Chapter 73Before he could finish, Luffy had already re-wrapped Nami in the blanket, firmly securing her onto his back and tying her tight.Time was of the essence.In this world, there is no road that cannot be traveled."Sanji, Usopp... I'll leave things here to you. Buy the necessary supplies. If enemies show up, wait for me to return."Zoro remained behind to guard the going merry.Vivi and Robin's physical constitutions weren't suited for long, arduous treks."I'm counting on you for Nami," Vivi said, looking at him with concern."Be careful," Robin added.Luffy nodded.He vaguely sensed a lingering presence—a very powerful enemy.But for now, he didn't have time to worry about it.Chapter 97 Chopper: Your Idea is a Bit Presumptuous"Come in."It started to snow, and Dolton invited them into the house.However, Vivi and the others declined. "We're fine here," they said, looking at the distant, towering mountain peaks.This group indeed seemed different from ordinary pirates."My apologies." Dolton sat down on the ground as well, expressing regret for his earlier action of opening fire. "There's a reason they react so aggressively toward pirates.""A few months ago, a group of pirates calling themselves the Blackbeard Pirates attacked this country. King Wapol fled with the doctors, and the country was nearly destroyed by those pirates." As Dolton watched Luffy's silhouette disappear into the wind and snow, he told Vivi and Robin about the tragedy that had struck the nation months prior."The Blackbeard Pirates?"Upon hearing the name, Robin's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly, and a trace of solemnity flashed across her face.As an intelligence operative, she knew some information about this recently emerged but exceptionally dangerous pirate crew.Could they still be nearby?...The man Robin spoke of had committed an act extremely common in the pirate world—betrayal.Yet, it was also extremely extraordinary.Because the target of his betrayal was one of the Four Emperors, one of the sovereigns of this sea.Just on the outskirts of Drum Island, on the frigid sea covered in ice floes and chill, a strange raft—less a pirate ship and more a patchwork of several small boats—floated quietly.Beside it, the carcass of a massive, dead Sea King could be seen.At the bow, a man sat cross-legged, unceremoniously tearing into a giant beast's leg. He appeared exceptionally obese and burly, with dark skin and several missing teeth; one might worry that a single bite would cause the rest of his teeth to shatter.When it came to biding one's time on the high seas, if Marshall D. Teach claimed to be second best, no one would dare claim to be first.Furthermore, for the sake of his ambition, he was willing to betray even the "Pops" who had shown him immense kindness."Zehahaha! Van Auger, what have you discovered?"Blackbeard wiped his greasy mouth and turned to look at a tall, thin man at the stern wearing a peculiar hat and holding a long-barreled sniper rifle. "Why did your muzzle instinctively aim over there just now? Did you find some good prey?"He had stayed near Drum Island not only to restock supplies but also for another important purpose: to hunt the former king of the Drum Kingdom, the Munch-Munch Fruit user, Wapol.Blackbeard was quite interested in that ability to devour and fuse; it made him feel that his preconceived theory was even more likely.He really wanted to study it.Perhaps it could be combined with his future crazy experiment.But Wapol's ability was indeed useful; he even had a submarine.Without a good way to counter such a technological product, even an Admiral might not be able to stop it.The sniper, Van Auger, slowly lowered his rifle, adjusted his small round monocle, and replied, "No, Captain. It wasn't that I found a target. It's just that for a split second, my fate seemed to be nudged.""An extremely brief but exceptionally violent presence came from that direction, though it vanished quickly."It was merely his instinctive reaction as a sniper."That direction... is that Drum Island?"Beside Blackbeard, a sickly man wearing a top hat—the ship's doctor, Doc Q—coughed feebly as he chimed in, "Cough... cough-cough... On that island, besides that Wapol who was scared witless by us, what other decent figures could there be?I do have some memory of that Zoan-type Devil Fruit user, though.""Tch."Blackbeard spat disdainfully, his face full of contempt. "That Bison-man who ate the Ox-Ox Fruit? Zehahaha! Such an ordinary Zoan is simply too pathetic to look at."Zoan-type Devil Fruits?Even a dog wouldn't eat them.He patted his round belly, a glint of greed and ambition flashing in his eyes.His goal was the most powerful Devil Fruit in the world.The Paramecia-type, Tremor-Tremor Fruit!By comparison, let alone ordinary Zoans, even a Mythical Zoan would hardly catch his eye."Still, if Van Auger had a reaction, maybe some interesting fellow really did arrive on the island? What a pity..."Blackbeard rubbed his chin. Van Auger's intuition was always accurate, but now was not the time to look for trouble."Zehahaha! Let's go, let's go. There's no need to waste time for a Munch-Munch Fruit. After all, there's a super troublesome guy following right behind us."Unless absolutely necessary, Blackbeard didn't want to run into that person yet.Could he win?Such a thing wasn't within his considerations; he was thinking about the subsequent consequences....On the other side, in the direction Van Auger had pointed, Luffy carried Nami along the snowy path and, as expected, soon encountered the enemies Dolton had warned might appear.A pack of Lapahns—large, agile, and violent rabbits.Normally, Luffy might have had an exciting fight with them, but right now, even the slightest aftershock from a battle could worsen Nami's condition."I don't have time to fight you."As it turned out, even if some guys can understand what you're saying, only fists can make them stop.Looking at the surrounding Lapahns, Luffy's expression turned fierce, and an aura mixed with terrifying bloodlust swept through the area!"Get lost!"Those violent Lapahns didn't even let out a whimper before their eyes rolled back, and they fainted in heaps across the snow.However, perhaps because the momentum Luffyreleased was too intense, or perhaps by coincidence, the snow on the mountain peaks was shaken, triggering a chain reaction—an avalanche!Like a white tsunami, the accumulated snow came thundering down!Luffy grit his teeth and immediately entered Gear Second. Instead of retreating, he held Nami even tighter on his back and then exerted sudden force with his legs. The elasticity of the Gum-Gum Fruitgave him incredible explosive power, and like an arrow released from a bow, he charged into the avalanche, finally reaching the foot of the mountain at a nearly vertical angle.Cold.No wonder people say Logia-type Devil Fruits, which possess the power to control natural disasters, are the strongest.Climbing toward the summit, his Rubber hands and feet took turns plunging into the icy rock walls, leaving deep marks with every surge of strength.When he finally broke through the last wave of snow and collapsed onto the platform in front of the mountain-top castle, looking utterly disheveled, he was almost completely drained of strength."Finally... made it.""Hey, hey, hey. At a time like this, no one should be appearing here."A voice called out. Luffy looked up to see a vigorous-looking old lady wearing tights and a cape, and beside her was a hat-wearing reindeer that could speak human language:"Dr. Kureha, is he going to die?"Luffy: "..."Speaking food?Chopper suddenly shivered.For some reason, he felt that this human's gaze was somewhat presumptuous.Chapter 98 Awakening of Conqueror's Haki"My friend is sick. Dolton said you're the only doctor in this country. I need medicine for Kestia."Luffy's voice was a bit raspy."Who are you people?" Dr. Kureha didn't agree immediately, instead sizing him up warily."Pirates," Luffy said.Chopper's eyes visibly brightened.Dr. Kureha stepped closer to look at the frostbitten Luffy, then at Nami, who was perfectly protected on his back, and suddenly asked:"Do you have a doctor on your ship too? Who treated this woman's condition?""I did." Luffy was a bit anxious; why was this witch asking such irrelevant questions?"I have the medicine for Kestia. I'll give it to you for free, but I won't lift a finger to help."What does she mean... whatever, as long as there's medicine....When Nami slowly woke up, she felt a long-lost sense of relief; her high fever had broken. She found herself lying in an unfamiliar room, with an old lady sitting by the bed drinking."You're awake, little girl?""Where am I? Who are you?"Dr. Kureha put down the bottle and looked at her with a smile. "This is the castle where I live. I'm the one who provided the medicine, Dr. Kureha.""Thank you, ma'am...""Ma'am? You're quite the sweet-talker, little girl. I've lived for 139 years, and after I turned 100, those fellows all started calling me a witch."139 years old?This is 139 years old?This old lady is so full of life; if you told me she just turned forty, I wouldn't doubt it.Nami suspected she was still dreaming."Wahahaha! Want to know the secret to my eternal youth?""I really do... but more importantly, do you know where my Captain is?"Nami sat up, feeling a bit weak but much better mentally.This meant she was saved, right?"Your Captain..."Kureha pointed to another bed in the corner of the room, where Luffy was lying and sleeping soundly."That kid risked his life to carry you up from the bottom of the mountain, nearly getting buried by snow. After getting up here, he actually held on and used my medicinal ingredients to treat you himself, using some half-baked method he learned from who-knows-where. Once he finished and confirmed your fever had subsided, he just collapsed and fell fast asleep from exhaustion."It was rare for Kureha to admire someone like this.Besides Hiriluk, the Straw Hat is now one of them.Braving a blizzard, climbing the five-thousand-meter Drum Rockies with his bare hands, and being frostbitten almost all over his body—yet he still had the strength left to perform treatment.Nami quickly threw off the covers and went over.Luffy was sleeping deeply on the simple bed, but his body was covered in frostbite.Her heart suddenly tightened, filled with both gratitude and heartache."I've already treated his frostbite."To be honest, in Kureha's eyes, he would have been fine even without treatment. This was the first time she had seen a patient with such a terrifying physique; even if left alone, his body could heal itself, and at no slow speed either
