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Ship spirit?! (T/N: I am using this instead of Klabautermann)
After hearing Merry's self-introduction, everyone was stunned and looked puzzled.
Robin, with her vast knowledge, furrowed her brow and began to explain:
"Ship spirit? Isn't that a creature that exists only in legends?"
"You know about them, Robin?" Nami, who had been sharing a cabin with Robin, immediately asked with curiosity.
"Hmm..." Robin nodded slightly, and a look of genuine surprise gradually appeared in her eyes. Although she had indeed read about them in books, she had only regarded them as legends passed down by sailors. Unexpectedly, today she was witnessing one with her own eyes!
Robin immediately explained to everyone:
"Legend has it that if a ship is deeply cared for and loved by its crew for a long time, a special entity may be born. Because of how they come into existence, they're called ship spirits."
"But in the books I've read... typically, ship spirits will only appear during foggy conditions or in times of crisis, either to warn the crew or to help them overcome difficulties. That's why ships with spirits are said to always reach their destinations safely."
"Just..." Robin examined Merry with curious eyes. Although Merry's appearance matched the description of ship spirits in the books, her behavior seemed entirely different from what Robin had expected.
"Hehe~" As if she had guessed Robin's thoughts, Merry immediately displayed a mischievous smile.
"Nothing but~" Little Merry spread her arms, and a dark shadow ball suddenly formed in her hands. She then hurled it toward the sea with all her might.
The shadow ball, filled with ghostly energy, flashed with an eerie light as it arced through the air before plunging into the now-calm waters.
BOOM!
With a thunderous sound, the strange shadow ball exploded, spreading ghostly energy throughout the surrounding sea.
After her demonstration, little Merry smiled sweetly and explained to Robin and everyone else:
"Now I've entered the Pokémon world just like the rest of you! With Red's help, I've become very strong!"
Though only at level 10, Merry spoke with extreme confidence. After all, in this world of pirates dominated by Normal-type abilities, Merry, as a Ghost-type, possessed a unique advantage.
"Another one?!" Smoker, standing at the back of the group, felt his heart suddenly tighten as if pierced by a sharp arrow. Seeing that Merry had become one of Red's Pokémon like everyone else and gained supernatural abilities... Smoker felt as if heavy snow had suddenly fallen upon his head.
Snow fluttering, north wind blowing~ A sad melody that could only belong to losers suddenly rang in Smoker's ears. He looked up in astonishment and exclaimed:
"It's snowing~"
Hearing this, everyone else on the deck also looked skyward and remarked with varying expressions:
"It really is... snowing?"
...
...
About half an hour later.
Luffy and Zoro, who had finally awakened, emerged from the cabin one after another.
"Sanji, is breakfast ready? I'm starving!" Luffy, barely awake with eyes still half-closed, was already pestering the ship's only cook.
But he had scarcely stepped through the cabin door when a cold gust suddenly enveloped his entire body, immediately jolting him fully awake.
"Wow!!! It's snowing?!"
Seeing the thick layer of snow blanketing the Going Merry's deck, Luffy, wearing only a short-sleeved shirt, completely forgot about the cold. He bounded across the deck with great strides before diving headlong into a snowdrift.
"Hey! Luffy!" Usopp, who had been diligently pushing tools to clear snow from the deck, frowned when he saw Luffy demolish the snow pile he had so laboriously gathered.
"You know, it's fine if you don't help, but why do you always have to make things harder for everyone else?"
"Shishishi!" Luffy, lying in the snow, suddenly raised his head, lifted his hand, and pelted Usopp's face with a snowball.
"Damn it, Luffy!"
Usopp, who had been working all night and had even crafted snow-removal tools, was furious. He threw down his snow shovel, quickly formed a snowball with the most dexterous fingers in the Straw Hat crew, and began retaliating against Luffy.
"Hey! You two!?"
Sanji, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, twisted slightly sideways and narrowly avoided being hit by a "stray" snowball. But before he could look up, another snowball flew toward him and struck him squarely in the face.
Sizzle—
The lit cigarette was instantly extinguished by the cold snow.
The next moment, a wave of heat suddenly radiated from Sanji's body, melting the snow around him into steaming water that evaporated into the air.
What works better than snow-removal tools?
"You bastards!!!"
Because his body was so hot with anger, Sanji couldn't form snowballs. But he wasn't without options!
He raised his leg high, then swung it forcefully in Luffy and Usopp's direction.
In an instant!
A blast of heated air surged forth, lifting most of the snow from the deck and rushing toward Luffy and Usopp. Under the hot breath, the white snow quickly melted into water, drenching the pair with a splash.
When the frigid wind blew over them again, the two were frozen into lifelike ice sculptures.
Sanji calmly lit a fresh cigarette, and as the smoke rose, he slowly turned and said softly:
"Now that's art!"
Of course, a thin layer of ice couldn't contain the powerful Luffy for long. Soon he broke free from his icy prison. Usopp, too, wasn't trapped for very long.
The newly liberated duo immediately directed their combined firepower at Sanji.
However, compared to Usopp, who rarely missed his target, perhaps the extreme cold had stiffened Luffy's rubber body, affecting his accuracy—almost every snowball he threw hit the wrong target.
Soon, Smoker, who had been clearing snow from every corner of the Going Merry, and Zoro, who had just gotten up, were struck by the errant snowballs.
On the deck of the Going Merry, a war without gunpowder officially began.
Meanwhile, on the second floor of the ship, Nami, Vivi, and Robin, all bundled in thick winter coats, sat around a table drinking hot tea while quietly observing the boys playing below.
Seeing this scene, Nami gently shook her head:
"Sigh~ When will these boys ever grow up?"
"Hehe~"
"I think they're quite charming like this."
Watching the cheerful atmosphere aboard the Going Merry, Robin dropped her usual guard for a rare moment and laughed genuinely from the bottom of her heart. Perhaps it was little Merry's words that had touched her. At that moment, Robin actually wanted to join such a joyful group.
It was a pity... whether because of her status as "Devil's Child" or her position working for Crocodile, it was impossible for her to simply abandon her past and fully join the Straw Hat Pirates.
"Speaking of which..." Vivi, who had set down her tea, suddenly asked with curiosity:
"I haven't seen Merry since earlier... Luffy and Zoro are awake now, and Usopp has returned. Isn't she going to meet them?"
"Oh, right..." Nami, knowing the truth, immediately raised her eyebrows and said:
"Merry said she wanted to surprise Luffy and the others, so she asked us not to tell anyone about her yet."
"Haha... Isn't it said that a ship spirit is formed from the crew's emotions? Her hidden mischievous and playful personality obviously comes from Red!"
"Red?" Vivi tilted her head, showing a puzzled expression.
But Nami wore a mysterious smile.
"Do you think Red became the vice-captain of this ship solely because of his abilities as a trainer?! Don't be fooled by his steady and mature appearance. In fact, he's more cunning than all of us combined!!!"
"Oh? Really?!"
"I didn't expect to be held in such high regard in your eyes, Nami!"
At that moment, a voice with a teasing tone suddenly sounded above Nami's head.
Nami jumped in shock: "Yikes!"
She quickly looked up toward the source of the voice.
There was Red, with lightning crackling at his feet, descending from above and landing directly beside Nami, regarding her with an amused expression.
"Ha...haha..."
Nami laughed awkwardly, then immediately stood up, pointing to her chair and saying:
"Vice Captain, I've warmed the seat for you. Please, sit down."
"Heh~!" Red smiled slightly with his chin raised.
But he chose not to sit in the chair that still carried Nami's scent. Instead, he reminded her:
"This isn't the time to be leisurely drinking tea."
"Get ready quickly, Nami."
"I just spotted an island ahead, directly in our path!"
...
...
Drum Island is a winter island located in the first half of the Grand Line, existing in a snowy climate year-round. Because the mountains on the island resemble drums, it earned the name "Drum Island."
Originally, this was a medical powerhouse that served the world with its healing arts! Countless royal dignitaries respected Drum Island, hoping to secure the services of doctors with exceptional medical skills.
It was precisely because of this reputation and the world-class medical expertise that Drum Island never faced resource shortages, despite being a winter island where food production was difficult.
However, everything changed dramatically after Wapol rose to power in the Drum Kingdom!
To better maintain his rule and command greater respect from the populace, Wapol ordered the arrest of all doctors in the country, ultimately retaining only the 20 most skilled physicians to serve as his royal doctors. They were given the title: "The Isshi-20"!
As for the ordinary citizens, if they needed medical care, they had to accept conditions that could bankrupt them... entering the palace and begging Wapol to allow the Isshi-20 to treat them.
Over time, Wapol hoarded all the wealth that previous Drum Kingdom rulers had accumulated for their citizens. The people's lives grew increasingly difficult, while the royal family and nobility indulged themselves daily!
If Blackbeard hadn't suddenly invaded Drum Island and frightened away the Wapol regime... the future of this country would have remained bleak.
Because Wapol had taken the Isshi-20 with him when he fled, the citizens no longer even had the option of paying for medical treatment.
Of course, there was also a legend circulating throughout the country...
Whenever someone in a family suffered from a serious illness, the witch would immediately appear! She would descend from the sky in a sleigh pulled by a reindeer and take away all the family's wealth. But she would also take away all their ailments.
What the citizens of Drum Kingdom didn't realize was... this wasn't merely a legend, but a true story that had happened to many people.
…
…
"Eh?! Doctorine, something seems to be happening at the port!"
On the ropeway extending from the highest peak of Drum Island, the reindeer pulling the sleigh suddenly turned its head, revealing a small, cute blue nose, and spoke in human language.
On the sleigh behind the reindeer, an old woman with a wrinkled face but a surprisingly slender figure instinctively looked toward the port after hearing this.
From their position on the ropeway, they could easily see the distant sea surrounding Drum Island... A ship flying a pirate flag was sailing swiftly toward the shore.
"Pirates!!!"
SCREECH—!!!
The running reindeer suddenly halted, its four hooves scraping against the ropeway, producing a harsh sound.
"You idiot Chopper! Are you trying to throw me off so you can inherit my medical knowledge?! Fool, keep dreaming!!!"
THWACK!
Dr. Kureha, who nearly went flying due to the sudden stop, immediately raised her fist and smacked Chopper's head.
"Ow!"
Chopper, wincing in pain, suddenly cried out and transformed into a small, child-like form. He turned his head with a hurt expression and said with tears in his eyes:
"No, Doctorine! Look—it's pirates... pirates!!!"
Chopper excitedly extended his hoof, pointing toward the port.
By now, the pirate ship had slowly approached the harbor. The militia organized by Dalton was armed with guns and standing ready to confront the incoming vessel.
"They seem to be in trouble," Kureha remarked as she took a swig of strong liquor.
"Who? Those pirates?" Chopper asked, tilting his head in confusion.
"Haha~" Kureha, who had already recognized the Straw Hat Pirate flag, sneered, as if mocking Chopper's naivety.
But the next moment, she settled back into the sleigh and said to Chopper:
"Let's go, Chopper! The patients in Gyasta are still waiting for us to treat them as quickly as possible! We can't waste precious time that could be spent saving lives!"
"Ah, yes, yes..."
With a quick transformation, Chopper immediately changed back into his reindeer form. After casting one more curious glance toward the port, he began running rapidly along the ropeway.
…
…
Meanwhile, at the port of Drum Island.
The armed militia aimed their weapons at the Going Merry below. Dalton, standing at the front of the crowd, held a simple megaphone and shouted:
"Pirates, you are not welcome here! Please turn your ship around immediately and leave this island!"