The cold grew sharper the moment they left the village.
Snow crunched beneath their boots, as the group pushed beyond the last wooden houses and into the open slopes. Behind them, the settlement disappeared quickly in the swirling wind, swallowed by the white haze. Ahead stood a towering pillar of ice and rock piercing the clouds, its peak invisible beyond the storm.
Vivi stopped for a moment, staring upward.
"…We're really climbing that?"
Sanji tightened his grip around Nami's shoulders. Her arm hung weakly around his neck and her breathing was shallow and uneven. Each exhale came out as a faint cloud of heat, that vanished instantly into the freezing air.
"We don't have a choice," he muttered. "Her fever's getting worse."
Nami stirred faintly against him, murmuring incoherently. Her skin burned even through his gloves.
Bartolomeo shivered violently but puffed his chest anyway.
"L-Luffy-senpai, I will absolutely not slow you down!"
Luffy didn't answer immediately. He stared at the mountain, jaw set, then stepped forward.
"Let's go."
No dramatic speech. No hesitation.
The slope rose quickly. Within minutes, the ground steepened into packed snow and frozen stone. Wind screamed down the mountainside, tearing at their coats and forcing them to lean forward just to stay upright.
Sanji adjusted Nami now secured carefully on his back.
"Stay with me… we're almost there."
They weren't.
Not even close.
They still had to walk a while through the snow, before they could climb that monstrous mountain.
The air thinned and each breath burned. Ice formed on eyelashes. Fingers numbed inside gloves.
Vivi slipped once, but Bartolomeo grabbed her arm instantly.
"Careful!"
She nodded, forcing herself forward again.
"I'm fine… we just have to keep moving."
Luffy walked ahead, digging his sandals into the snow, pulling himself upward without slowing. Every few steps he glanced back, to make sure, they were still following.
The sky darkened.
Snow began falling harder.
After another stretch, the path narrowed into a long white ridge between cliffs. The wind died suddenly.
Sanji noticed first.
"…It got quiet."
Luffy stopped.
Ahead of them, shapes appeared in the snow.
Large silhouettes moved not far away from them.
Bartolomeo squinted.
"…Those aren't rocks."
White fur blended into the landscape, as massive rabbit-like creatures slowly rose from the snowfield, each was as large as a bear, with red eyes fixed on the intruders. Dozens of them surrounded the ridge, blocking the path forward and back.
Vivi froze.
"A-animals…?"
Sanji shifted Nami protectively behind him.
"…Not friendly ones."
One stepped forward. He was larger than the others, a deep scar cutting across its face and ear. It lowered its head, paws digging into the snow.
The air tightened.
Luffy stepped ahead of the group.
"Move."
The rabbit lunged.
Snow exploded beneath its feet as it charged straight toward him and Luffy ran forward to meet it.
The scarred rabbit crashed toward Luffy like a falling boulder.
He didn't dodge.
He stepped in.
"Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"
His fist snapped forward and struck the creature square between the eyes. The impact echoed across the ridge and the giant body skidded sideways through the snow, carving a deep trench before tumbling to a halt.
The rest of the pack reacted instantly.
White shapes burst from the drifts around them.
"More coming!" Vivi cried.
Sanji shifted Nami against his back and spun into motion.
"Stay behind me!"
A rabbit lunged from the left side, but Sanji reacted fast.
His leg whipped upward.
"Collier!"
The kick cracked against its jaw and knocked it aside, but the recoil made him slide dangerously close to the cliff edge. He dug his heel into the ice and stopped just short of falling.
Bartolomeo raised shaking hands.
"I—I've got this!"
A faint shimmering wall appeared in front of Vivi, as another Lapahn slammed into it. The barrier held, but the impact rattled his arms violently.
"W-why are their blows so heavy?!"
Luffy dodged another pouncing rabbit, grabbed its ears midair and hurled it back into the snowbank.
"They're strong!"
Sanji blocked a swipe with his forearm, grimacing as the force traveled up his arm.
"…They're territorial and probably hungry."
The scarred leader pushed itself back upright, shaking snow from its fur. Its red eyes locked onto the group again, but this time, it didn't charge alone.
The pack spread out.
They again encircled the group like predators on a hunt.
Wind returned in a low howl across the ridge.
"Don't let them surround us!" Sanji barked.
One tried to leap on Luffy, but he ducked under it. Another came from behind, but Sanji intercepted it, kicking the beast upward to knock it away, while keeping Nami steady.
Vivi pulled out her signature weapon the Kujakki Slashers.
Her weapon of choice are two discs, that are attached to her fingers with wires.
She whirrled them around, slicing a lot of attacking beast.
One especially angry one attacked her from behind, but Nojiko reacted instantly and shot the beast in its arm, making it fall down in pain.
"Th-thanks—!"
A sudden blur passed them.
The leader charged straight for Sanji and Nami.
Sanji twisted to shield her and struck.
"Mouton Shot!"
His heel slammed into the creature's face.
The impact sent it skidding backward down the slope and a deep cracking sound echoed beneath their feet.
A deep rumble echoed through the mountain, as the snow above them had already begun to shift.
Everyone froze.
The ridge trembled.
Snow shifted in a slow rolling wave.
Bartolomeo's eyes widened.
"…That's not good."
The mountain answered.
A thunderous roar erupted from above, as the entire slope fractured and collapsed downward.
The avalanche began.
The mountain broke loose.
A deafening roar swallowed the world, as the snowfield above them collapsed in a rushing white wall. The ridge vanished beneath their feet, the ground crumbling as tons of ice and powder surged downward.
"RUN!" Sanji shouted.
There was nowhere to run.
The avalanche was already upon them.
Bartolomeo threw his hands forward instinctively.
"Barrier—!"
A shimmering wall flickered into existence in front of the group, just as the snow wave slammed into it. The impact thundered through his arms.
The invisible wall held for half a second, before it shattered.
The force blasted him backward, tumbling into Vivi, as both disappeared beneath the snow.
Sanji wrapped himself around Nami, turning his body into a shield as the torrent swallowed them whole.
"LUFFY—!"
White.
Everything became white.
The world lost sound, direction, gravity. The crushing weight forced air from lungs as the freezing mass dragged them downhill, burying them under layers of packed ice.
Then silence.
A fist burst through the snow.
Luffy tore upward, gasping, shaking snow from his face. His breath came out ragged in the frozen air, as he looked around. He saw nothing, but a smooth white slope where the ridge had been.
"…Guys?!"
He plunged his hands into the snow and began digging frantically.
Seconds felt like minutes.
His hands bled through the snow, but he didn't notice. A captain doesn't stop digging.
He found Sanji first, half buried with his arms still locked around Nami. Luffy pulled them free, laying them carefully on the surface. Sanji didn't move. Nami's breathing was faint, her face pale despite the fever.
"Stay… here…"
Luffy staggered back into the snow, digging again.
Bartolomeo's hand appeared next.
He dragged him out by the collar. The barrier user coughed violently, clutching his arm in pain.
"V… Vivi—!"
Luffy dug harder, faster, until he uncovered her coat and pulled her free. She didn't wake.
Several meters behind him the snow began to tremble, as Nojiko broke free from her snowy prison.
She coughed, but was not hurt.
When Luffy saw Nojiko, he was very relieved.
For a moment he just knelt there, breathing heavily.
Wind howled across the slope.
Then he heard the desperate squeals of a very tiny Lapahn.
The tiny Lapahn stood nearby, pawing desperately at the snow. There was the paw of one Lapahn barely visible in the snow.
The little beast tried its best, to free its parent, but it was just too weak.
Luffy hesitated for only a heartbeat.
The little Lapahn hissed seeing Luffy approach.
It wanted to defend its buried parent.
Luffy just walked over and pulled the massive Lapahn out of the snow.
It was the leader with the scar, he had fought earlier.
When the massive rabbit finally broke free, it collapsed onto the surface and drew a deep shuddering breath.
The small Lapahn immediately checked, if it was okay.
The leader slowly lifted its head.
Red eyes met Luffy's.
The scarred leader looked at him, not with rage anymore, but recognition.
This human had freed him an enemy, without gaining anything from it.
For a moment neither moved.
Then the rabbit stood and instead of attacking… it stepped aside.
A path opened uphill through the untouched snow.
Luffy looked back at his mostly unconscious crew.
"…Okay. Lets do this."
"What? You can´t seriously plan to climb that mountain with so many unconscious?," Nojiko said still dizzy from the avalanche.
"I have no choice. I have to carry all of you to the top, to get help!"
He didn´t even think about how hard this climb with four knocked out people would be.
Luffy would never leave anyone of his precious crew behind.
He lifted Nami onto his back.
Nami's body was tied securely, with strips torn from his own coat. Her head rested against his shoulder, her breath faint and hot against his neck.
Sanji was thrown over his shoulder.
To secure him Nojiko bound Sanji´s hands and feet together with straps from Luffy´s coat.
Vivi and Bartolomeo were also still unconscious.
Luffy looked at them, then up the mountain.
"…We're going."
He wanted to grab Vivi next, but Nojiko hoisted her up on her back.
"I will carry Vivi," she said.
Luffy just nodded and looked at Bartolomeo.
Bartolomeo had blood on his forehead and a bruised arm.
Luffy hoisted him over his shoulder, then he staggered toward the cliff face.
The rabbits moved ahead, hopping upward across hidden ledges, pausing occasionally, looking back.
After Luffy pointed to the tall mountain, they decided to guide them.
Luffy carried his three friends through this snowy landscape, without any word of complaint.
Because of her training, Nojiko had little problem carrying Vivi on her back.
The slope steepened sharply until it became a wall of frozen stone. Wind cut across their faces like knives.
They were finally at the foot of the mountain.
"Okay hold onto me," Luffy said to Nojiko. "I will carry all of you."
Nojiko shook her head. "You can´t carry us all. Look I am fine and Vivi is not injured thanks to Bartolomeo. Just leave us two here, we will climb up later."
"I can´t leave you here," Luffy intervened.
"Luffy you have to make a decision as a captain right now. Either you climb up with Nami, Sanji and Bartolomeo and get them help, or you climb up with all of us and risk not being able to make it. Three people is already nearly impossible, but five there is no way," Nojiko said with a stern voice.
"No! I'm taking everyone!"
"Then you'll collapse halfway up," Nojiko replied calmly.
"Please get our friends help and save my little sister."
Luffy looked at the scarred Lapahn.
"Can you look after these two?"
The leader looked Luffy in the eyes and with an agreeing grunt, it nodded.
"Thank you."
Luffy removed his gloves and sandals, to have the best grip on this icy stone surface.
He bit into Bartolomeos coat, to secure him and then started the grueling climb.
Nojiko looked at him and how determined he was, to save his friends.
This was again proof, that she made the right choice, to join the straw hats.
With a smile on her face she was sure, that everything will turn out fine.