Ronan closed his eyes and looked inward.
He could clearly "see" the golden inner energy flowing through his meridians like a surging river.
With every completed circulation, a faint but incredibly pure thread of energy seeped into his organs and deep into his bone marrow.
Our bodies have already formed the beginnings of the Vajra physique—ordinary steel can no longer harm us.
But the amount of qi inside us is still too little.
Ronan thought quietly to himself.
It's like having an incredibly strong dam, but the reservoir behind it still doesn't hold enough water.
Only through relentless training of the breathing technique—day after day—can we keep strengthening our inner qi.
Only then can we truly reach the state of being invulnerable to all methods, the perfected Indestructible Vajra Body.
Perhaps even reach the legendary realm where the three flowers gather at the crown and the five energies return to their source.
Although Luffy was usually restless, he displayed astonishing focus right now.
His skin glowed faintly with a dark crimson light as he breathed, his rubber body expanding and contracting rhythmically, undergoing some deep internal tempering.
Around Zoro lingered a sharp sword aura.
His breathing was the most intense of them all—the air he exhaled actually carved faint white marks into the deck.
With the massive growth of his physique and strength, Zoro's swordsmanship had also advanced naturally, step by step.
Sanji sat cross-legged as well, his spine straight like a coiled dragon. Heat waves faintly radiated from his back.
It was the result of his lineage factor merging with his inner energy, constantly refining his body.
Nami leaned against the railing of the upper deck, an orange in her hand.
Watching the group of men below training like ascetic monks, she sighed helplessly and turned to Vivi beside her.
"These guys really never run out of energy…"
But she didn't get the response she expected.
"Vivi?"
Nami turned her head in confusion—and immediately realized something was wrong.
Vivi was leaning against the ship's railing. Her usually fair face was flushed an unnatural shade of red.
Fine beads of sweat covered her forehead. Her eyes were unfocused, and her breathing was rapid and heavy, as if every breath required all the strength she had.
"N… Nami…"
Vivi's voice was weak, like that of a dying bird.
She struggled to raise her hand, trying to grab onto something.
"I don't know why… but I feel… so tired…"
Before she could finish speaking, her legs suddenly gave out.
Her body lost balance and she collapsed straight toward the hard deck.
"VIVI!!"
Nami's face went pale as the orange fell from her hand.
Reacting quickly, she caught Vivi's limp body. The moment she touched her, she felt a terrifying heat.
"Oh my god! You're burning up! What's wrong with you, Vivi?!"
Nami shouted in panic.
The commotion instantly shattered the calm in the middle of the deck.
"What happened?!"
Almost at the same time, the four men who had been meditating opened their eyes.
Luffy's figure flashed—and he appeared on the upper deck instantly.
"Nami! What happened?"
"Vivi… she suddenly fainted! And her body is burning hot!" Nami cried anxiously. "She has a terrible fever!"
"Miss Vivi?!"
Sanji rushed over like he had teleported.
Seeing the girl in Nami's arms, her face filled with pain and her consciousness fading, his heart twisted.
"She was fine just now! How could she suddenly collapse?"
Ronan also walked over with a frown.
He reached out and placed two fingers on Vivi's wrist.
Her pulse was chaotic and weak.
Inside her body, it felt as though a vicious heat was burning wildly—classic signs of a viral infection.
"These symptoms…"
Ronan looked at Vivi's unnatural flushed face, then glanced at the healthy but anxious Nami beside her.
In an instant, he understood everything.
In the original storyline, Nami had been bitten on Little Garden by an ancient poisonous insect called Kestia, which infected her with the deadly Five-Day Disease.
But in this timeline, because of Ronan's involvement, Nami had stayed on the ship and never entered the jungle.
Instead, Vivi had followed them hunting and witnessing battles, spending the entire night inside the ancient jungle filled with miasma and poisonous insects.
The butterfly flapped its wings… and the victim changed from Nami to Vivi.
Ronan examined Vivi's exposed arm.
Sure enough, in a hidden spot he found a swollen red insect bite.
"Kestia… a prehistoric virus that went extinct a hundred years ago. Its incubation period is extremely short, and once it erupts, it's incredibly violent."
"If not treated in time, the victim dies within five days from high fever and organ failure."
Ronan withdrew his hand, his expression serious.
Originally, he had been thinking that since Nami hadn't gotten sick, they might go directly to Alabasta and skip Drum Island.
After resolving the Alabasta situation, they could find a way to recruit Chopper later.
But now, fate had once again pushed them toward the winter island that held the reindeer doctor.
"Ronan… how is she?" Luffy asked, seeing Ronan's serious face.
His usual carefree attitude had vanished.
"It's not good."
Ronan spoke in a low voice.
"This isn't an ordinary fever. It's a prehistoric virus from Little Garden. The medicine we have on the ship won't work."
"Then what do we do?!" Nami's eyes filled with tears. "We don't have a doctor on board!"
"We must find a doctor immediately."
Ronan stood up.
"And quickly. The longer this disease lasts, the more dangerous it becomes."
"But… Alabasta…"
Half-conscious, Vivi seemed to hear their conversation.
She struggled to open her eyes and whispered weakly,
"We can't… delay… the people of my country…"
"Idiot!"
Nami shouted, tears streaming down her face.
"If you lose your life, how are you supposed to save your country?!"
She turned toward Luffy.
"What do you say, Luffy?"
Without hesitation, Luffy pressed down the brim of his straw hat.
"Of course we change course!"
His eyes were firm and unwavering.
"If we don't cure Vivi, we're not going anywhere! Nami, find the nearest island with a doctor!"
"Got it!"
Nami wiped away her tears and immediately regained the composure of a professional navigator.
"According to the map, we'll need to change our route… and head north!"
"We're going to a country famous for having the best medical technology!"
With the order given, the Going Merry carved a sharp arc across the sea, turning its bow toward the cold northern waters and speeding ahead at full sail.
The once clear sky seemed to darken along with Vivi's worsening condition.
The temperature gradually began to drop.
A sign that they were approaching the territory of the winter island known across the Grand Line as a medical kingdom—
The Drum Kingdom.
Ronan stood at the bow, feeling the cold wind blowing against his face.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Chopper, huh…"
"Perfect. Our crew really does need a good doctor."
"And as emergency rations… he'd fit right in with our current style."
"Looks like this trip to Drum Island will bring us quite a harvest."
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