once, right?"
Roman placed the buzzing knife in front of the guy he had stepped on, successfully stopping his pig-like screams.
"King of Drum Kingdom, Munch-Munch Fruit user: Wapol."
"How dare you, knowing I'm the king—"
Pfft,
"Ahhh, my shoulder!"
"A king with a pirate flag?"
This guy's actions were no better than a pirate's...
Roman impatiently looked at the court jester with a bow and the boxer with an afro on the deck.
"Quickly call your doctor, we have a sick person on our ship!"
"Treat me first—"
Facing the still oblivious Wapol under his foot, Roman's paper knife plunged into his other shoulder with a puff.
"Shut up!"
————————
"What?"
Roman frowned at the doctors in the cabin: protective suits, surgical caps, disinfected masks, rubber gloves, the standard attire of doctors. And they were indeed real doctors, the top medical personnel of Drum Kingdom. But:
"Sorry, sir."
One doctor wiped the sweat from his forehead and explained humbly:
"This lady isn't suffering from ordinary fever or heatstroke, but was bitten by a bug called 'Guy Ski'."
"What is that?"
Roman frowned, having never heard of such a thing...
"Uh, it's a poisonous parasite. The wounds from their bites quickly become infected, causing symptoms like fever, dizziness, and limb weakness."
The doctor paused, his professional ethics compelling him to continue.
"This illness looks similar to ordinary fever and doesn't have any special manifestations, but once five days pass..."
"Immediate death."
!
----
You can read 30 advanced chapters at my patreon.com/YeyeQiu