Bang!
A gunshot echoed across the coast, and the entire shore instantly fell silent.
Everyone on the Going Merry froze in tension.
The bullet had been fired straight toward Princess Vivi — but it never reached her.
Between her and the shot stood Sandy, who held the bullet calmly between his fingers.
"All martial arts in the world are invincible," Sandy said slowly, flicking the bullet aside, "except for speed. Ptooey..."
He sighed inwardly. The people of Drum Island had been attacked by pirates many times before — it made sense they wouldn't allow any to land.
The rest of the Straw Hat Pirates didn't understand this, but Sandy, having read the original story of this world, did.
The problem now was clear: the islanders wouldn't let pirates ashore.
If they forced their way in or tried using violence to demand treatment, it would backfire immediately.
So brute force wasn't an option.
Sandy glanced up at the white, frozen sky stretching endlessly above Drum island mountain's snowy surroundings.
Somewhere out there was Chopper, and time was running out. Nami's fever was from a rare virus — one that ordinary doctors couldn't cure.
(Author's note: If I don't explain the reasoning, people say it's bad writing. If I do, they call it filler. Please, have mercy!!)
Taking a deep breath, Sandy pushed down his pride, plastered on his best kind smile, and addressed the wary islanders.
"Everyone, please — let's talk this through. These bullets are dangerous, and we don't mean you any harm."
But the villagers still aimed their rifles, unmoved.
With no other choice, Sandy decided to go all in. He suddenly dropped to his knees and shouted, "My friend is sick! She… she could die any moment!"
Then, without hesitation, he started bawling. "Waaah! Please, let us take her to a doctor!"
...Except he wasn't really crying.
No tears came out.
"Hey, where are the tears?!" Sandy muttered under his breath.
Vivi whispered something in Luffy's ear, then also knelt beside Sandy, pleading, "We won't set foot on the island! We just want medical help for our friend. Please!"
Luffy caught on immediately. He knelt too, shouting, "My friend's really sick! If we wait any longer, she might die! Please, let her see a doctor!"
The villagers murmured uncertainly among themselves.
Then a tall man stepped forward — Dalton, the former captain of the Drum Island guard and now the people's spokesperson.
Dalton studied them for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. You may come ashore."
Sandy blinked. "Wait… Dalton recognizes Vivi, doesn't he? So all that crying I just did was for nothing?!"
He sighed. "Never mind. Saving Nami comes first."
Thanks to Dalton's word and Vivi's royal status as Princess of Alabasta, the residents reluctantly allowed the Straw Hat Pirates to dock.
Sandy still felt like he'd humiliated himself for no reason. "Unbelievable. I knelt for nothing..."
Later, inside a small cabin, Dalton explained, "All the doctors on this island were taken away by that tyrant Wapol. Only one remains — she lives up there."
He pointed toward a distant mountain rising nearly four thousand meters into the clouds.
Luffy clenched his fists. "Then we'll take Nami there right now."
Dalton frowned. "Be careful. The slopes are home to vicious Lapahns — giant snow rabbits. And…"
"Got it," Sandy interrupted. "Thanks for the warning, but Nami's condition can't wait."
Vivi asked, "Who's going to carry Nami?"
Sandy replied without hesitation, "Who do you think? Me, of course."
"I'm coming too," said Luffy firmly.
Sanji, normally quick to argue, stayed silent this time — the situation was too dire.
The crew strapped Nami securely to Sandy's back with ropes.
Nami, weak but conscious, whispered, "Sorry… thank you for the trouble."
Sandy smiled softly. "Don't mention it."
He glanced at Luffy. "Alright, let's go."
Because they set out earlier than in the original timeline, Nami wasn't as critically ill — she could still speak, though barely.
(Author's note: Yes, I know in the original, Doctor Kureha goes to the village, but things are different now. Don't overthink it!)
As Sandy and Luffy disappeared into the snowy distance, Vivi clasped her hands. "Will they be okay?"
Sanji reassured her, "They might act like idiots most of the time, but when it matters, they're reliable."
Usopp nodded. "Yeah. Sandy's strong — don't worry, Vivi."
Vivi smiled faintly. "Alright."
On the icy slopes, Sandy and Luffy trudged through the blizzard.
Sandy grinned through chattering teeth. "Luffy, if we run into any Lapahns, you'll handle them, got it?"
Luffy laughed. "No problem! Leave it to me. Are we really climbing that mountain though?"
Sandy stared up at the massive peak towering above them. "Yep. No idea how long it'll take, though. This cold is insane."
Just then, a loud, obnoxious laugh echoed behind them.
"Moo ha ha ha ha!"
Wapol, riding a furry hippo, had caught up to them.
"You two bastards up ahead!" he yelled. "Stop right there!"
Luffy blinked. "Who's that?"
Sandy squinted, unimpressed. "No idea. Hey, idiot! Who are you?"
Wapol puffed out his chest. "You dare speak to me like that?! I am King Wapol, ruler of Drum Island! And I now sentence you to death!"
Luffy frowned. "Huh? Why?"
"Because that guy carrying a woman fed me that thing back on the ship!" Wapol shouted furiously. "You disgusted me! Now die!"
Sandy chuckled. "Feeding you something is a crime now? You're unbelievable."
Wapol turned red. "You— You made me eat—!"
Sandy smirked. "Say it out loud, Your Majesty. What exactly did I feed you?"
Wapol clenched his fists. "Damn it! Subordinates, kill them!"
Two of his men charged forward.
Luffy prepared to fight, but Sandy raised a hand. "Let me handle this."
He sighed dramatically. "It's sad, really — a man of my talents wasted on such fools. A tragedy for language itself! Holy cow—"
Before he could finish, a group of giant white rabbits — the Lapahns — appeared on the path ahead.
Luffy grinned. "Leave them to me!"
But before he could move, Sandy unleashed a wave of Conqueror's Haki, knocking the beasts unconscious instantly.
"Luffy," he said flatly, "our goal is to get Nami to a doctor. Can you not pick unnecessary fights?"
Luffy pouted. "You're no fun! You're too sneaky!"
Sandy coughed. "Never mind that. Do you feel the temperature dropping?"
Luffy shivered. "Yeah… the wind's getting colder."
Sandy nodded. "Right. Forget it — saving Nami comes first."
As they climbed higher, the blizzard worsened. Their conversation dwindled, replaced by heavy breathing and the crunch of snow.
After what felt like hours, they reached a massive vertical cliff — a sheer ninety-degree wall of ice and stone.
Both men stared up.
Sandy finally broke the silence. "I can climb it. What about you?"
Luffy grinned. "I can too!"
They were both half-frozen and half-crazy, focused only on one thought: get Nami to Doctor Kureha.
Sandy turned to check on Nami. "Nami, you awake?"
Her weak voice answered, "Yeah… I'm awake."
Sandy started loosening the ropes.
Luffy blinked. "What are you doing?"
"I want to use my spatial ability to teleport us upward," Sandy explained. "But I'm worried Nami won't hold onto me, so I'm going to use my clothes as rope."
Luffy stopped him. "Use my clothes instead."
Sandy frowned. "You'll freeze to death."
Luffy grinned through chattering teeth. "I won't die!"
After tying Nami securely, Sandy whispered, "Nami, whatever you see next, don't scream. If you're scared, just close your eyes, okay?"
Nami nodded weakly. "Okay."
And with that, they began the desperate climb up the mountain — into the storm.