The biting north wind howled across the deck, whipping up tiny snowflakes.
Mitsuri wrapped her thick fur cloak tighter, gently handing the faintly glowing, blue-tinged Eternal Pose to Yun Lie.
The metal pointer gleamed with a cold luster under the Moonlight, as if it contained a mysterious power to guide direction.
"This is the Eternal Pose for Drum Kingdom."
Mitsuri exhaled a puff of white air, which condensed into mist in the cold, "Drum Kingdom is a winter island perpetually covered in ice and snow."
Yun Lie gripped the pointer and looked into the distance. The Infinite Space's sails flapped in the wind, and its keel let out a low hum as it slowly changed direction, cutting through the waves towards Drum Kingdom.
As they journeyed, the spray kicked up on both sides of the ship quickly froze into ice, forming glistening icicles around the hull.
As the ship gradually approached, the outline of the entire island appeared intermittently through the wind and snow.
It was a massive conical peak, standing like an inverted iron barrel on the island, covered layer upon layer by thick snow.
The strong wind, carrying goose-feather-like snow, rushed towards them, instantly covering the entire ship and obscuring everyone's vision.
The women played with the accumulated snow on the ship, building interesting objects, and the white mist they exhaled instantly froze into ice crystals.
"Look! Land!"
Mikita's shout from the lookout tower pierced through the wind and snow.
Through the swirling snowflakes, the island's outline finally became clear.
The entire island was covered in pristine white snow, shimmering with a cool silver light under the Moonlight, like a massive castle slumbering in ice and snow.
Yun Lie stood at the dragon-headed bow, feeling the biting cold. This was his first time seeing such a magnificent snowy landscape; the boundless snowfield merged with the lead-grey sky, as if the entire world was frozen in an eternal winter.
Although his thick cotton padded jacket blocked some of the cold, the biting wind still seeped through the gaps in his collar and cuffs, making him shiver involuntarily.
At the same time, urgent footsteps suddenly echoed from the village by the coast.
A villager stumbled into the village, shouting loudly, "It's bad! Pirates are landing again!"
The villagers opened their snow-piled doors and poured into the streets, holding torches.
A tense atmosphere filled the cold air, and the torchlight flickered in the wind and snow, casting people's shadows on the snow-covered ground.
"What's wrong?" A steady, deep voice sounded as Dolton, holding a large sword, pushed through the crowd and emerged.
The captain of the guard was clad in beast-hide armor, his bronze-colored face etched with the marks of time, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's.
"Mr. Dolton! Pirates are landing on the south shore again!" The reporting villager gasped, "What should we do?"
"Everyone, don't panic yet," Dolton surveyed the crowd, his voice calm and strong. "The young and strong will follow me to the coast to check the situation, and the others should be ready to evacuate women and children at any moment."
He tightened his grip on the sword hilt and led dozens of villagers rushing towards the coast, leaving a trail of deep footprints in the snow.
As the Infinite Space slowly docked by the frozen shore, Yun Lie leaned on the railing and took a deep breath.
The biting air filled his lungs, carrying the crisp scent unique to ice and snow, which invigorated him.
Before him, the entire snowfield shimmered with tiny silver glints under the Moonlight, and the distant continuous snow-capped mountains resembled sleeping giants.
"Who are you? What is your purpose here?"
Dolton led the villagers, armed and ready, their figures projected onto the snow by the flickering torchlight in the wind and snow, appearing particularly imposing.
"Mr. Dolton, it's me!"
Mitsuri poked her head out from behind Yun Lie. Wrapped in a white mink fur cloak, she looked like a fluffy white ball. She vigorously waved her arms, her voice filled with the joy of reunion.
"Little Doctor Mitsuri? It's really you!" Dolton's pupils suddenly constricted, and the large sword in his hand nearly slipped.
During those dark days when Walpole frantically arrested doctors, he had searched for this kind little doctor countless times in the wind and snow, even clashing with the royal guard.
Mitsuri scurried to Dolton, excitedly explaining, "Yun Lie and the others aren't pirates; they saved me."
She briefly recounted her experiences of the past few days, which made the listeners sometimes tense, sometimes amazed.
"Thank you for saving Mitsuri." Dolton bowed solemnly to Yun Lie and his group.
"It's nothing, just a small favor. Little Mitsuri also helped us a lot." Yun Lie waved his hand.
He had long heard of Dolton; this captain of the guard was not only powerful but also genuinely cared for his people.
Moreover, he was a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user, the Ox-Ox Fruit, Bison Form.
After confirming that Yun Lie and his group had no ill intentions, Dolton dispersed the gathered villagers back to the village. At his home, Dolton apologized to Mitsuri with a face full of regret: "Little Mitsuri, I'm so sorry, Walpole arrested all the doctors in the country, I... I've already resigned from my captain position."
"It's not your fault, Mr. Dolton," Mitsuri quickly said, "I know this is all Walpole's evil doing."
Watching the two reminisce, Yun Lie took Nami and the others out.
Although Drum Island had a harsh climate, it possessed unique customs and traditions.
He gave Nami some pocket money, allowing them to explore freely, while he himself headed towards the island's highest peak.
Along the way, the small animals in the mountains were particularly active. Snow rabbits hopped in the snow, snow ferrets deftly moved through the bushes, and there were also peculiar field bears that walked upright like humans and would politely bow when they saw Yun Lie.
Arriving at the foot of the cliff, looking at the almost vertical steep slope, Yun Lie chose not to climb laboriously. He raised his hand, tore through space, and stepped into it.
In the blink of an eye, he had arrived at the mountaintop.
From the vast view, the entire Drum Island was visible. A castle stood in the distance, appearing mysterious and solemn under the Moonlight.
"Dr. Kureha, I've finished reading all the medical books you gave me!" A blue-nosed reindeer bounced out of the room, shouting excitedly.
"Idiot! Medical books aren't just for reading; you also need to learn to integrate what you've learned!" On the sofa, Dr. Kureha, an old woman dressed in black leather, scolded loudly, "Go back and read them again!"
"Ah! I'll go right now!" The reindeer shrank its neck in fright and turned to flee back into the room.
"Since you're here, come out." Dr. Kureha closed her eyes, but a knowing smile hung on her lips. "What kind of behavior is hiding and sneaking around?"
Yun Lie slowly materialized from the void, marveling, "It's hard to imagine that someone as vibrant as you is already 137 years old."
The old woman opened her eyes, her gaze sharp as a torch: "Brat, age is just a number. Tell me, what do you want with an old woman like me?"