At the center of Drum Kingdom, a towering mountain loomed ominously.
Its steep walls were streaked with shards of smooth ice.
Battered by the gale, fragments of rock occasionally broke free, tumbling downward.
In this harsh environment, it seemed utterly uninhabitable by normal humans.
And yet, atop this mountain stood what had once been the most noble place on Drum Island, the royal palace of the Drum Kingdom.
Though now, the palace had long lost its former glory.
The once-luxurious fortress had become dilapidated from long years without attendants.
Its ornate turrets were buried under thick snow, concealing every trace of color.
Dr. Kureha was now the owner of this castle.
At an astonishing age of 140 years, her medical skills were unparalleled, a terrifying figure who had prolonged her life solely through medicine.
After the former Drum Kingdom king, Wapol, consolidated all the island's doctors and fled,
Dr. Kureha became the only physician still tending to the common people.
Though her fees were exorbitant, often leaving families bankrupt,
For a nation long without doctors, her presence was enough to prevent people from falling into despair when critically ill.
…
Oh! Right,
This island also had another doctor: Tony Tony Chopper.
A blue-nosed reindeer who had eaten the Human-Human Fruit, gaining human intelligence and abilities.
For certain reasons, Chopper was currently studying medicine under Dr. Kureha.
A very adorable child.
And…
The very reason Luffy and his crew had come.
…
"Such a tall snowy mountain!"
Usopp lifted the goggles from his forehead, shielding his eyes from the blinding snow, and looked up in awe at the summit.
Though Usopp's strength had long surpassed the boy who once only wielded a slingshot,
he still felt a natural sense of awe staring at this peak.
Perhaps this is the power of nature itself…
…
"Tch, scared of a little snow, are we~?"
Zoro flashed a row of white teeth, teasing Usopp with a grin.
"Wha…what!"
Prideful Usopp quickly forced a confident smile, giving a thumbs-up to himself as he replied:
"No way!
Wanna compete? I used to be a climbing expert!
Countless climbers have fallen to my skills!"
Faced with Zoro's teasing, Usopp proudly boasted his specialty, refusing to be underestimated.
"Sounds promising~"
Sanji, using his culinary senses to keep his cigarette lit in the blizzard, chuckled with interest.
"Hohoho~ It's been ages since these old bones got moving!
Climbing, what a fine sport!"
"Hehe!"
Koby laughed, eyes steady, showing no sign of backing down.
"Oh~ in that case, I'll give it a try too."
Nami, fearless in the frigid cold, wearing her favorite princess dress, joined the men in the playful competition.
Merry immediately raised her hand, eyes sparkling with excitement:
"I wanna join too! I wanna join!…"
Seeing everyone so eager, Luffy's eyes flickered. After a moment's thought, he spoke to everyone:
"Since everyone's so enthusiastic…
Why don't we have a contest?"
All eyes turned to him expectantly.
Climbing skill wasn't strictly tied to strength, so the outcome was unpredictable.
Everyone immediately looked interested, focusing on Luffy.
Only Vivi, bundled in heavy clothing, stood awkwardly on the sidelines.
I don't have the strength to compete with these monsters…
But she couldn't stay alone in the freezing snow.
Thankfully…
Luffy hadn't forgotten her.
After a quick glance at everyone, he continued:
"The rules are simple.
No jumping, no using abilities!
As for the punishment…"
Luffy paused, a mischievous smile spreading across his face:
"The loser has to take Koby's place and clean the Going Merry for a month!"
"Wha…WHAT!!!"
"No way! I cannot lose!!!"
"Hohoho~ Looks like I gotta go all out!"
Luffy's words sent a ripple of excitement through everyone.
After all…
Everyone had seen Koby's hard work.
No one wanted to take his place.
Not even for a day!
Only Koby stood there, dumbfounded, unsure why Luffy had set such a high-stakes reward.
Luffy calmly continued:
"And to thank Koby for all his hard work, if he loses, there's no punishment for him.
But Koby, you cannot throw the match. I'll look down on you if you do!"
"Uh…ah…ah!"
"Of course not, Luffy! I'll give it my all!!!"
"Mm…"
Luffy nodded again and said:
"To be fair, Robin won't participate, she'll act as referee.
I'll go with Robin, Zoro, you take Vivi.
This way, we can partially limit our own strengths."
"How does that sound?"
"No problem!!!"
Everyone shouted in unison.
With such high stakes, no one would let victory slip.
They all readied themselves, every muscle tensed, prepared to give everything.
No one intended to lose!
…
Robin accepted Luffy's invitation gracefully, arms wrapped around his neck as he carried her on his back.
Vivi shyly clung to Zoro's back.
She knew this was just Luffy giving her a role to save face.
So she didn't hesitate.
The crew lined up, taking their positions, all eyes on the towering mountain ahead.
At this moment, no one feared the peak.
Because their real opponents weren't the cliffs above…
They were the comrades standing beside them, day and night!
To avoid chores, everyone was ready to give it their all.
Especially Usopp, the contest's instigator.
Though he had climbing experience, his physical strength lagged behind the rest.
So to win, he needed to focus 200%, pre-scanning footholds and handholds.
He even used full Observation Haki to analyze the stone, ensuring the best path.
…
A coin flipped high into the sky.
At its peak, gravity took hold, and it plummeted rapidly.
Plop…
The coin landed vertically into the thick snow.
Immediately, a tremendous force surged upward.
The snow and the rock beneath trembled violently.
BOOM!!!!!!
A deafening explosion!
The ground cracked, snow spraying outward in all directions.
A massive crater formed.
The Starry Sky crew blurred for a split second, leaving only afterimages behind.
In the blink of an eye, they had reached the mountain's base, colliding with the rock walls.
KABOOM!!!!
Another deafening roar, accompanied by the mountain's deep resonance.
Chunks of snow from the summit shattered, cascading downward.
Yet the avalanche couldn't stop their determination to avoid chores.
Each member pressed on, using all their strength, charging forward through the falling snow.