The day before they arrived at Drum Island, the sea was still swelteringly hot, but by the time they entered Drum Island's waters the next day, the wind had turned bone-piercingly cold.
They dug winter clothes out of their suitcase and began trudging through the snow.
Just then they heard the sound of bells, growing closer and closer.
When they looked up, they saw a reindeer-drawn sleigh approaching. There were a lot of reindeer on Drum Island, and the Straw Hat crew's mascot, Tony Tony Chopper, had been born here.
Because of certain experiences, he was taken away from Drum Island by Luffy and began his tragic life, carrying a 100-Berry bounty while fighting enemies at the level of the Four Emperors. Truly miserable.
The local residents of Drum Island also mostly traveled by reindeer-drawn sleigh.
It was very distinctive, and it made Ethan think of Santa Claus from his previous life. At that moment, the sleigh coming from the distance pulled up in front of him.
"Hey, youngster, are you here to see a doctor?"
"Uncle, how did you know we're looking for a doctor?" Robin asked curiously.
"Our doctors on Drum Island are very famous throughout the Grand Line. A lot of people from other places come here to seek treatment.
"You two look like you're here to see a doctor as well. Hop on, I, Old Cook, will give you a ride."
Ethan and Robin climbed onto the sleigh and took in the scenery of Drum Island. Pulled by the reindeer, the sleigh actually moved quite fast.
Especially with Old Cook, who called himself a veteran driver, at the reins, it was not only fast but very steady.
According to Old Cook himself, he was the king of the snowfields on Drum Island, the island's number one driver.
To be fair, the old man's driving skills really were impressive. There was a feeling of wind and thunder under the runners, and they reached the town in no time.
After saying goodbye to Old Cook, the two of them found an inn, stayed the night to rest, and then asked around about how to reach the witch's castle.
Every passerby they questioned would first lean back in terror, then launch into all kinds of spooky stories about the castle.
Killer rabbits, snow monsters, and so on, all clearly meant to scare Ethan out of going up the mountain.
They said that sometimes the witch would come down from the mountain herself, so it would be better to just wait at the foot.
But Ethan did not want to waste time. After asking for a rough route, he and Robin picked up their suitcase and headed up the mountain the next day.
Probably because almost no one ever went up there, the snow on the mountain path was especially thick. Ethan and Robin walked with one deep step and one shallow step.
Just then Ethan's Observation Haki seemed to pick up something, and he looked toward a mountain hollow to the right.
He saw a group of giant red-eyed rabbits, each as tall as two people, bouncing toward them.
"Are these the Lapahns you were talking about? They're so cute." Robin's eyes lit up.
Ethan was powerless in the face of Robin's aesthetics. Since when had she started liking these ugly-cute creatures so much?
"Looks like we have to fight a bit first. Lapahns only submit to the strong."
As he spoke, Ethan set his stance, planning to punch these rabbits down one by one.
"Let me do it. I want to play with them for a while," Robin pleaded.
All right then. Robin did not have many playmates, so he would let her have her fun. Besides, this group of rabbits was pretty weak from Robin's perspective.
"Flower-Flower Fruit, Grab Ankles."
Hands sprouted out of the snow, grabbing the rabbits by their ankles. The rabbits crashed headlong into the ground.
The whole rabbit herd wore dumbfounded expressions. After thinking for a moment, they decided it was pointless to think and started charging again.
"Flower-Flower Fruit, Cover Eyes."
This time their eyes were covered, and they all tripped again. They got up and charged once more.
What followed was "Flower-Flower Fruit, Tug Ears, Slap Faces, Poke Noses, Pull Tails."
After a short while the Lapahns were all lying flat on the snow. This was not a matter of humans winning. It was simply that the Lapahns no longer wanted to play.
Seeing the big rabbits looking so pitiful, Robin also felt that this was a bit too much, and in the end her heart softened and she let them go.
However, before leaving she demanded that the Lapahns carry them up to the summit. So they left a few of the big rabbits to carry Ethan and Robin, bouncing their way up the mountain.
When they finally saw the castle at the peak, Ethan and Robin were both moved. Being able to build such a huge castle on the top of a snowy mountain was only possible because this world did not care much about scientific plausibility.
And the witch had already owned this castle even before seizing Drum Island's royal palace. She really was a rich lady.
Before they could knock, the massive doors opened on their own. The darkness beyond looked as though some monster was lurking inside.
As expected of the witch's castle. Dr. Kureha really knew how to put on a show.
"Hello, is anyone there? I am here to seek help from Dr. Kureha," Ethan called out.
With a bang, the torches inside the castle lit up one after another from the doorway inward. Then a huge shadow loomed over the entrance.
"Dr. Kureha, please stop fooling around."
As he spoke, Ethan took a bottle of plum wine from the suitcase and tossed it forward.
It had not flown far before a shriveled hand reached out and caught it with perfect steadiness.
"This is plum wine from the Hava Kingdom. The best of the best. Ten million Berry a bottle. It would be a shame if it broke."
As she spoke, a stylish, cool-looking old beauty stepped into view.
"You don't look sick, your strength is not bad either, and you even put a disguise on your face. Got something you don't want others to see? What did you come to me for?" she asked, looking him over.
Ethan had never expected that he could fool someone with top-tier medical skills. Any slightest unnatural detail on his body would be noticed.
"There are two things I would like to ask you to help with," he said.
"I charge very expensive fees," Dr. Kureha replied.
Ethan flicked open one of the suitcases he had brought. Aside from another bottle of plum wine, the remaining space was packed full of Berry.
"Is this enough? Plus the extra bottle, that makes thirty million Berry."
"Tell me what it is first. If it's not enough, you can add more. Come with me."
Seated in the castle's reception room, Ethan began by introducing himself.
"My name is Ethan, and this is my younger sister Robin. We came here to seek your help. Please take a look at this first."
As he spoke, he handed the Shimotsuki secret medicine to Dr. Kureha.
She opened the container and sniffed it lightly.
"A secret medicine for training the body. Let me guess: now that your strength has gone up, the medicine's effect has gotten worse, and you want to improve it, right? You brat from Ohara."
"Yes. I was wondering if you might have a way," Ethan replied honestly.
"Don't ask whether I have a way. Give me two weeks and I will triple the effect. But what you brought is not enough. Add another fifty million," she said calmly.
"Deal. But I do not have that much money on me right now. Can you start the research first, and I will make up the rest later?"
"How am I supposed to know whether you will still have money later?"
Helpless, Ethan pulled out the contract he had signed with the World Economy News Paper and put it down as collateral.
This witch would not care about such identities anyway.
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/euridome]
[Thank You For Your Support!]