He Had Never Been Anyone Remarkable. The Going Merry sailed at full speed through the raging wind and waves, and finally, two days later, reached the medical Holy Land in the first half of the Grand Line.
Drum Island.
Goose-feather snow drifted through the sky, and a biting cold wind howled past.
But unlike the backward winter island the Straw Hats had imagined, what appeared before their eyes was a modern island.
"Stop the ship! Lower the sails!"
Standing at the bow, Kuro braved the wind and snow, his expression unbearably tense as he shouted, "Captain Luffy, hurry and take down the pirate flag! We absolutely can't approach with the pirate flag flying!"
"Why?"
Though Luffy was shivering from the cold, the moment he heard they had to lower the flag, he immediately snapped back like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"That's our symbol! How can pirates lower their own flag!"
"There's no time to explain! This is a medical special zone directly under the World Government!"
Kuro was so anxious he was practically jumping, pointing at the slowly rotating heavy cannons along the distant shoreline, their calibers terrifying.
"Drum Island's alert system is fully automatic. Any ship that hasn't reported in advance—if it dares enter the defense zone flying a pirate flag, those giant cannons will blast it to pieces within three seconds. There won't even be a chance to explain!"
"Kuro's right, Luffy. Listen to him."
Zoro folded his arms, his face cold and stern.
"But..."
Luffy gritted his teeth and looked up at the straw-hat skull flag on the mainmast, snapping loudly in the wind and snow.
To pirates, the flag was their faith. Taking down the flag was the same as lowering your head and admitting defeat.
But behind him, Crocodile lay on