The Fruit's Restlessness

At the shore of Drum Island, the Going Merry slowly docked. The temperature was already nearing freezing.

"Wahaha, an adventure in the land of snow!"

Luffy leaped off the ship, plunging both feet straight into the snow as he raised his arms and shouted excitedly.

"Luffy, are you really okay wearing so little?" Vivi asked worriedly, hugging herself and curling up against the cold.

Everyone wore thick down jackets. Only Luffy was dressed in a short-sleeved shirt, shorts, and a pair of enormous slippers.

No, there was one other oddball.

"Brrr, it's a little cold."

"Then put some clothes on, Idiot Marimo!" Sanji cursed at the sight of Zoro standing there bare-chested.

"Let's train with a winter swim!" Zoro grinned, then dove headfirst into the sea with a splash.

Just watching him hurt.

Reiner could not help clicking his tongue. He considered himself serious about training, but compared to Zoro, he truly felt ashamed. That guy really trained like he was trying to kill himself.

He summoned the Saw Devil and more than ten Fish-man Undead. By now, the Saw Devil had become the designated ship guard.

After swimming for a while, even Zoro could not help climbing ashore, shivering all over.

"I really thought you weren't human." Reiner controlled an undead to toss Zoro's clothes down from the ship.

There was no road at the shore. Perhaps there had once been one, but it was nowhere to be seen now. The snow had already risen past their calves, so they simply picked a direction and started walking.

Just after they had gone a short distance, shouting erupted from the direction of the Going Merry behind them.

"Pirates, get out of here!"

"Hey, we're talking to you! Did you hear us?!"

"If you don't leave, we won't be polite!"

A group of villagers had surrounded the Going Merry on the shore, all raising guns at the "people" aboard. Yet no matter how they shouted, there was no response.

Bang—!

Thinking the negotiations had failed, one villager could not resist firing a shot at the deck.

"Whirr—whirr—!"

In that instant, the Saw Devil sprang forward and shot out in a blur, reaching the villagers in the blink of an eye.

"So fast!"

Dalton was startled. He shifted sideways and appeared in front of the villagers, drawing the large oval blade from his back to block the descending chainsaw.

Clang—!

"What terrifying strength!"

Feeling the enormous force transmitted through his hands, Dalton was secretly shocked. In the next moment, he was blasted more than ten meters away, his feet carving two deep furrows through the snow.

Dalton's expression hardened. Without further hesitation, he transformed. Short black fur rapidly grew over his body, and two horns emerged from his temples.

Zoan-type: Ox-Ox Fruit, Bison Form!

Facing the advancing Saw Devil, Dalton charged head-on. Blade and saw collided, throwing up a shower of sparks.

"Even Captain Dalton couldn't overpower it after transforming?!"

"What kind of monster is that?!"

Just as the two were locked in a stalemate, the Sword Devil appeared at Dalton's side in an instant, its long blade flashing with a cold gleam as it swung down.

"Reiner, wai—"

The Sword Devil's blade stopped at Dalton's chest. Staring at the cold glint before him, he could not help swallowing.

Before Luffy could finish speaking, Reiner had already controlled the undead to stop.

The other undead also halted their movements, standing blankly where they were.

"Whew... That was close. What's wrong with you?" Luffy looked at Reiner in confusion. Since when would Reiner attack civilians?

"Ah, sorry. My body feels a little strange." Reiner closed his eyes tiredly, took off his glasses, and rubbed his temples.

Judging by their clothing, it was not hard to tell that they were civilians. If he had not stopped in time, he nearly would have slaughtered them.

"I've been a little too bloodthirsty. My mistake." Reiner crouched down, scooped up a handful of snow, and rubbed it over his face.

Ever since he had recruited the Blue Ogre and Red Ogre at Little Garden, he had felt the power inside him faintly stirring. Even his mood had become somewhat irritable.

Nami reached out, pressed a hand atop his head, and rubbed his blond hair as she smiled reassuringly. "It's fine as long as nothing happened."

Looks like I need to train my temperament too, Reiner thought to himself.

He stood up and put his glasses back on. His expression returned to its usual gentleness.

"Are you all right?" They walked over, and Reiner helped one of the villagers to his feet.

"Th-thank you." The villager still looked dazed.

Only then did Dalton react. "We're fine. Who are you people?"

"Hehehe, we're pirates." Luffy grinned and pointed at the Going Merry. "That's our ship."

"What?!"

The villagers, who had only just relaxed, tensed up again and immediately raised their guns at them.

"Put your guns down," Dalton said steadily. The villagers looked at each other in confusion for a moment before lowering their weapons.

Dalton knew that if they had truly wanted to hurt them, his heart would have been pierced just now. At the thought, he could not help glancing again at the motionless Sword Devil.

"My name is Reiner. I handle logistics for the Straw Hat Crew."

Reiner stepped forward with a smile. "We hope to enter the village and replenish some supplies. Of course, we'll pay. We won't do anything strange."

"I understand. My name is Dalton."

Dalton looked at the gentle-smiling man before turning to call the villagers back. "Follow me."

"Hehehe, let's go." Luffy pressed down his straw hat and eagerly ran ahead.

Reiner and the others followed Dalton toward the village, chatting on and off along the way.

"Vitt Liquor?" Zoro naturally would not pass up a place that clearly had strong alcohol.

"Ah, it's a kind of distilled liquor unique to Winter Islands. Drum Island is no exception."

According to Dalton's introduction, the liquor was mainly made from potatoes and continuously distilled into alcohol over ninety-five percent proof. Since the environment of Winter Islands was unsuitable for most plants, it was diluted and then mixed with various roots and tree barks.

"That sounds pretty interesting."

Reiner smiled faintly and wrote "Vitt Liquor" in his notebook.

Above it were records such as "Scarlet Salmon," "Mink Fabric," and other products unique to frigid regions.

Along the way, Dalton also told them about Drum Island, even mentioning how Blackbeard had attacked the country a few months ago.

Yet King Wapol had gathered the army without fighting back. Instead, he abandoned the country and fled.

"Come to think of it, we've run into that Wapol before," Zoro suddenly said.

"Where?! When?!"

Dalton looked at Zoro in shock, his face darkening as he gritted his teeth. "So he still doesn't plan to leave this country alone."

"Uh, he's already feeding the fish in the sea."

"Huh???"

"We ran into him at sea. He wanted to rob us back then, I think?" Sanji said uncertainly, stroking his chin.

"I-is that so."

Dalton froze, his feelings complicated.

Still, it was all benefit and no harm, so he stopped thinking about it.

"Come to think of it, doesn't your country have no doctors now? What happens if someone gets sick?"

"No, there is still one doctor in this country. People call her... the Witch."

"A witch? That sounds pretty cool."

"Your interests are pretty strange." Dalton looked at Luffy with a strange expression.

"Come to think of it, let's pay that doctor a visit."

Reiner took the initiative. "Zoro, you should get your wound treated again."

During Zoro's battle with Hawkeye, his chest had been slashed wide open. None of them knew medicine, so they could only bandage it simply.

Now that there was a highly skilled doctor here, they naturally had to ask her to treat it properly.

"Hah? A little wound like this doesn't—"

Thud!

"That hurt, bastard!"

"Stop acting tough, idiot!" Nami, the tyrant of the ship, punched Zoro.