Drum Island

On the Grand Line, fine snowflakes drifted down from the sky.

"I'm telling you... that Beast Clan war king, Tyrannosaurus, was defeated by my ultimate technique..."

"Quack, quack, quack."

Windfire Wheel was bragging about his experiences to Vivi's pet and mount, Karoo Duck, as well as Baroque Works' nun, Miss Monday. Miss Monday merely drank her liquor without any reaction, while Karoo Duck responded to Windfire Wheel with a simple-minded look on his face.

In the end, Rody had not killed Miss Monday. Instead, he brought her along with them to Alabasta.

As for Karoo Duck, he had come to Whiskey Peak with Vivi. He had grown up alongside her since childhood and could understand what she said. Not only was he Vivi's mount, but also her companion, so when Vivi boarded the ship, she naturally brought Karoo Duck with her as well.

Vivi had first sent Igaram off alone by ship, ordering him to sail swiftly to Alabasta and tell her father, Cobra, that Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, was the mastermind behind the Dance Powder incident and the kingdom's civil unrest.

Meanwhile, in the name of the Princess of Alabasta, she had hired Slayer Rody for 1.5 billion Beli to deal with Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. She told her father Cobra to prepare himself, while she and Karoo Duck would return to Alabasta with Rody's group.

Today was the fifth day since they had departed from Whiskey Peak for Alabasta. Although Alabasta was currently in the midst of civil unrest, the situation was not yet as urgent as it had been in the original story. Thus, Rody and the others did not sail at full speed, maintaining only a normal pace.

"Lord Rody, the winter island ahead is Drum Island," Mike reported as he approached Rody, who was drinking black tea.

"So this is Drum Island? It really is quite peculiar..." Rody remarked as he looked at the island ahead. Enormous peaks covered in ice and snow rose from the vast white landscape, while the bitter cold and frost had even spread across the broad sea surrounding the island.

"Rody, aren't we heading to Alabasta?"

"Why are we stopping at this Drum Island again?" Nami asked in confusion.

"There's a Devil Fruit user on this island. His Fruit ability is quite good. I want to see whether I can obtain that Devil Fruit again," Rody said.

"Will it take long?"

"No," Rody replied.

Nami turned to Vivi apologetically. "Sorry, Vivi. Rody wants to go to Drum Island to find a Devil Fruit user, so we'll have to wait a little. But Rody said it won't take long."

Vivi looked back at Nami and said unconcernedly, "Since it's Mr. Rody's decision, we can wait. Alabasta's situation isn't too tense yet, so it won't matter if we return a little later. Besides, Nami, you don't need to apologize to me. We're friends." No one knew how the two women had gotten along, but they had become friends after only a few days.

The ship slowly docked by the island's shore.

"Brrr, why is this Drum Island so cold?" Nami hugged Rody's arm tightly.

"Yeah, it's freezing. In a place this cold, even I, the woman of passion, can't burn with passion," Carmen said, the icy wind stripping away her usual enthusiasm.

"Achoo! Master Carmen, let's not go ashore. A place this cold can't possibly have any good ingredients," Leo and Jose said, sneezing nonstop from the cold.

"Nami, if you want to sail the Grand Line, these are hardships you must overcome."

"Nami, in meteorology, the islands of the Grand Line are divided into four major types—spring islands, summer islands, autumn islands, and winter islands. Each island has its own four seasons. If you want to sail the Grand Line, at the very least, you must endure the climate changes of sixteen seasonal stages, from summer on a summer island to winter on a winter island. Besides that, there are many islands that cannot be categorized, as well as unknown climates..."

"Who are you people?"

"Leave at once! You're not welcome here!"

"If you don't leave, we'll open fire!"

Dozens of Drum Island residents wielding firearms emerged from both sides of the shore where the ship had docked. A tall man dressed in green stepped before the residents and stared at Rody's group solemnly. "Outsiders, you are not welcome here."

"Hey, are you people tired of living? Do you know who our captain is? Our captain is the renowned Slayer Rody!"

"If you know what's good for you, move aside immediately. Otherwise, once our captain gets angry, you're all dead!" Windfire Wheel shouted at the islanders with his hands on his hips.

"H-He's Slayer Rody, with a bounty of 50 million Beli!"

"Slayer Rody... I've heard of him. They say the Slayer kills people whenever he's in a bad mood, and that he's already slaughtered tens of thousands." The Drum Island residents stared at Rody with tense expressions.

Upon hearing Windfire Wheel's arrogant words, the green-clothed man in the lead froze for a moment before looking at Rody sternly. "You're Slayer Rody, the man with a bounty of 50 million Beli? Since you're such a dangerous person, we definitely can't let you set foot on this island." As he spoke, he removed an oval-shaped, double-edged weapon from his back, gripping it and pointing it at Rody.

Rody was already growing impatient. He raised a hand, intending to unleash a slash and kill them all, but Nami tightened her hold on his arm. With an annoyed wave of his hand, Rody sent an invisible slash flying out, shattering the earth and rock beneath the feet of the Drum Island residents surrounding them on both sides. Their footing suddenly vanished, and they fell like stones, crashing onto the ground. Jagged rocks battered them black and blue; many were left with bloodied heads as they wailed and screamed in pain.

The group disembarked. Looking at the Drum Island residents moaning amid the rubble, Windfire Wheel said regretfully, "I told you to get out of the way. Now look what happened. Those who refuse good advice suffer before their eyes."

"Didn't you say that two hundred years for you Machine Clan members is only equivalent to a human's youth? Why are you calling yourself an old man now?" Leo exposed him.

"Alright, alright, don't fuss over such details." Windfire Wheel waved him off.

At that moment, the green-clothed man in the lead slowly rose from the rubble. "You're far too dangerous. Even if I have to stake my life on it, I absolutely cannot let you onto this island!" As he spoke, he transformed into a towering bison man.

"Oh, an Animal-Type user too."

Rody's interest was piqued. In a flash, he appeared beside the bison man and lashed out with a kick at his waist and abdomen. The instant he was struck, the bison man felt as though his stomach had been smashed by an iron rod weighing thousands of pounds. His head snapped back as he spat out a huge mouthful of blood, flying backward into a large tree. Who knew how many bones had broken in his body? He reverted from a bison man to an ordinary human, slumping against the tree as blood continued to trickle from the corner of his mouth.

Rody flashed again and appeared before the green-clothed man, now reverted to normal. He planted a foot on the man's chest and lightly pressed down. "You're an Animal-Type too? You're way too weak."

"It's not that Animal-Types are weak. You're just too weak yourself."