Second Wind

20

"A temperature of 42 degrees?" Dalton whispered in disbelief. "How can that be?"

"We'd like to know ourselves," Nami answered despondently. "It's been steadily rising ever since we realized she had a fever." Dalton stared down at the girl in awe. The fact that she was still alive was almost miraculous. What kind of life force did she possess?

"It doesn't matter if she's a witch," Luffy said firmly. "As long as she can cure her, it'll be enough." Sanji nodded in agreement. Dalton pointed out the window to the direction of several tall, white mountains.

"Those mountains are called the Drum Rockies. You might see a large castle at the peak of the one in the middle. That castle is currently vacant of a king. Dr. Kureha lives in that castle. She's the lone doctor in this country, whom its citizens call a witch."

Luffy nodded in acceptance. He really didn't care if she was crazy. That witch doctor was able to cure Nami last time. She knew her stuff, and the same could be said for Chopper. Sanji seemed to accept this easily enough as well and spoke up, "Then let's call her! If we wait much longer..." he trailed off.

"I wish I could," Dalton said regretfully. "But we have no way to contact her." Sanji's eyes widened, and he quickly explained. "She essentially treats people according to whim. She comes down from the Drum Rockies whenever she feels like it, treating the sick and taking whatever she wants from their homes as payment. According to eyewitnesses, she flies down from the Drum Rockies on a sleigh pulled by an unidentified creature."

Usopp was conspicuously freaking out over this new information. Nami looked disbelieving and even Sanji was having trouble taking it in.

"I guess we're going up that mountain, then," Luffy said as if it was that simple. Dalton stared at him apprehensively, but nodded.

"How can there only be one doctor in this entire country?" Nami asked doubtfully. Dalton hesitated, then started explaining how the country's previous king had nearly brought it to ruin. The Straw Hats were shocked at the mention of the word Wapol, remembering the man that had recently attacked their ship. After Dalton went on to explain how Wapol had purged the country of its doctors and essentially monopolized the treatment of the sick, Nami informed him that they had run into Wapol at sea shortly before arriving here. Dalton looked distressed after hearing this, saying that the country could very well fall to ruin if he returned now.

"But why is the former king of the country out on the sea pretending to be a pirate?" Usopp asked. Dalton's teeth clenched.

"Because he abandoned his country," he responded. He went on to explain the situation that the country was in and how it all started. He explained that without warning, the entire country had been ravaged by pirates. At mention of the name Blackbeard, Luffy's demeanor changed drastically. His fists clenched and his entire body started trembling with what could only be rage. Nami and Sanji both noticed. Nami absently snuck a glance at Zoro, whose eyes were narrowed.

That just about confirmed her suspicions. They knew the pirate in question. But how did they meet them? Could they have originated from East Blue as well? Luffy and Zoro had known each other for two and a half years before the formation of the crew. Could they have had a run-in with them during that time? She debated whether to ask, but Zoro spoke up before she could. "If this country was invaded by the Blackbeard Pirates, then there's not much that could have been done," he said. Dalton turned to him questioningly. "Unless the World Government decided to commit an unreasonably large force for relief, there's really no way you could have fought back," Zoro continued. "As crazy as it sounds, a small group like that can take down nations."

Dalton studied Zoro closely, taking his words into careful consideration. "You sound as though you speak from experience," he said finally.

Zoro just shrugged. "You guys are lucky our captain reacts relatively well to hostility," he said. Luffy shot him a look that clearly said that wasn't necessary, and Zoro shrugged again.