"Wow~!"
"So many people!"
On the deck of the Going Merry, the Straw Hat crew stood at the bow.
Luffy stared up at the densely packed guards arrayed on the high ground and immediately let out an exclamation.
"There really are a lot of them, but…"
"They don't look very friendly."
Boom!!!
Standing beside Luffy, Zoro suddenly narrowed his eyes.
In an instant, a terrifying aura burst forth from his body, like a vicious black dragon looming from on high, gazing down with contempt at everything before it.
As Zoro's pitch-black gaze swept across the soldiers above…
Despite the distance, the guards were compelled to stagger backward several steps.
It felt as if getting even a little closer would put their lives in danger.
Even their commander, Dalton, couldn't help but widen his eyes, his pupils filled with fear.
"Th-this… is this the intimidation of a pirate worth 79.5 million Beli…!?" Dalton was shaken to his core.
Even when the Blackbeard Pirates had attacked Drum Island not long ago, he had never felt fear like this.
This was a unique technique Zoro had developed after fully mastering his own Pressure.
With nothing more than a glance, anyone weaker than him would instinctively feel fear, hesitation, and the urge to retreat.
Even those stronger than him would still be affected to some extent.
It wasn't Conqueror's Haki—yet it surpassed Conqueror's Haki!
At that moment, the Going Merry, which had never ceased moving forward, finally arrived at Drum Island's port.
Under the guards' terrified gazes, the Straw Hats stepped straight onto the land blanketed in pure white snow.
"Y-you… you all…"
Dalton tried to say something to stop them, but under Zoro's overwhelming Pressure, he couldn't even form a complete sentence.
In the end, it was Red who waved his hand with a calm smile.
"That's enough, Zoro."
"They're brave warriors protecting their homeland. Don't give them too hard a time."
As Red's words fell, Zoro slowly retracted the aura he had released.
The soldiers finally let out a collective sigh of relief.
In the freezing winter air, cold sweat soaked their backs.
Red stepped forward, wearing a diplomat's polite, practiced smile.
"Lord Dalton, hello."
He extended his hand, expressing goodwill.
"Y-you… hello…"
Dalton's mind was still in chaos, and he unconsciously reached out and shook Red's hand.
Only then did it hit him—
The people standing before him were pirates who could potentially bring disaster to his country!
Fortunately, Red didn't give Dalton time to spiral.
"There's no need to be nervous, Lord Dalton," Red said calmly.
"We're merely following the Log Pose and happened to pass by. We have no hostile intentions."
"If possible, we hope to land on the island and restock some supplies needed for sailing."
"Ah… I see…"
Dalton froze for a moment.
He had never encountered pirates this courteous before.
His gaze shifted past Red to the Straw Hats behind him—as well as the non-crew members Vivi and Smoker.
They were already laughing, chatting, and fooling around in a lively mess.
Rather than bloodthirsty pirates, they looked more like tourists sightseeing on the island.
Only… tourists with extremely special identities and frighteningly strong combat power.
After a long moment, Dalton took a deep breath.
"I hope you truly mean what you say."
"Please rest assured~" Red replied with a smile.
...
...
Half an hour later.
In a small town on Drum Island.
Under the escort—and surveillance—of Dalton and his men, the Straw Hats arrived at an inn.
Outside the window, heavy snow fell endlessly.
Inside, however, it was a warm and lively barbecue feast.
With the bonfire's heat, the Straw Hat crew enjoyed a winter-island-style lunch to celebrate their arrival.
After eating and drinking their fill, Luffy suddenly remembered something and turned to Red.
"Oh, right! Red, didn't you say earlier that there's a really interesting guy on this island!?"
"You even asked if I wanted to invite him to join our crew…"
"Where is that guy now?"
"Oh? Have you decided?" Red looked up at Luffy, smiling faintly. "The Going Merry is already pretty full. If we bring someone else onboard, we might run out of space."
"Hehe, who cares~" Luffy laughed dismissively. "If we meet a really awesome guy, of course we should invite him no matter what!"
"Besides, Smokey's about to leave anyway, right? His spot can go to a new partner!"
"Pfft—! Cough, cough!!!"
Smoker, who had been hiding in a corner trying to minimize his presence, felt a cold wind pass straight through the walls when he heard that.
For a moment, his entire world seemed drained of color, leaving only lonely black and white.
Red, however, suddenly tapped the table with his cup.
"Alright. If the captain has made up his mind, then as a crewmate, I'll do everything I can to complete the task."
"So—who wants to come with me to meet this interesting fellow?"
As Red spoke, his gaze swept over the Straw Hats one by one.
The first person he looked at, Zoro, shook his head lightly.
"This is a rare chance. I want to use this island's climate to awaken the ice-based sword style I haven't mastered yet."
"We won't stay here long. I'll pass."
"Besides, you'll bring him back sooner or later anyway, won't you?"
Zoro grinned at Red.
"Fair enough," Red nodded.
Although helping Zoro develop ice-based sword techniques using dragon-element energy was important…
Alabasta's situation was growing worse by the day. Every moment wasted meant countless lives suffering under Crocodile and Baroque Works' scheme.
Since they had already promised Vivi to save her country, they couldn't afford delays.
"Me too!"
As soon as Zoro finished, Usopp raised his hand.
"I want to test the performance and breeding speed of some insects in extreme cold!"
"So, Red, I'll leave everything to you."
"And me~" Nami added."I want to investigate why this island is permanently locked in winter."
"That kind of data will help improve my navigation skills."
"I tasted a really unusual flavor combination in the food earlier," Sanji said."So I want to check the market to see if I can find those spices or ingredients."
Vivi raised her hand apologetically.
"I'm really sorry, Red."
"I made plans to contact my father later."
"You're heading up Drum Mountain, right? The signal up there looks terrible, so I'll sit this one out."
After going around everyone, only Luffy, Robin, and Smoker ultimately decided to follow Red up the mountain to meet the potential new companion.
To be honest, Smoker had absolutely no interest in tagging along with pirate shenanigans.
This was their business—what did it have to do with a Marine?
But after watching everyone else leave the warm inn, and realizing he'd be left with nothing to do…
Under the curious and puzzled gazes of Dalton and the others, Smoker had no choice but to grab his jutte and follow Red's group.
And so—
A loudly laughing Luffy, a calm and composed Red, keen-eyed Robin, and a grumpy Smoker…
The four formed a rather strange party as they headed toward the rumored "Witch's Residence."
...
...
Meanwhile, in the first half of the Grand Line.
On an uninhabited island not on any Log Pose route, not far from Drum Island.
The slow clopping of hooves echoed through the air.
A frail, sickly-looking man lay sprawled across a similarly sick-looking white horse, barely managing to move forward.
Judging by their pitiful state, even if both man and horse dropped dead the next second, it wouldn't surprise anyone.
And yet, clinging to the back of his dying steed, the man waved a newspaper and several bounty posters, shouting with all his remaining strength:
"Captain! Captain! Something huge has happened!!!"
"Hm!?"
Several figures beneath the shade of a tree turned around at once.
Seeing this, a man with a thick black beard burst into laughter.
"Zehahahaha~!"
"Doc Q, you finally made it back!"
"If you'd been any slower, we'd have left you behind already!"
"What a heartless captain," Doc Q grinned weakly.
The next second, however, he slumped helplessly against his horse, Stronger.
"But if you really had left me… you'd have missed some extremely important information!"
As he spoke, the barely conscious Doc Q "accidentally" dropped the newspapers and bounty posters.
They landed right at Blackbeard's feet.
At once, a smiling face beneath a straw hat filled his vision.
"This is…!?"
Blackbeard froze, staring blankly at the poster.
Beside him, Lafitte quickly picked up the newspaper, opened it, and began reading.
"The Straw Hat Pirates!?"
"When did such a powerful crew appear on the seas!?"
Lafitte stared in shock at the news describing them.
Perhaps the Grand Line had been too peaceful recently—and with the Straw Hat Pirates rising so explosively, gaining over 300 million Beli in total bounties—
Even the Grand Line had begun spreading tales of their exploits in the East Blue.
"Zehahahaha!"
At that moment, holding three bounty posters of the Straw Hats, Blackbeard let out a deranged laugh.
"Just when I needed a pillow, someone delivers one!"
"I was wondering how to get into the Marines' sights—and heaven hands me this perfect opportunity!"
"It won't be long now… before our grand plan is set in motion!"
A dark gleam flashed through Blackbeard's eyes.
He grinned wide and clenched the bounty posters tightly, as if crushing them in his palm.
A pirate crew worth over 300 million Beli in total was more than enough to bargain with the Marines.
"Lafitte, use your connections and find out where the Straw Hat crew is!"
"If the timing's right, we might move ahead with our plan sooner than expected!!!"
"At once, Captain," Lafitte replied, bowing elegantly like a gentleman.
Nearby, the powerhouse Burgess leapt to his feet, excitement written all over his face.
For someone who hated thinking but loved fighting, a strong opponent was always welcome.
Among the Blackbeard Pirates, only Van Augur retained a sniper's calm throughout, his expression unchanged—as if nothing in the world could surprise him.
...
...
Back on Drum Island.
The brutal cold failed to slow Red's group in the slightest.
After all, none of them were weaklings—mere weather couldn't stop them.
Before long, they climbed a snow-covered mountain peak.
"Wow! There really is a castle here! That old guy didn't lie to us!" Luffy exclaimed.
The first to reach the summit, he looked around excitedly, searching for the interesting person Red had mentioned.
But after fumbling about for a while, confusion appeared on his face.
"Huh? That's weird!"
Activating his Observation Haki to the fullest, Luffy scratched his head and turned to Red.
"Red, are you sure that guy's supposed to be here?"
"I don't sense anyone at all!"
"Huh? Is that so?" Red replied.
Knowing the situation with Chopper and Kureha, he wasn't surprised. After thinking for a moment, he said,
"Then they probably went down the mountain on house calls."
"After all, not only can that guy understand Laboon's language—he's also an excellent doctor."
"A doctor!? Sugoi~! That's amazing!" Luffy's eyes instantly lit up.
The position of ship doctor on the Straw Hat Pirates had been vacant this whole time.
Even with Red around, the crew rarely had to worry about illnesses like fevers or aches.
But as a doctor, Chopper could do far more than heal!
He was also an outstanding pharmacist.
Whether it was the miracle medicines from the original story—or Chopper's own invention, the Rumble Ball—each could be called a marvel!
And that, aside from translating Laboon's voice, was Red's main reason for urgently wanting Chopper to join the crew.
(End of Chapter)