Chapter 27: Kureha the Witch

Looking back, I probably should have added that Omake to this chapter instead. Oh well. It's not my best work, but I am proud of the next chapter that comes out on Monday, so be patient. Thank you.

Chapter 27:

Kureha the Witch

"Ah," one large king sighed, the bodies of several poorly-armed peasants scattered around the coast, staining the fresh snow red. "Drum Kingdom. To think that I would be gone for only a few months and the people would think me as good as dead."

"They were truly foolish, my lord," a man with a black afro said. The man also had a beard/mustache combo styled into spheres to complement his hair style. This was Kuromarimo, one of the king's two advisers. "But now that you have returned, they will see the error of their ways and return to you."

"He is correct, King Wapol," the man beside him interjected. This was the man who had first met the Straw Hats and the king's second adviser, Chess. "Your being absent left a power gap they needed to fill for the time being. With you returned, that gap will vanish."

"Well of course!" Wapol laughed. "Let's go, men! The people will be delighted to learn of my triumphant return! Go, Robson!" The king hopped upon his... snow hippo?... and took off, his troops racing behind in an attempt to catch up.

"King Wapol! Wait!"

"Holy shit, it's cold!" Zoro exclaimed, climbing out of the freezing river with only a pair of pants on. "Where am I? Dammit. I'm lost. Guess I shouldn't have followed the fish that far." He glanced around, shivering. Ahead, the swordsman saw an old woman in a sled pulled by a single reindeer with a blue nose. "Oh thank God! Hey! Old lady! Do you know where I am?" She gestured for him to come closer until he was within an arm's length.

"Watch what you say!" the woman yelled in his ear, punching him over the head. "I'm not old! I'm still in my youthful 130's!" Zoro didn't respond; he was rolling on the snow-covered ground, grasping his head in pain. "Let's go, Chopper!" the woman ordered. The reindeer took off, leaving the swordsman alone, shirtless, and dripping water in the freezing tundra.

"Dammit," Zoro complained. "I'm still cold. Might as well do some exercises to warm up." He got on his hands before slowly removing one and bending the other. "One... Two... three..."

"There," Nami said. "The Merry's secure. Usopp! How're you doing over there?"

"The sails are secure! Plus I think we're closer to Dalton's village than we were!"

"Well get down here so we can go!"

"Aye!"

"Are you sure Gyasha is this way?" Vivi questioned, trying to make sense of the map she and Amy had found in the sled. "I think we may have missed a turn."

"Well stop the deer and I'll check," Amy told her. The princess slowed the animals to a stop before the blonde floated upward. She twisted around, taking in the view before quickly returning. "Run!"

"What?!" Vivi cried out, her hand being grabbed by the Devil Fruit user and her body being dragged out of the sled. "What's going on?!"

"Avalanche!" Amy responded. She may not like the princess that much and she could have just used her powers to escape, but she would be damned if she got her sister kicked out of the crew because she left Vivi to die.

"There's something up ahead!" Vivi shouted after a couple minutes of running.

"Five thousand four hundred and seventy-three... Five thousand four hundred and seventy-four... Five thousand four hundred and seventy-five..."

"Is that Zoro?" Amy question.

"Oi!" Vivi called. "Mr. Bushido! Run!" The women blew past him.

"What?" Zoro asked. "Vivi? Amy? What's wrong?" The noticed the snow coming toward them. "Oh shi-!"

The snow caught up.

"Hello, my subjects!" Wapol laughed. "Your king has returned!"

The people of Big Horn could only cower in fear as the man they thought would never return rampaged through their town, eating fences, houses, and even some pets without a care. His men only watched, doing nothing to stop or even slow the man. In fact, some of the men were encouraging the former king by scoring his bites!

"King Wapol!" Kuromarimo called, running up to the rotund royal who was in the process of eating another house. "We've received word that those pirates we ran into on the way here are on the island! Apparently, three of them went up the mountain to seek medical treatment for three of their crewmembers!"

"Why the Hell would they do that?" Wapol questioned through his mouthful of house. He swallowed before ripping up a mailbox and treating it like a lollipop.

"It seems that that weird doctor Kureha moved into Drum Castle after we left," Kuromarimo shrugged. "She's a crazy old bat. I'm surprised she's still alive."

"Well let's go kick her out! We'll kill those insolent Straw Hats along the way!"

"Stop!" a voice roared. Dalton charged into the village, his special weapon, a long handle topped with a round blade sharped at the edges, out and ready for combat.

"What?" Wapol questioned. "Dalton? Have you come back to reenlist in my army?"

"Hell no! I'm here to order you to leave this island and never come back!" With Dalton's return, the people's spirits had skyrocketed. They were amassing behind him, ready to drive their ex-king and his men from the land. At the same time, Nami and Usopp arrived in the town.

"Dammit," Nami swore. "We're too late."

"Come on, Dalton," Kuromarimo tried to reason. "You were one of us once. One of King Wapol's top three and the head of the guard. Join us again."

"This land was better off without Wapol's tyrannical regime," Dalton answered. As the former knight spoke, his body shifted into his hybrid form using the power of the Ox-Ox Fruit: Model Bison. Dalton's already-large frame grew, thick brown fur growing to cover every piece of skin showing. The man's shoes fell off, then having not meant to hold hooves. Bull horns sprouted on either end of Dalton's now-bovine head and great puffs of air came out in large pants, the breath showing as it hit the cold air. "I'm here to ensure that it never returns!" Using his superior leg strength, Dalton leapt up to Wapol and slashed the blade across his chest, knocking the other Devil Fruit user off of his pet.

"I'm bleeding!" Wapol wailed, rolling around on the snow-covered ground. "I'm going to die!"

"No you're not, King Wapol!" Chess yelled. "20 MDs! Get to work!"

"Start operation," the aforementioned doctors answered. Quickly, the doctors had not only sown the cut shut, but had also repaired the man's armor.

"I feel great!" Wapol exclaimed, hopping up. "Chess! Kill him!"

"Yes, King Wapol," the jester answered. "I've known you for a long time, Dalton," he said, readying three arrows on his bow. "I know you well. And I know your weaknesses." He let the arrows fly, aiming at the crowd of armed bystanders.

"No!" Dalton cried. He pushed himself into the arrows' paths, taking the attack.

"Dalton!" The townspeople exclaimed as one. The man fell to one knee before collapsing onto his side. The people were ready to attack, but a rumbling overtook the village. The avalanche from the mountain was approaching.

"Chess!" Wapol called. "Kuromarimo! Get on! Let's go, Robson!"

"Wait, King Wapol!" the 20 MDs called. "Take us with you!"

"Save yourselves, weaklings!" The beast took off as fast as it could, leaving everyone else at the mercy of the snow. Wapol and his advisers still didn't make it that far. The snow swallowed them shortly outside of Big Horn.

Wapol chewed his way out after the snow had settled and spit his two advisers out of his mouth. "This must be the work of that Straw Hat bastard!" He fumed.

"What do you mean, your majesty?" Kuromarimo asked.

"You said that some of those Straw Hats had gone up the mountain, right? They must have caused this avalanche to try to kill me. Robson! To Drum Castle!"

"Gah!" Zoro yelled, popping out of the snow next to the river. Vivi and Amy followed soon after. "What the Hell? Where'd that avalanche come from?"

"W-We don't kn-know," Vivi answered, shivering despite her winter coat as she pulled herself out of her own snow pile. "W-We heard that the d-doctor, Kureha, w-was in Gyasha, so we were h-headed that way. Th-Then the avalanche came, we ran, and h-here we are." While the princess was speaking, Amy pulled herself from the snow and floated upwards to find the closest village.

"This way!" called the blonde as she lowered herself to the snow, staying light enough that her weight did not disrupt the powder beneath her feet. "There's a village rather close. Plus I think there's a confrontation about to start." She floated up a few inches and drifted east, the other two trudging through the snow to catch up.

They wandered into the buried town of Big Horn several minutes later. On one side were Nami, Usopp, and the villagers. The other side, which had a rather sizable mound of snow, were the soldiers of Wapol. The former were yelling at the latter about a man named Dalton being buried under the snow.

"Oh no," Vivi lamented. "Dalton's down there. We have to help!"

"That can't be good for his health," Amy commented.

"Those winter coats sure look warm," Zoro muttered. "Those are bad guys, right?"

"Yes," Usopp answered as he and Nami wandered over to the trio. "Those are Wapol's men." Zoro stepped through the crowd, approaching the soldiers.

"Hey, you!" The man in front yelled, leveling a sword at the green-haired pirate. "Don't come any closer!" Zoro ignored him. "I'm warning you!" He continued to advance. "Fine! Death it is!" The soldier raised his blade up for an overhead strike, but the pirate launched himself forward. He buried his fist into his opponent's gut, doubling the man over. The guard's weapon fell from his hand as he collapsed. Zoro wasted no time. Within 30 seconds, he had liberated the defeated man of all his clothing except his undergarments, leaving him at the mercy of the harsh winter island weather.

"What the Hell?!" Nami shouted at him. "You attacked so you could steal his clothes?!"

"Yeah," Zoro answered as if it were the most obvious reason in the world. "I was cold. Now I'm not."

"You'll pay for that, you bastard!" one of the remaining soldiers shouted. He and the rest charged at the swordsman, but Zoro was too fast and too nimble for them. He emerged from the other side of the hoard with three swords firmly in his preferred style.

"Alright," Zoro said, excitement permitting his voice. "Who's first?"

The crowds were speechless. What did this man think he was doing? Zoro smirked, not caring about the people's thoughts. He dashed forward, his blades flipped so he was fighting with the blunt edges. This changed little. The swordsman weaved in and out of clumps of enemies, his foes falling unconscious to the cold ground. All too soon, every soldier was lying on the snow.

"Well," Zoro sighed, dropping the swords. "That was disappointing."

"Good job, Zoro!" Usopp yelled. "Just like I told you to!"

"Shut up, Usopp," Nami ordered.

The people threw up a cheer for the unknown warrior. They wasted no time and began digging, praying that Dalton was still alive.

End of Chapter 27

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-SwordOfTheGods