Categories > Anime/Manga > One Piece > One Piece Spoiled Dreams
'So... this is Drum, huh?'
'It seems to be so.'
'And we're not hallucinating again?'
'No, I don't think this is like the talking flower from a day ago.'
'Well, at least this place isn't screaming at us.'
'Yet, Usopp. It's not screaming at us yet.'
'You really think an island is going to start shouting that we're going to die out of nowhere?'
'Usopp, anything can happen on these seas.'
'But a sentient Island? Vivi, you've got to admit that's a little far-fetched.'
'Giant. Flying. Screaming. Daffodils.'
'Well, they looked more like petunias to me.'
'Honestly, I'm still not convinced we didn't have a mass hallucination from the lack of sleep.'
'Yeah...Vivi?'
'Yes, Usopp?'
'Would you hate me if I used the "It's quiet, too quiet" line?'
'Honestly, Usopp?' Vivi looks around at the nearly frozen fjord.
The Merry floats up the icy, cold river in a land covered in snow. Steep, icy cliffs surround them, lined with the occasional pine tree. From what they can see, the entire island is a frozen wasteland of trees, ice, and silence. As the ship proceeds further, a growing sense of unease settles over the crew; the emptiness of the landscape amplifies the weight of their own thoughts. High above, the massive circular mountains with flat tops dominate the horizon, their imposing forms reminding the onlookers of just how far they are from anything familiar or safe. The overall darkness of the night only deepens their apprehension, giving the impression that this entire place is hiding a terrible secret. A secret one that the silence seems eager to keep. In that gloom, each crewmember cannot help but reflect on what kind of dangers or truths might be waiting, concealed beneath the snow and shadow. The two straw hats on the main deck of the ship look over the dead quiet island, wondering what had happened to the kingdom of Drum. Both of their thoughts go to the darkest destinations imaginable.
'I agree with you. It IS too quiet here.' Vivi shivers inside her puffy blue coat. 'And too cold.'
'At least you have a jacket that fits!' Usopp points to the mass of fabric wrapped around his four-legged lower half. 'I can feel my leaking boils freezing.'
'Ugh! Usopp! Did you have to bring that up?! I'm trying to look past your whole freaky mutant parts.'
'Hey, you're perfectly safe. I see you wearing a plague suit under like ten layers of clothing! I'm practically naked here!'
'I'm from a desert island! It's not like I grew up resistant to cold and ice!'
'Cram it with the back talk you two!' Nami shouts from behind the rudder. She angrily shoves the steering lever down the canal. Her body is wrapped in an orange and yellow plaid jacket. 'Look for a place we can embark. The ports we could find were burned down, so we need to find something upstream.'
Usopp looks around at the frost-covered cliffs. 'Well, unless you have mountain climbing gear and a hundred or so ice picks, you won't find anything here.'
'Zoro!?' Nami shouts. 'You better give something, or you aren't getting any alcohol for a year!'
The swordsman scans his surroundings from atop the crow's nest. His spyglass and dark green outfit catch the snowfall as he pulls the lens from his one good eye. 'Relax, Nami. We'll find something.' He brushes snow out of his hair and swollen red pustules over his face. 'Cool your tits.'
'I'll relax and "cool my tits" when my sister isn't on death's door!' Nami shouts back. 'And if you think I've forgotten you drinking on watch, then you’re sadly mistaken!'
'Found something!' The entire crew turns towards the sound of Luffy's voice. The captain of their ship, done up in a red full-body coat, yellow mittens and earmuffs over his straw hat, waves his hands. 'There's a pier or something next to a frozen waterfall!'
The crew looks, and sure enough they find a worn-down pier next to a frozen patch of Ice. Broken fishing rods and tossed-aside crates cover the woodwork.
'Good enough for me!' Nami struggles at the helm as the ship begins to hit ice. 'Brace for docking!'
'Nami! Be careful with the Merry!'
CRUUuuuunCH
'Sorry, Usopp, can't hear you over the breaking ice!'
'Nami!' Vivi shouts, holding on for dear life. 'Slow down!'
'Turning!' The navigator shoves the lever to the side.
The Merry swings wide, turning at such a sharp angle the port side of the ship crashes into the dock. The sudden impact sends half the crew flying into the air, Luffy with a laugh, Zoro with a groan, Vivi and Usopp with a curse. After hanging in the air for half a minute, they land in a snowbank as tall as a house.
'And... made it!' Nami says with relief. She stamps on the deck. 'Sanji? We're here! Get Nojiko out here!'
'Coming, Nami Swan!' She hears thumping steps from below deck. Steps which no doubt belong to the most loyal (to her) member of the crew.
Waking over to a pre-prepared bag, she throws the survival sachel onto her shoulder and walks onto the deck proper. 'Look alive, people! This is no time to play in the snow!' Nami claps her hands at the groaning tangle of limbs in the snow pile. 'Up and at 'em!'
Vivi pulls herself out first, her mechanical arm dicing its way out with an integrated dagger-long blade. 'Nami, I am going to kill you.'
Usopp rips his way out. 'I'll help.'
Zoro punches the snow bank in half. 'And I can dice up her body so it isn't discovered.'
Luffy throws off a pile of snow. 'Nobody is killing anyone. Nami will be fine when we find a doctor.' The captain looks around the shore. 'Wherever they are.'
Vivi distracts herself from her desire to kill by checking for witnesses. 'Yeah... the one port we saw was cinders and broken boats. There are no lights in the forests, no sounds, and no wildlife.'
Nami lands on shore from a jump. On her back, encased in rolls of crumpled bedding, is a figure in a full-body black suit. 'They're here somewhere. We have to find them.' She begins to walk quickly through the snow. 'Look for citizens. They'll know where we can find those doctors.'
Surprisingly, though, she is stopped by Sanji's firm hand on her shoulder. 'Nami. Calm down. You're rushing things. Let's stop for a minute...'
Nami brushes his hand off. 'A minute is something Nojiko doesn't have!' She gestures to the figure on her back. Her weak, wet panting draws a pitiful image of her. 'Look at her! She's been getting weaker over the past week! She needs help now. And why are you wasting effort carrying the brainwasher!?'
Sanji follows Nami's pointing finger to the figure on his back. Her entire body is similarly wrapped in bedding, with only a head wrapped in bloody bandages being visible. 'Well, we're going to a doctor anyhow, so I figured Marianne-san could use some professional help.'
'Uuuuuu... just kill me...' a horrible
sounding voice spits out from Sanji's back.
Nami throws her hands up. 'Fine! So long as you don't slow me down, you can drag the gods damned Merry with you!'
Only to find Luffy standing in her way. 'Nami. Calm down. Captain's orders.'
'Yeah!' Usopp trots up, rubbing his freezing body. 'I mean it's super dark and cold! Maybe we should chill out and wait for morning.'
'That might not be a bad idea.' Vivi walks over, intentionally missing the pun. 'They may have been faint, but I think I saw lights on top of the mountains. If we wait till dawn, we should be able to find a way up without having to worry about getting lost.'
'Great.' Nami tries to push past the others. 'We'll find a mountain. Set up a base camp and wait till dawn. Let's move.'
Luffy's hand keeps her in place. 'So mountain climbing?' Luffy takes in the majesty of the mountains around him. Resembling titanic pillars of stone more than piles of rock, they give off a forboding aura which intimidates even him. 'But which one has Elder Kureha's palace?'
The princess thinks. 'Well, from what little I know of Drum, they build fortresses on top of those mountains to make them impregnable. So it's either the biggest, or the tallest mountain.'
Usopp looks around. 'But which one is the biggest? They all look the same to me.'
Sanji draws in a lungful of smoke. 'Allow me, Mr No Directions.'
The crew watches as Sanji removes the cigarette from his mouth and tosses it in the air. It lands with the but facing a pillar to their left. 'That one.' He points to the pillar.
'...that's your idea of directions, Mr Prince?'
'I don't see you coming up with directions, moss head!'
Nami slaps the two. 'We've got a direction. Let's move, crew.'
'Nami, you need...'
'No, Sanji. You don't tell me what I need!' Nami pokes him in the chest. 'I am tired; I've got maybe three hours of good sleep in the past week and am not in the mood.' She points to the boat. 'So stay on the boat and out of my way, or help me find a doctor because I am incapable of caring about your concerns.'
'...Sounds good to me!' Usopp sprints back on the ship. 'Merry's telling me someone needs to keep her safe from the tree monsters! You guys go ahead!'
'...Vivi? Sanji?' Nami looks to her friends. 'Anything to add?'
The princess groans. 'As much as I hate this weather, you'll need someone who isn't angry and short-tempered to negotiate.'
The chef grins. 'Not rain, or cold, or short tempers can douse my passionate love, Nami swaaaan!'
Nami looks around the snowy pier. Surprisingly, despite her awful temper and threats, her friends stand ready to brave the unknown with her. Each one bearing a look of determination and stiff resilience.
Luffy looks around, deep in thought. 'You know guys. I just realized something.'
'Oh?' Nami looks at her captain. 'And what's that?'
'...this island is super cold.'
wham
.......
Several silent minutes pass the Strawhats by, seeming to stretch into hours. They walk through the dark woods of Drum, feeling the shadows and cold winds twist around them. No one carries a light; the idea of drawing unwanted attention or drowning out any potential light sources has stopped them. Instead, they stomp through the heavy snow with bandage-wrapped boots. The only sounds the pirates hear are the crunch of the ice beneath their boots and the haunting wind echoing through the trees.
Occasionally one of the crew would attempt small talk. A comment on the cold would pass like the wind. Thoughts on where the people were were greeted with worried silence. Eventually they stopped communicating altogether.
The only other living thing of note that they encountered during their long walk was a tumor-covered bear. The giant furry creature walked up to them on two legs, bowed to them, and walked off, bloody discharge spilling out of its mouth.
Everyone unanimously agreed not to consider the creature their first encounter in Drum.
They continued their walk through the silent forest, feeling their lungs and muscles ache from the relentless cold. They walked for what felt like hours, their bodies worn from the exertion of pushing through the deep snow.
After nearly an hour of trudging through waist-deep snow, the group of pirates came across their first real sign of habitation on the island.
The houses they saw were constructed with pine, possessing cone-shaped roofs to disperse the load of heavy snow. However, the tops of the buildings and the stone walls are wrecked and broken down beyond belief. The idea that any would choose to live in such hovels is laughable, especially considering how filled with snow they are.
Most peculiar, though, are the large, roughly hewn igloos adjacent to the buildings. These temporary buildings, while shoddily made by anyone’s standards, seem far better maintained than the run-down buildings of the town.
'Hello there!' Nami raises her voice. 'Anyone?'
No response, other than the echo of her voice, greets her.
'What's wrong with this country?' Vivi says with a spooked expression. 'The only village we found is abandoned?'
'Wert wwwwert?'
'No, Karoo, I doubt they are having a sleepover in another village.'
knock knock knock
Luffy knocks on the nearest igloo's icy
door. 'Hello?'
'...'
knock knock knock
'Hello! Could you open up? We're pirates!'
Sanji continues to smoke. 'Luffy, people don't usually open their doors for pirates.'
'...oh yeah! We're pirates.' Luffy rips open the frozen door. 'We can just take meat...'
A half-frozen body falls out.
'Agh!'
'Tch!'
'Wow, a dead body!'
The crew back away as the corpse buries itself in the snow by their captain's feet. Its right leg is gone, replaced with a frozen stump. Its wood-brown overcoat is covered in white Ice crystals. Even its beard and white hair are matted with frost.
'What the!?' Nami is the first to recover. Looking inside, she is shocked by what she finds.
Dozens upon dozens of bodies of every race, gender, and size are frozen to the inside of the cavernous interior. The corpses are in wretched states, missing arms, legs, and other body parts. The stench of rot, even inhibited by the frost, is nearly unbearable.
Vivi and Nami back away, resisting the urge to gag.
'It's... it's a burial mound!' Nami swallows her spittle to keep from wretching. 'They're literally freezing their dead into walls of ice.'
'Some local burial custom?' Vivi glances through the interior, understandably creeped out.
'Weert weeert....' Karoo shivers.
'The question is why?' Zoro keeps his eye(s?) open for any signs of hostility. 'Why bury their dead in the middle of an abandoned village?'
'Burial practices these days are usually to ward off the plague...' Vivi inspects the corpse by her feet. 'But this man has no boils or pustules. Neither do half the bodies inside.'
'Least from what we can see.' Nami looks inside the igloo with a squeamish look. 'I'm not eager to check them if they do.'
'...are we sure it's a big coffin?' Luffy asks.
'What else could it be, Luffy?' Sanji asks back. 'Why else would people freeze their dead into walls? Marianne?' The chef jossles the body on his back. 'You have any ideas?'
'Cold... kill... pain...'
'Very helpful.' Zoro says sarcastically. Walking over to a nearby igloo, he opens it up before clutching his nose. 'Yep, dead bodies here too.'
'If it's not a burial mound...' Vivi theorizes. 'Maybe they made houses of Ice when their houses broke? And when they huddled together for warmth, it melted the inside walls enough for them to get stuck?'
'They... entered... to... die...' Marianne moans in pain. 'Can... relate...'
'No. Neither of those ideas are right.' Nami points down at the first body
discovered. 'His leg was amputated then frozen with ice to staunch the bleeding.'
'That's a pickle.' Zoro crosses his arms. 'If they wanted to die, they wouldn't bother patching their wounds. If they wanted to live, they wouldn't use such patchwork medicine.'
'Ugh. We're wasting time here.' Nami states. 'There are obviously no living people here. Let's look for snow tracks for whoever is dropping...'
A hand grabs Nami's ankle.
'Eeeeeiii!' She jumps away from the "corpse" that grabbed her, breaking from its grasp.
'What the!?'
'Zombies?'
'Who is...'
The Strawhats draw their weapons as the man speaks in a raspy, wet voice.
'Kill...' the thought-to-be-dead body looks at them with haunted, frozen-over eyes. 'Kill... us... please...'
'What? Sir?' Vivi kneels to look into the man’s eyes. 'Sir, are you okay!?'
'Yes.' Nami joins her. 'Also. If you have time, can you point us to a doctor?'
'Nami! This isn't...'
'K-Kill...'
A voice echoes from inside the igloo in front of them. The sound of dozens of voices, half-dead, trapped in a state of agony, echoes out.
'H-Hurts...'
'Mom...mommy...'
'Please...'
'Kill...us...'
The voices echo around them, unnerving the group far more than any foe or fiend.
'Kill...'
'Die... please... die...'
'Monsters...'
'P-Pain...'
'S-Sir!' Vivi grabs the terrified man. 'You're safe now! You're okay! Please tell us-'
GGGGRRRRRRRAAAAAARRRRRR!
A feral voice calls out in the night, freezing the blood of all who hear it.
'What... the abyss was that!?' Nami asks, shaking in her boots.
'Noooo...' the limbless man thrashes
about in terror. 'They're... coming!'
'What!? Who?' Vivi tries to interrogate the man. 'Who's coming?'
'WEEERT.' Karoo tries to drag his friend away; panic overrides his body. 'Wert werttt!'
'Karoo, stop!' The princess struggles to keep her balance. ‘What has gotten into you!?’
'KILL ME... PLEASE!!' The man screams.
GGGGRRRRRRRAAAAAARRRRRR!!!
GGGGRRRRRRRAAAAAARRRRRR!!!
GGGGRRRRRRRAAAAAARRRRRR!!!
The Straw Hats quake in their boots. The beast’s blood-curdling roar is joined by nearly a dozen others, each one equally vicious. The hunting calls of wild beasts fill the village. The pirates feel the ground beneath them rumble as a stampede rapidly approaches them.
Zoro grabs Vivi in one hand. 'Worry later! We need to go now!'
'Kill! Kill... me!' The man tries to crawl towards him.
'Nami Swan!' Sanji grabs the navigator and begins dragging her away. 'Come on, let's go!'
'N-No!' The man cries icy tears. 'No... no... No!'
The Strawhats run to just outside the village and shelter against a large, run-down building. They fall behind a wall just as a horde of freakish abominations hop into the middle of town.
Nami's eyes widen as she takes in the terrifying figure in the town square. It resembles a massive polar bear standing on two rabbit-like legs. Its arms possess huge bear-like claws that drip black ichor. Their heads resemble bunnies, that is, bunnies that lived off the nightmares of mankind and the flesh of the innocent. Their bodies, however, are the most awful part, sprouting blackened human limbs from their hides like a garden sprouting weeds.
'What the heck are those things?' Luffy whispers loudly. 'Giant bunnies?'
'Whatever they are...' Zoro draws his trusty Wano Ichimonji. 'They don't look friendly.'
'Shhhh!' Nami shushes the crowd as they watch the largest creature sniff the air.
'Sanji!' Vivi taps the Chef's shoulder and points to her mouth.
Realizing what she is getting at, he pulls out the cigarette and stamps it into the snow at his feet.
The creature, seemingly losing the scent of smoke, looks to its mate. The slightly smaller bunny thing scratches its nose with a warped human arm sprouting from its belly. They both shrug and turn to the half-dead man attempting to crawl away.
‘No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.' He chants in terror as he scratches at the earth under him. The man’s pathetic attempts to crawl away barely move him more than a few feet.
The creature steps on his back, pinning him in place. It reaches down towards him.
'NO. NO NO. NO. NO. NO.'
The Strawhats watch in unmasked horror as the beast grabs the man's sole leg and rips it off.
'NoAAAAAAAAaaaaaagghhh!!'
The man writhes as the monstrous rabbit eats the limb hungrily. Its sharp fangs rip the flesh off of the bone before consuming the marrow itself.
'Aaaa...aaaaag... aaaaa...'
The man sobs as the female walks over and wretches out a handful of black gunk. Whimpering in pain, the man thrashes as the other creature smears rapidly hardening bile over his severed limb, preventing him from bleeding out.
'Kill me... please... hurts... PLEASE!!'
The beasts, however, are deaf to his pleas for mercy, dragging him back into the igloo. All the while, the trapped men and women, sensing the return of their captors, call out in pain.
'Stop... Stop... STOaaaAIIIEE!
'Take... her... I'm too... skinny...'
'P-PleaEeeeeAaaGH!!'
'Mommy... mommy... mommy... MomMMMMMeeee!!'
The scene the Strawhats witnessed takes place throughout the village. The beasts enter the rough domes, and screams of pain come out. The moaning cries filled with pain echo through the village. The townsfolk’s agony and pleas for mercy are unheard save for the cold-hearted beasts and the Strawhat pirates.
'BLUargh!' Luffy vomits over the ground.
Vivi looks away, her hands shaking as horrible memories assault her.
Karoo shivers in terror, still managing to
comfort his princess with his feathery bulk.
Zoro grits his teeth.
'BASTARDS!' Sanji roars, his limbs twitching to leap from cover.
Nami stops him. 'Sanji! Sush!'
'They're not homes or coffins!!' Sanji points at tge igloos. 'They're keeping people in clucking fridges, Nami! They're keeping them fresh so they can eat them!!'
'Sanji, there are dozens of them!'
'I don't care!'
'Nojiko and Marianne need doctors!' Nami's plea gets through to the impulsive man. 'We need-'
GGGGRRRRRRRAAAAAARRRRRR!!!
A beast roars at them, discovering them thanks to their arguing. The horde of monsters freezes at the sound and turns as one towards the intruders. Those busy feeding walk from the human-sized iceboxes covered in blood. They congregate together, a group of nearly fifty infected monsters walking slowly towards the group. Their eyes radiate malice and bestial cruelty as they walk towards new prey.
'Nami...run.'
GGGGRRRRRRRAAAAAARRRRRR!!!
GGGGRRRRRRRAAAAAARRRRRR!!!
GGGGRRRRRRRAAAAAARRRRRR!!!
The horde charges at them with superhuman speed. Hopping through the air, tearing across the ground, they charge with black slathering mouths.
'RUN!'
The crew doesn't hesitate.
Faced by a horde of flesh-eating monsters, they run as fast as their legs can carry them.
......
GGGGRRRRRRRAAAAAARRRRRR!!!
'Pistol!'
'Hawkwave!'
Bang Bang
GGGGRRRRRRRAAAAAARRRRRR!!!
The Strawhats dash through the woods, their earlier exhaustion forgotten as they sprint as fast as their legs can carry them. Hot on their trail are nearly a hundred mutated monsters; each beast is eager to literally rip the pirates limb from limb.
And they're gaining.
GGGGRRRRRRRAAAAAARRRRRR!!!
GGGGRRRRRRRAAAAAARRRRRR!!!
They run faster.
The brush behind them crashes and snaps as the monsters tear through the shrubbery. What they lack in speed and subtlety they compensate with ferocity and bloodthirst. The fleshy arms embedded in their bodies flail about as if seeking to grab the prey their owners are seeking.
Nami Stumbles. Her reflexes save her from falling flat on her face and ending up in something's stomach. But she lags behind enough for the alpha to close in.
GGGGRRRRRRRAAAAA-
'GIGOT!' A black leg sweeps out,
shattering the creature's twisted leg. It falls to the ground in a mess of thrashing limbs.
'Nami swan!' Sanji grabs Nami and drags her along. 'Don't stop, we-'
A limb grabs Nami's chest.
'Aaagh!' She screams and thrashes against the monster grappling her.
'Cripes!' Sanji likewise struggles against the arm wrapped around his arm.
But the rubber arm is resistant to any impacts, simply bouncing back.
Nami stops, looking again at the arm grabbing her black suit. 'Rubber? Luffy?'
'Gomu no double fishing line!'
The Strawhats' bodies jolt as they are yanked towards their captain. They soar past a mile of trees, boulders, and snow in under a second. Before they can even scream, they find themselves come to an abrupt stop, heads spinning.
'Uurrrhh!' Sanji tries to rise. 'Luffy! What the-'
Their captain covers their mouths. 'Suuush!'
Luffy turns and shuts the large wooden door behind them, pressing his body against it.
GGGGRRRRRRRAAAAAARRRRRR!!!
The cries of the hungry beasts reverberate outside.
Taking a cue from Luffy, the Strawhats press themselves against the ruined furniture around them and hold their breaths. They glance through the shattered windows as they feel the ground beneath them tremble. The predators gallop in the direction their prey took.
Right past the hiding pirates.
They feel the earth tremble outside, forced to watch as tangled black limbs and white clumps of fur dash by. One second passes in tense fear. Then five. Then after ten seconds, silence.
Luffy waits another ten seconds before peeking out of the creaky door. He gives a thumbs up. 'Clear!'
The pirates both give a massive sigh of relief.
'Get... off... of... me...'
Sanji leaps up, realizing that by lying on his back he was lying on the maimed woman’s crippled body. 'Oh, sorry Marianne!'
'Nojiko!' Nami unfastens the body from her back. 'Nojiko? Are you hurt?'
'........uuu........'
'Shoot! She's even worse!' Nami says in distress. 'We need to find a doctor soon!'
'Well, if that's the case...' Their captain looks around. 'I think we're in the right place.'
Nami and Sanji join Luffy in looking around. They find a plethora of scattered beakers, warm beds, and medical charts lining the walls.
'...Luffy?' Sanji turns to the young man. 'Are you telling me you found a doctor's office by sheer dumb luck?'
Luffy thinks for a moment before shrugging. 'I guess so? I mean, I was kinda looking for a place to hide. I guess I found a really good one!'
'Who cares how he found it, Sanji!' Nami says hopefully. 'That means there's a doctor around here!'
'Sorry, Nami-swan, but you probably won't find a doctor here.' He wipes a countertop with his finger, inspecting the dust. 'The way I see it, this building has been abandoned for at least two weeks, maybe more.'
'Darn!' Luffy snaps his fingers. 'I guess the sign that said "Open" below "Kureha's Medicare" was a lie!'
'...'
'...'
'Huh? Why are you guys looking at me like that?'
'Luffy...' Sanji struggles to contain his
disbelief. 'Are you telling me you found Dr Kureha's office by sheer DUMB LUCK!?'
Luffy thinks for a moment before shrugging. 'I guess?'
Sanji nearly face faults. 'Luffy, you...'
'Forget how he found it!' Nami looks around. 'We found it, so look for clues as to where she could be!' She picks up a pile of dusty papers. 'She has to have Den Mushi number, a list of her home address, something!'
'...' Sanji pulls his gaze away from the frazzled Nami. 'Luffy, do you have any other miraculous discoveries that could help us find a doctor?'
'Uhh, I don't know?'
The navigator grabs Sanji's ear. 'Less talking, more looking!' She glares at Luffy. 'Both of you look for clues! Now!'
The chef and captain gulp before complying.
Sanji opens a file cabinet, paging through its folders. 'I just hope Vivi-chan is okay.'
'Well, Zoro and Karoo are with her, so they should be fine.' Luffy sneezes from a cloud of dust. 'Plus Usopp is watching the Merry, so he probably has the cannons up and is ready for a quick exit.'
'Yeah, but it's Zoro!' Sanji grunts, closing the drawer of useless papers. 'He gets lost going to the bathroom! No way he can lead Vivi back to the ship.' He looks off in the distance. 'Maybe I should leave to look for them.'
'Zoro can take down an army.' Nami points out, having broken into a nearby safe. She pulls out several dozen stacks of papers with a mixed expression. 'And Vivi is the second smartest person on the crew; she can guide even an idiot like Zoro back to the Merry.'
'Nami...' Sanji begins. 'I know you're worried about Nojiko, but try and calm down. You're scaring me.'
Nami looks up, seeing a look of concern on the Chef's face. She looks away, back to the safe. 'Sorry, Sanji. It's... It's not just Nojiko though. I can't help but think of...' she shudders. 'Those people.'
A cold silence fills the room. The idea of dozens, if not hundreds, trapped in a fate worse than death weighs on their minds.
'We can go back later.' Sanji offers. 'See if we can help them?'
Nami slams the safe shut. 'No. Trying to save them would get us surrounded and killed by those monsters. The party pursuing us looked to be a scout party.' She shakes her head. 'No. There's nothing we can do to save them. Like there's nothing we can do to help Nojiko.'
'Or... Marianne...?' A voice offers.
'There's nothing we can do to help NOJIKO.' Nami insists. 'We're literally running around blind looking for help. I hate feeling powerless. Of not being able to do anything. I feel like... like...'
'Like a rope tied to a tree?'
'Like a rope tied... Luffy?' Nami turns to her captain, staring out the window. 'That's... a very odd choice of phrase.'
He points out the window, drawing attention to a massive, giant-sized rope leading up and into the dark. 'Oh. I just noticed this huge rope tied to the tree. It got me thinking, why would you tie a rope leading up the scary mountains?'
The two other Strawhats look out the window. Sure enough, a massive coil of rope tied to the trunk of the tree. The rope, thicker than a human body, leads up above the trees around them, vanishing off in the direction of the closest mountain top.
'...other than the fact it would allow someone to climb up to the top of the mountain?'
'...oh yeah! That makes sense! Thanks, Nami.'
'Good.' She slaps her captain upside the head.
'Ow! Nami, what was that for?'
'For one, being stupidly lucky.' She snaps her fingers. 'Sanji, pack up, we're going rope climbing.'
'Nami Swan, that rope could go up for miles!' The chef states. 'And there's no certainty there's a doctor up there.'
'It's still better than sitting around doing nothing.' Nami picks up her sister, feeling the shallow breaths and grunts of pain. 'I may not be able to treat the sick, or kill a bunch of monsters.' She smiles. 'But when it comes to climbing out of the Abyss looking for any sign of hope, I'm a pro.'
........
Their bodies are cold. Colder than they've ever been in their lives. To stop climbing, even for a minute, would mean to consign themselves to a brutal frozen death. Only the constant movement of their muscles and constant exertion prevent their bodies from freezing solid. They push against the howling winds around them.
The right hand reaches forward. It grabs the rope too big for human hands. The hand grips tightly. Legs wrapped around the length of rope push down, and the arm pulls the body up the length. Then the left hand is extended. The process then repeats.
It repeats hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of times in a row. But they never seem closer to the top.
Luffy braces against a fierce gust. 'G-G-G-Gu-u-u-y-y-s?!' He shouts behind him. 'Y-Y-Yo-o-ou-u o-o-o-ok-k-kay-y-y!?'
Nami just nods. Her voice couldn't be heard amidst the roaring gale of frost. She feels a nudge behind her.
'N-N-N-N-a-a-am-mm-i-i-i!!' Sanji shouts over the winds. 'K-K-K-Ke-e-e-e-e-p-p-p mo-o-o-o-v-v-v-i-n-n-n-n-g!!'
Her body protests. It begs her to stop. It demands she stop.
She doesn't.
The right hand reaches forward. It grabs the rope too big for human hands. The hand grips tightly. Legs wrapped around the length of rope push down, and the arm pulls the body up the length. Then the left hand is extended. The process then repeats.
It repeats again and again and again.
Were it not for her sister on her back, she might have stopped. She might have rested.
Sleep would be so easy now...
She feels a slap from a hand in front of her.
'N--N-N-Na-a-a-m-m-m-mi!' Luffy's arm stretches back slowly. His rubber body frosting over. 'D-D-D-O-O-O-N'T-T-T S-S-S-STO-P-P-P!!'
Nami obeys despite her body screaming not to.
Right hand reaches forward. It grabs the rope too big for human hands. The hand grips tightly. Legs wrapped around the length push and the arm pulls the body up the length. Then the left hand is extended. The process then repeats.
Again and again. A never-ending series of actions. The same actions over and over with nothing changing. Her destination impossibly far away.
She feels the skin of her hands beneath her suit crack and bleed. She again offers a thanks to whatever deranged genius made these suits. They seemed almost indestructible, with any damage save the helms seeming to repair themselves. Whatever small amount of heat in her body was no doubt due to its tender mercies.
Of course she'd never give those so-called Purity Divisions a single word of praise for them. Those mad butchers who burn and slaughter innocents on suspicion of sickness didn’t deserve a single word of praise.
The right hand reaches forward. It grabs the rope too big for human hands. The hand grips tightly. Legs wrapped around the length of rope push down, and the arm pulls the body up the length. Then the left hand is extended. The process then repeats.
She feels the rope burn crawling up her legs. Her nails crack from the cold and bleed. She feels her mind slow along with her body. She should stop. She needs to stop.
Nojiko twitches on her back.
Right hand reaches forward. It grabs the rope too big for human hands. The hand grips tightly. Legs wrapped around the length push and the arm pulls the body-
Her hand slips. Her body loses its grip.
She plummets into the void.
'N-N-AMIII!'
An extended arm wraps around her, stopping her fall.
'Ugh! S-S-S-an-n-ji!'
The blonde man reaches over and, with a shaking hand, grips the hanging girl, dragging her up. With great effort, she is dragged belly down onto the rope. Nami's legs and arms hang above the void; the girl on her back quivers as she takes in deep draughts of air. She lies on the rope, her prison, panting. For several seconds all she can do is breathe. Then the man behind her prods her side.
Nami looks into Sanji's eyes. He gives her a firm look, letting her know they still have a long way to go.
Nami looks to her right. She sees a tiny brown rope leading her into the darkness. She climbs it.
Right hand reaches forward. It grabs the rope too big for human hands. The hand grips tightly. Legs wrapped around the length push and the arm pulls the body up the length. Then the left hand is extended. The process then repeats.
She has lost all sense of time and all sense of self. The howling winds and bitter cold have stolen that from her and the party. Her body shakes. Her mind slows.
All she knows is that she must climb.
If she doesn't... then Nojiko dies.
Right hand reaches forward. It grabs the rope too big for human hands. The hand grips tightly. Legs wrapped around the
length push and the arm pulls the body up the length. Then the left hand is extended. The process then repeats.
It repeats.
The right hand reaches forward. It grabs the rope too big for human hands. The hand grips tightly. Legs wrapped around the length of rope push down, and the arm pulls the body up the length. Then the left hand is extended. The process then repeats.
It repeats.
The right hand reaches forward. It grabs the rope too big for human hands. The hand grips tightly. Legs wrapped around the length of rope push down, and the arm pulls the body up the length. Then the left hand is extended. The process then repeats.
It doesn't stop.
The right hand reaches forward. It grabs the rope too big for human hands. The hand grips tightly. Legs wrapped around the length of rope push down, and the arm pulls the body up the length. Then the left hand is extended. The process then repeats.
It doesn't stop.
The right hand reaches forward. It grabs the rope too big for human hands. The hand grips tightly. Legs wrapped around the length of rope push down, and the arm pulls the body up the length. Then the left hand is extended. The process then repeats.
She has to keep going.
The right hand reaches forward. It grabs the rope too big for human hands. The hand grips tightly. Legs wrapped around the length of rope push down, and the arm pulls the body up the length. Then the left hand is extended. The process then repeats.
She has to keep going.
Right hand reaches forward. And grabs something new.
Nami looks out of frozen eyes. She sees a wooden post sticking out of a wall into a cave. Near the back of the cave seems to be a wheeled contraption attached to gears and long cords of rope.
Nami blinks.
There's no more rope.
They made it.
But where is Luffy?
She looks down, finding her captain lying on his back, breathing in and out.
She raises a shaking hand, trying to pinch her cheek. She feels nothing, though; her skin is half frozen and half covered in ice.
'N-N-NNa-a-mm-i-i S-w-a-a-a-an?!' Sanji's jaw chatters uncontrollably.
'C-Cat-c-ch. M-M-Me-e L-L-Luf-f-f-y!' Nami lets go, dropping powerlessly on the ground. 'Ow! L-Luf-f-f-y!'
'S-Sorry...N-Nami!' The captain shivers on the stone floor. Away from the cold, he frantically rubs his body in a vain attempt to warm himself up.
A moment later, Sanji drops down on the floor alongside the navigator. His tired legs barely manage to avoid giving out. He takes in the air of the cavern, grateful for its comparative warmth. 'N-Nami-i-i swan... a-are yo-o-ou ok-k-kay!?'
click
Sanji looks down at his foot, watching as the flooring depresses slightly.
'S-Sanji...' Nami glares at the guilty face of the chef.
'It's f-fin-ne Na-a-ami swa-a-an.' Sanji reassures her. 'Nothin-n-n-g ha-'
Nozzles built into the walls open up, dousing the room in a cloud of blue gas.
Sanji takes in a whiff, and his vision spirals, sending him crashing down. Luffy is next, his instinct to leap to his feet and attack giving him a massive dose of the compound spewing out of the nearby vent. Nami holds her breath, trying to prevent breathing in the gas but to no avail. She feels her vision flicker, her senses blurring and spilling together. She feels her mind fray as the sweet desire for sleep that has been assaulting her for hours wins. She loses strength with one breath sends her into a troubled dream filled with rabbit-shaped monsters.
'It seems to be so.'
'And we're not hallucinating again?'
'No, I don't think this is like the talking flower from a day ago.'
'Well, at least this place isn't screaming at us.'
'Yet, Usopp. It's not screaming at us yet.'
'You really think an island is going to start shouting that we're going to die out of nowhere?'
'Usopp, anything can happen on these seas.'
'But a sentient Island? Vivi, you've got to admit that's a little far-fetched.'
'Giant. Flying. Screaming. Daffodils.'
'Well, they looked more like petunias to me.'
'Honestly, I'm still not convinced we didn't have a mass hallucination from the lack of sleep.'
'Yeah...Vivi?'
'Yes, Usopp?'
'Would you hate me if I used the "It's quiet, too quiet" line?'
'Honestly, Usopp?' Vivi looks around at the nearly frozen fjord.
The Merry floats up the icy, cold river in a land covered in snow. Steep, icy cliffs surround them, lined with the occasional pine tree. From what they can see, the entire island is a frozen wasteland of trees, ice, and silence. As the ship proceeds further, a growing sense of unease settles over the crew; the emptiness of the landscape amplifies the weight of their own thoughts. High above, the massive circular mountains with flat tops dominate the horizon, their imposing forms reminding the onlookers of just how far they are from anything familiar or safe. The overall darkness of the night only deepens their apprehension, giving the impression that this entire place is hiding a terrible secret. A secret one that the silence seems eager to keep. In that gloom, each crewmember cannot help but reflect on what kind of dangers or truths might be waiting, concealed beneath the snow and shadow. The two straw hats on the main deck of the ship look over the dead quiet island, wondering what had happened to the kingdom of Drum. Both of their thoughts go to the darkest destinations imaginable.
'I agree with you. It IS too quiet here.' Vivi shivers inside her puffy blue coat. 'And too cold.'
'At least you have a jacket that fits!' Usopp points to the mass of fabric wrapped around his four-legged lower half. 'I can feel my leaking boils freezing.'
'Ugh! Usopp! Did you have to bring that up?! I'm trying to look past your whole freaky mutant parts.'
'Hey, you're perfectly safe. I see you wearing a plague suit under like ten layers of clothing! I'm practically naked here!'
'I'm from a desert island! It's not like I grew up resistant to cold and ice!'
'Cram it with the back talk you two!' Nami shouts from behind the rudder. She angrily shoves the steering lever down the canal. Her body is wrapped in an orange and yellow plaid jacket. 'Look for a place we can embark. The ports we could find were burned down, so we need to find something upstream.'
Usopp looks around at the frost-covered cliffs. 'Well, unless you have mountain climbing gear and a hundred or so ice picks, you won't find anything here.'
'Zoro!?' Nami shouts. 'You better give something, or you aren't getting any alcohol for a year!'
The swordsman scans his surroundings from atop the crow's nest. His spyglass and dark green outfit catch the snowfall as he pulls the lens from his one good eye. 'Relax, Nami. We'll find something.' He brushes snow out of his hair and swollen red pustules over his face. 'Cool your tits.'
'I'll relax and "cool my tits" when my sister isn't on death's door!' Nami shouts back. 'And if you think I've forgotten you drinking on watch, then you’re sadly mistaken!'
'Found something!' The entire crew turns towards the sound of Luffy's voice. The captain of their ship, done up in a red full-body coat, yellow mittens and earmuffs over his straw hat, waves his hands. 'There's a pier or something next to a frozen waterfall!'
The crew looks, and sure enough they find a worn-down pier next to a frozen patch of Ice. Broken fishing rods and tossed-aside crates cover the woodwork.
'Good enough for me!' Nami struggles at the helm as the ship begins to hit ice. 'Brace for docking!'
'Nami! Be careful with the Merry!'
CRUUuuuunCH
'Sorry, Usopp, can't hear you over the breaking ice!'
'Nami!' Vivi shouts, holding on for dear life. 'Slow down!'
'Turning!' The navigator shoves the lever to the side.
The Merry swings wide, turning at such a sharp angle the port side of the ship crashes into the dock. The sudden impact sends half the crew flying into the air, Luffy with a laugh, Zoro with a groan, Vivi and Usopp with a curse. After hanging in the air for half a minute, they land in a snowbank as tall as a house.
'And... made it!' Nami says with relief. She stamps on the deck. 'Sanji? We're here! Get Nojiko out here!'
'Coming, Nami Swan!' She hears thumping steps from below deck. Steps which no doubt belong to the most loyal (to her) member of the crew.
Waking over to a pre-prepared bag, she throws the survival sachel onto her shoulder and walks onto the deck proper. 'Look alive, people! This is no time to play in the snow!' Nami claps her hands at the groaning tangle of limbs in the snow pile. 'Up and at 'em!'
Vivi pulls herself out first, her mechanical arm dicing its way out with an integrated dagger-long blade. 'Nami, I am going to kill you.'
Usopp rips his way out. 'I'll help.'
Zoro punches the snow bank in half. 'And I can dice up her body so it isn't discovered.'
Luffy throws off a pile of snow. 'Nobody is killing anyone. Nami will be fine when we find a doctor.' The captain looks around the shore. 'Wherever they are.'
Vivi distracts herself from her desire to kill by checking for witnesses. 'Yeah... the one port we saw was cinders and broken boats. There are no lights in the forests, no sounds, and no wildlife.'
Nami lands on shore from a jump. On her back, encased in rolls of crumpled bedding, is a figure in a full-body black suit. 'They're here somewhere. We have to find them.' She begins to walk quickly through the snow. 'Look for citizens. They'll know where we can find those doctors.'
Surprisingly, though, she is stopped by Sanji's firm hand on her shoulder. 'Nami. Calm down. You're rushing things. Let's stop for a minute...'
Nami brushes his hand off. 'A minute is something Nojiko doesn't have!' She gestures to the figure on her back. Her weak, wet panting draws a pitiful image of her. 'Look at her! She's been getting weaker over the past week! She needs help now. And why are you wasting effort carrying the brainwasher!?'
Sanji follows Nami's pointing finger to the figure on his back. Her entire body is similarly wrapped in bedding, with only a head wrapped in bloody bandages being visible. 'Well, we're going to a doctor anyhow, so I figured Marianne-san could use some professional help.'
'Uuuuuu... just kill me...' a horrible
sounding voice spits out from Sanji's back.
Nami throws her hands up. 'Fine! So long as you don't slow me down, you can drag the gods damned Merry with you!'
Only to find Luffy standing in her way. 'Nami. Calm down. Captain's orders.'
'Yeah!' Usopp trots up, rubbing his freezing body. 'I mean it's super dark and cold! Maybe we should chill out and wait for morning.'
'That might not be a bad idea.' Vivi walks over, intentionally missing the pun. 'They may have been faint, but I think I saw lights on top of the mountains. If we wait till dawn, we should be able to find a way up without having to worry about getting lost.'
'Great.' Nami tries to push past the others. 'We'll find a mountain. Set up a base camp and wait till dawn. Let's move.'
Luffy's hand keeps her in place. 'So mountain climbing?' Luffy takes in the majesty of the mountains around him. Resembling titanic pillars of stone more than piles of rock, they give off a forboding aura which intimidates even him. 'But which one has Elder Kureha's palace?'
The princess thinks. 'Well, from what little I know of Drum, they build fortresses on top of those mountains to make them impregnable. So it's either the biggest, or the tallest mountain.'
Usopp looks around. 'But which one is the biggest? They all look the same to me.'
Sanji draws in a lungful of smoke. 'Allow me, Mr No Directions.'
The crew watches as Sanji removes the cigarette from his mouth and tosses it in the air. It lands with the but facing a pillar to their left. 'That one.' He points to the pillar.
'...that's your idea of directions, Mr Prince?'
'I don't see you coming up with directions, moss head!'
Nami slaps the two. 'We've got a direction. Let's move, crew.'
'Nami, you need...'
'No, Sanji. You don't tell me what I need!' Nami pokes him in the chest. 'I am tired; I've got maybe three hours of good sleep in the past week and am not in the mood.' She points to the boat. 'So stay on the boat and out of my way, or help me find a doctor because I am incapable of caring about your concerns.'
'...Sounds good to me!' Usopp sprints back on the ship. 'Merry's telling me someone needs to keep her safe from the tree monsters! You guys go ahead!'
'...Vivi? Sanji?' Nami looks to her friends. 'Anything to add?'
The princess groans. 'As much as I hate this weather, you'll need someone who isn't angry and short-tempered to negotiate.'
The chef grins. 'Not rain, or cold, or short tempers can douse my passionate love, Nami swaaaan!'
Nami looks around the snowy pier. Surprisingly, despite her awful temper and threats, her friends stand ready to brave the unknown with her. Each one bearing a look of determination and stiff resilience.
Luffy looks around, deep in thought. 'You know guys. I just realized something.'
'Oh?' Nami looks at her captain. 'And what's that?'
'...this island is super cold.'
wham
.......
Several silent minutes pass the Strawhats by, seeming to stretch into hours. They walk through the dark woods of Drum, feeling the shadows and cold winds twist around them. No one carries a light; the idea of drawing unwanted attention or drowning out any potential light sources has stopped them. Instead, they stomp through the heavy snow with bandage-wrapped boots. The only sounds the pirates hear are the crunch of the ice beneath their boots and the haunting wind echoing through the trees.
Occasionally one of the crew would attempt small talk. A comment on the cold would pass like the wind. Thoughts on where the people were were greeted with worried silence. Eventually they stopped communicating altogether.
The only other living thing of note that they encountered during their long walk was a tumor-covered bear. The giant furry creature walked up to them on two legs, bowed to them, and walked off, bloody discharge spilling out of its mouth.
Everyone unanimously agreed not to consider the creature their first encounter in Drum.
They continued their walk through the silent forest, feeling their lungs and muscles ache from the relentless cold. They walked for what felt like hours, their bodies worn from the exertion of pushing through the deep snow.
After nearly an hour of trudging through waist-deep snow, the group of pirates came across their first real sign of habitation on the island.
The houses they saw were constructed with pine, possessing cone-shaped roofs to disperse the load of heavy snow. However, the tops of the buildings and the stone walls are wrecked and broken down beyond belief. The idea that any would choose to live in such hovels is laughable, especially considering how filled with snow they are.
Most peculiar, though, are the large, roughly hewn igloos adjacent to the buildings. These temporary buildings, while shoddily made by anyone’s standards, seem far better maintained than the run-down buildings of the town.
'Hello there!' Nami raises her voice. 'Anyone?'
No response, other than the echo of her voice, greets her.
'What's wrong with this country?' Vivi says with a spooked expression. 'The only village we found is abandoned?'
'Wert wwwwert?'
'No, Karoo, I doubt they are having a sleepover in another village.'
knock knock knock
Luffy knocks on the nearest igloo's icy
door. 'Hello?'
'...'
knock knock knock
'Hello! Could you open up? We're pirates!'
Sanji continues to smoke. 'Luffy, people don't usually open their doors for pirates.'
'...oh yeah! We're pirates.' Luffy rips open the frozen door. 'We can just take meat...'
A half-frozen body falls out.
'Agh!'
'Tch!'
'Wow, a dead body!'
The crew back away as the corpse buries itself in the snow by their captain's feet. Its right leg is gone, replaced with a frozen stump. Its wood-brown overcoat is covered in white Ice crystals. Even its beard and white hair are matted with frost.
'What the!?' Nami is the first to recover. Looking inside, she is shocked by what she finds.
Dozens upon dozens of bodies of every race, gender, and size are frozen to the inside of the cavernous interior. The corpses are in wretched states, missing arms, legs, and other body parts. The stench of rot, even inhibited by the frost, is nearly unbearable.
Vivi and Nami back away, resisting the urge to gag.
'It's... it's a burial mound!' Nami swallows her spittle to keep from wretching. 'They're literally freezing their dead into walls of ice.'
'Some local burial custom?' Vivi glances through the interior, understandably creeped out.
'Weert weeert....' Karoo shivers.
'The question is why?' Zoro keeps his eye(s?) open for any signs of hostility. 'Why bury their dead in the middle of an abandoned village?'
'Burial practices these days are usually to ward off the plague...' Vivi inspects the corpse by her feet. 'But this man has no boils or pustules. Neither do half the bodies inside.'
'Least from what we can see.' Nami looks inside the igloo with a squeamish look. 'I'm not eager to check them if they do.'
'...are we sure it's a big coffin?' Luffy asks.
'What else could it be, Luffy?' Sanji asks back. 'Why else would people freeze their dead into walls? Marianne?' The chef jossles the body on his back. 'You have any ideas?'
'Cold... kill... pain...'
'Very helpful.' Zoro says sarcastically. Walking over to a nearby igloo, he opens it up before clutching his nose. 'Yep, dead bodies here too.'
'If it's not a burial mound...' Vivi theorizes. 'Maybe they made houses of Ice when their houses broke? And when they huddled together for warmth, it melted the inside walls enough for them to get stuck?'
'They... entered... to... die...' Marianne moans in pain. 'Can... relate...'
'No. Neither of those ideas are right.' Nami points down at the first body
discovered. 'His leg was amputated then frozen with ice to staunch the bleeding.'
'That's a pickle.' Zoro crosses his arms. 'If they wanted to die, they wouldn't bother patching their wounds. If they wanted to live, they wouldn't use such patchwork medicine.'
'Ugh. We're wasting time here.' Nami states. 'There are obviously no living people here. Let's look for snow tracks for whoever is dropping...'
A hand grabs Nami's ankle.
'Eeeeeiii!' She jumps away from the "corpse" that grabbed her, breaking from its grasp.
'What the!?'
'Zombies?'
'Who is...'
The Strawhats draw their weapons as the man speaks in a raspy, wet voice.
'Kill...' the thought-to-be-dead body looks at them with haunted, frozen-over eyes. 'Kill... us... please...'
'What? Sir?' Vivi kneels to look into the man’s eyes. 'Sir, are you okay!?'
'Yes.' Nami joins her. 'Also. If you have time, can you point us to a doctor?'
'Nami! This isn't...'
'K-Kill...'
A voice echoes from inside the igloo in front of them. The sound of dozens of voices, half-dead, trapped in a state of agony, echoes out.
'H-Hurts...'
'Mom...mommy...'
'Please...'
'Kill...us...'
The voices echo around them, unnerving the group far more than any foe or fiend.
'Kill...'
'Die... please... die...'
'Monsters...'
'P-Pain...'
'S-Sir!' Vivi grabs the terrified man. 'You're safe now! You're okay! Please tell us-'
GGGGRRRRRRRAAAAAARRRRRR!
A feral voice calls out in the night, freezing the blood of all who hear it.
'What... the abyss was that!?' Nami asks, shaking in her boots.
'Noooo...' the limbless man thrashes
about in terror. 'They're... coming!'
'What!? Who?' Vivi tries to interrogate the man. 'Who's coming?'
'WEEERT.' Karoo tries to drag his friend away; panic overrides his body. 'Wert werttt!'
'Karoo, stop!' The princess struggles to keep her balance. ‘What has gotten into you!?’
'KILL ME... PLEASE!!' The man screams.
GGGGRRRRRRRAAAAAARRRRRR!!!
GGGGRRRRRRRAAAAAARRRRRR!!!
GGGGRRRRRRRAAAAAARRRRRR!!!
The Straw Hats quake in their boots. The beast’s blood-curdling roar is joined by nearly a dozen others, each one equally vicious. The hunting calls of wild beasts fill the village. The pirates feel the ground beneath them rumble as a stampede rapidly approaches them.
Zoro grabs Vivi in one hand. 'Worry later! We need to go now!'
'Kill! Kill... me!' The man tries to crawl towards him.
'Nami Swan!' Sanji grabs the navigator and begins dragging her away. 'Come on, let's go!'
'N-No!' The man cries icy tears. 'No... no... No!'
The Strawhats run to just outside the village and shelter against a large, run-down building. They fall behind a wall just as a horde of freakish abominations hop into the middle of town.
Nami's eyes widen as she takes in the terrifying figure in the town square. It resembles a massive polar bear standing on two rabbit-like legs. Its arms possess huge bear-like claws that drip black ichor. Their heads resemble bunnies, that is, bunnies that lived off the nightmares of mankind and the flesh of the innocent. Their bodies, however, are the most awful part, sprouting blackened human limbs from their hides like a garden sprouting weeds.
'What the heck are those things?' Luffy whispers loudly. 'Giant bunnies?'
'Whatever they are...' Zoro draws his trusty Wano Ichimonji. 'They don't look friendly.'
'Shhhh!' Nami shushes the crowd as they watch the largest creature sniff the air.
'Sanji!' Vivi taps the Chef's shoulder and points to her mouth.
Realizing what she is getting at, he pulls out the cigarette and stamps it into the snow at his feet.
The creature, seemingly losing the scent of smoke, looks to its mate. The slightly smaller bunny thing scratches its nose with a warped human arm sprouting from its belly. They both shrug and turn to the half-dead man attempting to crawl away.
‘No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.' He chants in terror as he scratches at the earth under him. The man’s pathetic attempts to crawl away barely move him more than a few feet.
The creature steps on his back, pinning him in place. It reaches down towards him.
'NO. NO NO. NO. NO. NO.'
The Strawhats watch in unmasked horror as the beast grabs the man's sole leg and rips it off.
'NoAAAAAAAAaaaaaagghhh!!'
The man writhes as the monstrous rabbit eats the limb hungrily. Its sharp fangs rip the flesh off of the bone before consuming the marrow itself.
'Aaaa...aaaaag... aaaaa...'
The man sobs as the female walks over and wretches out a handful of black gunk. Whimpering in pain, the man thrashes as the other creature smears rapidly hardening bile over his severed limb, preventing him from bleeding out.
'Kill me... please... hurts... PLEASE!!'
The beasts, however, are deaf to his pleas for mercy, dragging him back into the igloo. All the while, the trapped men and women, sensing the return of their captors, call out in pain.
'Stop... Stop... STOaaaAIIIEE!
'Take... her... I'm too... skinny...'
'P-PleaEeeeeAaaGH!!'
'Mommy... mommy... mommy... MomMMMMMeeee!!'
The scene the Strawhats witnessed takes place throughout the village. The beasts enter the rough domes, and screams of pain come out. The moaning cries filled with pain echo through the village. The townsfolk’s agony and pleas for mercy are unheard save for the cold-hearted beasts and the Strawhat pirates.
'BLUargh!' Luffy vomits over the ground.
Vivi looks away, her hands shaking as horrible memories assault her.
Karoo shivers in terror, still managing to
comfort his princess with his feathery bulk.
Zoro grits his teeth.
'BASTARDS!' Sanji roars, his limbs twitching to leap from cover.
Nami stops him. 'Sanji! Sush!'
'They're not homes or coffins!!' Sanji points at tge igloos. 'They're keeping people in clucking fridges, Nami! They're keeping them fresh so they can eat them!!'
'Sanji, there are dozens of them!'
'I don't care!'
'Nojiko and Marianne need doctors!' Nami's plea gets through to the impulsive man. 'We need-'
GGGGRRRRRRRAAAAAARRRRRR!!!
A beast roars at them, discovering them thanks to their arguing. The horde of monsters freezes at the sound and turns as one towards the intruders. Those busy feeding walk from the human-sized iceboxes covered in blood. They congregate together, a group of nearly fifty infected monsters walking slowly towards the group. Their eyes radiate malice and bestial cruelty as they walk towards new prey.
'Nami...run.'
GGGGRRRRRRRAAAAAARRRRRR!!!
GGGGRRRRRRRAAAAAARRRRRR!!!
GGGGRRRRRRRAAAAAARRRRRR!!!
The horde charges at them with superhuman speed. Hopping through the air, tearing across the ground, they charge with black slathering mouths.
'RUN!'
The crew doesn't hesitate.
Faced by a horde of flesh-eating monsters, they run as fast as their legs can carry them.
......
GGGGRRRRRRRAAAAAARRRRRR!!!
'Pistol!'
'Hawkwave!'
Bang Bang
GGGGRRRRRRRAAAAAARRRRRR!!!
The Strawhats dash through the woods, their earlier exhaustion forgotten as they sprint as fast as their legs can carry them. Hot on their trail are nearly a hundred mutated monsters; each beast is eager to literally rip the pirates limb from limb.
And they're gaining.
GGGGRRRRRRRAAAAAARRRRRR!!!
GGGGRRRRRRRAAAAAARRRRRR!!!
They run faster.
The brush behind them crashes and snaps as the monsters tear through the shrubbery. What they lack in speed and subtlety they compensate with ferocity and bloodthirst. The fleshy arms embedded in their bodies flail about as if seeking to grab the prey their owners are seeking.
Nami Stumbles. Her reflexes save her from falling flat on her face and ending up in something's stomach. But she lags behind enough for the alpha to close in.
GGGGRRRRRRRAAAAA-
'GIGOT!' A black leg sweeps out,
shattering the creature's twisted leg. It falls to the ground in a mess of thrashing limbs.
'Nami swan!' Sanji grabs Nami and drags her along. 'Don't stop, we-'
A limb grabs Nami's chest.
'Aaagh!' She screams and thrashes against the monster grappling her.
'Cripes!' Sanji likewise struggles against the arm wrapped around his arm.
But the rubber arm is resistant to any impacts, simply bouncing back.
Nami stops, looking again at the arm grabbing her black suit. 'Rubber? Luffy?'
'Gomu no double fishing line!'
The Strawhats' bodies jolt as they are yanked towards their captain. They soar past a mile of trees, boulders, and snow in under a second. Before they can even scream, they find themselves come to an abrupt stop, heads spinning.
'Uurrrhh!' Sanji tries to rise. 'Luffy! What the-'
Their captain covers their mouths. 'Suuush!'
Luffy turns and shuts the large wooden door behind them, pressing his body against it.
GGGGRRRRRRRAAAAAARRRRRR!!!
The cries of the hungry beasts reverberate outside.
Taking a cue from Luffy, the Strawhats press themselves against the ruined furniture around them and hold their breaths. They glance through the shattered windows as they feel the ground beneath them tremble. The predators gallop in the direction their prey took.
Right past the hiding pirates.
They feel the earth tremble outside, forced to watch as tangled black limbs and white clumps of fur dash by. One second passes in tense fear. Then five. Then after ten seconds, silence.
Luffy waits another ten seconds before peeking out of the creaky door. He gives a thumbs up. 'Clear!'
The pirates both give a massive sigh of relief.
'Get... off... of... me...'
Sanji leaps up, realizing that by lying on his back he was lying on the maimed woman’s crippled body. 'Oh, sorry Marianne!'
'Nojiko!' Nami unfastens the body from her back. 'Nojiko? Are you hurt?'
'........uuu........'
'Shoot! She's even worse!' Nami says in distress. 'We need to find a doctor soon!'
'Well, if that's the case...' Their captain looks around. 'I think we're in the right place.'
Nami and Sanji join Luffy in looking around. They find a plethora of scattered beakers, warm beds, and medical charts lining the walls.
'...Luffy?' Sanji turns to the young man. 'Are you telling me you found a doctor's office by sheer dumb luck?'
Luffy thinks for a moment before shrugging. 'I guess so? I mean, I was kinda looking for a place to hide. I guess I found a really good one!'
'Who cares how he found it, Sanji!' Nami says hopefully. 'That means there's a doctor around here!'
'Sorry, Nami-swan, but you probably won't find a doctor here.' He wipes a countertop with his finger, inspecting the dust. 'The way I see it, this building has been abandoned for at least two weeks, maybe more.'
'Darn!' Luffy snaps his fingers. 'I guess the sign that said "Open" below "Kureha's Medicare" was a lie!'
'...'
'...'
'Huh? Why are you guys looking at me like that?'
'Luffy...' Sanji struggles to contain his
disbelief. 'Are you telling me you found Dr Kureha's office by sheer DUMB LUCK!?'
Luffy thinks for a moment before shrugging. 'I guess?'
Sanji nearly face faults. 'Luffy, you...'
'Forget how he found it!' Nami looks around. 'We found it, so look for clues as to where she could be!' She picks up a pile of dusty papers. 'She has to have Den Mushi number, a list of her home address, something!'
'...' Sanji pulls his gaze away from the frazzled Nami. 'Luffy, do you have any other miraculous discoveries that could help us find a doctor?'
'Uhh, I don't know?'
The navigator grabs Sanji's ear. 'Less talking, more looking!' She glares at Luffy. 'Both of you look for clues! Now!'
The chef and captain gulp before complying.
Sanji opens a file cabinet, paging through its folders. 'I just hope Vivi-chan is okay.'
'Well, Zoro and Karoo are with her, so they should be fine.' Luffy sneezes from a cloud of dust. 'Plus Usopp is watching the Merry, so he probably has the cannons up and is ready for a quick exit.'
'Yeah, but it's Zoro!' Sanji grunts, closing the drawer of useless papers. 'He gets lost going to the bathroom! No way he can lead Vivi back to the ship.' He looks off in the distance. 'Maybe I should leave to look for them.'
'Zoro can take down an army.' Nami points out, having broken into a nearby safe. She pulls out several dozen stacks of papers with a mixed expression. 'And Vivi is the second smartest person on the crew; she can guide even an idiot like Zoro back to the Merry.'
'Nami...' Sanji begins. 'I know you're worried about Nojiko, but try and calm down. You're scaring me.'
Nami looks up, seeing a look of concern on the Chef's face. She looks away, back to the safe. 'Sorry, Sanji. It's... It's not just Nojiko though. I can't help but think of...' she shudders. 'Those people.'
A cold silence fills the room. The idea of dozens, if not hundreds, trapped in a fate worse than death weighs on their minds.
'We can go back later.' Sanji offers. 'See if we can help them?'
Nami slams the safe shut. 'No. Trying to save them would get us surrounded and killed by those monsters. The party pursuing us looked to be a scout party.' She shakes her head. 'No. There's nothing we can do to save them. Like there's nothing we can do to help Nojiko.'
'Or... Marianne...?' A voice offers.
'There's nothing we can do to help NOJIKO.' Nami insists. 'We're literally running around blind looking for help. I hate feeling powerless. Of not being able to do anything. I feel like... like...'
'Like a rope tied to a tree?'
'Like a rope tied... Luffy?' Nami turns to her captain, staring out the window. 'That's... a very odd choice of phrase.'
He points out the window, drawing attention to a massive, giant-sized rope leading up and into the dark. 'Oh. I just noticed this huge rope tied to the tree. It got me thinking, why would you tie a rope leading up the scary mountains?'
The two other Strawhats look out the window. Sure enough, a massive coil of rope tied to the trunk of the tree. The rope, thicker than a human body, leads up above the trees around them, vanishing off in the direction of the closest mountain top.
'...other than the fact it would allow someone to climb up to the top of the mountain?'
'...oh yeah! That makes sense! Thanks, Nami.'
'Good.' She slaps her captain upside the head.
'Ow! Nami, what was that for?'
'For one, being stupidly lucky.' She snaps her fingers. 'Sanji, pack up, we're going rope climbing.'
'Nami Swan, that rope could go up for miles!' The chef states. 'And there's no certainty there's a doctor up there.'
'It's still better than sitting around doing nothing.' Nami picks up her sister, feeling the shallow breaths and grunts of pain. 'I may not be able to treat the sick, or kill a bunch of monsters.' She smiles. 'But when it comes to climbing out of the Abyss looking for any sign of hope, I'm a pro.'
........
Their bodies are cold. Colder than they've ever been in their lives. To stop climbing, even for a minute, would mean to consign themselves to a brutal frozen death. Only the constant movement of their muscles and constant exertion prevent their bodies from freezing solid. They push against the howling winds around them.
The right hand reaches forward. It grabs the rope too big for human hands. The hand grips tightly. Legs wrapped around the length of rope push down, and the arm pulls the body up the length. Then the left hand is extended. The process then repeats.
It repeats hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of times in a row. But they never seem closer to the top.
Luffy braces against a fierce gust. 'G-G-G-Gu-u-u-y-y-s?!' He shouts behind him. 'Y-Y-Yo-o-ou-u o-o-o-ok-k-kay-y-y!?'
Nami just nods. Her voice couldn't be heard amidst the roaring gale of frost. She feels a nudge behind her.
'N-N-N-N-a-a-am-mm-i-i-i!!' Sanji shouts over the winds. 'K-K-K-Ke-e-e-e-e-p-p-p mo-o-o-o-v-v-v-i-n-n-n-n-g!!'
Her body protests. It begs her to stop. It demands she stop.
She doesn't.
The right hand reaches forward. It grabs the rope too big for human hands. The hand grips tightly. Legs wrapped around the length of rope push down, and the arm pulls the body up the length. Then the left hand is extended. The process then repeats.
It repeats again and again and again.
Were it not for her sister on her back, she might have stopped. She might have rested.
Sleep would be so easy now...
She feels a slap from a hand in front of her.
'N--N-N-Na-a-a-m-m-m-mi!' Luffy's arm stretches back slowly. His rubber body frosting over. 'D-D-D-O-O-O-N'T-T-T S-S-S-STO-P-P-P!!'
Nami obeys despite her body screaming not to.
Right hand reaches forward. It grabs the rope too big for human hands. The hand grips tightly. Legs wrapped around the length push and the arm pulls the body up the length. Then the left hand is extended. The process then repeats.
Again and again. A never-ending series of actions. The same actions over and over with nothing changing. Her destination impossibly far away.
She feels the skin of her hands beneath her suit crack and bleed. She again offers a thanks to whatever deranged genius made these suits. They seemed almost indestructible, with any damage save the helms seeming to repair themselves. Whatever small amount of heat in her body was no doubt due to its tender mercies.
Of course she'd never give those so-called Purity Divisions a single word of praise for them. Those mad butchers who burn and slaughter innocents on suspicion of sickness didn’t deserve a single word of praise.
The right hand reaches forward. It grabs the rope too big for human hands. The hand grips tightly. Legs wrapped around the length of rope push down, and the arm pulls the body up the length. Then the left hand is extended. The process then repeats.
She feels the rope burn crawling up her legs. Her nails crack from the cold and bleed. She feels her mind slow along with her body. She should stop. She needs to stop.
Nojiko twitches on her back.
Right hand reaches forward. It grabs the rope too big for human hands. The hand grips tightly. Legs wrapped around the length push and the arm pulls the body-
Her hand slips. Her body loses its grip.
She plummets into the void.
'N-N-AMIII!'
An extended arm wraps around her, stopping her fall.
'Ugh! S-S-S-an-n-ji!'
The blonde man reaches over and, with a shaking hand, grips the hanging girl, dragging her up. With great effort, she is dragged belly down onto the rope. Nami's legs and arms hang above the void; the girl on her back quivers as she takes in deep draughts of air. She lies on the rope, her prison, panting. For several seconds all she can do is breathe. Then the man behind her prods her side.
Nami looks into Sanji's eyes. He gives her a firm look, letting her know they still have a long way to go.
Nami looks to her right. She sees a tiny brown rope leading her into the darkness. She climbs it.
Right hand reaches forward. It grabs the rope too big for human hands. The hand grips tightly. Legs wrapped around the length push and the arm pulls the body up the length. Then the left hand is extended. The process then repeats.
She has lost all sense of time and all sense of self. The howling winds and bitter cold have stolen that from her and the party. Her body shakes. Her mind slows.
All she knows is that she must climb.
If she doesn't... then Nojiko dies.
Right hand reaches forward. It grabs the rope too big for human hands. The hand grips tightly. Legs wrapped around the
length push and the arm pulls the body up the length. Then the left hand is extended. The process then repeats.
It repeats.
The right hand reaches forward. It grabs the rope too big for human hands. The hand grips tightly. Legs wrapped around the length of rope push down, and the arm pulls the body up the length. Then the left hand is extended. The process then repeats.
It repeats.
The right hand reaches forward. It grabs the rope too big for human hands. The hand grips tightly. Legs wrapped around the length of rope push down, and the arm pulls the body up the length. Then the left hand is extended. The process then repeats.
It doesn't stop.
The right hand reaches forward. It grabs the rope too big for human hands. The hand grips tightly. Legs wrapped around the length of rope push down, and the arm pulls the body up the length. Then the left hand is extended. The process then repeats.
It doesn't stop.
The right hand reaches forward. It grabs the rope too big for human hands. The hand grips tightly. Legs wrapped around the length of rope push down, and the arm pulls the body up the length. Then the left hand is extended. The process then repeats.
She has to keep going.
The right hand reaches forward. It grabs the rope too big for human hands. The hand grips tightly. Legs wrapped around the length of rope push down, and the arm pulls the body up the length. Then the left hand is extended. The process then repeats.
She has to keep going.
Right hand reaches forward. And grabs something new.
Nami looks out of frozen eyes. She sees a wooden post sticking out of a wall into a cave. Near the back of the cave seems to be a wheeled contraption attached to gears and long cords of rope.
Nami blinks.
There's no more rope.
They made it.
But where is Luffy?
She looks down, finding her captain lying on his back, breathing in and out.
She raises a shaking hand, trying to pinch her cheek. She feels nothing, though; her skin is half frozen and half covered in ice.
'N-N-NNa-a-mm-i-i S-w-a-a-a-an?!' Sanji's jaw chatters uncontrollably.
'C-Cat-c-ch. M-M-Me-e L-L-Luf-f-f-y!' Nami lets go, dropping powerlessly on the ground. 'Ow! L-Luf-f-f-y!'
'S-Sorry...N-Nami!' The captain shivers on the stone floor. Away from the cold, he frantically rubs his body in a vain attempt to warm himself up.
A moment later, Sanji drops down on the floor alongside the navigator. His tired legs barely manage to avoid giving out. He takes in the air of the cavern, grateful for its comparative warmth. 'N-Nami-i-i swan... a-are yo-o-ou ok-k-kay!?'
click
Sanji looks down at his foot, watching as the flooring depresses slightly.
'S-Sanji...' Nami glares at the guilty face of the chef.
'It's f-fin-ne Na-a-ami swa-a-an.' Sanji reassures her. 'Nothin-n-n-g ha-'
Nozzles built into the walls open up, dousing the room in a cloud of blue gas.
Sanji takes in a whiff, and his vision spirals, sending him crashing down. Luffy is next, his instinct to leap to his feet and attack giving him a massive dose of the compound spewing out of the nearby vent. Nami holds her breath, trying to prevent breathing in the gas but to no avail. She feels her vision flicker, her senses blurring and spilling together. She feels her mind fray as the sweet desire for sleep that has been assaulting her for hours wins. She loses strength with one breath sends her into a troubled dream filled with rabbit-shaped monsters.
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