Nami fell ill

By the next morning, everyone had gotten up, eaten breakfast, and was resting on deck.

Sanji said unhappily, "Why hasn't Nami-chan gotten up for breakfast yet? Does she not like my cooking anymore? Boo-hoo..."

Hearing Sanji's words, Liu Qing's heart lurched. This is bad, he thought. Nami might still have been bitten by a poisonous insect. He hurriedly asked Vivi to check Nami's room.

"Princess Vivi, please go check Nami's room and see if she's sick. Hurry," Liu Qing said urgently.

Luffy and the others gathered around, looking at him in confusion.

Luffy said, "What's wrong? What happened? Isn't she just sleeping in? It's nothing."

Liu Qing was frantic. Who would have thought Nami would still get bitten even though she hadn't gone looking for Luffy and the others? Who knew whether this insect's venom was stronger or weaker than in the original story? If it was stronger, she might not last until they reached Drum Island.

Seeing how unconcerned Luffy was, Liu Qing hurriedly said, "Come on! Did you forget what Nami said yesterday? Little Garden is full of all kinds of poisonous insects. I'm afraid she got bitten! We don't have a doctor. If the venom is really strong, she could be done for."

Everyone's heart tightened at once. They all stared at Nami's room, waiting for Vivi to bring back news.

Just then, Princess Vivi rushed out and shouted, "This is bad! Nami's sick! I found this insect on her forehead!"

As she spoke, she took out a small bottle containing an insect about the size of a sesame seed, still crawling slowly.

"Beep, beep, beep, beep! Quick, get moving! Find the next island. We need a doctor! Nobody give her any medicine at random. I'm afraid it'll make her condition worse." Liu Qing was so anxious that his head was spinning.

He cursed inwardly. Hashirama Senju was strong, but he couldn't treat illnesses. In this situation, strength was useless. Without medical skills, he was helpless, and he couldn't remember how they had identified Drum Island in the original story.

Just then, Vivi said, "Snow... Does anyone have a telescope? Check which direction it's snowing in. Among the nearby islands, there's a country where it snows all year round. It's the legendary land of medicine. If we head toward the snow, we'll definitely get there."

Usopp immediately climbed up to the lookout and began observing carefully. Before long, he cried out in delight, "Sanji, a little to the left! I can see snow over there!"

Sanji found the right heading and began advancing toward Drum Island as fast as possible.

Everyone entered Nami's room. Liu Qing placed a hand on her forehead. "She's burning up! She's burning up! This is bad. Nami's condition is too serious."

"Luffy, Usopp, watch Nami. I'll increase our speed." With that, Liu Qing ran outside.

Reaching the stern, Liu Qing clapped his hands together. "Wood Release: Wood Dragon!"

The Going Merry's speed suddenly increased more than tenfold. It wasn't that he couldn't go faster, but he was afraid the Going Merry and the sick Nami wouldn't be able to withstand it.

After less than ten more minutes, the Going Merry slowly entered a stretch of sea blanketed by heavy, feathery snow. The sky over these waters was gloomy, and snowflakes drifted down thickly, as though the whole world were shrouded in a white curtain.

Before long, Zoro, standing in the lookout, suddenly shouted, "Hey! Liu Qing, there's trouble ahead! There's a huge pirate ship blocking our path dead ahead. That ship is more than five times the size of our Going Merry!"

Liu Qing frowned slightly at this. He quickly assessed the situation ahead and thought, There's no time to hesitate. Let's break straight through!

However, just as Liu Qing resolved to force his way through, the pirate ship opposite them suddenly opened fire without warning. A dense barrage of cannonballs rained toward the Going Merry. Seeing this, Liu Qing immediately used Wood Release: Super-Sized Wood Locking Wall to block the cannonballs.

Because of this, however, the Going Merry was forced to stop.

Feeling the Going Merry stop, Luffy rushed out of the room like the wind with Nami on his back, frantic with worry. His face was full of anxiety and concern, and he kept muttering, "Are we there? I'll go find a doctor right now!"

From the lookout, Zoro saw Luffy's urgent expression as he carried Nami, and his heart tightened. He explained, "Not yet, Luffy! We've run into a little trouble. There's a massive pirate ship blocking our way. Not only did they force us to stop with cannon fire, but they've only got a measly thousand men!"

A trace of anger seeped into Zoro's voice. He gripped his three swords tightly, his eyes blazing as he stared at the distant pirate ship.

Then Zoro turned to Liu Qing, who stood nearby, a glint of resolve flashing in his eyes. He took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "I'll stay. Keep going without me. Once I've slaughtered these pirates, I'll catch up right away!"

He didn't wait for the others to agree.

On the opposing pirate ship, Wapol, wearing something like a hippopotamus cloak, swallowed the knife holding his ham in a single bite as he spoke. He glanced at Luffy and the others. "Is this all of you?"

"Did that guy just eat the knife too?" Zoro asked uncertainly, instinctively tightening his grip on his swords.

Wapol wiped his mouth with his clothes and asked again, "Your numbers don't matter. Do you have a Log Pose or an Eternal Pose leading to Drum Island?"

"Drum Island! I remember now. The man on that pirate ship is the king of Drum Island," Vivi suddenly said loudly.

Hearing this, Usopp was astonished. "The king? How's that possible? If he's really a king, why would he come out here and become a pirate?"

Princess Vivi looked certain. "There's no mistake. I went with my father to the last conference of the World Government Member States, and I saw him at the conference. When I first saw him just now, he only looked a little familiar, but he just mentioned Drum Island. Now I'm certain he's the king of Drum Island."

Hearing Vivi's words, Wapol planted his hands on his hips and laughed. "Gahaha! You know quite a lot, little girl. That's right! I'm the king of Drum Island!"

Then his expression changed, and he said coldly, "So, do you have a Log Pose for Drum Island? If you don't, prepare to die."

Luffy held Nami tightly, feeling the waves of scorching heat coming from her body. Her condition had already left him anxious and uneasy, and now he felt as though he had plunged into an ice cellar. His eyes blazed as he stared fixedly at Wapol opposite him, making no attempt to hide his killing intent.

"No! Get out of the way, or I'll attack!" Luffy's voice was low and commanding, as though the entire sea could feel his anger.

Yet Wapol turned a deaf ear to Luffy's warning and instead burst out laughing. He mocked, "Just the few of you want to fight? Do you think you can beat me?"

Before he had even finished speaking, Wapol's mouth suddenly swelled like an inflating balloon, growing larger than the Going Merry. He opened his enormous, blood-red maw and bit straight toward the Going Merry, his hideous appearance enough to send chills down one's spine.

At that critical moment, Zoro leaped from the lookout like lightning. Holding his three swords, he carved a fierce arc through the air and roared, "Three Sword Style: Oni Giri!"

In an instant, blades flashed like roaring demons. Zoro's attack struck Wapol with the crushing force of thunder. The blow sent Wapol flying backward, and he crashed heavily onto his own ship.

Wapol scrambled miserably to his feet and glared angrily at everyone aboard the Going Merry. Filled with frustration and helplessness, he couldn't help lamenting, "Sigh, why am I so unlucky? A few days ago, we ran into a fat black guy who chased us all the way out of Drum Island. Now I've run into a tiny pirate crew, and I can't even beat them. Life is just too hard!"

Coming back to his senses, Wapol's gaze turned sharp and vicious. Without hesitation, he ordered the pirates under his command, "Everyone, fire at will! Wipe them out!"

His voice echoed across the sea like a thunderclap, making everyone's eardrums ache.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" the pirate underlings shouted in unison, their voices deafening.

Immediately afterward, a fierce battle broke out.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! Cannonballs streaked across the sky like meteors, hurtling toward the Going Merry with piercing whistles.

Bang, bang, bang! The sounds of bows and muskets firing rose one after another as a dense rain of projectiles poured down from every direction.

Seeing the incoming cannonballs and arrows, Luffy put Nami down and used every means at his disposal to block all the attacks. Then, while continuing to fend them off, he said coldly, "Everyone, wipe them out."

"We should've done that ages ago." Zoro tightened his grip on his swords and prepared to leap onto the opposing pirate ship and begin slaughtering them.

Before they could act, Liu Qing also spoke coldly. "Sanji, keep the ship moving. I'll deal with them. We can't waste time here."

Sanji nodded at his words and turned toward the wheelhouse, steering around Wapol's Ironclad and continuing toward the falling snow.

Seeing this tiny pirate crew dare to ignore him, Wapol was just about to order his men to intensify their fire.

Black markings appeared on Liu Qing's face at the stern of the Going Merry. He stared coldly at the Ironclad, pressed his palms together, and shouted in a low voice, "Sage Art: Wood Release: Hotei Technique!"

A semicircular piece of wood larger than the ship appeared on either side of the Ironclad. The instant they appeared, they slammed together, forming a giant wooden sphere that trapped the Ironclad and everyone aboard inside.

Violent explosions were still going off inside the sphere. Clearly, the cannonballs they had fired had also been blocked and were exploding inside.

Using the Wood Dragon's tail, Liu Qing towed Wapol and his crew, trapped by the Wood Release: Hotei Technique, taking them along toward Drum Island.