The winter winds of Drum Kingdom howled like ghosts.
The Oro Jackson cut through the snow-bitten waves, its black sails heavy with frost. Ice gathered along the rigging as the ship drifted toward the island's lone port.
Ada stood at the bow, her cloak whipping violently in the wind. Behind her, Kuma held Ginny—frail, shivering beneath layers of blankets. Her skin shimmered faintly with the pale blue scales that crept across her neck and arms. The baby, little Bonney, stirred weakly in her arms, her cheeks flushed with fever.
"Land ahead!" Fisher Tiger called from the crow's nest, her mechanical eye scanning the shoreline.
Ada nodded. "Prepare to dock."
The crew braced as the ship groaned into the frozen harbor. Villagers scattered the moment they saw the Jolly Roger of the Nyx Pirates—a symbol feared even in the Grand Line.
"Pirates!" one man shouted, dropping a crate. "Get the guards!"
Snow crunched beneath Ada's heels as she stepped off the gangplank. Her crew followed—ten figures walking through the blizzard like ghosts of war.
Dalton, broad-shouldered and still wearing the crest of the Drum Kingdom guard, approached with a line of soldiers at his back. His tone was steady, but his eyes were wary.
"State your business. This kingdom is under the protection of the World Government."
Ada's voice was calm, but it carried the weight of storms. "I'm not here to conquer your kingdom. I need your doctor."
Dalton blinked. "Our… doctor?"
"The number one," Ada clarified. "I was told she lives at the top of your mountain. Doctor Kureha."
Dalton hesitated, glancing to the men beside him. "That's not possible. We can't just—"
Before he could finish, Ada drew her pistol in a blur and leveled it directly at his forehead.
The entire square froze. Even the wind seemed to stop.
"I wasn't asking," Ada said quietly.
The King, an aging man with kind eyes—King Hapol, Wapol's father—stepped forward from behind the guards. He raised a trembling hand. "Please, Captain Nyx, there's no need for—"
The barrel shifted toward him. "Then tell me where she is."
A bead of sweat traced down the king's temple as his breath misted in the cold air. The villagers watched in horror—many recognizing her face from wanted posters across the seas.
Dalton finally spoke, his voice hoarse. "The doctor lives at the summit of Gyasta Mountain. But you'll never make it. The storms—"
Ada holstered the gun. "That's my problem."
She turned to her crew. "Get Ginny and the child ready to move."
Kuma adjusted his cloak around Ginny and lifted her gently into his arms. Perona floated beside him, her usual mischief replaced by a rare look of worry.
"She doesn't have long," she whispered.
Mihawk said nothing, but his hand rested on the hilt of Yoru. The glare he gave the soldiers made them step aside without a word.
As they began the climb, Fisher Tiger muttered, "Even mountains bow when our captain points her gun."
Bullet smirked faintly. "Yeah, but this time, it's not for power."
Ada said nothing. The snow deepened with each step, but her eyes stayed fixed on the peak above.
———————-
The climb was brutal. Winds lashed against them; visibility dropped to near zero. The path was narrow, icy, and treacherous, but none of them faltered.
"Captain," Lilith called, glancing at her sensors. "Temperature's dropping fast. Minus thirty and falling."
"Keep moving," Ada ordered.
Okiku tightened the scarf around her neck, helping Hiyori steady the sled that carried Ginny and Bonney. The baby's breathing was shallow; Ginny's coughs painted the snow with faint traces of blood.
"Hold on," Ada murmured under her breath. "Just a little longer."
Hours later, when the night turned deepest blue, they reached the gates of a lone fortress built into the mountainside. Its torches flickered like dying stars.
Ada banged on the door with the flat of her pistol. "Open up!"
For a moment, there was nothing.
Then the door cracked open, and a thin, wrinkled woman with a cigarette dangling from her lips leaned out. Dr. Kureha, eyes sharp as blades.
"What in the seven hells are you doing pounding my door at this hour?" she barked. "You lot look like a snowstorm chewed you up."
Ada lowered her hood. "We need your help. It's urgent."
Kureha's eyes widened slightly as she recognized the infamous pirate standing in front of her—but she didn't flinch.
"Well, I'll be damned. Nyx D. Ada herself. Never thought I'd see you on my porch."
Ada didn't waste time. She motioned to Kuma, who stepped forward and revealed Ginny and the baby in his arms.
"She's dying," Ada said. "Sapphire Scale Disease."
Kureha's cigarette nearly fell from her lips. "You brought that curse up my mountain?"
"She's infected," Ada said, voice low but steady. "But she's alive. You're the only one who might know the cure."
For the first time, Kureha's expression softened—only slightly. She crouched beside Ginny, lifting a strand of her blue-flecked hair. "Hm. It's been decades since I've seen a case this far along."
"Can you cure her?" Kuma asked, his voice trembling.
"Heh… you're lucky, big guy," she said, her sharp eyes flicking toward the dying Ginny. "There's only one person left in this frozen world who remembers how to treat Sapphire Scale Disease."
She jabbed a thumb proudly at her chest.
"And that's me — Dr. Kureha. One hundred twenty-nine years old and still the best damn doctor alive!"
She threw back her head and let out a wild, hearty laugh that echoed through the chamber.
The entire room went silent.
Perona's jaw dropped. "Wait—one hundred twenty-nine?! Are you serious?!"
Bullet blinked. "She's older than most kingdoms."
Lilith's mechanical eye flickered. "That's biologically improbable… and fascinating."
Fisher Tiger smiled faintly. "No wonder she's seen everything."
Even Mihawk, composed as ever, raised an eyebrow.
Kureha just laughed harder, flicking her cigarette aside. "What's wrong, pirates? Never seen a lady age gracefully before?"
Then, with sudden gravity, her gaze returned to Ginny. "You didn't climb this mountain for nothing. I can save her—but it's not going to be easy, or cheap."
The crew collectively let out a breath they hadn't realized they were holding.
Fisher Tiger smiled faintly. "Then there's hope."
But Kureha's smirk faded as she stood. "Hope always comes at a price."
Ada stepped forward. "Name it."
The doctor raised an eyebrow. "You didn't even ask how high."
Ada's eyes hardened. "Doesn't matter."
Kureha chuckled. "You pirates really don't think twice, do you? The cure's not simple. I'll need rare reagents—herbs that only grow in the northern ravines, frozen mushrooms that sprout under the corpses of sea kings, and purified amber from the cliff's edge. Dangerous, deadly work."
Ada nodded once. "Tell me where to find them."
Lilith was already pulling up data on her lenses. "Coordinates locked."
Kureha blinked. "You're serious?"
"She's important," Ada said. "We don't leave those we care for to die."
Kuma bowed deeply again, voice thick. "Please… whatever it takes."
Kureha's sharp eyes softened just a fraction. "You've got good people, pirate. I'll start the prep. But the girl—" she looked to Ginny—"she's hanging by a thread. You have hours, not days."
Ada turned to her crew. "We move now."
———————-
The next hours blurred into chaos and snow. Ada led the charge across ravines and through blizzards; Bullet and Tiger tore through ice-covered cliffs to reach the glowing fungi Kureha described. Mihawk sliced through frozen beasts in silence.
Perona and Lilith carried what the others gathered, while Okiku and Hiyori prepared bandages under Kureha's barked orders.
By the time they returned, dawn was breaking, painting the snowfields red.
Kureha was already sterilizing her instruments. "About time," she grumbled. "You lot move like you're chasing gods."
Ada handed over the satchel of reagents. "We do."
Kureha's wrinkled hand paused mid-motion. Then she smiled faintly. "Heh. I like you."
She turned toward the operating room. "It's going to take hours. If you want to pray, now's the time."
The crew waited outside in silence. Snow continued to fall softly, muffling the sounds of the mountain. Bonney, wrapped in Okiku's arms, slept peacefully for the first time in days.
Fisher Tiger exhaled slowly. "Strange, isn't it? The things we'll face for the people we love."
Mihawk leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "Strange? No. Necessary."
Bullet smirked. "You sound like her."
Ada, standing apart from them, stared at the closed doors of the clinic. Her gloved hands were clasped behind her back.
"She's strong," she murmured. "Strong enough to live."
Lilith looked up from checking her readings. "You believe that?"
Ada's gaze softened. "I have to."
After what felt like an eternity, the door opened.
Kureha stepped out, her gloves stained faintly blue, her expression unreadable. The crew rose instantly.
"Well?" Ada asked.
The old doctor sighed, wiping her hands on a cloth. "The woman's a fighter. She'll make it."
Kuma's knees nearly gave out. He caught himself on the wall, tears spilling down his face. "Thank you… thank you—"
Kureha cut him off with a wave. "Save your thanks. She's alive, but weak. The disease will scar her lungs. As for the baby—she'll need care. The scales are dormant but not gone."
Ada nodded. "We'll manage."
Kureha looked at Ada, something curious flickering in her old eyes. "You'd burn the world for your people, wouldn't you?"
Ada met her gaze steadily. "I already did once."
Kureha barked a laugh. "Then this world should pray you never have to again."
The crew smiled faintly, tension breaking like thawed ice. The storm outside eased.
For the first time in weeks, there was quiet.
Ada stepped to Kuma's side and looked through the small window at Ginny resting peacefully, Bonney asleep beside her. "You brought her home," she said softly.
Kuma shook his head. "No. You did."
Ada smiled faintly. "Maybe we both did."
Outside, the snow began to fall again—but this time, it felt gentle. Cleansing.
And for the first time since Ginny's abduction, hope returned to the hearts of the Nyx Pirates.