The wind howled.
Snow fell like quiet knives from the pale sky as the Going Merry drifted through frozen waters. The once restless sea of the Grand Line now lay subdued beneath a kingdom wrapped in ice and silence.
Drum Island emerged on the horizon — cliffs like teeth, trees buried in frost, and the heavy feeling of a place abandoned by warmth.
Nami lay curled under blankets below deck, her skin pale, sweat beading on her forehead.
"She's burning up," Sanji muttered, voice tight. "It's a fever."
"She needs a doctor," Vivi said urgently. "We have to land."
Usopp stood at the wheel, trembling. "We're not welcome here, remember?"
Luffy's fists were clenched. "I don't care. We're going."
Zoro looked at Rex.
But Rex was already preparing to go ashore — tightening the straps of his gloves, his eyes calm but sharper than ice.
He had made a decision before anyone spoke.
No one would die.
Not on his watch.
At the Drum Island Shoreline
A small battalion of armed guards waited on the snowy dock. The flag of the now-ousted Drum Kingdom waved limply behind them. They raised rifles as the Going Merry approached.
"Halt!" the lead soldier shouted. "This island is under martial law!"
Usopp ducked behind the mast. "See?! They're gonna shoot!"
Zoro stepped up. "Let them try."
Luffy grabbed the side of the ship. "I'll launch over and hit them!"
But Rex walked forward.
And without a word — he stepped off the ship and onto the ice.
Snow cracked beneath his boots.
The soldiers stared.
Then one of them fired.
CRACK!
Rex tilted his head.
The bullet missed.
He kept walking.
Another soldier panicked and fired again.
Then another.
The air filled with smoke and panic.
But Rex walked through the hail of bullets, coat flaring in the wind, steps steady, eyes never blinking.
One by one, the soldiers dropped their weapons, stumbling back, their hands shaking — not from the cold, but from the weight of something pressing into their chests.
[…Fear response triggered. Targets entering flight-state. No countermeasures needed.]
"Th-The aura…!" one soldier gasped. "He's not normal!"
"He's not human!"
"No…" another whispered, falling to his knees.
"He's undefeated."
Rex stopped at the gates of the town.
"I need a doctor," he said calmly.
The gates opened.
Moments Later – Inside Bighorn
The small town buzzed with whispers.
Rex stood guard as the others carried Nami inside the inn, where a retired healer examined her. The prognosis was clear: She needed a real doctor.
One name was spoken in every hushed conversation.
Dr. Kureha.
And where she lived?
Up there.
Rex looked up — past the snowy peaks, through the clouds — to the towering drum-shaped mountain that pierced the sky.
"She lives at the top," Vivi explained. "There's no path. Only a vertical climb."
Zoro flexed his arms. "We could try together."
"No," Rex said.
He stepped forward and lifted Nami gently in both arms.
"I'll carry her."
Luffy blinked. "Are you sure—?"
"I'm the fastest," Rex said. "And I don't fall."
The Climb
Ice cracked.
Wind howled.
But Rex scaled the mountain alone, one hand gripping frozen stone, the other holding Nami close to his chest, her fevered breath warming the air around them.
He didn't stop.
Didn't rest.
Didn't speak.
Only moved.
Even when the cliffs iced over.
Even when the clouds swallowed him.
Even when the snow tried to blind him.
His heartbeat never faltered.
Because behind his stillness was a vow:
No one dies.
Not under him.
Not while he's standing.
Drum Castle – Later That Night
Dr. Kureha stood with her arms crossed as Rex laid Nami onto a bed, his arms stiff with frostbite.
"You're insane," she said.
"No," he replied. "I'm prepared."
Tony Tony Chopper peeked out from behind a bookcase, hiding at first—then watching. Quietly impressed.
Nami stirred.
Eyes fluttered.
She saw Rex sitting beside her.
"…You idiot," she whispered. "You didn't have to carry me…"
He looked down.
Smiled faintly.
"You would've carried me if our roles were reversed."
She looked at him, cheeks flushed — and not from the fever.
"You're not as cold as you act," she whispered.
"Don't tell anyone," he said, leaning back with a smirk. "I've got a reputation to ruin."
Meanwhile – In the Mountains
Word reached Wapol — the tyrant who once ruled Drum Island with greed and cruelty — that the Straw Hats were on his land.
He returned, roaring for revenge.
His ship cracked through the ice.
His men landed with steel and flame.
And Rex was already waiting.
Wapol laughed. "Another pirate brat with a sword?"
"No sword," Rex said.
"No devil fruit?"
"No need."
Wapol fired a cannon.
Rex vanished.
And reappeared mid-air, crashing down like a falling star.
His palm struck the deck.
The ship cracked in two.
Wapol didn't even see the follow-up strike — he simply woke up half-buried in snow, broken, bleeding, and humiliated.
He had never seen someone move like that.
Someone who didn't fight to win…
…but fought to protect everything behind him.
Back at the Castle
The next morning, snow continued to fall gently around the tower.
Nami sat on the windowsill, blanket wrapped around her.
Rex leaned beside her, arms crossed.
Chopper bounced up and down excitedly, talking to Luffy about joining the crew.
"You're always moving forward," Nami said quietly.
He glanced at her.
"I have to."
"What if you didn't?"
He smiled.
"I'd still find a way to protect everyone. Even standing still."
She stared at him.
Then, gently, leaned against his shoulder.
And for once, Rex didn't move.
Not because he couldn't.
But because he didn't want to.