The snow at the port was falling even harder.
"Mhahahaha!"
Wapol casually tossed a cannonball into his mouth, chewing it with a loud crunch.
"Chess, did I hear that right? What did this guy just say? He wants to ask my doctors some questions?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Chess bowed.
"This outsider clearly doesn't understand the rules of the Drum Kingdom. I'll have him, "
"No need!"
Wapol smacked his lips, still wanting more, and looked up at the towering man before him.
"To be able to fly through the sky, and at that speed, means you're a Devil Fruit user too, right? And a very strong one!"
Was he considered strong?
Kuma hesitated slightly, thinking of the bounty he'd recently received…
296 million Berries.
In the first half of the Grand Line, that was strong… right?
So, he nodded.
"Hahahaha!"
Wapol burst into laughter, patting his belly. "I knew this would get interesting!"
His metal chin stretched forward dramatically.
"Hey, big guy! Didn't you want to ask the doctors something? Fine! I can grant your request!"
Kuma's eyes brightened, and he was about to bow,
"Don't thank me just yet!"
Wapol wagged a finger. "Nothing's free. I have a condition."
He pointed toward the distant towns, their lights flickering through the snowstorm.
"See those towns? That's my land! And right now, two foreign pirates are causing trouble everywhere! If you deal with them for me, "
Wapol spread his arms with a warm smile:
"I'll lend you all twenty of my elite doctors! The very best in the Drum Kingdom. Ask them anything you want! Well? Interested?"
"Two pirates?"
Kuma frowned slightly, following Wapol's gesture.
In the snowstorm, several towns glowed faintly, smoke rising from chimneys.
Kuma's Observation Haki activated silently, several unusual auras appeared instantly.
Two of them stood out sharply.
One was a blade-like presence, sharp enough to cut the air.
The other was calm and quiet, like something hidden in the deep.
Easily overlooked unless one searched carefully.
"Yes! Two vicious, dangerous criminals!"
Wapol growled. "A black-haired brat and a woman wearing a hat!"
"Your Majesty…" Chess whispered nervously,
"Why don't you just tell him the black-haired brat's real name, "
"Shut up!"
Wapol slapped Chess aside and hissed, "You think I'm stupid? That infamous monster… if I tell him outright, this big guy might run away!"
He turned back to Kuma, smiling brightly.
"So? Big guy? That's a pretty good deal, huh?"
Kuma remained silent, conflicted.
He could tell this king was the same type as King Bekley, corrupt, selfish, and no good for his people.
Normally, he would refuse.
But…
These "two pirates" supposedly wreaking havoc on a foreign land,
if that were true, they deserved to be dealt with.
"I understand," Kuma finally said gently. "But I need to confirm one thing."
"What?"
"If I deal with those two pirates…" Kuma looked Wapol in the eyes.
"Will you truly keep your promise?"
"Of course!"
Wapol thumped his chest proudly. "I always keep my word!"
Kuma gave him a long, deep look. Then he nodded and turned toward the towns.
"Then wait here. I'll be right back."
Snap.
He vanished instantly, leaving only a shockwave.
"G–gone?!"
Kuromarimo's eyes bulged.
"He just left like that?! Your Majesty, he didn't even ask where the pirates are!"
"You idiot! Not everyone's as stupid as you!"
Wapol scoffed.
"I'm a king who's been to the Reverie! Guys like him have that… that power! Observation Haki! They can sense targets instantly! Stop worrying!"
"All soldiers, stay put!"
He barked the command, then excitedly dragged two ministers toward the nearest hilltop.
Snatching their telescopes, he tossed both into his mouth.
Crunch, crunch, gone in seconds.
Suddenly, Wapol's eyeballs bulged like telescope lenses, zooming dozens of times as he locked onto the dark figure soaring through the sky.
"Hahaha! I see him! I see him!"
He shouted excitedly. "He flies so fast! If we track him, we'll find that great pirate Shanu! This'll be a fun show!"
"Your Majesty…" Chess whispered nervously.
"That big guy is strong, but I doubt he can beat Shanu. Maybe we should, "
"Shut up! This is a rare show, don't ruin my mood."
Wapol smirked.
"If he wins, great! I return as king.
If he loses…"
He shrugged.
"We're already packed and ready. We're close to the port. We can escape by sea any moment. What's the rush?"
"Your Majesty is wise!"
"As expected of Lord Wapol!"
The ministers showered him with flattery.
…
The snowstorm thickened, darkness settling over the island.
Kuma flashed across the sky, Bible in hand, each leap spanning hundreds of meters.
As he moved, he observed the towns below, thoughtful.
There were no signs of destruction.
No fleeing civilians.
No plundered homes.
Were those pirates truly wrecking the kingdom…
as the king claimed?
…
Inside the treehouse, under warm orange light, Shanu, wearing only shorts, lay face-down on the bed.
"Easy, old woman! I wasn't knocked out by an enemy, but you're about to kill me!"
His voice was muffled in the pillow.
Kureha sat on his back, staring at the bent syringe in her hand, veins popping.
"Shut up, brat!"
She slapped his back.
"In over a hundred years of practicing medicine, I've never seen anyone like you! If you hadn't calmed Chopper down earlier, I wouldn't have bothered treating you at all!"
His body was absurd.
From his skin to his muscles to his blood vessels, every inch defied medical logic.
His muscle fibers had mind-boggling elasticity.
She had failed several attempts already, and even when she finally forced the needle through his skin,
His muscles wriggled like living creatures, squeezing the needle back out.
For a doctor, this was humiliating.
Four broken needles lay beside the bed, while Chopper panicked through the medical box.
"Doctor! We ran out of the reinforced syringes!"
"If it doesn't work, forget it,"
Shanu sighed and reached for his pants. He never considered the poison treatment urgent.
His inhuman state would fade within two weeks anyway. At worst, he'd isolate himself in the training room on the ship.
"Lie back down!"
Kureha slammed her fist.
"I refuse to give up! I'll go all out!"
"Chopper!"
She snapped, "Go to the basement! Bring me the super-alloy syringe, the one used for Sea Kings!"
"Yes, Doctor!"
Chopper hurried off, returning moments later, panting, with a metal syringe bigger than his head.
"Is… is this safe?"
Chopper trembled. "Doctor, Brother Shanu is a good person…"
"Relax~!"
Kureha grinned, flexing her wrists.
"This kid's tougher than a Sea King!"
…
Thirty seconds later,
"Ha! Finally done!"
Kureha pulled out the massive syringe, the dark sheen on its tip quickly fading.
"You old hag…"
Shanu groaned, sitting up.
"Are you taking revenge or something?"
Using Armament Haki for a simple injection…
And a doctor possessing Haki at all, it was suspicious.
"Stop whining!"
Kureha waved the empty syringe proudly.
"The toxins are neutralized. Sleep tonight, your bruises will be gone by morning. Now pay up!"
"How much?" Shanu grumbled. "I saved Chopper. Can't I get a discount?"
"I'll give you fifty Berries off."
She lit a cigarette.
"Original price: 100 million Berries. Now: 99,999,950. Fair enough?"
"You money-hungry hag!"
"It's just toxin residue! Not life-saving surgery! You're basically robbing me!"
"Wahh, Doctor…" Chopper tugged her sleeve sadly.
"Am I only worth fifty Berries…?"
"Of course not."
Kureha smiled.
"You were given to me for free by Hiluluk."
"Huh?!"
Chopper's eyes widened,
BOOOOM!!
The treehouse shook violently, jars crashing off the shelves.
"W-WAAAH!!"
Chopper trembled, almost leaping into Kureha's arms, but shyly hid behind Shanu instead.
"Finally here."
Shanu chuckled, patting Chopper's head.
He got dressed and stepped outside. Robin followed, chuckling.
Outside, the blizzard howled.
A massive figure stood silently in the snow.
A bear-ear hat covered in white. Gentle eyes. A warm aura.
And in his hands, a struggling, obese man.
"Let me go! Let me go, !!"
"Wapol?!"
Kureha froze in shock.
"Good evening."
Kuma bowed politely.
"I apologize for disturbing you, Lord Shanu, Lady Kureha."
He tossed Wapol into the snow like garbage. Wapol squealed like a pig:
"It hurts!! You traitor! Didn't we agree you'd take care of, "
Whack.
Kuma lightly chopped his wrist. Wapol fainted instantly.
"I'm sorry," Kuma said to Shanu, bowing again.
"I was deceived. He told me two pirates were destroying his kingdom, but along the way, the towns were untouched. I returned and… extracted the truth from his ministers."
He sighed.
"That's when I learned it was actually you who came to the island."
"This king has an unbelievably despicable character. He planned to abandon his kingdom, taking all doctors and treasures, leaving nothing for the people."
Wapol, huh. Figures.
Shanu glanced at the unconscious blob.
This king was trash, yet in the original timeline, he still prospered thanks to his Devil Fruit.
Tsk. In a way, Shanu had taken Blackbeard's role in altering history.
He had been tracking the castle's inner courtyard through Observation Haki, noticing when they fled toward the sea.
He originally planned to intercept them before treatment.
But then, a powerful new presence arrived on Drum.
He thought it was Wapol's reinforcements.
Never expected it to be Kuma.
Bartholomew Kuma.
Kuma still had that gentle smile. No modifications. Still fully human.
Shanu rapidly pieced the timeline together.
Right now, Kuma had just been wanted for destroying a Marine warship. Fearing for his homeland and Bonney, he went to sea, labeled a pirate, while searching for a cure for Sapphire Scale Disease.
His government ties and later transformation wouldn't happen until next year.
So naturally, he would come to Drum, once famed as a "medical superpower."
"So… you've known me for a long time?" Shanu asked.
"Yes."
Kuma nodded.
"I once belonged to a mysterious organization… I cannot reveal the name yet."
"But years ago, when you were still in East Blue, your name had already reached us. My superiors even considered recruiting you the moment you came of age."
Superiors in the Revolutionary Army…
Even Dragon was sweating over him?
Shanu was speechless.
"I didn't expect the man who eliminated every major pirate in East Blue to become a pirate himself the moment he reached adulthood."
"It's an adventurer's crew, not pirates,"
Kuma corrected gently.
"Truth always comes out. Your heart hasn't changed."
"I visited Loguetown recently. People still talk about you. How could someone who fought the Navy to protect civilians… be the vicious criminal the king described?"
Shanu rubbed his neck, embarrassed.
"Well… come inside. It's snowing too hard. It's warm inside. Since you even know Kureha's name now, it sounds like the doctors told you everything about this island."
"I haven't agreed to any of this yet! Don't act like the host, brat!"
Kureha threw an empty bottle at him.
Shanu caught it smoothly.
"Don't mind her. Her temper's sharp, but her skills are real. You're here for her, right? Talk to her."
"Thank you."
Kuma bowed deeply to Kureha and Chopper and stepped inside.
Even Kureha, who wanted to refuse, relented under his politeness.
Chopper hurried forward with a cup of hot tea, eyes sparkling, today he'd met so many kind people.
…
Inside the warm treehouse, the smell of tea drifted.
Kuma held the cup quietly before speaking.
"Dr. Kureha… I came to Drum with a request. The doctors told me you're the most skilled on the island, only you can solve what they cannot."
"Oh?"
Kureha took a swig from her bottle.
"So even those self-serving fools still have some sense. Fine. Speak."
"My daughter. Bonney."
His eyes dimmed.
"She suffers from a rare illness: Sapphire Scale Disease."
"Sapphire Scale?"
Kureha's brows tightened.
"Describe the symptoms."
Kuma took out a photo, a bright little girl hugging him, scales faintly visible on her skin.
"It began as blue patches… spreading into scale-like textures. During flare-ups, she feels unbearable pain, constant fever, and she hasn't been able to go outside for years…"
His voice trembled.
"I visited doctors everywhere. None could help. One said…"
"That she wouldn't live past ten?"
Kureha finished calmly.
"Yes!"
Kuma sat up straight, eyes widening. She knew.
This old doctor… truly lived up to her reputation.
Kureha took the photo, examined it for a long time, then pulled several huge medical tomes from the shelf.
She flipped through them rapidly.
The room grew quiet, only the rustling of pages.
Chopper fidgeted nervously.
Robin stayed silent.
Shanu watched thoughtfully.
Could Kureha really cure this disease? He doubted it.
Even in the original timeline, only Vegapunk could help.
Finally, Kureha closed the last book and sighed.
"I'm sorry."
She met Kuma's eyes.
"I can't cure it."
Kuma froze.
The hope in his eyes dimmed.
"…Not even you…" he whispered.
"The origin of Sapphire Scale is unknown. It appears to be the result of some kind of bloodline experiment. Current treatments only ease the symptoms."
She shook her head.
"I've lived more than a century. But this… this is beyond me."
Kuma lowered his head, devastated.
But then,
"But," Kureha added,
"I do know a place that might help."
Kuma's head snapped up.
"Where?"