"That thing... isn't it a ship?" Zoro muttered, his eyes narrowing as he looked up at the massive structure looming over them. The sail was slowly expanding, casting a growing shadow over the Merry.
Then, with a loud creak, the submarine completed its transformation and unfurled a pirate flag. A grotesque hippopotamus emblem stared down at them.
Usopp, whose sharp eyes caught the details first, cried out in alarm, "It's the pirates! Watch out, everyone!"
"Tch... why now of all times?" Zoro clicked his tongue, staying calm despite the looming threat.
He watched the figures jumping onto the Merry—disciplined soldiers dressed in uniforms. They were equipped with rifles, and only a few carried swords. It was clear these weren't common pirates. They looked more like a private militia or royal guard.
Still, none of the Straw Hats—except Vivi and Usopp—seemed nervous.
Luffy stood his ground, eyeing the intruders with a serious expression. "We're in a hurry," he said flatly. "There's a sick person on board. We don't have time to waste."
The others nodded silently in agreement. Nami's condition was their top priority right now.
Just then, an obnoxiously loud laugh rang out.
"Hahahaha! Is this everyone on the ship?"
A large man stepped forward, his massive body draped in hippopotamus skin. His upper body was encased in steel armor, and his face seemed partially mechanical—modified in strange, unnatural ways. He tore a chunk of meat from a bone and looked at the group with disdain.
It was Wapol.
Satisfied that the Merry only had a few defenders, he smirked and swallowed the entire knife he'd been using to cut the meat—handle and all.
The crew stared in disbelief.
"What the hell?" Sanji muttered.
"It must be a Devil Fruit ability," Zoro guessed. "No normal guy eats a knife."
Wapol let out another laugh. "Never mind that. Do any of you have a permanent pointer or record pointer to the Iron Bucket Kingdom?"
The crew glanced at one another.
"Iron Bucket Kingdom?" Sanji crossed his arms. "Never heard of it."
Luffy, who was lounging on the railing, added bluntly, "If you're done asking dumb questions, go back to your ship."
Vivi, who had been quiet until now, visibly tensed. Her eyes flickered with recognition and alarm as she glanced at Wapol.
Wapol noticed her too. A glint of realization sparked in his eyes.
"You!" he shouted. "Catch that woman!"
He had remembered. The girl holding the permanent pointer to Drum Island—it was Princess Vivi of Alabasta.
Bang!
Before Wapol's order fully left his mouth, Sanji moved like lightning.
With a powerful kick, he sent the nearest soldier flying across the deck. His form blurred as he dashed through the remaining intruders, delivering brutal, precise blows that knocked them out cold.
The soldier he kicked first crashed into the sea after knocking several others with him. They didn't surface.
Sanji didn't hold back. Anyone who got in the way of helping Nami was an enemy.
Zoro drew his sword in a smooth motion. A glint of steel flashed, and several soldiers attempting to reach Vivi collapsed to the ground, their bodies slashed and motionless.
In a matter of seconds, the deck was littered with unconscious or dying men.
Only Wapol remained, standing at the edge of the Merry, trembling.
"You... Who are you people?!"
His voice was filled with fear.
Snap!
Wapol heard no reply—only the sound of freezing wind. A chill spread from his feet upward as thick ice enveloped his entire body in seconds.
He was frozen solid.
Behind him, the massive Iron King ship began to freeze as well. Thick frost coated the hull, then the deck, then the sails. A sharp gust of wind swept through, and the entire vessel shattered like glass, breaking into icy shards that sank into the sea.
Everyone turned to see Leo stepping out of the cabin, his expression calm but cold.
"This guy might've been useful," Leo said, glancing at Wapol's frozen figure, "but his men were trash."
Luffy adjusted his straw hat and grinned. "Hahaha, I believe you."
Sanji turned quickly. "What about Nami? Is she okay?"
Leo nodded. "She's awake now, but still feverish. It's not life-threatening, but she needs something light to eat."
Sanji's expression lit up. "Say no more!"
He bolted toward the kitchen, clearly delighted at being useful to Nami.
Zoro turned to Vivi with a frown. "That guy went berserk when he saw you. Who is he?"
Vivi's face darkened. "That man is Wapol, the former king of Drum Island—he renamed it the Iron Bucket Kingdom."
"What?! He's a king?" Usopp cried out, stunned.
"If you're a king, why are you a pirate now?" Luffy asked, squinting at the frozen figure. "Did something happen like it did to Vivi?"
Vivi shook her head, her expression filled with anger. "He's not like me. He's a monster. Cruel, oppressive, and selfish. When Blackbeard attacked his country, he abandoned his people and fled like a coward. Then he turned to piracy."
She clenched her fists. "I remember him from when I was a child. He left a deep scar on my country—and on me."
The air grew quiet for a moment.
"But if we've met him here," she added, "that means we're very close to Drum Island."
"Everyone, get dressed," Vivi instructed. "It's going to get colder from here. We're entering Winter Island."
"Winter Island?" Luffy repeated, tilting his head in confusion.
Usopp, also puzzled, asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"
Leo sighed and went back into the cabin. He had no patience for explanations he already knew.
Vivi smiled awkwardly and began to explain the Grand Line's climate zones.
"In the Grand Line, each island can have a completely different climate," she said. "They're categorized by seasons. Some are Summer Islands, others are Autumn, Spring, or Winter."
"Each one has its own weather patterns and dangers. Drum Island is a Winter Island—cold all year round. You'll know you're close when the sea calms and the air gets freezing."
"Ahh, that makes sense!" Usopp nodded in understanding. "That's why the weather is so crazy here. Different climates all jumbled up."
Luffy, meanwhile, had tuned out entirely. He stared at the sky, clearly not listening.
A short while later, Zoro lifted a telescope to his eye and scanned the horizon.
"There. I see land."
He pointed to a distant shape emerging from the fog and snow.
Ahead of the Merry, nestled beyond the blizzard, a snow-covered island came into view. Towering white mountains loomed over dense forests, blanketed in fresh snow. The wind had begun to die down as the ship neared the shore.
Luffy, who had been dozing off, perked up instantly.
"A white island? Is it snow? Is it a snow island?!" he asked, excitement returning to his face.
He scrambled to the bow of the ship, sitting cross-legged and grinning like a child as he gazed at the frosted landscape ahead.
As the Merry approached the shore, snowflakes began falling again, light and gentle this time.
The battle was behind them, but the next challenge was just ahead.
Ãdvåñçé 60 çhàptêr àvàilàble óñ pàtreøn (Gk31)