Chapter 93: A Princess's Dignity! Killing Alone Cannot Save People
The Going Merry broke through the floating ice and slowly docked beside a snow-covered river.
The cold wind howled, and heavy snow fell like a white curtain, enveloping the entire world in a desolate, bitter cold.
"Quick! Get Nami down!"
Before everyone could catch their breath, they jumped off the ship carrying the feverish and unconscious Nami, only to be surrounded by a crowd that had been lying in ambush for a long time.
There were dozens of guards dressed in heavy winter gear and holding spears.
The leader was a tall man wearing a large green coat.
At this moment, he had already activated the power of the Ox-Ox Fruit, transforming into a half-human, half-bison form, with the large blade in his hand emitting a cold glint.
It was Captain Captain Dalton.
"Pirates?"
Captain Dalton snorted a puff of white breath, his eyes filled with disgust and vigilance as he roared:
"You are not welcome here! Get out immediately!"
"Get lost if you don't want to die! Pirates are all plunderers! You only bring disaster to this country!"
The surrounding guards also raised their guns, their dark muzzles aimed at Luffy, who was carrying Nami, and the others beside him.
"Hey! What are you guys doing!"
Seeing them pointing guns at the sick Nami, Luffy's anger flared instantly.
Ignoring how many people were there, he clenched his fists, his muscles tensing up:
"My companion is sick! You guys... actually dare to block the way! I'm going to send you flying!"
With just one punch, he could knock this entire group away.
Hum—
At the same time, Tatsuya, standing nearby, slowly raised his head.
Under his hood, those crimson Three-Tomoe Sharingan eyes slowly rotated, looking exceptionally eerie in this snowy landscape.
"My apologies, everyone."
Tatsuya took a step forward, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
On that face that usually wore a gentle smile, there was now not a trace of mirth, replaced instead by a chilling indifference:
"We have urgent matters to attend to; we don't have time to play house with you."
"If you won't step aside... we'll have to pass through using the pirate's way."
The atmosphere became instantly tense, on the verge of exploding.
Zoro sighed; though he didn't want to bully the weak, he also silently gripped the hilt of his blade.
Sanji took a deep drag of his cigarette, his gaze sharp.
Usopp held the shivering Clay, hiding behind them, somewhat at a loss.
Just as both sides were on the verge of starting a battle at the critical moment...
Click.
A young guard, being too nervous and intimidated by Tatsuya's killing intent, involuntarily pulled the trigger.
Bang!
A crisp gunshot pierced the silence of the snowy plains.
The bullet hissed out, heading straight for Vivi, who stood at the very front.
"Hm?!"
Tatsuya's eyes narrowed, and his Sharingan instantly caught the trajectory of the bullet.
He was about to draw his sword to block it, but he was a step too late.
However, a scene that surprised him occurred.
Vivi did not dodge.
Pfft.
The bullet grazed her arm, and bright red blood instantly stained her white sleeve, dripping onto the snow in jarring red spots.
"Vivi!!"
Seeing Vivi injured, Luffy became completely enraged, his fist stretching back violently: "You bastards!!"
"Stop! Mr. Luffy!"
Vivi suddenly reached out, firmly pressing down on Luffy's arm as he prepared to attack.
"Vivi? What are you doing! They shot you!" Luffy shouted in confusion.
Vivi did not explain.
Enduring the sharp pain in her arm, she knelt down heavily on the freezing snow before the group of people who had just fired at her.
Thud.
Her forehead was buried deep in the cold snow, her posture humble to the extreme, but her voice was incredibly firm:
"I beg of you..."
"Please save my friend."
"I don't blame you for shooting... we will never harm you... and we will never plunder this Village..."
Vivi raised her head, eyes filled with tears yet radiating a moving strength:
"Please let a doctor see her... I'm begging you!"
The wind and snow seemed to stand still at this moment.
A deathly silence filled the area.
Luffy was stunned, his raised fist frozen in mid-air.
Zoro was stunned, his hand on his sword slowly loosening.
Tatsuya's hand on his sword hilt also froze in mid-air.
He looked down at the figure kneeling in the snow, watching the blood dripping onto the pure white ground.
His crimson pupils contracted slightly, his heart deeply touched.
Is this... the princess of a nation?
When attacked, she didn't choose to fight back or escape, but for the sake of her companion's life, she unhesitatingly discarded her dignity and chose to bow her head.
"I see..."
Tatsuya murmured to himself, the killing intent in his eyes receding like a tide:
"Having the courage to bow for the sake of the big picture... this is much harder than simple slaughter."
"Killing alone... cannot save people."
Tatsuya released his grip on the sword hilt.
He stepped forward, stood behind Vivi, and also bowed slightly, lowering his head:
"We beg of you."
Luffy looked at Vivi, then at Nami on his back.
He seemed to understand something; his simple, wild instinct made him put away all his anger.
"I beg of you!!"
Luffy followed Vivi's example, shouting loudly as he bowed his head low:
"Please save my companion!!"
"I beg of you!!"
Seeing this, Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp immediately followed suit and bowed in request.
Looking at this group of pirates who clearly possessed great martial power yet were willing to bow for a single companion, and looking at the girl whose arm was bleeding but whose gaze was sincere.
Captain Dalton's hardened defenses were finally completely shattered.
He deactivated his bison form, sighed, and his gaze softened:
"Follow me... I'll take you into the Village."
...
In Big Horn Village, inside Captain Dalton's home.
The fire in the fireplace burned brightly, driving away the cold from outside.
After a brief examination, Captain Dalton looked at the red spots appearing on Nami's body, and his expression became extremely grim.
"This is... Kestia."
"An ancient bacteria, commonly known as 'Five-Day Disease'," Captain Dalton said in a heavy voice.
"Without timely treatment, this persistent high fever and organ failure will cause her to die within five days... It's already the third day, isn't it? If we don't hurry, she won't live past three days."
"Then call a doctor quickly!" Luffy shouted anxiously.
Captain Dalton shook his head, a look of pain and helplessness appearing on his face:
"There are no more doctors."
"This country... was once known as a medical powerhouse."
"But that tyrant Wapol, in order to make everyone submit to him, exiled all the doctors in the country, leaving only the 'Isshi-20' who served him exclusively."
"Now that Wapol has fled... there are no doctors left here."
"How can that be..." Vivi covered her mouth.
"However."
Captain Dalton changed the subject, pointing toward the towering, cylindrical snow-capped peak outside that pierced the sky:
"There is one exception."
"In the castle atop that highest peak lives the last and only doctor in this country."
"Everyone calls her the 'Witch'—Dr. Kureha."
Captain Dalton looked at the unconscious Nami:
"If it's that witch with her incredibly superb medical skills... perhaps this disease can be cured."
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