"But... this time, I only brought one arm. Everyone may have to make do for a while."
Agnes cast a subtle glance at Luffy and the others.
Nami noticed his attitude.
They must have caught him in the act, which was why he had stopped cutting himself.
If they had not found out, Agnes would probably have grown another arm after one was cut off, only for it to be cut off again. That way, he could store enough "meat" to serve as this village's emergency food supply.
And judging from their conversation, this probably had not happened just once or twice.
It was hard to imagine how Agnes had managed to endure such pain all by himself.
Even if he could not die, the pain was still real.
"By the way, Uncle Dalton, we didn't drain the blood from the arm either. It may be difficult to store."
"In weather like this, who cares whether it's easy to store or not?" Dalton raised his head and sighed as he looked at the endless snow falling from the sky.
"We still have some food here." After hearing their conversation, Nami took some food from her clothes. There was not much, since they had only come down wearing the clothes on their backs and had not brought any luggage.
There was not much food left on their ship either. They had always relied on the sea for their meals.
Most of what Nami had with her was chocolate. Seeing this, the others also took out some food.
"This..." Dalton grew emotional when he saw it. They had lived in this world for so long that it had been ages since they had eaten anything other than "meat."
The only reason they could eat meat was because Agnes was there.
"Uncle, take it. This black stuff tastes really good," Luna urged him.
"Yeah. They came to us for help anyway." Enig also spoke up.
"Oh...?" Dalton looked at Luffy and the others with curiosity. "You clearly came from outside. May I ask why you came here? Are you looking for the Ice Witch?"
"No." Nami quickly shook her head. "We're looking for a doctor because someone on our ship is sick. We also wanted to ask if you have a Log Pose."
"A doctor..." Dalton fell silent for a moment before continuing. "There's a doctor not far from here, but she has a very strange temper. Ever since the Ice Witch placed her curse on this country, she's become even worse. Sometimes she charges an outrageous price, and sometimes she takes the payment without even treating the patient."
He sighed after saying this.
"What's wrong with people? At a time like this, why don't they help each other?" Nami said, clearly annoyed.
She had not expected the people in this country to be so divided even after things had become this desperate.
"Whatever the case, we should at least give it a try," Xiaoban said. "Uncle, could you tell us where the doctor is?"
"Actually, if you really want to meet her, you can stay in the village for a while. According to the usual timing, she'll probably pass by here soon."
"Pass by...?"
"Yes. The doctor comes down from the mountain every so often to see whether there are any patients, and then charges them an outrageous treatment fee." Dalton turned and pointed toward a huge mountain ahead. "That's the one. It would take you too long to climb it, and you might arrive just as the doctor is coming down."
"In that case... we'll split up," Luffy suddenly said. "Sanji, Usopp, and I will look for the doctor. Zoro, Xiaoban, and Nami, you three stay in the village and wait for her."
Sanji was the first to shout, "That's not fair! Why does this moss-head get to stay here with Nami and Miss Luna? If something dangerous happens, can he protect the ladies?"
"Exactly! Why not leave me here instead? I can definitely protect Nami and Xiaoban!" Usopp added, thumping his chest.
"Huh?" Zoro raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying you can do a better job than me?"
"...You do have a point." As Zoro and Sanji continued their usual argument, Nami ignored both of them and nodded at Luffy. "Great. We'll do that."
"You're... splitting up?" Agnes asked hesitantly. "Everything looks the same around here. What if you get separated?"
"Don't worry. They're all very capable," Nami said confidently.
Luffy often forgot to use Observation Haki, but Usopp was a specialist in sensing souls. They should not get lost.
Probably...
Right?!
Luffy left with Sanji and Usopp, who were both reluctant to go. Sanji was reluctant because of Agnes's cute little sister, Luna, while Usopp simply did not want to run around in weather like this.
The three who stayed behind followed Dalton to the bonfire.
"Dalton, we have outsiders in the village?"
A tall woman with long golden hair stepped out of the church. She was wearing a nun's habit, and she held a cup of steaming hot water in her hands.
"Sister Ruku." Dalton clearly respected the woman. After walking over, he explained why Nami and the others had come.
"A Log Pose..." Sister Ruku seemed distracted for a moment before giving them a gentle smile. "Among the supplies sent by the church, there was a Log Pose that points to Alabasta. We originally wanted everyone to evacuate to that hot country, but no one wanted to leave. So the Log Pose became useless."
Alabasta was a hot country covered in desert. It was completely different from the Drum Kingdom.
Although Alabasta was hot, its climate was not unbearably extreme. It was well within the range that humans could tolerate. This place, on the other hand, was seventy degrees below zero. Ordinary people would freeze solid.
"Really?!" Nami's eyes lit up as she hurried over. "We can trade food for it! We didn't bring much with us, but there's more on the ship. We can bring it all over later!"
"No, no, there's no need for that much food," Dalton quickly said. "We have no use for the Log Pose."
Under normal circumstances, a Log Pose was certainly not worth that much food. And in a country where no one wanted to go out to sea, it was completely useless. Food, however, could truly save lives.
But Nami had said it anyway because she had wanted to share the food on their ship with these poor people. She had only been worried that giving it to them directly would hurt their pride and make them feel as though they were being pitied.
So trading it for the Log Pose was the perfect solution.
"You should use it to pay the doctor's fee instead," Sister Ruku said. She had understood what Nami meant. She gently shook her head and was about to say more when a man's shocked cry suddenly came from the distance.
"This is bad, Sister Ruku! Wana is dead!"
A look of sorrow crossed Sister Ruku's face. She immediately ran toward the voice. Nami only saw the woman vanish in an instant, and she stood there in stunned silence. Just then...
She had not even seen how Ruku had left.
That was...
That was incredibly fast!
Nami's mouth fell open, and she did not know what to do.
She had thought Sister Ruku was just an ordinary nun sent here by the Cross Church. But could an ordinary nun really move that fast?
If Nami had not seen the sorrow on Ruku's face at the exact moment she heard "Wana is dead," she would have grabbed Xiaoban and Zoro and run away.
She had every reason to be cautious. The Cross Church was also connected to the World Government. At the very least, it helped maintain the order established by the world's rulers. Since they were pirates, being caught by members of the Cross Church would definitely get them sent to prison.
"Don't worry. The Cross Church has its own sense of right and wrong. They don't completely follow the World Government's idea of justice." Xiaoban seemed to notice Nami's concern and leaned closer to whisper this to her.
Nami relaxed a little. She reached over and rubbed Xiaoban's hair before following the others.
"Stop messing up my hair!" Xiaoban puffed out his cheeks and smoothed down his hair. Then he looked at Zoro, who seemed to have been standing there distracted since earlier.
"Hey, did you see a ghost?"
Xiaoban nudged Zoro twice with his elbow. Only then did Zoro snap out of it.
"Huh? What ghost?"
"If you didn't see a ghost, why have you been so distracted?" Xiaoban pouted. "You looked just like Sanji when he sees a beautiful woman walk by and spends the next several days moping over her."
"Idiot!" White vapor burst from Zoro's head as he snapped angrily, "I'd never be as stupid as that curly-browed idiot!"
"So what were you thinking about?"
Just now?
Zoro's expression grew slightly serious. He did not know why, but after splitting up from Luffy and the others, he had felt as though someone was watching him.
And that feeling...
Was not good.
He told Xiaoban how he felt, and Xiaoban frowned as well. "Want me to transform and take a look around?"
"No need." Zoro clasped his hands behind his head and swaggered forward. "Let him keep watching. I haven't sensed any killing intent."
Then he looked ahead and said, "That Dalton guy isn't simple either."
The two of them were walking at the back. Agnes and his sister were ahead of them, while Nami and Dalton were at the front. Sister Ruku had already reached a house.
"Yeah. After surviving in weather like this for so many years, that man still has plenty of energy and can keep up with Nami. He definitely isn't an ordinary person," Xiaoban agreed.
Normally, simply staying alive in weather like this would already be a huge problem. It was not just the temperature. The people here had also spent years surviving on nothing but Agnes's arms. Eating only meat might keep them alive, but it could not explain how Dalton was still so full of energy.
"This is the sixth one this month."
By the time the two of them arrived, they heard Sister Ruku quietly saying this.
Nami stood at the doorway, seemingly unwilling to let Xiaoban see what was inside. But Xiaoban's attention was sharp. He noticed a middle-aged man lying on the bed. His expression was stiff, and his body was shriveled.
Or perhaps he was an old man? In an environment like this, people seemed to age especially quickly.
Beside the man's body were many...
Severed hands!
Xiaoban instinctively looked at Agnes. Agnes was leaning over Wana's body, studying the old man's face.
"He didn't eat my meat."
"If he only ate some of the canned food provided by the church, it wouldn't have been enough," Ruku said, shaking her head.
"If only I had noticed sooner." Tears filled Agnes's eyes. It was clear that he was truly heartbroken.
"No, this isn't your fault." His sister Luna gently hugged him. "Uncle Wana refused to eat human flesh right up until the moment he died. There was nothing you could do, brother."
"Yes..." Ruku let out a soft sigh. "If we have to blame someone, then it's all the Ice Witch's fault."
"The Ice Witch..." Agnes clenched his fists.
"Give Wana a proper burial," Ruku told Dalton. He nodded.
"Yeah..."
Dalton also seemed weighed down by grief.
Ruku walked outside. Even in the freezing snow, she did not seem to feel the cold.
She quietly breathed out. The white cloud of breath quickly disappeared into the air.
"The Ice Witch... Why would she place such a cruel curse on this country?" Nami followed behind her, unable to bear what she had seen. After a while, she could not help asking.
"Who knows?" Ruku said softly. "Perhaps it's because of the greed in people's hearts."
"Sister Ruku, have you gotten used to seeing things like this? Including eating... eating Agnes's arms?" Nami asked again.
"After the Ice Witch's curse spread, the Cross Church organized a rescue effort. I was part of the third group of clergy sent to this country," Ruku said calmly.
The cold wind blew past, lifting Ruku's long golden hair.
"Anyone who hasn't come to this country in person can never understand how cruel it is. Many things that seem horrifying to people outside are completely normal here. Everything here is simply about staying alive."
"..." Nami nodded. That was true. If she had not come here herself, she would have thought that only ghosts ate people.
"Then what about you, Sister Ruku?" Nami finally asked. She found it hard to believe that such a beautiful woman would eat people too. Ruku was different from the people of the Drum Kingdom. She came from the outside world and was a nun of the Cross Church. She had seen civilization. Would even someone like her do things with no humanity just to survive?
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