Grand Line – Drum Kingdom – Cocowaite Village
By the time they reached the small village tucked between the mountains, the blizzard had eased. The air no longer bit at their faces as cruelly as before, and a faint warmth lingered here, carried on the simple bustle of life.
On the snowy street, villagers moved to and fro, chatting and laughing with rustic cheer. When they spotted the band of hunters returning at the village gate, they called out warmly:
"Did you drive off the snow monster?"
"Terrifying creature, that one…"
The young hunters, clutching hunting rifles and spears, reassured them: "We've driven it back into the mountains. It won't bother us for now. And these two travelers we met on the way didn't run into it either, so there's no need to worry."
The "two travelers" stepping into the village were none other than Liam and Robin.
The villagers looked up at the towering man with disbelief. He was enormous, and perched casually upon his broad shoulders sat a woman, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
What struck them even more was how little the pair seemed to care about the stares. The giant who carried her walked on as if no one else existed, and the woman on his shoulders looked just as unbothered.
From the crowd, a burly, red-nosed man with a cigarette dangling from his lips squinted at them through sleepy eyes. He shuffled at the edge of the gathering, gaze lingering on Liam longer than most.
"Travelers… from outside?" he muttered.
A hush fell. Several villagers glanced at one another with faint guilt.
This was Drum Kingdom, a land once renowned across the seas as the nation of medicine. People from all corners of the world had once flocked here, seeking healing or to study its advanced medical arts. But ever since King Wapol ascended the throne and enacted his infamous "Doctor Hunt," everything had changed. Every physician in the land was driven out, save for the twenty finest who were forced to serve exclusively within the royal palace.
Now, if anyone in the kingdom fell ill, they were required to submit a petition to the palace itself just to receive treatment.
Drum Kingdom was no longer a beacon of medicine. To most travelers, it had become a place of bitter disappointment.
From the storm, two silhouettes had emerged. When the villagers realized it was only Liam and Robin, they lowered their weapons with relief.
"Snow monster?" Robin asked from her perch atop Liam's shoulder, her voice calm as falling snow.
A middle-aged hunter described it in a low, wary tone: "It's enormous, clearly not human. Covered head to toe in thick fur. Its arms and legs are massive, like a beast from a nightmare…"
'A Human-Human Fruit user… that must be the reindeer', Robin thought silently.
"We didn't encounter any monsters," Liam replied evenly. "Only a little deer."
Though puzzled, the villagers were glad. Better for the strangers not to have met the creature at all.
Liam raised his head and asked, "Excuse me, is there a restaurant here?"
He gently set Robin down from his shoulder.
"There is, yes," replied a hefty woman, her frame broad as a bear's. She pointed toward a snow-laden rooftop nearby. "That one there, it's the best restaurant in our whole town."
With a snap of his fingers, Liam grinned and gestured toward it.
"Perfect. Thanks. Come on, let's go."
Robin offered the woman a polite nod before following Liam through the restaurant doors, shutting the howling wind behind them.
The villagers watched them vanish inside.
"They… came from the mountains?" someone asked.
"That's right," one of the hunters confirmed.
"They just walked through that storm? Like that?" another pressed.
It was madness. The deep mountain paths in such weather were treacherous, deadly without proper gear. Yet the pair hadn't even looked prepared. No climbing equipment, no travel packs, nothing. Aside from the single satchel slung over Robin's shoulder, they had simply strolled through the blizzard as casually as if they were out for an evening walk after a heavy New Year's meal.
"…Yeah," the hunters said again, nodding, though their brows were furrowed.
A cigarette slipped from the red-nosed man's lips and fell into the snow, sizzling faintly as it melted through the frost. He stared blankly at the restaurant's door, then fumbled inside his padded coat with trembling hands, pulling out a crumpled newspaper.
"Snow monster, huh…"
Inside the restaurant, Robin propped her chin on one hand and gazed out the frosted window toward the distant snow-laden mountains. Her voice was soft, almost absentminded, yet tinged with quiet unease.
"That thing has shown up more than once already," she murmured. "Truly troublesome…"
The young men who had escorted Liam and Robin back to City Town slung their weapons behind them, chattering warmly along the way as they explained everything they knew about the so-called "Snow Monster."
One villager recalled, "That creature has the strangest temperament. It always runs toward crowded places… The real trouble is its hide, thick as armor. Even a hunter's rifle shot can't bring it down. Strong beyond belief, and it shrugs off blizzards, storms, even the vicious cold of the high mountains… It's terrifying, truly!"
"…"
Perched on Liam's shoulder, Robin had no words. Her thoughts drifted back to the tearful little reindeer they had encountered earlier.
Then she heard Liam ask, "When did the Snow Monster first appear?"
A middle-aged villager with a rifle slung across his back thought for a moment before replying, "A little over a year ago… nearly two years now, I'd say."
Liam nodded. He had already checked the B.I.B. Pocket Encyclopedia before coming here. By now, Chopper should be around three years old.
That meant Chopper must have eaten the Human-Human Fruit when he was barely a year old, just past infancy. It matched his depiction in the manga, forever carrying the air of a boy who never quite grew up… After all, female reindeer reach sexual maturity at about one and a half years, and males only a little later. The Devil Fruit must have changed him before he could even grow into adulthood.
And it wasn't until the age of nine that he encountered the quack doctor, Hiluluk.
In other words… The little reindeer lived as the lonely, misunderstood "Snow Monster" for eight long years.
"Life was already hard enough without the Snow Monster's harassment," The young hunters sighed. "What a miserable time it was…"
The waitress arrived just then, setting down steaming bowls of soup and hot dishes.
"Please enjoy."
"Thank you," Robin nodded politely. She sipped her tea, cupped the warm porcelain in her hands, and shook her head slightly toward Liam. "That little reindeer doesn't seem like some savage beast…"
Especially after Liam had wrested away the Human-Human Fruit, revealing its true form, it looked very much like a fawn, still so young.
Its habit of wandering into crowds probably wasn't malice at all, but the instinct of a lonely creature yearning for warmth and companionship.
Robin's heart tightened. She remembered herself as a child, finishing household chores, then watching from behind frosted windows while children her age laughed and played with family and friends.
"'Snow Monster,'" Liam said with a grin, gulping down hot soup. "Does it remind you of your own childhood? You were branded a 'monster' too, weren't you? By a bunch of idiots who didn't even understand what a Devil Fruit was."
Robin froze. Then she sighed softly. "Yes… it is very similar."
"I don't get it, though," Liam went on between bites. "Your island had such a massive library, yet none of you even knew what Devil Fruits were?"
Robin lifted her cup again, sipping slowly before answering with a small shake of her head. "Everyone was only focused on academic research. And besides…"
She paused, her lips curving into a bittersweet smile as her gaze drifted to the snow outside the window.
"People see what they want to see…"
A girl who could sprout arms.
A girl without parents.
A girl unwanted even by her foster relatives.
A girl who, at just eight years old, had already earned a doctorate in history, her brilliance leaving other children in the dust.
The bullying she endured from her peers was never about just one excuse.
"Monster" was merely the label that sounded the most righteous to shout.
"You do realize I understand your English, right?" Liam reminded her dryly.
Robin extended a slender finger, tapping his nose with a playful smile. "And isn't that just fine?"
Before long, the simple meal was finished.
Robin had warmed up, and Liam, stomach half-filled, waved the waitress over for the bill.
"You two look unfamiliar," the waitress remarked cheerfully.
Robin pulled a few Berries from her shoulder bag and paid. Liam, lounging with one leg crossed over the other, added casually, "We're just passing through, traveling a bit, and looking for someone."
"I see, looking for someone," The waitress echoed politely while counting the payment.
"Yes, exactly. We are looking for someone," Liam repeated, then flashed a grin. "A fellow named Wapol. Once we find him, we're going to kill him."
He snapped his fingers.
Snap.
The sound froze the waitress in place. In the blink of an eye, the entire restaurant had gone quiet.
(To Be Continued…)
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