"One year!"
Upon hearing this answer, everyone except Luffy and Robin sprang up from the ground, exclaiming,
"What?!"
For a moment, they all fell into despair and helplessness.
Vivi was even more anxious and worried, asking Luffy,
"What should we do, Luffy?"
"If we wait a year, Alabasta will surely be taken by Crocodile."
Luffy slowly got up at this point, smiled, and patted Vivi's head, saying,
"Didn't I tell you? With me here, everything will be fine~."
With that, Luffy pulled out a permanent Log Pose from his Pregnant, with a line of letters engraved on it, which translated to Alabasta.
"I found this on Mr. 5 when I defeated him."
"It's a permanent Log Pose to Alabasta."
He had already known how long it would take for the Log Pose to store the magnetic field of this island, so he had prepared in advance.
He would never do something like getting the Log Pose by luck at the end, as in the original story.
Just like now, Crocodile, for some unknown reason, hadn't sent anyone to intercept them on this island.
If he hadn't prepared in advance, he would have been forced into a passive situation.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Luffy take out the Log Pose.
"That's great, I almost thought we'd have to stay on this island for a year."
"Thanks to you, Luffy."
"You really are reliable when it matters, you guy!"
Vivi couldn't help but excitedly pounce on Luffy, hugging him tightly, and choked out,
"That's great, Luffy!"
"I almost thought I couldn't go back just now!"
"Thank you… thank you, Luffy!"
Feeling Vivi's body trembling with excitement, Luffy gently patted her back, comforting her.
...
Small Garden!
The merry go slowly sailed out from an indented coastline, with Dorry and Brogy standing on either side of the shore.
"Our friends' ship is leaving, we can't abandon them."
"Yes! The reason why people who reach this island… cannot reach the next island is ahead."
Dorry and Brogy looked straight ahead, conversing among themselves.
As Luffy and the others were about to sail out of the U-shaped coastline, the two shouted consecutively,
"You are our important friends."
"We must not let our friends' pirate flag break here!"
"Trust us, go straight ahead!"
"No matter what happens, keep moving forward!!"
Everyone on the merry go heard the words of the two giants and bid them farewell.
"Goodbye, master!"
"Dorry, Brogy, goodbye."
Luffy, on the other hand, believed their words and gave the command,
"Go straight ahead!"
Just then, everyone suddenly saw the sea ahead begin to rise.
Immediately after, an incredibly massive, island-sized Island Eater suddenly surfaced, opening its abyssal maw in front of the merry go.
At this sight, panic immediately broke out on the ship.
"Ahhh! What… what is that?"
"So big!!!"
"Oh no, we're going to be eaten!"
"Quickly adjust the rudder!"
Nami commanded in a panic.
But at that moment, Luffy spoke up to stop her.
"Go straight ahead!"
Nami was on the verge of tears.
Immediately after, they felt everything go dark.
And at the same time.
Dorry and Brogy combined their weapons, simultaneously charging up, and unleashed an incredibly powerful shockwave forward.
"Hakoku!"
As the two roared, the shockwave erupted, and their weapons shattered at that moment.
Just as Nami was crying in her heart, thinking they had been eaten, everyone suddenly heard a huge noise from outside.
The next second…
Boom!
An incredibly powerful shockwave slammed into the Island Eater.
Luffy and the others' vision immediately returned to light.
From the shore, two loud laughs echoed.
"Jie jie jie jie jie…"
"Ga ba ba ba ba…"
Accompanied by their unique laughter, the merry go sailed far away.
...
The weather was fair, and the blue waves rippled.
The merry go slowly sailed on the sparkling sea.
On the deck, everyone was busy with their own tasks.
Nojiko was studying her newly collected plants and seeds, while Usopp claimed he might be able to directly synthesize and produce "Special Buggy Bombs" from his body by utilizing his ability to turn his body into gunpowder, so he went off to research on his own.
Zoro was still training day and night, Sanji was preparing food, and Nami was watching the Log Pose, ensuring the merry go's direction.
The other four were gathered together, idle, passing the time.
"That's strange! Didn't Crocodile say he was going to pursue and kill us halfway?"
"But we didn't find any enemies at all in the Small Garden!"
Vivi suddenly blurted out.
Luffy had specifically reminded the others about this at the time, but they indeed hadn't found anyone else on the island.
Just as everyone was wondering and guessing, Robin suddenly spoke.
"I used to be the one who contacted those executives, and Crocodile's identity was kept secret from them."
"After I was left on this ship by Luffy, Crocodile couldn't send anyone."
"I think he should be busy gathering those executives now to meet him, their boss!"
"After all… the plan is about to begin."
Upon hearing Robin mention the plan, Vivi instantly became agitated.
"The plan? What plan? What are you going to do?"
Robin said unhurriedly.
"You know it too, Princess Vivi."
"Crocodile incited the rebellion, wasn't it to provoke a civil war?"
"The plan is to make this war… break out completely in the near future!"
Vivi's eyes immediately showed pain and worry upon hearing this, and she gritted her teeth and asked.
"What are the specific steps of your plan? Tell me quickly."
Robin, however, shook her head at this point and said.
"It's useless. Crocodile is a very cautious and cunning person."
"If I'm not there, he'll probably take action himself to organize and plan this operation."
"I'm not sure exactly what he'll do."
"In short… the plan will begin implementation soon."
As Robin finished speaking, Vivi immediately buried her head in pain and resentment, her eyes wet, gritting her teeth and clenching her fists tightly.
At this moment, Luffy gently patted her back and comforted her.
"Don't worry, Vivi!"
"I've already thought of a plan to deal with Crocodile."
"I promise you, I will definitely stop the war and save your country."
Vivi looked up at Luffy in a daze upon hearing this.
Luffy had already thought of a plan to deal with Crocodile and save the country?
Vivi hadn't expected Luffy to have already reached this point.
Although she herself said she wanted to return home to stop the war, she wasn't sure if she could do it.
But Luffy was so confident and had already thought of everything.
At this moment, Vivi deeply realized why everyone relied on Luffy so much.
Vivi was moved internally, her voice choked, and she murmured Luffy's name.
"Luffy…"
Robin also looked at Luffy with deep surprise at this moment; she hadn't expected Luffy to have made plans so early.
She couldn't help but secretly marvel that this Captain didn't seem as thoughtless as he appeared on the surface, and at the same time, her heart was filled with curiosity about Luffy's plan.
Ultimately, between Luffy and Crocodile, who would prevail?
Robin wondered inwardly.
"Everyone…"
Just then, Nami's voice suddenly rang out on the deck, sounding a bit pained.
"I'm a little tired, I'm going back to rest."
"You all pay attention… to the direction the merry go is heading."
Nami continued speaking.
Luffy and the others looked over upon hearing the sound, only to see Nami looking pained, her face and forehead flushed, and her face covered in cold sweat.
She walked unsteadily towards the cabin with shaky steps.
As she passed by Luffy and the others, her body suddenly fell forward.
Seeing this, Luffy quickly got up and caught Nami, who was about to fall.
"Nami, are you alright?"
"What's wrong, Miss Nami?"
"Nami…"
Everyone on the ship immediately gathered around, asking with concern.
Nami lay in Luffy's arms, looking pained, her voice weak, almost speaking in a whisper.
"I… I'm fine."
"I just need some rest."
"Vivi… what's most important now is… to go to Alabasta and save Vivi's country."
"Everyone… everyone doesn't need to worry about me."
"I… I'm just… a little tired."
Nami said this, but everyone could see that her problem was serious.
Luffy reached out and touched Nami's forehead; the temperature felt hot to him.
"Lu… Luffy, I'm fine."
"We… we need to hurry to Vivi's country."
Nami said, looking at Luffy with hazy eyes.
"Shut up!"
Luffy sharply interrupted her, saying in an undeniable tone.
"You go and rest properly right now, and then we'll find a place to treat you."
"After the treatment, we'll go to Alabasta."
As soon as Luffy finished speaking, Nami shook her head painfully.
It was a shake of her head, but the movement was extremely small.
Then, she continued to speak.
"No… no, Luffy!"
"I have a newspaper in my drawer that I received three days ago."
"But… I was afraid Vivi would worry, so I haven't told anyone."
"Now, Vivi's country… has entered a very serious period."
As Nami spoke, Robin used her ability to retrieve the newspaper from Nami's drawer and brought it over.
Vivi's pupils constricted just by looking at it, and she exclaimed.
"How could this happen?!"
"300,000 King's Army soldiers defected to the Rebel Army…"
At these words, everyone was shocked.
Everyone already knew that the main battle in Alabasta was between the Rebel Army and the King's Army.
A sudden defection could only mean one thing.
The people of Alabasta were becoming increasingly dissatisfied with their rulers.
War was on the verge of breaking out.
Nami then continued to speak to Luffy.
"You… you know now, Luffy!"
"We have no time."
"We need to hurry… hurry to… Ugh…"
Nami was speaking when she was suddenly muffled by someone, only able to make "ugh ugh" sounds.
Luffy's tone remained undeniable, and he said seriously.
"How this merry go sails is up to me, the Captain, to decide."
"You idiot, hurry up and go get some good rest."
Saying that, Luffy looked at Vivi.
"Vivi, do you trust me?"
Vivi stared at Luffy in a daze upon hearing this.
Luffy's eyes held absolute confidence and concern for his companions.
Memories of their time together suddenly surfaced in her mind, whether it was in Small Garden, or him taking out the Eternal Pose, and then his plan to deal with Crocodile that he had thought of long ago.
No matter when, he was always so reliable.
Vivi suddenly felt relieved, and the tension and worry from hearing the unfortunate news also dissipated considerably.
She looked into Luffy's eyes and nodded heavily.
"I trust you!"
Afterward, she looked at Nami again and said.
"Nami, you should rest well!"
"We'll find a place to treat you first, and then we'll head to Alabasta."
Since Vivi said so, Nami didn't say anything more and just nodded.
At the same time, she couldn't help but glance at Luffy, thinking to herself.
"It seems Vivi has also come to rely on this idiot!"
Nami felt relieved and much more at ease.
"If we need to find a place for treatment, there is indeed an island with those conditions midway to Alabasta!"
At this moment, Robin suddenly spoke.
Luffy turned back to her and asked.
"Do you know how to get there?"
Robin shook her head and said.
"Without a Log Pose, I can't accurately find that island."
"But that island is in the middle of the line from Small Garden to Alabasta."
"It's a winter island, and if we pass nearby, we'll clearly feel a change in temperature."
"Moreover, if there's an island nearby, the climate on the sea surface will become very calm."
"Using these two points, it shouldn't be difficult to find that island along the way."
Luffy nodded and then said to everyone on the merry go.
"Everyone, when the temperature gets cold and the weather stabilizes, look carefully around, and report immediately if you spot an island."
"Oh!"
Everyone responded in unison.
Afterward, Luffy carried Nami back to her bedroom and had Uta and the other girls take care of her.
...
On the vast, boundless sea, the merry go slowly sailed.
Several hours had passed.
The air gradually became quiet, and the temperature slowly dropped.
Upon realizing this change, everyone on the ship instantly scurried like startled rabbits, darting to various positions on the deck, gazing into the distance, searching for the island Robin had mentioned.
After sailing for a while longer in such conditions, a loud shout suddenly erupted from the ship.
"I see an island!"
Everyone immediately ran over in surprise.
As the Merry approached and the fog ahead dispersed, a snow-covered island gradually appeared in everyone's line of sight.
Looking at the several tall, chimney-like peaks on the island, Robin spoke.
"That's it, Drum Island!"
...
After discovering the location of Drum Island, the Merry sailed towards the island at full speed.
As they drew closer, the appearance of the island became even clearer.
The entire island was covered in thick white snow, with continuous massive icebergs traversing most of the island, and everything around was pure white.
Of course, correspondingly, the temperature was also extremely cold.
After sailing into a sea entrance resembling a canyon, the people on the ship began to discuss the next steps.
Robin was the first to speak.
"I also came to this place a long time ago."
"As far as I know, this country only has one doctor."
Saying that, Robin pointed to the tallest, chimney-shaped peak deep within the island.
Then she continued to say.
"That doctor lives in a castle on top of that highest mountain."
"However, I heard she is an eccentric, only occasionally coming down the mountain to treat the residents here."
"She's a very difficult old hag!"
When Luffy heard Robin mention the name of this island, he already knew that this was Chopper's hometown.
And the person she was talking about now was Dr. Kureha, who was currently living with Chopper.
Just then, sounds suddenly came from the shores on both sides.
Soon, hundreds of people with guns aimed at them.
"Don't move! Pirates!!"
A stern shout came from the shore.
Immediately after, Luffy and the others saw a burly man, built like an ox, step forward and speak.
"You all, quickly leave this place! Pirates are not welcome here!!"
Luffy recognized the man; he was Dalton, the former Captain of this country's guard.
This person was good-natured, and Luffy had no intention of clashing with them.
So he spoke.
"We mean no harm."
"We heard there's a doctor here; we just want to treat a patient on our ship."