Drum Island

Thud!

Reiner walked into the ship's lower deck cabin and casually tossed a small pouch of treasure onto the table.

"What's this?"

"Just now, a little haul."

Nami glanced over, her curiosity prompting her to reach out and open it. Her instincts told her it had to be something good. She untied the string and pulled back the flap, and sure enough, a captivating golden glow met her eyes.

"Wa-hah~" Nami immediately stood up, her eyes gleaming with a golden light even more dazzling than the treasure itself.

Reiner, unfazed, walked over, picked up a cup from the table, and poured himself some water.

"It's for you."

"Really, Reiner! I love you!"

Heh, happy when you have money, curse your mom when you don't. Reiner put down his glass and rolled his eyes at her. Unexpectedly, Nami turned around and gave him a big hug.

???

Reiner had just finished exercising and walked in, his upper body bare. Feeling Nami press against him, a strange ripple went through him.

He looked at the table, at the treasure worth only a few hundred, less than ten million Beli.

This is enough to get a hug? Reiner couldn't help but think of the hundreds of millions of Beli in his own private stash.

I-have-a-plan!

"Nami." A mischievous grin suddenly appeared on Reiner's face. He smoothly wrapped his arm around Nami's waist and said slyly, "I'm just saying, I still have a bit of savings in my private stash…"

"Hmm?" Nami looked up at him, feeling his arm around her waist.

A black line appeared above Nami's head, and she delivered a punch.

Duang!!

And so, a tearful figure lay face-down on the ground, butt in the air. "I didn't even say anything yet…"

"I knew a dog's mouth would never utter ivory."

Nami rolled her eyes at him, annoyed. "That Drum Island you mentioned earlier, looking at the map, we should reach its vicinity tomorrow."

"Ah, got it."

Reiner composed himself, stood up, and sat next to Nami. He took the sea chart and looked at it. "Tomorrow we'll enter the Winter Island climate zone. Get ready with thick clothes so you don't catch a cold."

"Hmm, right, what is Winter Island?" Nami acknowledged and then asked.

Reiner: "…"

"Are you planning on taking over my Navigator position too?"

Reiner squinted at her, his disdain unmistakable. How did this logistics role become almost all-encompassing?

He had even started helping with cooking. The Wolverine Undead was a fusion of Sanji and Kuro. And surprisingly, its cooking skills weren't bad. Too bad it had no brains; Sanji had taken it to help out in the kitchen.

Nami just chuckled and waved her hand, "Hahahaha."

"Dinner's ready, everyone!"

Sanji's voice came from the second-floor living room. Reiner picked up the blue shirt draped over the back of a chair, buttoned it up, and went upstairs with Nami.

"Today's lunch is quite a feast."

"Ah, thanks to Reiner's Undead, it hunted a small sea king this morning."

"Wahahaha, so much meat!"

"To celebrate Reiner catching the sea king, I'll go get the last barrel of sake."

Zoro's lips curled into a smile as he stood up and headed to the downstairs storage. He always found excuses to drink.

When they left Little Garden, he had left a barrel of sake for each of the two giants. Of the dozen or so barrels he bought in Loguetown, only this one remained.

But fortunately, they would reach Drum Island tomorrow. He could buy more then. Reiner took the opportunity while everyone was present to mention that they would resupply on Drum Island.

"Eh, Drum Island?" Vivi paused, then looked up at Reiner.

"What's wrong, Vivi? Is there a problem with that island?"

Drum Island was about four or five days' journey from Alabasta, barely counting as a neighboring country.

Vivi had never been there, but she had heard stories, including a ridiculous incident that had once shocked the world.

Doctor 20 Incident!

Vivi slowly began to explain to everyone, "The Drum Kingdom was once a country renowned for its medical expertise."

"Until one day, the king there selected the best and most obedient 20 doctors, then killed or exiled all the other doctors…"

"Why would he do that?" Nami asked curiously, setting down her cutlery.

Vivi's grip tightened on her cutlery, her face suddenly turning grim. She gritted her teeth, spitting out a few words in a low, dark voice:

"Because that scumbag King Wapol had a disgusting fetish, he enjoyed watching his subjects kneel and beg him for treatment."

The small room was packed, yet a strange silence fell over them for a moment.

Clang!

"Wapol? Was that what he called himself just now?" Sanji lit a cigarette and spoke casually, as if confirming with Reiner and Zoro.

"Probably. Don't remember."

"It was him, alright. He's already at the bottom of the sea, feeding the fish."

"Nani!! So you three just quietly sank a king into the sea, you scoundrels!"

Nami cursed loudly, then slowly sat down, sighing helplessly, "Never mind. Good thing it was quiet. Nothing should come of it."

"Huh? What's going on?" Vivi looked bewildered.

This conversation sounds like something big just happened.

"This scumbag Wha-whatever! Let's go beat him up while we're at it!" Luffy stood on a chair, stomping his foot on the table with a thump, yelling angrily.

Everyone: "…So slow."

"And get off the table, you idiot!"

Thud!

***

The next day at noon, the gloomy sky was somewhat oppressive, with goose-down snow falling and poor visibility at sea.

Nami and Vivi both put on thick clothes and warm earflaps. They even specially tailored a warm coat for Karoo to wear.

The wind at sea was strong, and coupled with the severe cold, it bit to the bone. Even Nami, uncharacteristically, wore thick long pants.

It was incredibly boring.

Only two people on the ship were having the time of their lives.

"Catch the ball, Luffy!"

"Argh! Damn it, take this, Usopp, Gum-Gum Snowball!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute, using your powers is too much!"

Thump!

"Ugh…"

On the crow's nest, an Undead Hawk detached itself from the group, flapping its wings and flying to the back of the ship.

"Looks like we're almost there." Reiner put down his weights and followed the hawk back to the crow's nest.

Looking out, the sea was a vast expanse of white. The goose-down snow obscured his entire view, and he could only vaguely make out a small black dot.

It wasn't until a while later that the island's appearance gradually became clear. The entire island was almost covered in snow, with huge white domes and cylindrical peaks rising from it.

"Approaching the island, everyone!"

"Here we come, here we come, Winter Island adventure!"

At this moment, in Big Horn Village on Drum Island, the pristine white snow on the streets was swept to the sides and piled up.

A frantic figure ran on the clean road, making a crisp tap-tap-tap sound.

"Oh no! The Pirates are here again!"

"Quick, go notify Dalton!"

"Everyone, get ready for battle!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

In an ordinary civilian house, violent knocking disturbed a big man who was eating.

"What is it?" The big man wasn't angry; he simply stood up and called out, his voice steady and deep.

His response was a panicked, urgent shout: "It's bad, Dalton, the Pirates are here again!"

Dalton frowned immediately upon hearing this. He quickly grabbed the oval-shaped, double-edged greatsword leaning against the wall and ran out the door.

"Find a few people to notify the nearby villages! The rest of you, grab your gear and follow me!"

Dalton shouted with a solemn expression, taking the lead and rushing towards the coast.

"Yes!"