Sanji's forehead immediately formed a tic-tac-toe vein, and he clenched his fist!
"Hahaha, perfect! One fruit for each of the six of us. Sanji, you want to eat one?" Luffy nudged him with a smirk.
"Eat? Of course I do!" Sanji's hair was on fire as he picked one up and took a bite, saying resentfully, "After I finish eating, I'll tell you to go to hell!"
Nami shook her head silently and picked up the remaining fruits, distributing them to everyone. The last one was given to her sister, Nojiko.
"I got one too… is everything really okay?" Nojiko asked, surprised and hesitant.
"Let's eat. Eventually, all crew members will master the Six Styles. That's the basic setup of the Straw Hat Pirates. Nojiko, aren't you part of my crew?" Luffy laughed.
Hearing him say that, Nojiko smiled reluctantly.
No wonder Nami's so in love with him—she's become a fool in love. He's truly a hard man to resist.
What an annoying guy~ How can she say no when he says something like that?
"Eat, sister." Nami rarely called her "sister."
"I'll start!" Usopp said, biting decisively and swallowing the fruit—core and all—in one gulp.
The rest of them followed and started eating as well.
In the next moment, the six of them widened their eyes, digesting the knowledge flooding their minds.
[You have arrived at a new island, Prehistoric Island: Little Garden.]
[Reward: 1000 Adventure Coins.]
[You have sailed the Paradise Sea for 3 days.]
[Reward: 300 Adventure Coins.]
[You have arrived at a new island: Drum Island.]
[Reward: 1000 Adventure Coins.]
[Adventure Coins: 365 → 2665]
The once-dry wallet swelled again.
Three days later, Drum Island.
This was the third island Luffy encountered after entering the Grand Line.
It was a winter island. From afar, it looked as though it were covered in a blanket of silvery-white snow. The most striking feature was the trio of cylindrical peaks at its center.
This was precisely why the peaks resembled drums, hence the name: Drum Island.
As the ship sailed from the river mouth toward the island, everyone gathered on deck.
"What a beautiful island."
Kaya, dressed in a white fur coat, admired the snowy landscape with a face full of wonder.
This kind of scenery was something you'd never see in Syrup Village.
At the same time, this was her Grand Line destination.
"Are you happy that you'll be cured soon?"
Luffy sat on the edge of the ship, turned, and smiled at Kaya.
"Thank you, Mr. Luffy. I'm very happy~" Kaya smiled brightly, as if her warmth could melt the falling snow.
"But the people here… don't seem too happy to see us."
Nami stood beside Luffy, hands gripping the ship's railing, eyeing the people on either side.
No, they weren't soldiers—their clothing was that of ordinary civilians, but they carried weapons.
Everyone looked at the Straw Hat Crew with a mix of fear and hostility.
"This is how pirates should be treated. What happened at Whiskey Peak was the exception, not the rule!" Nojiko said with a laugh, completely unfazed.
Luffy, however, knew what was going on, and not being welcomed was to be expected.
"Go back, pirates!"
"You're not welcome here!"
"If you try to dock, we'll shoot you!"
The shouting came from the militia, and many had already raised their weapons.
Among them was a square-faced man in a green winter coat, carrying a giant iron shovel on his back.
"Pirates, go back! Don't force us to attack!" he yelled.
On the deck of the Merry.
Yosaku shouted, dissatisfied, "We're not here to loot! We just need to find a doctor…"
Boom!
A gunshot rang out, and suddenly, a bullet was fired.
Yosaku was caught off guard—his pupils shrank in surprise.
He instinctively tensed up. The bullet struck his shoulder, but it sounded like it hit steel and deflected off.
His clothes were torn at the impact site, but his skin underneath was unharmed.
"What?! The gun didn't work!" the militiaman who fired the shot was shocked and immediately looked to the leader beside him.
The square-faced man's expression turned grim.
Nami said helplessly, "What do we do now, Luffy?"
"Don't talk. Just watch me," Luffy smiled.
In the next instant, he vanished from his spot.
When he reappeared, he was standing directly in front of the square-faced man.
Hundreds of militiamen were stunned, their weapons now aimed at Luffy.
"Dalton."
"You know me?" Dalton took a step back, looking at Luffy warily.
"I'm Monkey D. Luffy, an acquaintance of Dr. Kureha. I'm just here to get a patient treated."
"That old witch…"
Dalton hesitated for a moment.
Then, he waved his hand, signaling the militiamen to lower their weapons.
At the same time, he looked toward the two pirate ships. On the deck of the Sunny, he saw Kaya.
The young woman looked weak and was being supported by another. It must be her.
"I see. I was rude earlier. I apologize."
After thinking it over, Dalton bowed his head in apology.
Dr. Kureha—the "old witch"—was over 140 years old and the only doctor on the island.
Everyone had received her care at some point, so anyone she knew was considered a guest.
Moreover...
These pirates weren't even fazed by gunfire. If a real fight broke out, the militia would suffer devastating losses.
No—in fact, the pirates showing no retaliation and maintaining friendliness was already a gesture of goodwill.
"Follow me. I'll take you to the village."
Luffy turned and smiled at everyone. "Let's get off the ship."
Immediately, the crews of the Sunny and the Merry lowered their sails and dropped anchor, one after another stepping onto the snowy ground.
They followed Dalton as he led them toward the nearest village.
He explained, "A few months ago, a group of pirates called Blackbeard landed on this island and destroyed our country."
"Ah, no wonder you guys were so nervous," Yosaku said, immediately forgiving them.
"Blackbeard?" Zoro frowned.
"Yes, just five people—and they destroyed our entire country! It happened almost instantly!"
Five people?!
They were all a bit shocked.
Luffy shook his head and said, "I know them. The captain of the Blackbeard Pirates is Marshall D. Teach. He used to be a member of Whitebeard's crew. But after killing a comrade, he betrayed them and formed his own pirate crew."
"I see…" Bartolomeo said with sudden realization. "No wonder, Luffy-sama, you know everything!"
"W-W-Whitebeard?! One of the Four Emperors?!" Usopp trembled.
"Hahaha! Speaking of which, Whitebeard is an interesting guy. He loves leopard prints—so much that he made the nurses on his ship wear leopard-print socks. Otherwise, he'd throw tantrums and refuse his injections."
Luffy laughed, sharing stories about the Four Emperors.
"And then there's Benn Beckman, the Red-Haired Pirates' vice-captain. That guy's a real pervert. Sanji, you two will definitely get along!"
"Well, maybe he'll even take Sanji to visit a brothel," Luffy chuckled.
Everyone burst out laughing.
As they chatted along the way, Dalton was utterly confused.
What is with these pirates?!
They casually talked about the Four Emperors, the Shichibukai, and even dared to make fun of the Navy Admirals.
The topics were way too deep for him to follow, so he could only silently lead them as their guide.
Soon, a small village blanketed in white snow came into view.
"Here's our village—Bighorn Village!"
Pausing for a moment, Dalton smiled again and said, "Welcome to Drum Island~"
(End of Chapter)
The names of some places will probably be wrong, if you notice any, please let me know. I must have been a little insane when I wrote these chapters because I didn't even remember to see the arc in the manga or anime, much less look on the wiki, hahahahhahaha
Give me some power stones there you go~😉