BANG!
Stepping into the first-floor cabin, Rainer casually tossed a small pouch of treasure onto the table.
"What's this?"
"Today's spoils."
Nami glanced at it, curiosity getting the better of her. She untied the knot and opened it. As she expected, a dazzling golden light shone out.
"Wahaha~!" Nami shot to her feet, eyes glowing brighter than the treasure itself.
Rainer, unfazed, walked over to pour himself a glass of water.
"It's yours."
"Really, Rainer?! I love you!"
Heh. Rich—she's all smiles. Broke—she's ready to curse you out. Rainer rolled his eyes, but before he could react, Nami spun and gave him a huge hug.
???
He had just come in from working out, still shirtless, and now Nami's body was pressed against his. A strange ripple stirred in his chest.
He glanced at the treasure pouch—barely worth ten million berries.
And that was enough for a hug? Rainer couldn't help but think of his stash of hundreds of millions in his private vault.
I-have-a-plan.
"Nami," Rainer suddenly grinned mischievously, slipping an arm around her waist. "Let's just say… my little vault still has a bit more saved up…"
"Hm?" Nami looked up at him, eyebrow arched, while his hand tightened on her waist.
A black vein popped on her forehead.
DUANG!!
Moments later, Rainer was face-down on the floor, butt in the air, tears leaking from his eyes. "I didn't even say anything yet…"
"Like I'd expect anything decent to come out of your mouth."
Nami shot him a glare and huffed. "Anyway, that Drum Island you mentioned—we should reach its waters tomorrow, according to the map."
"Yeah, I know."
Rainer straightened, sat next to her, and looked at the sea chart. "Tomorrow we'll enter a winter island climate. Bundle up so you don't catch a cold."
"Mm. By the way, what's a winter island?" Nami asked.
Rainer: "…"
"You planning to make me do your job as navigator too?"
He shot her a side-eye full of disdain. Why was he ending up as their jack-of-all-trades? He even started helping in the kitchen now—his Wolverine undead was a fusion of Sanji and Kuro. Not bad at cooking, though brainless, so Sanji mostly just used it as an assistant.
Nami only chuckled awkwardly and waved him off. "Hahaha."
"Lunch is ready, everyone!"
Sanji's voice rang out from the second-floor quarters. Rainer grabbed the blue shirt draped over his chair, buttoned it up, and followed Nami upstairs.
"Looks like quite the feast today."
"Yeah. Thanks to Rainer's undead—we bagged a small Sea King this morning."
"Wahaha! So much meat!"
"To celebrate catching a Sea King, I'll bring out the last barrel of booze!"
Zoro smirked, already heading down to the storage room. Any excuse was good enough for him to drink.
He'd left a barrel each with the two giants back on Little Garden. Of the ten-odd barrels he'd bought in Loguetown, only one remained.
Still, with Drum Island in sight tomorrow, they could restock there. Rainer took the chance to tell everyone they'd replenish supplies once they reached the island.
"Eh, Drum Island?" Vivi blinked, glancing at Rainer.
"What is it, Vivi? Something wrong with that place?"
Drum Island was only about four or five days' sail from Alabasta. Practically a neighbor.
Vivi had never been there herself, but she had heard of a world-shaking scandal.
The "20 Doctors Incident"!
She slowly explained to everyone:
"Drum Kingdom used to be famous for its medical expertise.
"Until one day… the king selected the twenty best doctors who would obey him—and either executed or exiled every other doctor in the country."
"What the hell would he do that for?" Nami frowned, setting down her fork.
Vivi's hand tightened on her utensils, her face darkening. She grit her teeth, spitting the words with disgust:
"Because that bastard King Wapol had a sick fetish—he enjoyed watching citizens grovel and beg for medical treatment. That was his twisted entertainment."
The small cabin, crowded with people, fell into a chilling silence.
CRACK!
"Wapol? Didn't that guy earlier introduce himself as Wapol?" Sanji asked lightly, cigarette smoke curling from his lips, as if confirming with Rainer and Zoro.
"Maybe. Don't really remember."
"It was him. He's already sunk to the bottom of the sea."
"What?!"
Nami shot to her feet. "You mean you three quietly… drowned a king just now, you idiots?!"
She threw her hands up, sighing helplessly. "Whatever. At least you did it quietly. Shouldn't cause any trouble."
"Eh? What's going on?" Vivi looked utterly confused.
From their words, it sounded like something huge had just happened.
"That bastard Wapol-whatever! Let's go find him so I can punch him myself!"
Luffy leapt onto his chair, stomping his foot on the table, furious.
Everyone: "…So slow."
"And don't stand on the damn table, idiot!"
DUANG!
—
By noon the next day, the sky was gloomy and oppressive, heavy with falling snow. Visibility at sea was poor.
Nami and Vivi bundled up in thick coats, woolen ear caps snug on their heads. They even tailored a warm coat for Karoo the duck.
The wind howled, icy and sharp. Even Nami wore heavy long pants for once.
Boring weather.
Only two were having fun.
"Catch this, Luffy!"
"Argh! Damn it—take this, Usopp! Gum-Gum Snowball!!"
"Wait, wait, wait—that's cheating with your powers!!"
BOOM!
"Guh—"
Meanwhile, on the lookout tower, a skeletal hawk undead broke from its flight group and circled back toward the Merry.
"Looks like we're almost there."
Rainer set down his weights and followed the hawk to the crow's nest.
Staring out, all he saw was endless white, snowflakes blotting the view. Only after a while did a faint dark speck emerge.
Slowly, an island's shape took form—blanketed in snow, crowned with towering white domes, and strange cylindrical peaks rising high.
"Land ahead, everyone!"
"Here we go—adventure on a winter island!"
—
At that moment, in Big Horn Village on Drum Island, snow was shoveled into neat piles along the roadside.
A frantic figure ran across the cleared street, boots thudding.
"Bad news! Pirates are coming again!"
"Go alert Dalton!"
"Everyone, get ready for battle!"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
A heavy knocking rattled the door of a modest home, disturbing a burly man mid-meal.
"What is it?" His voice was calm and steady as he rose.
"Dalton! Pirates are here again!" came the panicked reply.
Dalton's brows knit. He grabbed the double-bladed halberd leaning against the wall and strode out.
"Send a few men to warn the nearby villages! Everyone else, arm yourselves and follow me!"
Yes, sir!