Frozen Resolve

Zoro squinted into the distance, his gaze locked on a man standing on the surface of the ocean, just a few meters in front of him. The man carried a bow and arrows on his back, and his face was painted with unease.

"Boy, it sure is cold today." The man said abruptly, his breath visible in the chill air.

Luffy and Usopp nodded in agreement, unfazed by the absurdity of the situation. "Yeah, sure is." Luffy added casually.

"It's cold alright." Usopp chimed in.

"Really?" The man asked, but was met with silence.

The four of them stared at each other, confused and at a loss for words.

Suddenly, the calm was shattered by the appearance of a massive ship-like dome rising from the ocean.

"A watermelon!?" Luffy exclaimed in surprise, his eyes wide with excitement.

Inside Nami's room, Ryomen, Vivi, and Sanji braced themselves as the ship started shaking violently.

"What's happening!?" Vivi gasped in alarm.

Nami, lying on the bed, was nearly flung into the wall as the ship rocked. Ryomen, reacting swiftly, caught her just in time.

"Vivi, can you take care of her?" Ryomen asked as he gently set Nami down again. Vivi nodded, worry creasing her face.

Outside, the dome's walls collapsed, revealing a monstrous ship several times the size of the Going Merry.

"A ship!?" Zoro muttered, eyes widening.

"What happened!? Nami-san nearly got hurt!" Sanji barked, furious.

"That ship attacked us." Luffy said matter-of-factly.

"Well, that wasn't hard to figure out." Ryomen mumbled as he found himself suddenly surrounded by pirates, all aiming their guns at him.

"I've got a question…" A large man with wild purple hair said, gnawing on a knife, to the disgust of the Straw Hats. "We're headed to the Drum Kingdom. You have an Eternal Log Pose or a regular Log Pose?"

"Never heard of it." Sanji replied, his tone cold.

"If you're done, leave." Luffy commanded, undeterred.

"Well, if you don't have it, I'll just have to take your treasure and your ship!" The man declared with a smirk, shocking the crew.

Then, to their horror, he took a bite out of the Merry, tearing off a chunk the size of his head.

"What is that guy!?" Usopp screamed, dumbfounded.

Luffy then ran toward the man.

The pirates moved to stop him, but they quickly discovered their guns had been dismantled, courtesy of Ryomen's subtle use of his powers.

One by one, the crew dispatched the pirates with ease.

"Hey, you!" Luffy growled as he reached the man.

The large man's mouth opened wide, swallowing Luffy whole, the only part of him remaining outside being his arms. But before the pirates could celebrate, Luffy's fists shot back in a slingshot motion.

"Gomu Gomu no Bazooka!" Luffy roared, launching himself free and sending the man flying into the sky.

The pirates stood frozen in shock, staring after their defeated leader.

Ryomen watched the scene unfold, his brow furrowed as the man's face struck a familiar chord.

…

Later that night, the crew slept on the floor of Nami's room, vigilantly surrounding her to provide help at any moment. Nami's labored breathing filled the quiet room.

On the deck, Ryomen and Vivi leaned against the railing, gazing into the distant horizon, both lost in their own thoughts.

"Vivi." Ryomen finally spoke, his voice breaking the silence. "The man who attacked our ship today…I'm sure it was Wapol."

Vivi blinked, her eyes wide with surprise. "Wapol? The ruler of the Drum Kingdom?"

Ryomen simply nodded.

"I'm surprised you still remember him." Vivi jokingly said.

"How could I not? He hurt you. I'll never forget him because of it." Ryomen replied seriously.

Vivi blushed slightly, her heart skipping at Ryomen's words. "You care that much about me?" She asked, her voice soft as she tried to hide her happiness.

"More than you know." Ryomen replied with a gentle smile. "I barely stopped myself from attacking him back then."

"Well, it's good you did. But…now that I think about it, why were you allowed to be there alone?" Vivi asked, her curiosity piqued.

Ryomen's expression darkened. "Isgor." He muttered bitterly. "He sometimes allowed me special privileges. I didn't understand it back then…I thought it was mercy. But I wasn't truly alone. He was assigned to follow me."

Vivi looked confused. "Who?"

"I'm sure you know him. A man with a carefree attitude. Like everything was a joke to him." Ryomen's voice was tight with anger.

"Are you talking about…him?" Vivi's eyes widened in shock, remembering the figure always close to Ryomen.

Ryomen nodded. "Yeah. He was always there, watching me with that infuriating grin of his. I thought maybe he didn't care about the cruelty I went through, that he just didn't want to get involved. He'd always smile, like nothing ever bothered him. But now I know he was there for a reason. To make sure I didn't step out of line. To keep me from running or fighting back."

Vivi frowned, trying to process the revelation. "He let them do that to you and didn't intervene?"

"He didn't care about right or wrong, just following orders." Ryomen's fists clenched at his sides. "I thought he might be different from the others…but he was just there to make sure I stayed in my place. The way he'd speak, always so slow, so disinterested, it made me hate him even more."

"Why would Isgor do that?" Vivi asked, her tone more serious now. "From what I've heard, the Celestial Dragons are monsters. Cruel, selfish beings…and seeing what they can get away with, I can't help but believe it, but why go so far for a child?"

"He's cruel, no question. But he's smarter than most of them. I'm sure he had a reason for it." Ryomen said bitterly, though Vivi could feel he was hiding something.

"He realized quickly that the other slaves protected me because I was the youngest. So, he started giving me privileges they didn't have. Food, clothing, moments of freedom…and it worked. They resented me for it."

Vivi's heart ached as she put her hand over his. "I'm sorry for making you remember that." She said softly.

"No, it's fine. If it wasn't for that, how could I have met you?" Ryomen smiled faintly, his words taking Vivi by surprise.

The two then stood in silence, watching the night sky.

…

The next day, the crew finally reached an island. It was covered in snow, with large forests and mountains rising like giants in the distance.

"So, who's gonna go look for a doctor?" Zoro asked, arms crossed.

Ryomen, Luffy, and Sanji quickly volunteered.

Before they could dock the ship, a sharp voice rang out from the shore beside them.

"Stop right there, you pirates!" A man shouted.

"Oh, there's people." Luffy said plainly, tilting his head.

"Turn your ship around and leave now!"

"We came to find a doctor!" Luffy tried to explain.

"Yeah! We have a sick person aboard!" Vivi added, her voice laced with urgency.

"Don't try your tricks on us, you dirty pirates!" Dozens of villagers emerged from the forest, guns pointed directly at them.

"This is our country! We won't let pirates set foot here! Now go, or we'll shoot!"

"These guys really don't like us, and we just met." Sanji mumbled. He then barely dodged a bullet that whizzed past his foot.

"You'll regret that!" Sanji yelled, fists clenched in anger.

"Wait, Sanji!" Vivi quickly stopped him, but another shot rang out. The bullet grazed her shoulder, knocking her to the ground.

"Vivi!!" Luffy shouted, his eyes wide with concern as he looked at the villagers with growing anger.

"How dare you!?" Ryomen's veins bulged, rage flickering across his face.

Before he could act, Vivi grabbed his waist, her grip weak but firm. "Stop! We can't fight them! Don't worry about my wound, it's just a scratch."

"Vivi…?" Luffy looked at her in confusion.

"Luffy, impulsiveness won't solve anything!" Vivi's voice was steady despite her pain. "If you get us all killed, what will happen to Nami?" She then bowed toward the villagers, her voice soft but full of conviction. "Please, forgive us."

"...You're right! Forgive me! I was wrong!" Luffy followed Vivi's lead and kneeled down beside her. "Please, call a doctor. Help our friend."

Ryomen stood frozen, unable to believe what he was seeing, their willingness to bow for the sake of a friend.

After a tense silence, one of the men finally spoke. "I'll take you, to the village. Come with me."

…

The crew followed the man to the village. Dalton, the man who let them in, explained that the only doctor on the island lived in a castle at the top of the highest mountain. There was no way to contact her from the village.

"We'll climb the mountain then." Ryomen suddenly said, his voice determined.

"That will only make her sickness worse!" Vivi protested, her eyes wide in disbelief.

"But there's no other way." Ryomen replied, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"It'll be alright. Even if she falls, she'll land on soft snow." Luffy said with a grin, trying to reassure her.

"A normal person will die if they fall from that height." Vivi said flatly, unconvinced.

"I'll leave it to you then, Ryomen." Nami's weak voice cut through the tension.

"Don't worry. You'll be cured soon." Ryomen smiled down at her, determination clear in his eyes.

"I'll come along too!" Sanji chimed in, eager to help.

Nami was tightly secured around Ryomen's back as the group set off toward the mountain.

Vivi, Usopp, and Dalton remained behind at the village, while Zoro wandered off to meditate in the freezing water and Karoo stayed aboard the ship.

…

After trekking for a while, their conversation drifted into lighter topics. Luffy and Sanji bantered about people in snowy islands never sleeping and women always having smooth, pale skin. But their lighthearted conversation came to a halt when they were faced with a pack of Giant Rabbits.

"Tsk. We don't have time for this." Ryomen muttered, annoyed. "Dismantle!" With a flick of his fingers, a razor-sharp gust of air ripped through the rabbits, dropping them instantly. The snow beneath them was painted red as the wind settled.

But more rabbits quickly appeared, enraged by their fallen companions. Their powerful legs repeatedly struck the mountain, shaking the ground beneath them.

"Damn it! Let's run!" Sanji shouted as the rumbling intensified.

Luffy and Ryomen barely managed to grab hold of a nearby tree as the avalanche came crashing down, sweeping Sanji away in the process.

"Sanji!!" They both yelled, their voices lost in the roar of the snow.

…

As the snow settled, Ryomen, still carrying Nami, and Luffy, now with an unconscious Sanji on his back, resumed their climb.

But they were soon stopped by Wapol and his two commanders, sitting atop a giant snow hippo.

"Hahaha! I found you! You'll pay for what you did!" Wapol sneered down at them.

Ryomen and Luffy barely spared him a glance as they trudged past the hippo.

"How dare you ignore me!? Kill them!" Wapol's face twisted in anger.

His commanders sprang into action, pulling out a bow and a spiked ball, but before they could attack, their weapons were cut down effortlessly.

"This is the only warning I'm giving you." Ryomen said without turning around. His second pair of eyes opened, glowing ominously, and looking back at Wapol, his voice low and dangerous. "Next time, I will kill you."

Wapol froze, his face flushing with rage, but he dared not move.

…

At the foot of the mountain, Ryomen and Luffy prepared for the grueling climb ahead.

"C-can't even see the top…" Luffy stammered, shivering from the cold.

"It's alright, Luffy. We're close. Just hang on a little longer." Ryomen said, trying to reassure him, though exhaustion tugged at his voice.

"Haha! I should be telling you that." Luffy replied with a grin, beginning the ascent.

…

Two hours passed. Their fingers were bleeding, bodies twitching from the freezing cold as they pushed themselves higher.

"Finally…the top…" Ryomen gasped, his voice barely a whisper as they reached the summit.

With trembling hands, he carefully took Nami from his back and handed her to Luffy.

"What are you doing…?" Luffy asked, confusion flashing across his face.

"I…need to rest a little…that's all…" Ryomen replied weakly before his body gave out, falling toward the edge of the mountain.

"Ryomen!!" Luffy yelled, panic gripping him as he couldn't reach out to catch him with both Nami and Sanji on his back.

Just as Ryomen slipped over the edge, a giant reindeer caught his hand, saving him from the fall.