Chapter 75: That's Terrible!
What Roy didn't know was that just a few days earlier, Charlotte Linlin had passed right by him.
Now, he had finally arrived at Drum Island.
"Phew…" Roy exhaled, his breath forming mist in the freezing air. Snow crunched under his boots as Pandora descended from the sky, glowing faintly.
"How is it?" Roy asked.
"Master, there's a village about half an hour ahead," Pandora said, hovering midair and radiating light and warmth to ease the chill for Roy and Amatsuki Toki.
"Alright, let's keep moving," Toki said softly, smiling as she took his hand.
Drum Island was the complete opposite of the desert kingdom of Alabasta. Here, endless snow blanketed the ground, and icy winds howled across the landscape. It was a land of winter—silver, cold, and still.
Crunch. Crunch.
Their footsteps pressed into the snow, echoing faintly. Ahead stretched a frozen paradise of white—snow-capped peaks rising like drums against the sky, majestic and pure.
Roy knew well the reputation of this island. Drum Kingdom had long been renowned for its medical expertise. That legacy, however, had ended when the foolish Wapol took the throne—destroying what his ancestors had built.
There were other places known for medicine, too. In the South Blue, there was the Kingdom of Torino, home to vast medical libraries. It would one day become the place where Chopper furthered his studies.
But for now, Roy wasn't sure whether that library had even been established yet—and beyond these two regions, there weren't many known centers of advanced medicine.
If one lacked information, then the only logical choice was to consult the locals who did.
As for Hogback, the famed surgeon from the West Blue… he hadn't even been born yet.
"By the way, Master," Pandora said with mock curiosity, "why won't Linlin answer your calls? Does she hate you?"
"How should I know?" Roy sighed helplessly, shaking his head.
---
Drum Kingdom, Kokowit Village.
At the home of an old doctor, Roy made a few discreet inquiries—then, after some well-placed Berries, gained an audience.
"Oh?" The elderly doctor took a sip of tea and studied them with cloudy but sharp eyes. "There's no country in the world that surpasses Drum Kingdom in medical skill."
He continued calmly, "There was once a great medical nation in the South Blue, but that was over a century ago. As for their archives… perhaps some of their books survived."
He paused, rubbing his beard. "When I was young, I heard stories of a kingdom in the New World—a nation that tried to prolong life without medicine. But it vanished into the sea long ago. Its name was… Alchemi, or something like that."
Roy and Toki exchanged a look. Why are all these old doctors obsessed with legends?
In truth, Roy knew exactly what he meant: the fabled Island of Alchemi, devoured by the Lord of the Lantern—a monstrous creature that only surfaced when lured by the light of pure gold.
Without pure gold, there was no way to find that island. None.
He could only sigh inwardly. There's no solution for that one. Not yet.
"Oh, and there's a rather famous doctor here as well," the old man added. "Her name's Kureha. She lives up in the mountains."
"I see…" Roy nodded, though his face twitched slightly.
After leaving the old doctor's house, he rubbed his temples. Kureha? Of course…
He already knew of her—Doctor Kureha, who would one day mentor Chopper. She was 139 years old at the start of Luffy's journey—and somehow still alive decades later. Her "secret" of eternal youth was anyone's guess.
But right now, Roy had a more pressing concern.
"Damn it," he muttered. "That old woman's probably already been kidnapped by Linlin."
After gathering what information he could, Roy decided his next move. If there were no doctors left on Drum Island, then the only option would be the South Blue.
He sighed, taking Toki's hand as they climbed onto Horus's back. The white cloud rose steadily into the sky.
---
"Hey, wait! Roy!"
A shout came from below.
A man wearing a white cloak sprinted toward them, waving his arm.
Roy and Toki both turned, wary.
"Don't leave yet!" the man shouted. "I'm Sister Carmel's friend! I have something important to tell you—she wanted to—"
The cloaked man smirked beneath his mask. Finally, I've found him.
He was a member of CP9, stationed here on orders to lure Roy in. After Linlin's visit to Drum Island, both the CP and the Marines had investigated her whereabouts—but CP9 had lied to Admiral Kong, keeping part of the truth to themselves.
They knew Roy would come here eventually. So they waited.
But they weren't the only ones.
Crunch. Crunch.
From the snowy forest behind, two men in civilian clothes appeared—Marines in disguise.
"Quick! That's him!" one of them yelled.
The CP agent cursed under his breath. The Navy's meddling again!
Both sides wanted the same thing—Roy. Whoever captured him would gain control of Linlin as well.
Two for the price of one.
"Go, Horus! Those guys are human traffickers!" Roy shouted.
"Yes, Master!" Horus replied, taking off at full speed and soaring into the clouds.
"Wait! I'm not a trafficker!" the CP agent yelled, leaping into the air using Moonwalk to chase after them.
Roy looked down, eyes narrowing. "Liar! Trying to fool a kid, huh? You've got no shame! I'll teach you a lesson!"
"Horus—lightning!"
A thunderbolt burst from the white cloud, striking the CP agent directly.
"Ahhh!"
The man screamed as he fell, charred black and smoking, straight into a snowbank with a hiss of steam.
The two Marines stopped in their tracks, glancing at each other with silent disbelief.
"…Well," one muttered, "that saves us the trouble."
They wisely decided against pursuing and simply watched the sky.
---
Above the clouds, the air was calm once more. Horus drifted peacefully, mist trailing behind.
Roy sighed in relief, rubbing Toki's stomach gently. "We lost them."
Toki caught his hand, cheeks pink. "Stop that! He wasn't really a human trafficker, was he?"
"Of course not," Roy said with a sly grin. "But this way, after getting hit, they'll think it was just a misunderstanding—no hard feelings."
Toki blinked, speechless.
Pandora burst out laughing. "Master, you're evil!"
Horus joined in, his laughter rumbling like distant thunder.
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