There he was. Chess, standing arrogantly on the surface of the water as if it were solid ice, a ridiculous grin plastered on his face. The sheer, impossible sight of it, the sheer inconvenience of it, made Mario's anger boil over.
What are the freaking chances? he seethed internally, his hands clenching into fists.
Is there no way to dodge a single fight? Do I really need to encounter every single villain, every footnote, for God's sake?!
The frustration was maddening. This wasn't a panel in a manga anymore; this was a real, unpredictable world. Yet, somehow, the rails of the story seemed to be forcing them into the exact same encounters. The timing was too perfect, too ridiculous to be mere coincidence.
"What is that?" Luffy asked, as Usopp and Zorro joined them at the railing, peering through the falling snow.
The figure on the water spoke, his voice dripping with condescension. "Looks like it's gonna be cold today."
That was all the provocation Mario needed. All the pent-up fear for Nami, his loathing for Wapol, and his fury at this pointless delay exploded out of him.
"FUCK YOU! WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!" he roared, his voice cutting through the arctic wind.
He didn't wait. He didn't posture. His index finger snapped forward.
Tobu Shigan!
A compressed bullet of air shot across the short distance and struck Chess square in the chest with a solid THUMP.
The man's eyes bulged in shock before he was flung backward, skidding across the water's surface before finally sinking beneath the waves, though Mario knew the boat would keep him from drowning.
The entire crew stared at Mario, shocked by his sudden, violent outburst.
Before anyone could speak, a booming voice echoed, "FLOAT NOW!"
With a great roar of displaced water, a massive, submarine-like vessel surfaced beside them, its size dwarfing the Going Merry and sending a violent wave that rocked the small caravel precariously.
On its broad deck stood a small army of armed men, and among them, clad in a thick fur coat, was the man Mario despised: King Wapol, a haughty, gluttonous smirk on his face.
Everyone aboard the Merry immediately fell into a battle stance.
Wapol looked them over, chewing loudly on a haunch of meat—bone, metal, and all—with his Munch-Munch Fruit powers.
"Just four people?" he scoffed. "No matter. You attacked one of my men? Do you know what happens to pirates who attack the guards of a king?" he said, his voice a nasal whine of pure entitlement.
"Who the hell are you?" Luffy demanded, his own anger rising.
Wapol merely grinned and leaped, landing with a heavy thud on the deck of the Going Merry. "Well, no matter. I'll finish you off in a blink and—"
He never finished his sentence. Mario's rage was a white-hot furnace. He didn't see a king or a Devil Fruit user; he saw a spoiled brat standing between Nami and her doctor.
KAMEHA SHIGAN!
Mario didn't use his fingers this time. He cupped his hands and unleashed a concentrated blast of compressed air, a smaller, more focused version of his ultimate technique. It wasn't a delicate bullet; it was a cannonball of pure force. It hit Wapol dead center, and with a comical BWOMP, the self-proclaimed king was launched off the Merry's deck. He flew through the air like a shot from a cannon, a fading, startled scream trailing behind him as he arced over the horizon.
Mario stood panting, steam rising from his hands in the cold air. "I'll be damned if I let you damage the Going Merry!" he snarled.
For a moment, there was absolute silence. Then, panic erupted aboard Wapol's ship.
"THIS IS BAD! LORD WAPOL HAS BEEN THROWN OUT!"
"HE DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO SWIM!"
The crew was in a frenzy. Kuromarimo, the afro-sporting commander, shouted across the water, his voice trembling with rage and fear,
"NEXT TIME WE SHALL TAKE OUR REVENGE! REMEMBER THIS!"
As quickly as they had appeared, the massive submarine began to submerge, its crew scrambling to find their drowned captain.
In less than a minute, the sea was empty once more, leaving the Straw Hats alone in the sudden quiet, the snow falling gently on a deck that was, miraculously, unharmed.
Luffy turned to Mario, his earlier anger gone, replaced by a look of blank astonishment. "Wow. You just... blew him away."
Usopp was pointing a trembling finger at the empty horizon. "He... he could be anywhere!"
Mario just took a deep, steadying breath, the adrenaline slowly receding. The obstacle was gone. The path to Drum Island was clear. "Good riddance," he muttered. "Now, let's find a doctor."
***
After the bizarre encounter with Wapol, the stark, white silhouette of an island finally pierced the grey horizon. Jagged, drum-shaped mountains pierced the sky, their peaks shrouded in swirling snow.
"AN ISLAND! Wow, it's so white! Look at those peaks! They look funny!" Luffy yelled, pointing with renewed energy, his shivering momentarily forgotten in his excitement. A moment later, a violent tremor wracked his body. "I'm so happy! But….BRRR. It's even colder here! Too cold!"
"You noticed just now???" Usopp and Sanji screamed in perfect, exasperated unison, their teeth chattering.
As the Going Merry cautiously approached the snowy shores of Drum Island, a harsh voice rang out from the village, cutting through the wind.
"Stop right there, you filthy pirates!"
A group of soldiers, bundled in thick, shaggy fur coats, emerged from behind snowdrifts and wooden barricades, their rifles aimed unsteadily at the ship.
"We aren't here to fight!" Luffy called out, his breath pluming in the air. "We're looking for a doctor!"
Vivi stepped forward, her hands raised in a placating gesture. "Please, we have a very sick person onboard! She needs help!"
One of the soldiers, his face pinched with fear and distrust, shook his head vehemently. "Don't come any nearer! We won't trust pirates! Your kind only brings trouble!"
Sanji lit a cigarette, the flame a tiny beacon of warmth. "Tch. They just met us but they're acting like they've hated us for a hundred years," he muttered, with Zorro grunting in agreement beside him.
"Shut up!" another soldier yelled, his nerves frayed. He fired a warning shot that kicked up snow perilously close to Sanji's feet.
"What are you doing?!" Usopp shrieked, diving for cover.
"Are you trying to mess with us?" Sanji snarled, his body coiling like a spring, ready to launch a counterattack.
The soldier, now terrified, fumbled with his rifle, the barrel swinging wildly. In his panic, it was now pointing directly at Vivi, who had stepped in front of Sanji.
But before his finger could tighten on the trigger, a sharp FWOOM-PAFF! cut through the air.
Tobu Shigan!
Mario's air bullet struck the soldier's rifle with pinpoint accuracy, knocking it from his grasp and sending it clattering across the ice. The man cried out, clutching his stinging hands.
In that same instant, Luffy was at the railing, his usual goofiness gone, replaced by a low, dangerous energy. His straw hat cast a shadow over his eyes.
"I will not let you harm my crew!" he stated, his voice flat and absolute.
He looked at the frightened, hostile faces on the shore, his gaze unwavering. "I don't want to fight," he said, his tone solemn and heavy with intent. "But if you don't want to let us through to find a doctor for our friend... then I will."
The air grew thick with the threat. It was no longer a request. It was an ultimatum from a future King. The standoff was a taut wire, ready to snap. Luffy's declaration hung in the frigid air, met by the terrified but stubborn glares of the villagers. Mario's hand was still raised, ready to fire another Shigan if a single weapon so much as twitched.
"That is enough!"
A new, deeper voice cut through the tension, firm and authoritative. A large, powerfully built man with a kind, weary face stepped forward from the crowd of soldiers. He wore a simple fur vest, and his presence immediately commanded respect. Mario felt a wave of relief. It was Dalton. This was a man he knew he could reason with—a man of honor trapped in a corrupted kingdom.
The armed villagers lowered their weapons slightly, their posture relaxing at his arrival.
"Please," Vivi implored, stepping forward and bowing her head deeply, her voice cracking with raw emotion. "You have to help us. We really have a crewmate who is gravely ill. She's burning up with fever. We need a doctor, desperately."
Dalton's stern expression softened as he took in Vivi's obvious sincerity and the genuine worry on the faces of the strange pirates. His gaze swept over the ship, noting the lack of aggression and the clear distress.
He let out a heavy sigh, his breath misting in the cold.
"I will take you to our village," he conceded. "But let me tell you this now, so you are not disappointed. There is only one doctor on this entire island who can help with a serious illness..." He paused, his eyes holding a mixture of respect and grim warning.
"...And the people here call her a witch."
A ripple of confusion and unease went through the Straw Hats. A witch? They exchanged uncertain glances. Usopp visibly gulped, while Luffy just looked puzzled.
"Who cares what they call her! Is she a good doctor?" Luffy demanded.
Dalton gave a single, slow nod. "She is the best. But reaching her... is another matter."
With the immediate threat diffused, the Going Merry was guided up a frozen river to a small, rickety dock. As the crew disembarked into the deep snow, the sheer, biting cold of Drum Island truly sank in. They had reached help, but the most daunting part of their journey—confronting the "witch" of the mountain—was just beginning.