The Drum Kingdom. Deep inside the basement of Dr. Kureha's castle, Bartholomew Kuma sat quietly with Ginny and little Bonney.
Following the momentum of history, Ginny had named the girl Jewelry Bonney.
Kuma had resided here for nearly two years. Given his sensitive identity, he rarely ventured outside to avoid drawing unwanted attention. He only ever left the island when Dragon explicitly requested his aid, as the mobility provided by his Paw-Paw Fruit remained too valuable to sideline.
Currently, Dr. Kureha stood over her medical desk, her brow furrowed tight. "This isn't looking good. We haven't eradicated the root of Ginny's disease. Worse, I just found traces of the pathogen incubating inside Bonney. Within a few years, the Sapphire Scales will manifest on the girl as well."
"How can this be?" Ginny gasped, all the strength draining from her legs as she slumped into her chair.
"Doctor Kureha, what do we do?" Kuma pleaded, his stoic voice trembling. "Please, you have to save Bonney. She's so young."
"I'm a doctor. Curing the sick is my calling," Kureha scoffed, crossing her arms. "You don't need to beg me to save a mother and her child."
After dedicating over a year of rigorous research to the disease, Kureha had formulated a treatment plan. However, she couldn't guarantee it would permanently uproot the lethal scales. To ensure their survival, she desperately wished Mansherry were present. Having the Heal-Heal Fruit acting as a safety net would give her the confidence to push forward with the risky procedure.
Suddenly, Kuma's expression shifted. "A group with formidable auras just arrived on the island. I'll go check it out."
He pulled off his glove, gently patted his own shoulder, and vanished from the basement with a soft pop!
Ginny took a deep breath, forcing her panic down. Given her hardened background, she rarely showed weakness, but anything involving her daughter easily rattled her composure. "Leave the outside to Kuma," she muttered. "With him here, the Drum Kingdom is safe."
She assumed a reckless pirate crew had landed to pillage the winter island.
"Or maybe they just came seeking a doctor," Kureha remarked casually, organizing her notes.
Down at the coast, the White Dragon settled into the icy harbor.
Bardock and the crew prepared to disembark. They came with two primary objectives: catch up with old friends, and harvest a massive stockpile of Wapometal. Between retrofitting the submarine and forging new weapons for the giants, they required a mountain of the unique alloy.
Pop!
A translucent paw-print bubble burst, and Kuma materialized directly on the snowy docks.
"Wah!" several crew members jumped in surprise.
Standing closest to the impact zone, Bepo startled. "Haiya!" the bear shouted reflexively, launching a martial arts palm strike straight at the towering man.
Recognizing Bardock's crew, Kuma smiled faintly. He simply raised his hand, meeting the bear's strike palm-to-palm. Without Kuma exerting any visible force, the built-in repulsion of his Devil Fruit sent Bepo tumbling backward through the snow. Bardock blurred forward, catching the Mink before he hit the deck.
"ROOM!"
Seeing his navigator swatted away, Law instantly deployed his spatial sphere, his hand dropping to the hilt of his nodachi.
"Stand down! He's a friend!" Bardock ordered sharply.
Law threw a questioning glance at his captain, verified Bepo was unhurt, and dismissed the sphere with a curt nod.
"Bardock. It's been a while," Kuma greeted, his gentle voice carrying over the wind. He scanned the deck. "Your ranks have grown."
"It really has been a while. How is Ginny's treatment progressing?" Bardock asked, getting straight to the point.
Kuma sighed heavily. "It's complicated. Let's head up to Doctor Kureha's clinic. We can discuss the details there."
To accommodate Ginny's light sensitivity, the reunion took place in the castle's dimly lit basement.
"Mansherry! I was just wishing you were here, and you show up at my doorstep. Ginny's luck might just turn around," Kureha said, her face breaking into a satisfied grin.
"Master Kureha! I've compiled so many medical questions I need to ask you!" Mansherry cheered, fluttering excitedly. Kureha was her true mentor. Under the old woman's guidance, the Tontatta had transitioned from simply spamming her Devil Fruit's raw power to applying genuine, targeted medical science, elevating her healing capabilities to new heights.
"Doctor Kureha, this is Law. He ate the Op-Op Fruit. I figured his surgical skills might prove useful," Bardock said, gesturing to the teenager.
"The Op-Op Fruit?" Kureha raised an eyebrow, eyeing Law before glancing back at Bardock. "Your luck is enviable, kid. You keep hoarding all the miraculous Devil Fruits."
She turned her attention back to Law, flashing a wicked grin. "Hey, surgeon boy. Want to know my secret to eternal youth?"
Huh? Law scratched his head. Is she talking about the Perennial Youth Operation?
"How boring," Kureha clicked her tongue, thoroughly disappointed by his stoic reaction. Kids these days were far too serious; even the prospect of eternal youth couldn't pry a gasp out of him.
"Forget it. Mansherry, and you, surgeon boy—come over here. Let's review the treatment plan for the Sapphire Scales."
Kureha pulled the two young doctors aside. Though she framed it as a discussion, it quickly turned into an advanced masterclass as she lectured her new pupils on complex pathology.
Meanwhile, Bardock pulled Kuma aside for a private chat. He wanted to know the Revolutionary Army's stance on the Drum Kingdom. Why hadn't they overthrown this nation yet? Did Wapol suddenly experience a change of heart?
However, as Kuma laid out the political timeline, Bardock's jaw slowly dropped. Listening to the explanation, he realized the current state of the Drum Kingdom was actually entirely his own fault.