CHAPTER 7: THE ICE COLD OCEAN AND A VERY SICK NAVIGATOR

The weather changed so fast it made your head spin. One day it was sticky jungle air that made your shirt stick to your back, and the next day it felt like someone opened a giant freezer door right in front of the ship. The Going Merry was sailing through chunks of white ice that floated in the dark blue water, making a weird scraping sound against the hull whenever Nami turned the wheel too slow.

Leo was sitting on the main deck, wearing three shirts he borrowed from Usopp's chest. They didn't fit right and smelled like old gunpowder, but he didn't care. His left ankle was mostly fine now, just a tiny bit stiff when the cold air hit it. He took a small wooden stick and cleaned some dried mud out of the edge of his boot heel, then gave the top leather three quick taps. Click. Click. Click. Good enough. 

"It's too cold!" Usopp wailed. He was wrapped in a huge brown blanket, looking like a sad potato sitting next to the kitchen door. His long nose was bright red. "My fingers are frozen stiff! If a sea king attacks us right now, I won't even be able to pull my slingshot string! Nami, are you sure this is the right way to the desert?"

Nami didn't answer him. She was sitting on a bench near the steering wheel, wrapped in a thick coat, but she wasn't looking at the Eternal Pose. Her head was leaning against the wooden railing, her eyes closed. Her face looked incredibly white, almost the same color as the ice blocks floating past the ship. 

Vivi walked out of the back cabin, holding a small bowl of warm water. She looked over at Nami, her eyebrows drawing together. "Nami? Are you okay? You haven't moved the sail settings in two hours."

Nami blinked her eyes open, her breath forming a little white cloud in the chilly air. "I'm... I'm fine. Just a little tired. The wind is steady, so we don't need to change anything yet." She tried to stand up, but her knees did a weird shaking thing, and she had to grab the railing hard to keep from falling over backward.

"Hey! Look at that one!" Luffy yelled from the front of the ship. He didn't have a coat on at all, just his regular red vest and shorts, like he didn't even know what winter was. He was pointing at a huge piece of ice that looked like a fat sheep. "Zoro! Come hit this ice block! I want to see if it shatters like glass!"

Zoro was sitting on the deck with his legs crossed, his swords resting on his knees. He didn't move. "Do it yourself. I'm busy."

"You're just sitting there!" Luffy laughed, jumping onto the ice block as it drifted past the side of the boat. He started sliding around on it, his bare feet slipping everywhere. "Whoa! Slippery! Look, Leo, I'm an ice pirate!"

"Luffy, get back on the boat before you drop into the water and sink like a rock," Leo said, leaning his head back against the wall. He looked over at Nami. In the original story, this was the part where Nami gets a terrible fever from a prehistoric bug bite back at Little Garden. Without a doctor, she was going to get so sick she could barely breathe. 

Vivi walked over to Nami and touched her forehead with the back of her hand. She instantly pulled her hand back, her face full of shock. "Nami! You're burning up! You're hotter than a stove!"

"I'm... I told you, I'm just tired," Nami muttered, her voice sounding real small and dry. She tried to push Vivi's hand away, but she didn't have any strength. Her eyes rolled back a little bit, and she completely collapsed, falling right into Vivi's arms.

"Sanji! Zoro! Help!" Vivi screamed, trying to hold the navigator up, but she was too heavy.

Sanji burst out of the kitchen door like a rocket, dropping a wooden spoon into the snow on the deck. "Nami-swan! My love! What happened?! Who hurt you?!" He skidded across the slippery wood on his knees, his face full of panic as he helped Vivi lift Nami off the cold deck.

Zoro stood up slowly, his single eye narrowing. "She fainted?"

Luffy stretched his arm out from his ice block, grabbing the ship's railing and snapping himself back onto the deck with a loud *thud*. "Nami's broken? Did she eat a bad berry too?"

"No, idiot, she's sick!" Sanji snapped, his teeth gritted as he carried Nami into the warm back cabin. "Leo, move out of the way! Usopp, get some hot water from the stove right now!"

"Right! Hot water! Fast!" Usopp yelled, dropping his blanket and tripping over his own boots as he scrambled into the kitchen.

Leo followed them into the small cabin. It was tight inside, with just enough room for a small wooden bed and Nami's desk where she kept her maps. Sanji laid her down gently on the blankets, pulling the heavy quilts up to her chin. Nami was shivering violently now, her teeth clicking together, even though her face was completely red and covered in sweat.

"It doesn't make sense," Vivi said, wringing out a wet cloth and placing it on Nami's forehead. "The weather turned cold yesterday, but a regular cold doesn't make someone this sick this fast. Her heart is beating way too fast."

Leo leaned against the doorframe, his hands tucked into his large pockets. "It's not the cold, Vivi. It's a bug from the giant island. It's called Kestia. It's a prehistoric tick that lives in the giant grass. It bites you, and then five days later, you get a five-day fever that destroys your body until you stop moving."

The whole room went completely quiet, except for the sound of Nami's heavy breathing.

Sanji turned his head around, his face looking very dark under his blonde hair. "A five-day fever? Are you saying she's going to... to die if we don't fix it?"

"Yeah," Leo said bluntly. "If we don't find a doctor within two days, she won't make it to Alabasta. The fever gets too high for the brain to handle."

Luffy walked into the cabin, his straw hat in his hand. He looked down at Nami, his regular happy face completely gone. He reached out and poked her arm gently. "Hey. Nami. Wake up. We have to go to the desert."

Nami didn't move. She just let out a small, painful groan, her fingers twisting into the edge of the blanket. 

"Where is the nearest island with a doctor?" Vivi asked, looking up at Leo. She looked like she was about to cry, her blue hair falling over her face. "The Eternal Pose only points to Alabasta! We don't have a map for any other places in this area!"

"We don't need a map," Leo said. "The closest place is a winter island. Drum Island. It used to have a lot of doctors, but the king there was a jerk and chased them all away. There's only one doctor left now, an old witch who lives at the top of a giant mountain made of ice."

"An old witch?" Usopp whispered, coming into the room with a steaming pot of water. "That sounds terrifying! What if she turns us into frogs?!"

"She won't turn you into frogs, but she charges a lot of money," Leo said, looking at Luffy. "Luffy, we have to change direction. If we keep going straight to Alabasta, Nami dies. But if we go to Drum Island, it will take us off the path for a few days."

Vivi stood up, her jaw set. She looked at Luffy with a very serious expression. "Luffy. As the princess of Alabasta, I know my people are dying every day we wait. Every second matters. But... Nami is our friend. We can't let her die for my country. Please, let's find the doctor first."

Luffy didn't even hesitate for a second. He put his straw hat back on his head and pushed the brim up. "Of course we're finding the doctor! Nami's our navigator! We can't go anywhere without her anyway! Zoro, turn the ship!"

"Which way?" Zoro's voice came from the hallway outside. He had been listening from the door.

Leo walked out to the main deck, pointing his finger toward a section of the horizon where the clouds looked extra thick and gray. "That way, Zoro. Keep the wind at our back. We should hit the winter island's coast by tomorrow morning if the current stays steady."

"Got it," Zoro said. He walked up the stairs to the steering wheel, grabbing the cold wood with his bare hands and spinning it hard. The ship groaned as it turned away from the direct path to Alabasta, heading deeper into the freezing white mist.

The rest of the day was completely miserable. The temperature dropped even more, until the deck was covered in a thin sheet of white frost that made walking dangerous. Sanji stayed inside the cabin the whole time, making hot soups that Nami couldn't even swallow, while Vivi kept changing the wet clothes on her forehead.

By nighttime, the wind started howling through the ropes like an angry animal. 

Leo was sitting in the kitchen, drinking a mug of hot water that had a tiny bit of sugar in it. Luffy was sitting across from him on the floor, trying to balance a wooden spoon on his nose, but he kept dropping it because the ship was bouncing so much on the waves.

"Hey, Leo," Luffy said suddenly, his spoon falling into his lap. "Is the old witch doctor strong?"

"She's old, Luffy. Like, almost a hundred years old," Leo said, staring into his mug. "But she has a helper. A really weird little guy who walks on two legs and has a blue nose. He's a reindeer."

Luffy's eyes lit up instantly, his sadness disappearing for a second. "A reindeer with a blue nose?! Does he have horns?! Can he talk?!"

"Yeah, he can talk. He ate a devil fruit that turned him into a human-deer," Leo said, smiling a little bit as he remembered Chopper. "He's a really good doctor. He learned everything from a crazy guy who used to shoot pink fireworks into the sky."

"A talking deer! I'm gonna make him join our crew!" Luffy cheered, hitting his fists against the floorboards. "We need a doctor who looks like a monster!"

"He's not a monster, he's just shy," Leo muttered. 

Suddenly, the whole ship gave a massive, violent lurch to the right. The mug in Leo's hand slid right off the table and smashed into pieces on the floor, spilling hot water everywhere. Outside, Zoro was shouting something over the sound of the wind.

"Hey! Something's out there!" Zoro's voice boomed through the wooden walls.

Leo and Luffy scrambled out of the kitchen onto the freezing deck. The wind hit Leo like a slap in the face, the cold air making his lungs burn. The ocean was completely black now, but right next to the ship's side, a massive white shape was rising out of the water.

It wasn't an island. It was a submarine. But it didn't look like a normal metal submarine; it looked like a giant round tin can with a big skull and crossbones painted on the side. The top hatch opened with a loud *CLANG*, and a bunch of guys wearing white leather coats and heavy metal helmets started climbing out onto the slippery deck.

"A pirate ship!" Usopp yelled, running out of the cabin with his slingshot already loaded with an exploding green ball. "They're trying to rob us while Nami is sick! That's against the pirate rules!"

A tall man stepped out of the submarine's main hatch. He was wearing a giant fur coat that made him look like a fat white bear, and he had a weird tin jaw attached to his face with silver screws. He was holding a large metal spear that had three prongs on the end. 

Wapol. The king of Drum Island who ran away when the Blackbeard pirates attacked.

"Well, well, well! What do we have here?" Wapol shouted, his voice sounding weirdly muffled because of his metal jaw. "A tiny little merchant boat? No, it's a pirate ship! I am King Wapol of the Tin-Plate Pirates! Give us all your food and treasure right now, or I'll eat your whole mast!"

Luffy stood on the railing, his teeth showing in an angry snarl. "Get out of the way! Our friend is sick! We don't have time for a fat bear guy!"

"What did you call me?!" Wapol roared, his mouth opening incredibly wide. His jaw literally unhinged like a snake, his mouth turning into a giant black hole that was bigger than his whole head. "I'll show you what happens to people who disrespect royalty! I can eat anything!"

He lunged forward across the small gap between the two ships, his giant open mouth targeting the wood of the Going Merry's side railing. 

*Crunch!*

He literally bit off a three-foot chunk of the thick wooden railing, chewing it up with a loud snapping sound like he was eating crackers. "Mmm! Old pine wood! A little dry, but not bad!"

"He ate the ship!" Usopp screamed, his eyes popping out so far they almost hit his glasses. "He's a monster! He's gonna eat the kitchen!"

Sanji kicked the cabin door open, his eyes full of pure red fire. He had heard the word 'kitchen' from inside. "You... you fat white pig! If you touch a single plate in my kitchen, I'll turn your fur into a rug!" He launched himself through the air, his black shoe aiming straight for Wapol's big tin jaw.

Wapol didn't even try to dodge. He just opened his mouth wide again, trying to bite Sanji's leg off right at the knee.

"Sanji! Don't kick his mouth! He'll eat your boot!" Leo yelled from the back. 

Sanji mid-air realized the danger and twisted his body hard, his foot hitting Wapol's thick shoulder instead of his face. The force of the kick sent the fat king sliding backward across the slippery metal deck of his submarine, his boots leaving long black marks in the frost.

"Ouch! That hurt, you little cook!" Wapol yelled, rubbing his shoulder. He looked at his men who were standing around with spears. "What are you doing?! Shoot them! Eat them! Do something!"

The white-coated pirates charged toward the Going Merry, trying to climb over the side ropes. 

Zoro stepped forward, his green hair covered in tiny white snowflakes. He drew his two black swords with a slow, smooth movement that looked incredibly dangerous in the dark night. "I'm in a bad mood today. The navigator is making too much noise inside, and the wind is too cold."

He moved like a flash of green light across the deck. 

*Clang! Sparks!*

Three spears were instantly cut into neat little pieces, the metal tips falling into the ocean with small splashes. The white-coated pirates didn't even see the blades move; they just felt the wind of the swing and found themselves falling backward into the freezing water, screaming about their coats.

Luffy didn't use his swords because he didn't have any, but his arms were already stretching out toward the submarine's main mast. He grabbed the top metal bar, pulling his body forward with massive speed.

"Gum-Gum... HEADBUTT!"

Luffy's forehead hit Wapol directly in the center of his big fat stomach. The impact made a sound like a giant bass drum being hit with a sledgehammer. Wapol let out a loud *GURK*, his eyes rolling back as the force of the rubber boy's head launched him straight off the deck of his own submarine, sending him flying out into the dark, freezing ocean water.

"King Wapol!" his men screamed from the water, swimming frantically toward where their fat leader had disappeared under the black waves. 

The remaining pirates on the submarine didn't even try to fight anymore. They scrambled back inside the hatch, slamming the heavy iron door shut, and the whole tin-can ship started sinking back down under the water, leaving a giant cloud of bubbles behind.

The whole fight lasted maybe two minutes. 

Luffy landed back on the Going Merry's deck, rubbing his forehead with his sleeve. "That guy was weird. He tasted like old iron."

"He's gone," Zoro said, putting his swords away without a single mark on them. He looked down at the chunk of wood Wapol had bitten off the side. "We need to fix that railing later before the water starts coming in."

Leo walked over to the broken edge, looking down at the dark waves. Wapol was gone for now, but he'd show up again at the top of the mountain on Drum Island. That didn't matter. The important thing was that they hadn't lost any time. 

"Hey, Sanji!" Vivi called out from the cabin door, her voice sounding very tired. "Nami's fever is getting worse! Her skin is turning blue!"

Sanji's face went pale again, and he ran back inside without saying another word. 

Leo looked up at the sky. The gray clouds were starting to break up just a little bit, and far out on the horizon, he could see the faint, dark shape of three massive white pillars rising straight out of the water. They looked like giant cups made of stone, their tops covered in permanent thick white snow.

Drum Mountain.

"There it is, Luffy," Leo said, pointing his finger straight ahead. "The winter island. We're almost there."

Luffy walked to the front of the ship, his hands resting on the wooden figurehead. He didn't look happy or excited like he usually did when seeing a new place. He just looked determined, his teeth set tightly together. "We're gonna get that doctor. Even if I have to carry Nami up the whole mountain myself."

"You'll have to," Leo thought to yourself, knowing about the giant hiking bears and the avalanche that was coming. But he didn't say it out loud. He just checked his boots one more time, gave them three taps—click, click, click—and stood up straight against the freezing wind. The real test was about to start.