Could He Be a Genius?

After arriving at the village, the group didn't linger. They immediately split up to buy supplies, as it would take several more days to reach Alabasta.

Sanji said he would buy ingredients, while Nami and Vivi went shopping to look for mink fur, a specialty of Winter Island.

The remaining four, including Lina, planned to go up the mountain. They had bought most of their other supplies in Loguetown and didn't need much more, so they asked Sanji to pick up anything else when he went to the market.

"Here's the list. I'll trouble you with this, Sanji."

"It's no trouble at all."

Sanji took the notebook and handed Lina a cigarette. "Alright, we'll meet back on the ship when you guys get back then."

"Sure. And buy some Vite Wine. This is the shopping money; you can keep the rest."

"Wait, Lina, we want some too!" Nami, who had been walking away with Vivi, immediately turned back when she heard that.

"No way!"

Lina said irritably, "I just gave you millions of Belly worth of treasure yesterday. Don't be so greedy."

"So stingy," Nami said, puffing out her cheeks as she left.

Lina: "..."

Me, stingy? If I let you manage the money, I'd be eating dust right now.

"Alright, let's go then." Lina turned back to Luffy and the others.

Luffy was practically bursting with impatience. "Let's go, let's go!"

"Wait, wait, there's still a problem. This mountain is so high, how are we going to get up there?" Usopp suddenly asked anxiously.

Luffy: "Huh? We'll climb it."

Zoro: "What else?"

Lina: "That's probably how we'll have to do it."

Usopp: "..."

The worst is sudden silence...

"Are you crazy?! We'll die if we fall from that high!" Usopp yelled, baring his teeth.

Luffy: "Huh? We will?"

Zoro: "Isn't there snow to cushion the fall?"

Lina: "We probably won't die."

Usopp: "..."

The silence: I've hit a new low...

"Sanji! Wait for me, I'll help you!" Usopp chased after Sanji and left.

Lina chuckled softly. "Looks like it's just the three of us then."

"Let's race to see who can climb that mountain first, hee hee hee."

"Oh? Sounds pretty interesting."

"Can we use our Devil Fruit powers?" Lina couldn't help but ask.

"I guess so?"

"Wait, Luffy, is he planning to have the Blue Ogre and Red Ogre throw him up there?"

"What?! That's cheating, Lina!" Luffy pointed at him indignantly.

Soon, the three of them walked towards the mountain. Leaving Great Horn Village, they entered the forest. Looking around, everything was a vast expanse of white. Without the few cylindrical peaks, it would be easy to lose direction and get lost.

As for someone who would get lost no matter which way he went, Lina had tied a rope around his waist, holding one end himself.

Before long, the blizzard stopped. The once gloomy sky finally revealed a few rays of sunlight, which shone on the white snow, making it sparkle and almost blinding them.

Taking advantage of the rare sunshine, animals in the forest came out to move around. After walking for a while, the three of them saw a giant bear.

Strangely, this bear was standing upright! Not just able to stand up, but its body was straight, like a human, as it strolled leisurely, using a climbing pick as a cane.

"This must be the 'picnic bear' Dalton mentioned?"

Lina looked at it strangely, remembering Dalton's advice before they parted. "He's here, quickly bow and greet him."

As the picnic bear walked up to them, the three of them bent down and nodded in greeting.

Unexpectedly, the picnic bear made the same gesture, bowing and returning their greeting.

This world is truly amazing, full of all sorts of oddities. Lina couldn't help but smile. It was definitely the right choice to go out to sea. Who could stay at home reading newspapers these days?

"Hahahaha, this bear is so funny."

Luffy was excited and turned to chase after the picnic bear. "I've decided! Let him join our crew as a nakama!"

Lina's forehead creased, and he immediately grabbed Luffy's arm as he rushed out.

Sigh~~

Thump!

After pulling Luffy back, the group walked for a while and finally arrived at the foot of Drum Mountain.

"Alright! Let's begin!" Luffy rubbed his hands together, looking up excitedly at the nearly vertical cliff face.

Zoro directly took off his shirt, wrung it out like a rope, and tied his three swords to his back.

"It's a bit cold, but we'll warm up once we start moving." Lina also took off his heavy coat and tied it around his waist.

"Let's go!"

"I'm ready!"

"Then let's start!"

Luffy and Lina charged forward first.

Only Zoro, however, was unhurried, scoffing, "Two hotheads, climbing a mountain is a test of endurance."

However, Zoro would soon realize how foolish he was.

"Is he trying to maintain a pace to conserve energy?" Lina glanced down at Zoro, understanding dawning in his mind, and chuckled softly:

"I wonder what he's thinking, actually believing two Zoan-type Devil Fruit users would lack stamina."

However, Lina would soon discover how foolish he himself was.

An hour and a half later.

"Wahaha! I won!"

Luffy successfully reached the summit, shouting to the sky with his fists raised, then collapsed at the cliff's edge, looking down at the chase between the other two.

"Bastard! How do you still have energy!"

"It's so high! I'm exhausted!"

"Then hurry up and die, Four-Eyes!"

"Moss-head, climb for me!"

The two glared at each other, their eyes bloodshot, climbing upwards with hands and feet, veins bulging on their foreheads and arms. Zoro lagged a few spots behind, but Lina was clearly slower than Zoro.

Both were now on the verge of exhaustion.

Lina looked at the finish line, so close he could almost touch it, with Zoro relentlessly pursuing him from behind. He didn't even have time to think of any tricks.

Gritting his teeth, he squeezed out the last bit of his strength and climbed upwards with all his might.

"Uwa~~, Ora ora ora!"

"Wahaha, it looks like Lina got here first."

In the end, Lina reached the finish line first. It was a victory for Ora.

If the mountain had been even ten meters higher, Zoro would have overtaken him. What a shame about Zoro's initial misjudgment.

The two lay spread-eagled at the cliff's edge, gasping for air as they stared at the sky.

This scene was all witnessed by a figure 'hiding' beneath the castle wall nearby.

"What strange humans."

A small figure, hiding in the opposite direction, curiously watched the three of them. Round eyes sat above a blue nose, and a red hat adorned with a cross was on its head.

Chopper carefully observed the strange humans who had suddenly arrived, murmuring softly, "One with blonde hair, one with green hair, and... huh? Where's the other one?"

He didn't notice that a figure who had disappeared had now appeared behind him, his eyes bloodshot and drool dripping.

"Heheheh~~, don't run, my meat!"

"Waaah!!! Help me!"

Hearing the scream, Lina struggled to sit up, propping himself up with his hands. He looked in the direction of the sound and saw Chopper's legs a blur, spinning like pinwheels.

Luffy, who had been chasing from behind, suddenly froze. The next moment, his eyes widened, his jaw dropped, and he yelled:

"Meat is talking!!!"

Lina immediately summoned several undead to block Chopper's path. Luffy lunged from behind, about to grab him.

But the next moment, Chopper transformed into a large humanoid form, clapped his hands together, and slammed down at Luffy in mid-air, smashing him directly into the snow.

BOOM!!!

However, ordinary attacks couldn't harm Luffy. He pulled his head out of the snow, his eyes shining as he stared at Chopper and exclaimed:

"It changed, it transformed!!!"

"Wahaha, I've decided! I'm going to ask him to join our crew as a nakama!"

Lina: "..."

He suddenly remembered Luffy's excited shouts at the foot of the mountain just now, wanting to make a picnic bear his nakama.

Could he be a genius?

"What's all the racket about!?"

Just then, a loud voice rang out from the castle entrance. Doctor Kureha, holding a wine bottle, glared at the three of them with disgust. "Where did these three brats come from?"

"Waaah~~, help me, Doctor Kureha." Chopper, with his short legs, scrambled quickly and pitifully behind Doctor Kureha.