Law moved carefully through the forest, every step slow and cautious.
The island was quiet—too quiet.
Along the way, he found several fruits growing on low trees and bushes. Before eating any of them, he activated his Devil Fruit's power briefly, examining them one by one.
Poisoned… or not.
Fortunately, none of them were dangerous.
He ate a few, forcing the food down despite his weak body. Warmth slowly returned to his limbs, and his exhaustion eased slightly.
— This should help… — he muttered.
As he continued forward, something caught his eye.
Ahead of him rose a mountain—around ten meters tall. At first, he planned to walk past it.
Then he saw it.
Smoke.
Thin, but unmistakable, rising from the mountain's peak.
Law narrowed his eyes.
— …Don't tell me… — he whispered. — Is there a village up there?
He stopped and stared at the steep slope.
— If that's the case… how am I supposed to get up there?
The climb looked dangerous. Too steep for his current condition.
He stood still for several minutes, thinking.
Then an idea surfaced.
— …ROOM.
If he could teleport objects within the sphere…
Then maybe—
He acted immediately.
— ROOM.
A transparent sphere expanded around him once more.
Now that his disease was cured and his energy partially restored, the size of the ROOM was larger than before—about one meter in radius.
Law swallowed.
— Let's try…
He focused.
And suddenly—
The ground beneath his feet disappeared.
For a brief moment, his stomach lurched.
— …It worked.
Slowly, carefully, he repeated the process.
If someone were watching the mountain from afar, they would have seen a strange sight—
A child disappearing…
Then reappearing one meter higher.
Again.
And again.
Each teleportation drained him rapidly. His breathing grew heavier, his vision blurred.
— Not… yet… — he muttered. — Just a little more…
When he was almost at the top—
The ROOM vanished.
— …Tch!
Law lost his balance and began to fall.
Instinctively, he drove the knife in his hand into the rock face.
The blade bit into stone.
His body jerked to a stop.
— …Hah… hah…
Using the last of his strength, he pulled himself up.
Finally—
He reached the summit.
The moment his feet touched solid ground, his legs gave out.
Darkness swallowed his vision.
When Law opened his eyes again, the first thing he noticed was warmth.
He was lying on a bed.
A small, old room surrounded him—wooden walls, simple furniture, the smell of herbs in the air.
— …Where…? — he murmured.
Footsteps approached.
The door opened.
An old man entered the room, around fifty or sixty years old, with a long white beard and white hair. His eyes were sharp, but kind.
When he saw that Law was awake, he smiled.
— How are you feeling, kid? Are you alright?
Law slowly sat up.
— …I'm fine now. — He paused. — Thank you. Did you save me?
The old man nodded.
— That was me.
— I was surprised. Not many people choose to climb the mountain… especially a child.
Law blinked.
— …There's another way up?
— Of course, — the old man replied. — There's a road on the other side. I use it often when I go down to the city.