Meanwhile, at Marine Headquarters...
Captain Smoker sat hunched over his desk, two cigars burning between his lips as he studied the den-den mushi transcription again. The garbled transmission they'd intercepted from the Grand Line had been mostly static, but certain words had come through clear as day.
"Princess Vivi," "Straw Hats," "Sand Lizard," "Demon King Guy," "Sanji," "weakness," "Mr. 0," and "orders directly."
His subordinate, Captain Tashigi, adjusted her glasses nervously. "Captain Smoker, do you really think this transmission is connected to the criminal organization we've been tracking?"
Smoker exhaled a cloud of smoke that curled around the ceiling. "It has to be. We've been chasing shadows of this Baroque Works for months now. And this 'Mr. 0' keeps coming up."
"What about this 'Demon King Guy'? That doesn't sound like any pirate we have on record."
"Could be a code name. Or someone new." Smoker's eyes narrowed as he crushed out one of his cigars. "Either way, if Princess Vivi is involved and there's talk of weakness and orders, something big is going down."
Just then, a Marine burst through the door. "Captain! We've successfully captured a Baroque Works frontier agent - Mr. 11!"
Smoker's head snapped up. "Perfect. Let's see what this rat knows."
○○○○○
Back on Little Garden...
"CROCODILE?!" they shouted in unison.
"Is he here?!" Vivi's voice cracked with fear.
"Nah," Rouge waved dismissively. "Curly Brows was just having tea with him over the transponder snail. Very civilized. I may have insulted him a bit."
Zoro burst into laughter. "I didn't know you swung that way, cook!"
Rouge nodded sagely. "That's what I thought too. He seemed really interested in you, Mosshead."
Both Zoro and Rouge ducked as Sanji's leg whistled through the air where their heads had been moments before.
"I DON'T SWING THAT WAY, YOU BASTARDS!"
"Sure, sure," Rouge said with a shit-eating grin. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."
"AH! One more weird person!" Nami threw her hands up in exasperation. "How could you do this to me, Luffy?!"
Luffy just laughed at the chaos surrounding him. "You guys are all idiots! Ahaha!"
In the distance, Broggy and Dorry's eternal battle continued, their roars of combat mixing with laughter that seemed to approve of the Straw Hats' antics.
○○○○○
An hour later...
"So wait," Nami said as they all are going towards ship, "let me get this straight. Luffy just decided you were part of the crew, and you said yes?"
Rouge walking behind them casually said. "Well, until now I was just a NEET, and I've been stuck here for almost a year. Now I don't know where to go, and you guys are anything but boring."
Vivi tilted her head curiously. "What do you mean, NEET?"
Rouge's expression became thoughtful. "Basically, I spent most of my time just lying in bed, getting everything from others like food, clothes, and entertainment brought to my room. I didn't really have to do anything."
The crew stared at him with various expressions of disbelief.
"Huh? Are you a noble?" Nami asked suspiciously.
"No," Rouge replied simply.
Vivi's eyes widened. "I mean, that's what royalty does! Don't tell me you ran away from a kingdom?"
Rouge stared at Vivi like she'd said something completely absurd. "Really, Princess? Are you talking about running away?" His tone was dry as dust. "And no, I'm not a noble."
Usopp scratched his head. "But you said you were just lying on your bed and getting everything brought to you..."
"I mean, that's true if you put it that way," Rouge admitted.
Nami's eyes suddenly lit up with berry symbols. "King-san, then you must have lots of money, right?"
Rouge's expression became awkward. "I mean, I do... My parents were big lawyers and owners of investment firms. I don't have to work and can get anything I want."
"Then where is it?!" Nami demanded eagerly. "I'm the crew's financial advisor!"
Rouge held up a single apple he'd taken from Little Garden. "Well... I basically have this apple right now."
Nami's face fell. "Huh? Where's your money then?"
"Well, those are my parents' assets, so I'm basically penniless right now. Haha..." Rouge laughed sheepishly.
Sanji snorted. "So you're just a spoiled runaway royal brat."
Rouge's eye twitched. "OK, we're going off-topic, and I am NOT spoiled, Curly Brows."
"Um, guys?" Vivi interrupted. "Where's Zoro?"
Rouge blinked. "Huh? He walked toward the ship earlier when you guys were bickering."
Nami, Usopp, and Sanji all spoke at the same time: "HUH? ALONE?!"
Rouge realized his mistake. "Oh shit, I forgot about him... . Wait a second." He closed his eyes for a moment. "He's fighting some giant lizards over there." He pointed toward a cluster of trees.
Sanji stared at him. "How do you know? Magic again, you freak?"
Rouge's smile became sharp. "Oh, looks like Princess Curly Brows wants to sleep forever." His voice carried an ominous undertone. "And no, that's Observation Haki."
Luffy's eyes lit up. "Haki? Can I eat that?"
Sanji bristled. "You want to fight, freakish wizard?!"
Rouge completely ignored Sanji and turned to Luffy. "Nope, it's a cool power that lets you sense everything around you."
"Haki..." Luffy repeated the word, but upon hearing there was nothing to eat, he immediately lost interest and bounded ahead toward where ship was.
Rouge sighed. "Yes, there you go..."
"You freak, I'm talking to you!" Sanji snapped.
Rouge looked at him with genuine confusion. "You said something? Looks like nope. Oh, Zoro's coming back here."
Everyone turned to look in the direction Rouge was pointing, and sure enough, Zoro emerged from the treeline a few minutes later.
"Huh? You guys got here before me," Zoro said, looking genuinely puzzled.
Sanji's eye twitched. "Mosshead, WE are here. It's YOU who got lost Again."
Zoro's hand moved to his sword hilt. "Huh?"
Rouge quickly stepped between them. "Um, before you two lovebirds start flirting, let's go."
Usopp threw his hands up. "Wow, you all are weirdos!"
Both Zoro and Sanji lunged with sword and kick, but Rouge nimbly dodged both attacks.
"Oi oi, I'm straight! Stay away from me!" Rouge called out, still dodging. "And Long Nose... you're one to talk!"
Luffy clapped his hands together. "All right, everyone's here! Let's go!"
Vivi nodded firmly. "Right! We need to reach Alabasta as fast as possible!"
Two hours later, out at sea...
The giants had given them a spectacular send-off, with Broggy and Dorry working together to clear a massive Sea King from their path. But now, as they sailed away from Little Garden, a more pressing problem had emerged.
"Ugh..." Nami collapsed against the mast, shivering violently despite the warm weather. Her face was flushed with fever, and her breathing was labored.
Rouge's expression became serious as he watched her. "Shit, I forgot about this with everything going on."
"Nami-san!" Sanji was immediately at her side, concern written all over his face.
Nami was looking around and said, "It's nothing."
Vivi knelt down beside her. "What are you talking about? You have a high fever! This is serious cold!"
Luffy scratched his head in confusion. "What's wrong with Nami?"
Rouge moved to her side, palms hovering. "Luffy-san, it's a disease. Nami, please hold on. I can try."
Usopp looked between Rouge and Nami nervously. "Rouge, are you also a doctor?"
Rouge shook his head. "No, but I know a spell that can heal minor injuries. I don't know if it'll work on diseases, though." He knelt down beside Nami. "OK, Nami, hold still."
He placed his hands near her and spoke clearly: "Episkey."
Nami instantly felt much better - the fever broke and her shivering stopped. "Wow, that's amazing! It's like the fever and chills are completely gone! Now we can reach Alabasta!" she said, sitting up with renewed energy.
But Rouge was already shaking his head grimly. "No, we need to see a doctor first."
Sanji frowned. "I guess that freak is right for once."
Vivi looked confused. "But the spell really worked! I can see she's much better now."
Nami nodded emphatically. "It's okay, you guys! You saw how well the spell worked!"
Rouge's expression remained serious. "No, I know my spells. Guess this one doesn't heal diseases - it only treats symptoms temporarily."
Sanji stepped closer. "Do you know other spells that can heal her completely?"
Rouge held up three fingers. "Well, I only know three spells total. Each spell takes at least six months for me to develop, and I've only had my Devil Fruit for about a year."
Luffy's eyes sparkled with interest. "Wow! What are the other spells?"
Rouge counted them off. "Well, you've seen Confringo - that's my explosive fireball. Then there's Episkey for healing minor injuries, and Expelliarmus for disarming opponents."
Usopp leaned forward eagerly. "What does that last one do?"
Rouge grinned. "You want to see?"
Both Luffy and Usopp nodded with stars in their eyes.
Rouge looked around and spotted Zoro leaning against the rail. "Oi, Mosshead!"
Zoro glanced over lazily. "Huh? What, creepy magician?"
Rouge made a gun gesture with his finger and aimed at Zoro. "Expelliarmus! Expelliarmus!"
Zoro tried to dodge, but he was hit by an another one coming. All three of his swords scattered across the deck.
"OOOOOHHH!" Luffy's eyes practically popped out of his head.
Meanwhile, Zoro stood there with black lines across his face, muttering under his breath: "Don't kill, don't kill, don't kill..." over and over again.
"Um, guys," Vivi tried to get their attention back to the important matter.
Rouge suddenly became serious again. "Oh right. Luffy-san, Nami needs a doctor urgently. From what I know, Little Garden has prehistoric insects that can be lethal. She might die."
Luffy's face went pale. "What?! She can't die! We'll save her! But where can we find a doctor?"
Vivi's jaw is set. "Then we must find Drum Kingdom. Their doctors are famous."
Luffy's fists curled. "We'll go! Nami will be okay!"
At that exact moment, a ship appeared on the horizon. As it got closer, they could see a familiar hippo-like figure standing on the bow.
"Well, well," a pompous voice called out across the water. "Hand over your Eternal Pose to Drum Kingdom!"
It was Wapol, the exiled king of Drum Kingdom, along with his crew.
Before anyone could react to his demand, Wapol opened his massive mouth, clearly intending to take a bite out of the Going Merry itself.
"Oh, hell no," Rouge said, his voice dropping to a dangerous tone.
He aimed directly at Wapol's open mouth. "Confringo!"
The explosive spell hit Wapol square in the mouth, and the resulting explosion sent the former king flying backward into the sea with a tremendous splash.
"GWAAHHH!" Wapol's scream echoed across the water as he sank beneath the waves.
Rouge dusted off his hands with satisfaction. "Well, that takes care of that problem."
The Straw Hats quickly rescued the two doctors who had been aboard Wapol's ship - they turned out to be the last remaining members of the Isshi-20, Wapol's former medical staff who had been trying to escape his tyranny.
Vivi's eyes widened with recognition. "Wait... if that was Wapol, then Drum Kingdom should be nearby! There might be doctors there!"
Sure enough, within an hour, they spotted the distinctive drum-shaped mountains rising from a snow-covered island in the distance.
The Going Merry pulled into the harbor of the winter island, and immediately the temperature dropped drastically. Snow fell heavily, and the crew could see their breath in the frigid air.
A tall man with an afro and a somewhat stern expression approached the dock, flanked by several armed guards. This was Dalton, the former captain of Wapol's guard who now served as the island's temporary leader.
"What are you doing here, pirates?" Dalton asked warily, his hand resting on his weapon.
Vivi stepped forward diplomatically. "Our navigator is sick. We need a doctor urgently."
Dalton, already in a state of heightened anxiety, responded with a strong voice. "We are not treating pirates, please return."
Rouge stepped up beside Luffy, his demeanor shifting subtly. Gone was his usual playful attitude.
"We don't care what happened to you in the past," Rouge said, his voice carrying an edge of authority that made everyone present stiffen slightly. "But I will sink this whole island if you don't move right now. Just heal her, and we'll leave."
The threat hung in the air like a physical weight. Dalton felt a chill that had nothing to do with the island's climate.
Even Luffy looked surprised. "Rouge? What are you doing?"
Dalton sensed the genuine danger radiating from this red-haired stranger. "But... there is no doctor. Everyone was kidnapped by the previous king, Wapol."
Rouge's expression shifted to one of mild satisfaction. "Well, good news for you - we just tossed him into the sea before coming here."
Dalton's eyes widened in shock. "Are you speaking the truth?"
Vivi nodded solemnly. "Yes, he's telling the truth. But is there any other doctor here then?"
Dalton's relief was palpable, but he still looked troubled. "There is... Dr. Kureha lives at the top of the Drum Rockies. But the climb is extremely dangerous..."
Rouge's threatening aura immediately dissipated, replaced by his usual cheerful demeanor. "Thank you."
As they prepared for the treacherous journey up the mountain, Rouge couldn't help but grin. Now its time to meet another one.
The wind howled across the snowy peaks of Drum Island, carrying with it the promise of both danger and hope. In the distance, the castle at the top of the highest peak stood silhouetted against the gray sky, waiting for them.
***
Author's Note:
Well a big chapter for you guys with nothing but fun.
But don't worry - there's still plenty of excitement waiting on Drum Island with Dr. Kureha and a certain blue-nosed reindeer!
Also this reindeer likes shiny stones, you know what i mean right.😁
***