Stepping through the thick snow, everyone quickly advanced along the footprints left by the soldiers. The cold wind howled, and snowflakes lashed their faces like knives, but everyone was full of fighting spirit.
As the elevation increased, the wind and snow grew fiercer. The distant castle's firelight was exceptionally striking, and faint sounds of fighting and the loud crash of collapsing debris could still be heard.
Just then,
Nami suddenly stopped. The treasure hunting system had generated a new treasure map!
She took out the faintly glowing treasure map from her pocket. The previously blurry lines on the map were gradually becoming clear, finally converging into a striking red mark—exactly the castle on the mountaintop!
"This... this is too much of a coincidence!" Nami's exclamation was scattered by the cold wind. She hurried to catch up with Ron, holding the treasure map up to him. "Ron, look! The new treasure spot just generated is right there at the castle!"
Ron glanced at the map, a hint of understanding flashing in his eyes: "Sure enough." He looked up at the mountaintop, the outline of the castle vaguely visible in the wind and snow. "It seems this time we can not only save Chopper but also dig up some treasure along the way."
Usopp immediately perked up at the news: "Wh-what treasure?!" He leaned over, staring at the treasure map, his long nose almost touching the paper. "It's not going to be some scary thing again, is it..."
"Who cares!" Luffy stretched his neck to look, shouting excitedly, "We're going to the castle anyway, and treasure makes it even better!"
Zoro snorted softly: "I hope we dig up something proper this time, and no more inexplicable ghosts."
Nami carefully put away the treasure map, her eyes glinting with determination: "No matter what, we're definitely going to the castle!" She looked at Ron, "This time you have to keep your word and help me dig for treasure!"
Ron chuckled softly, reaching out to brush away the snowflakes from her hair: "Of course, but for now..." His gaze shifted to the mountaintop, the castle's firelight reflected in his deep pupils. "First, let's deal with that troublesome Wapol."
...
When everyone arrived at the mountaintop castle amidst the blizzard, the sight before them made their hearts clench.
Injured soldiers lay scattered everywhere, their blood spreading a dazzling red on the snow. Dalton knelt, propped up by his broken longsword, a grotesque wound on his chest gushing blood, yet he still desperately blocked their path: "Go... go quickly..."
And at the other end of the battlefield, a blue-nosed reindeer was confronting a corpulent man.
Chopper was covered in wounds, his fur scorched black, and one leg was already unstable, yet he stubbornly stood in front of the injured Doctor Kureha.
"Hahaha!" Wapol's wild laughter echoed in the wind and snow. "This country doesn't need doctors! Although you're a reindeer, since you're a doctor, then die!"
He opened his exaggerated large mouth, and a cannonball whistled out!
Chopper dodged with all his might but was knocked to the ground by the explosion's shockwave, dragging a long trail in the snow.
"Chopper! You brat, get out of here!" Doctor Kureha exclaimed.
Wapol sneered, reloading: "Let's see how you dodge this time!"
Just at this critical moment, a dark shadow flashed like a ghost. Ron had appeared in front of Chopper at some point, his right arm wrapped in dark Armament Haki, and he actually caught the incoming cannonball with his bare hand!
"Wh-what?!" Wapol's eyes widened.
Under everyone's shocked gaze, Ron's five fingers tightened, and the cannonball was actually crushed!
"Boom!!!"
A loud bang, smoke filled the air, and sparks flew.
"Id-idiot!" Wapol recovered, laughing wildly, "At such close range, you'll definitely be blown to smithereens!"
However, when the smoke cleared, Ron still stood tall, not even a corner of his clothes damaged. He lightly dusted off his shoulder and turned to look at the dumbfounded Chopper.
"To deal with this kind of scum," Ron's voice was calm but full of power, "the best method isn't defense."
He slowly turned towards Wapol, each step leaving a deep imprint in the snow. "It's to beat him flying, to beat him so thoroughly that he never dares to cause trouble again!"
Chopper's round eyes widened even further, tears welling up: "You... why did you..."
Ron didn't answer, just continued walking towards Wapol, his coat flapping in the wind and snow. An invisible oppressive force made the surrounding snowflakes freeze.
Usopp, nearby, was also shocked. Crushing a cannonball with bare hands? So Ron was even more impressive than him!
Wapol finally panicked: "You... don't come any closer!" He frantically shoved weapons into his mouth. "I'm going to... going to... blow you up!"
He frantically spun his barrel-like body, and cannonballs whistled out from all angles.
"Die! All of you, die!" He roared hysterically, cannonballs exploding into deep craters in the snow.
However, Ron moved through the hail of bullets as if strolling in a leisurely garden. His Observation Haki had already reached a high level, and the trajectory of every cannonball was clearly visible to him.
Sometimes he would just slightly turn his body, and the cannonball would graze past him; sometimes he would lightly tilt his head, and the explosion's shockwave couldn't even disturb a single strand of his hair.
"Too slow," Ron commented blandly, a hint of boredom in his tone.
Finally, he lost interest in dodging.
When the next cannonball came, he directly extended his hand wrapped in Armament Haki, his five fingers gripping the cannonball firmly like iron tongs.
With a muffled "boom," the cannonball exploded in his palm, yet it didn't leave even a single scratch.
"Th-this is impossible!" Wapol retreated in horror, his barrel-like body carving deep marks in the snow.
Ron advanced step by step, casually catching three more cannonballs and crushing them as easily as cracking walnuts. The explosion's firelight illuminated his stern profile, his coat flapping in the air currents.
"Had enough fun?" Ron suddenly accelerated, instantly appearing in front of Wapol. Under the opponent's terrified gaze, he picked up an unlaunched cannonball and directly shoved it into Wapol's wide-open mouth.
"Mmph?!" Wapol's eyes widened, his barrel-like body comically stiffening in place.
"Swallow it and explode," Ron said calmly, applying a little force to his hand, and the cannonball was forcibly pushed down Wapol's throat.
The next second, a muffled "boom" came from inside Wapol.
Although his barrel-like body wasn't blown apart, the violent impact still made his eyes roll back, and exaggerated bulges appeared on his iron skin. Finally, he collapsed into the snow with a "thud," completely unconscious.
The entire mountaintop instantly fell silent, with only the sound of the wind and snow howling.
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