"The drum kingdom, eh?" Crocus remarked, nodding his head with a thoughtful expression. "I haven't been there in a while. I wonder how that old hag is doing?" he murmured to no one in particular as his expression turned into a smiling one.

I raised an eyebrow at his remark but chose not to comment. "So, are you up for it, old-timer?" I asked with a smile, keeping an even expression.

"Why not?" Crocus replied with a smile, nodding his head. "It's about time I stretched my old bones," he added, rotating his left shoulder as if warming up.

"Excellent," I remarked with a smirk. "Then we'll set off once my crew finishes sorting out the loot from our battle," I concluded as I sat cross-legged on the ground, taking out my whisky bottle.

...

It had been several hours since our battle with the bounty hunters, and my companions had already picked the wrecked ship of anything valuable, and we were ready to set sail.

But we decided to stay the night in the twin capes as the sky had already darkened, and everyone was tired.

My crewmates, Crocus, and I are currently sitting around a campfire in the open, sharing drinks and stories, except for Law, who was being his usual brooding self, sitting a distance away as he cleaned his sword.

Everyone attentively listened to Crocus talk about the different exotic islands that he had visited during his time as the roger pirates shop doctor, and I wasn't much different in that regard.

"Well, that's all I'm going to share with you, youngsters," Crocus said with a smile. "If you want to know more about the grand line, then you should discover it for yourself," he added with a shrug. Though some of my companions were disappointed, they nodded nonetheless.

"That's the idea," I commented with a smirk as I sat on a log near the campfire, sipping on my whisky bottle. "It'll be more fun that way," I added, heaving a content sigh as I put away my bottle.

"You what will be fun right about now?" Wilson asked with a smirk as he turned to look at me. "A song!" he added, causing my crewmates to cheer, with Elly being the most enthusiastic in her cheering.

"Sure," I shrugged my shoulder with a smile. "Pass me my guitar, Blondie," I said as I turned to look at Byron, who was sitting close to where I had placed the instrument.

"Sure thing, captain," Byron nodded with a smile, promptly retrieving my guitar and passing it to me. I took the guitar, stroking its chords a few times for several seconds, thinking about what to play.

I smiled as I remembered something and began playing a slow tune.

"Watch that old fire as it flickers and dies that once blessed the household and lit up our lives," I sang in a slow tone as I gazed into the bonfire.

It shone for the friends and the clinking of glasses. I'll tend to the flame. You can worship the ashes." I felt myself involuntarily smile as I raised my head and noticed my companions enjoying the song.

"Capture the wild things and bring them in line, and own what was never your right to confine." My smile became bigger as Crocus heaved a sigh, seemingly reminiscing about something after hearing those lines.

"The lives and the loves and the songs are what matters. I'll tend to the flame. You can worship the ashes." Crocus smiled, and I could see even Law drop his brooding expression for the briefest of seconds, staring into the night sky.

"Do you feel heavy? Your eyes drop with grief. Your spirit is wild, and your suffering is brief." I heard a splashing noise coming from the shore and turned around, smiling as I saw Laboon's head emerge from the water, gazing at us.

"So never you buckle and bend to the masses. I'll tend to the flame. You can worship the ashes...,"

...

"Are you sure it's okay to leave him here?" I asked Crocus as we both leaned on the railing of the black pearl, gazing at the gigantic whale who was surprisingly calm today, merely staring at the black pearl in curiosity.

"I would have taken him with us if possible," Crocus replied with a sigh. "But he's too stubborn to leave, so it can't be helped," he added, shaking his head.

"Still, is he going to be okay?" I asked after a second's pause, genuinely worried about the wellbeing of the giant mammal.

"He'll be just fine on his own, and I already called some old friends to keep an eye on him while I'm gone," Crocus replied with a smile. "They're currently in west blue, but they should be here in a day or two," he concluded, nodding his head.

'I wonder if he's talking about Shanks. That would make sense. They used to be crewmates, and I did see the man in west blue before we left.' I nodded my head without commenting on the subject, as I did not particularly care.

As long as the big hunk of meat that was Laboon is okay, then it's fine by me. Though I had no interactions with him myself, I could not help myself caring about the gigantic whale.

Laboon's story was one of my favorite backstories from one piece, and I've always had a weak spot for such cases, but I digress.

"Are we ready to set sail, Laffite?" I asked with a smile as I turned to look at Laffite.

"As ready as we can be, captain," Laffite replied with a smile of his own, nodding. "We're only waiting for you to give the word," he concluded, making his way towards the black pearl's helm.

"Off we go then!" I exclaimed, and my crewmates immediately went to work, heading to their stations. "Head straight to the Drum kingdom," I instructed, and Wilson immediately unfurled the sails as Laffite began steering the ship towards our destination.

...

Roughly several hours had passed since we left the twin peaks, and we've already had several encounters with the grand line's infamous weather.

The first of such encounters was an actual waterfall in the middle of the sea, heading straight to rock bottom, and it didn't come alone as it suddenly appeared in front of the black pearl in the middle of a raging storm.

Though Laffite found some difficulty steering the ship in the middle of the storm, and the waterfall took him by surprise, he quickly adapted and steered us out of danger.

Encountering Laffite in the Ballywood kingdom was most definitely the luckiest thing to happen to me since coming to this world, and recruiting him was by far the wisest choice I've made too, but I digress.

I'm currently sitting in the captain's quarters, slumping back as I retrieved my transponder snail, dialing a number.

"Hey boss," came Fukurou's voice from the snail's mouth as he picked up the call. "What can I do you for?" he asked in an even tone.

"Nothing," I replied with a shake of my head. "I'm calling to see how things are going with the Baroque Works," I added, pausing and waiting for the humanoid ball to respond.

"Oh, it's actually going quite well," Fukurou replied in an excited tone. "We even found out who's behind the organization!" he added in an expectant note, obviously trying to impress me.

"Oh, you already figured out Crocodile is running the Baroque Works?" I asked in an even tone, despite my playful grin. "Very impressive," I added, holding back a laugh.

"What!?" Fukurou bellowed. "You already knew? How?" he asked in an astonished tone.

"I could tell you, but I'll have to kill you," I replied with a chuckle.

"You know what? I don't want to know," Fukurou remarked in a depressed tone, seemingly disappointed. "Do you need anything else?" he asked, seemingly not in the mood to chat anymore.

"Now that you mention it," I replied, suddenly remembering something. "Do you know about the island whale in the twin peaks?" I asked, pausing and waiting for the green head to reply.

"Oh, the giant whale that keeps smashing its head against the red line?" Fukurou hesitantly replied, seemingly unsure of his answer.

"That's the one," I replied with a nod. "The Baroque Works might go after it, and I want you to stop them if they do," I instructed in a firm tone.

"Will do," Fukurou replied, without bothering to ask about the whys and hows. "Anything else?" he asked.

"That's all," I replied with a shrug of my shoulders. "Keep up the good work," I concluded, ending the call and getting up and heading towards the deck.

I smirked as I looked at the sky, noticing the dark clouds coalescing in the skies as the winds suddenly became furious, tugging at the sails above my head.

"We're just entering the grand line, and it's already so much fun, Rehahaha!" I murmured with a loud laugh as I made my way towards my favorite spot, staring at the horizon with an eager expression.

...

We had been in the sea for several days now, and I could already feel a chill in the air, indicating that we were nearing Drum island as it is known for its wintery weather.

Of course, the weather in the past couple of days has been anything but pleasant as we had to cross a sea area affected by the magnetic fields of two different islands affected by two utterly contrasting weather phenomena.

I already knew what I was getting into when I decided to head into the grand line. But seriously, what the fuck is with this weather? One minute it's a snowstorm that would last for hours, only for a dust storm to come with hurricanes and shit when it ended.

How there is dust, not to mention dust storms in the middle of the sea, I do not know, and I hardly have the mental capacity to process this level of nonsensical gibberish.

So I took a page out of Luffy's playbook and merely considered it as mystery weather. Seriously, that air-headed, rubber human might be on to something here, but I digress.

Though Laffite, like all of us, failed to process these nonsensical weather phenomena like the rest of us at first, he proved himself more than worthy of being one of the best navigators in one piece once he spent some time navigating us through them.

I could go on and on about how lucky I was to recruit him into my crew, but it's nothing I haven't said before, so I'll spare you the details.

On another note, Bepo also had some time to shine during these past couple of days, as he was a navigator of sorts himself.

Though he may be nowhere near the skill level of people like Nami and Laffite, he was still the heart pirates' navigator, and he managed to take them all the way to the new world.

So it was no surprise that the polar mink could actually help Laffite in navigating through the harsh weather, earning the navigator's respect.

Oh, and how could I forget about the mishmash of gigantic sea monsters with too high an opinion of themselves that attacked the black pearl?

One of them, a giant, worm-like, pink creature with the head of a wolf, destroyed part of the railings, and that's all I could remember about the affair.

Wilson later told me that he hadn't seen me this angry since those damned baboons threw a half-eaten apple on the deserted island where I first met him, and that particular sea monster would be having flashbacks of the beating it received even in its next life.

"Land ahoy!" I heard Elly's voice coming from the deck, and I smiled, shaking my head as I made my way outside the captain's quarters.

And sure enough, I could already see the silhouette of the Drum Rockies, the drum-shaped mountains that the Drum island was known for on the horizon.

I scanned the deck and located Doc Q lying on the ground right to his horse, stronger, and made my way there with a smile.

Doc noticed me from the corner of his eyes and turned to look at me with some difficulty, grunting as he did. "Is that the island you told me about?" He asked, holding his mouth as a streak of blood leaked out of it.

"It is," I replied with a nod as I sat on the floor next to him. "If your illness can be cured anywhere, then it will be here," I added, smiling as I turned to look at Drum island, still a mere silhouette on the horizon.

"And here I thought that the pirate king's doctor and ope-ope fruit user were your aces in the hole...," Doc Q remarked with a smile, squeezing a wheezing chuckle.

"Once you get to know me more, you'll realize that I always go the extra mile and leave nothing to chance," I replied with a smirk. "But that's neither here nor there," I added, shaking my head.

"We'll be there soon, so pack up some warm clothes as I hear it's quite chilling on drum island," I said as I got up, making my way towards the black pearl's prow.

"I don't want your sorry ass dying on me from a cold before we even meet the doctors there," I added, chuckling as I waved a hand at him from behind.

...

"For a wintery island, their welcome sure is warm," I remarked with a chuckle as we docked the black pearl at the drum island's port, only to be received by several dozens of armed soldiers wearing heavy winter clothes.

"It sure is, captain," Laffite replied with a chuckle. "Should I take care of them?" He asked, giving the armed soldiers an unimpressed look as they stood their ground, flintlocks, and spears in hand.

"There's no need," I replied, shaking my head. "We might be able to reason with them yet," I added as I turned to look at the drum island's soldiers with a smirk, causing them to grip their weapons even harder.

"I don't know what you pirates want," said a tall, imposing man with slicked hair and goatee in a solemn tone. "But the only thing you'll find here is a fight," he added, calmly looking at us with an even expression.

"We're not here to cause trouble," I remarked, dismissively waving my hand to the side. "We're here to meet doctor Kureha," I added with a shrug of my shoulders, maintaining a friendly attitude.

"Regardless of your reason, I can not allow you entry into Drum island," the man stubbornly replied. "So turn and leave this place, pirates," he added, still refusing to grant us passage.

"Listen here, Dalton, buddy," I remarked with a sigh, using his name, which caused his eyes to open wide in astonishment. "We will get on the island one way or another," I added as I looked him dead in the eye.

"So you either get out of my way and maybe we can have some of that rice with chestnuts from Bighorn you like so much," I stated, causing dalton's eyes to widen in further surprise.

"Or I can simply beat the living shit out of everyone here and make my own way to the island," I added, raising an eyebrow as I released a small shock wave of conquerors Haki, knocking a dozen of the guards closest to me unconscious.

"So, what's it gonna be?" I asked, holding back a chuckle at the soldier's panicked expression and Dalton's troubled one.

"You may enter, but you must give me your word that you will not cause trouble," Dalton stated after several seconds of thought, sighing as he did.

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"Well, I could do that, but it wouldn't mean a single thing now, would it?" I replied with a question, smiling as I shrugged my shoulders. "I'm a pirate, and there's no one on this island capable of making me keep my word," I added with a laugh.

"Fair enough," Dalton remarked with a sigh. "But I warn you if you endanger the lives of the people here, then I will stop you, even at the cost of my life," he solemnly warned, and I merely shrugged as we began exiting the black pearl.

...

"I'll stay on the ship," Wilson said as we began leaving the ship, making everyone stop, staring at the four-armed primate with wide eyes.

"What's with that you look, you bastards?" Wilson said with a scowl, glaring back at us.

"Well, you're usually more eager than anyone to leave the ship," I replied with a chuckle, amusement in my voice.

"I hate snow," Wilson naturally replied, snorting in annoyance. "It gets everywhere," he added, patting his clothes and shaking his head to get rid of the snow piling on top of his hair.

"Suit yourself, big guy," I remarked with a shrug. "That's one less headache I have to worry about, at least," I murmured under my breath with a smirk as I turned around to walk away.

"You're lucky it's so snowy here!" Wilson exclaimed with a snort. "Or I would have given a headache right here and now!" he added as he turned around, heading towards the lower deck.

I merely laughed at Wilson's antics as I kept walking, nodding towards the Dalton and the soldiers as I walked past them, earning nothing but glares for my effort.

...

"So this is Bighorn, huh?" I remarked with a smile as I gazed at the snow-covered town full of strange, red hut-like brick houses with green, conical roofs, looking like stocky Christmas trees.

It was a moderately small town, but it was beautiful nonetheless, especially with how the Christmas-tree-like huts blended with the beautiful snowy mountains not far away from the township, creating a warm scene that contrasted Drum island's wintery weather.

"Pretty place," Doc Q wheezed while shivering under his heavy fur coat. "It would be a shame if we had to kill someone here," he added while admiring the scene.

"Of all the things you could have said...," I remarked with a sigh, earning a wheezing chuckle from the not-so-good doctor.

"Well, we're in such a beautiful place, so there's no need to rush things," I said with a smile. "Everyone can relax and do whatever they want for today," I added while waving everyone away.

"So you do have a heart, captain!" Elly said with a smile as she walked past, me snatching my hat and dashing away. I smiled in amusement, shaking my head as I watched her shrinking back.

"I'll stick with you, if you don't mind, captain," Laffite remarked with a smile as he stopped in front of me.

"Sure," I replied with a smile of my own, nodding my head.

"I'll go find myself somewhere warm before I freeze to death here," Doc Q wheezed with chattering teeth as he turned around, walking away.

"You do remember what I said about civilians, right, Doc?" I said in a firm tone as I watched Doc Q walking away.

"Not to hurt them unless necessary," Doc Q wheezed, his horse staggering for a second as both owner and mount vomited a mouthful of blood.

...

"That Dalton guy sure has some good tastes," I remarked, smiling as I sat inside a small restaurant, enjoying a dish of chestnut rice.

"Eh, it's definitely not bad," Laffite added as he sat in front of me, enjoying the same dish.

And although most of the small restaurant's patrons continued to send glances full of curiosity and caution, we ignored them as we both enjoyed our meal.

Everyone had gone to do his own thing. Elly and Kozue went shopping while Bryon immediately began searching for the closest brothel. I should make a note to ask him about it when he gets back.

Bob, surprisingly, decided to go for a stroll around the town, intending to explore the snowy mountains after he got an idea about the layout of the land.

Law, being the medical enthusiast that he was, decided the visit the local apothecary to view the selection of medical plants local to Drum island, and Bepo, of course, tagged along.

Doc Q didn't take long to locate the closest inn, and he's probably hugging the fireplace with Crocus there while shivering from cold or something along those lines.

And speaking of the not-so-good doctor, I wonder if he found a stable big enough to house his oversized horse, stronger. They have those enormous yeti mounts or whatever people call them here, so it shouldn't be a problem, but I digress.

"How about something to drink, Laffite?" I asked, heaving a content sigh as I demolished my third dish of chestnut rice.

"Sure thing, captain," Laffite replied, nodding his head as he too finished his dish, albeit the first one.

...

"Reahahaha, man, you should have seen the look on Wilson's stupid gorilla face when I cut him for the first time!" I exclaimed, laughing like a maniac in the middle of the restaurant as I shared some of my stories from the deserted island I met Wilson on with Laffite.

"Eh, Wilson does tend to make some comical faces when something unexpected happens," Laffite said, lightly chuckling as he took a sip from a cup of vodka.

Though he suddenly frowned as he turned to look at the restaurant's entrance, noting Dalton's form as the latter began walking towards us.

"Relax," I lazily remarked, waving my hand to the side, making Laffite's brow unfurrow as he resumed enjoying his drink.

"What I can I do for you, Mr chief of the royal guard?" I asked in amusement as Dalton stood in front of our table.

"To take you up on your offer," he replied, likely meaning the offer to share a meal. "And ask some questions," he added, maintaining an even tone.

"Sure, take a seat and order something," I said with a smile as I kicked an empty chair, pushing it a little forwards while gesturing for Dalton to sit.

"It's one me. I insist," I remarked as I called the server to take Dalton's order.

"You have my thanks," Dalton said as he took a seat and ordered a single dish of chestnut rice.

...

Dalton has been surprisingly polite, eating his meal in silence while listening to Laffite and me talking about this and that as he seemed to find the act of talking complicated matters while eating distasteful.

But he quickly finished his meal and wiped his mouth, turning to look at me with a serious expression, making me nod in response.

Thank you for the meal, but I must ask you some questions now as I would need to get back to my duties soon," Dalton remarked as he stared at me with a neutral expression.

I nodded, gesturing for him to ask away as I poured myself a drink.

"You said that you're here to meet Dr. Kureha, correct?" Dalton asked as he adjusted his posture, sitting with his back straight, and I nodded at him.

"Can I ask why you want to see Dr. Kureha?" Dalton asked in a cautious tone, searching my face for any sign of agitation.

"Why else would we want to meet a doctor?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. "One of my crew members is suffering from a terminal illness, and he needs some professional medical help," I added with a shrug of my shoulders.

"Is that truly all you came here for?" Dalton asked with a frown. "You will not cause any problems and disturb the island's peace?" he asked again, seemingly confused.

"That would depend on the kind of payment Kureha asks for her services," I replied, meaningfully smiling as I did.

"What does that mean?" Dalton asked, seemingly even more confused now.

"Well, you know the lady more than I do," I replied with a shrug of my shoulder. "And I wouldn't mind going the extra mile to get her to cooperate with me regardless of what she asks...," I added, trailing at the end of my sentence.

"Whether she wanted money or something else in exchange for her services," I concluded with a smirk.

...

Dalton listened to my words and frowned, deep in thought as he juggled the implications in his head.

"I do not understand what you mean, but as long as you don't go out of your way to harm civilians, then we will have no problems," Dalton said a second of silence, standing up.

"Now, if you'll excuse me. I have duties to attend to," Dalton concluded as he turned around and left.

"What's all this about, captain?" Laffite asked with a raised eyebrow after Dalton left. "Do you think that Dr. Kureha person is going to cause us trouble?" he asked again, seemingly confused.

"Well, that's the thing," I said with a chuckle. "I have no idea what Kureha will do when we go to her," I added, shrugging my shoulders.

"Do you think she will refuse to help Doc and Chinjao?" Laffite asked again, pouring himself a drink with a thoughtful expression.

"She'll probably agree," I said with a smile. "But I have no idea what that crazy old hag would ask in exchange for her services," I added, shaking my head.

"You seem to hold her in high regard, captain," Laffite remarked in amusement. "I didn't think you were that into older women," he added jokingly with a light chuckle.

"I'd have to be a necrophile to be into that old hag," I replied with twitching eyes, causing Laffite to chuckle in even more amusement.

"You're spending way too much time with Wilson, Laffite," I said with a sigh, massaging my forehead. "He's a bad influence, and it's starting to show," I added, smiling despite myself.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, captain," Laffite said with a smile as he took a sip of vodka, shrugging my remark.

"Just let me know if you start getting urges to fight everything that moves," I said with a chuckle. "Anyway, it's getting late, so let's get out of here and meet up with the rest of the crew," I added as I stood up, leaving a stack of belly notes on the table.

...

We quickly located the inn Doc Q found and made our way inside. I smiled as I spotted everyone there, already seated in front of the fireplace, drinking, eating, and chatting as they were.

"Yo," I carelessly greeted as I brought a chair of my own and sat between Kozue and Byron in front of the fireplace.

"Oh, captain, you're back," Kozue remarked with a smile as she turned to look at me. "Did you have fun exploring the town?" she asked, still smiling.

"Not as much as Byron, it seems," I replied with a chuckle as I gestured who was grinning in bless like an idiot. "So the brothels here are that good, huh?" I asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement as I nudged the blonde musician.

"Ahem, I don't know what you're talking about, captain," Byron replied in a solemn tone, his gaze shifting nervously, only heaving a sigh of relief when he noticed Elly wasn't paying attention.

I just laughed it off, shaking my head as I took out my whisky bottle, intending to indulge in it for some time before calling it a day.

...

"Is this what you asked for, captain?" Byron asked as he put down two boxes worth of pickled plum and plum sake.

"Good job," I said with a nod after inspecting the two boxes.

"Is this perhaps for Dr. Kureha, captain?" Laffite curiously asked while looking at the Plum products Byron brought.

"It is," I replied with a smile. "I hear Kureha enjoys this stuff, and we need to make a good impression to make sure she doesn't ask anything crazy for her services," I added as I closed the boxes with a satisfied smile.

"So we might as well not show up empty-handed at her house," I added, shrugging my shoulders.

"Now that you mention it, where does Dr. Kureha live, anyway?" Laffite asked, suddenly remembering that we didn't know where she lived.

"She lives somewhere on the outskirts of Gyasta town," I replied with a shrug, earning a raised eyebrow from my navigator.

"I won't even bother how you know that this time," Laffite murmured with a rare exasperated expression, making me chuckle as I shrugged my shoulders.

"Byron, go and get Doc, law, and crocus," I instructed as I turned to look at the blonde musician. "It's we go visit the good doctor," I concluded, and Byron nodded as he turned around and left to look for the three doctors.

"I'm afraid you'll have to sit this one out, Laffite," I remarked as I turned to look at my navigator. "We don't want to send the wrong message by going with too many people," I added while waving my hand to the side.

"That's why I'm only taking the doctors and Byron to carry them on his back while keeping them warm," I concluded, and Laffite nodded in understanding.

...

"This should be the place," I said while looking down from Byron's crow form back at a small-ish town next to a frozen lake full of people ice skating.

And to say the said people were shocked at the sight of giant, flaming crow in the sky would be an understatement as they all stopped what they were doing, pointing fingers at us and murmuring.

"Take us down a distance away from them and revert to your human form before you give these people a heart attack, will you?" I instructed with a chuckle, and Byron obliged without any complaint.

"I kind of wish you were that considerate when told Byron to transform in front of me," Crocus said with twitching eyes. "Old people like myself are more prone to having heart attacks, you know," he added, giving me a side glance.

"Forgive me for thinking the pirate king's doctor wouldn't be phased by the sight of some giant bird," I sarcastically replied with a grin, causing the old doctor to shake his head in further bemusement.

"I wonder what kind of person this Dr. Kureha is," Doc Wheezed as he leaned on Byron's shoulder as we had to leave his horse, stronger behind.

"She's as strange as they come," Crocus replied, with a smile, seemingly reminiscing about something.

"Do you really feel it's okay for you to say that about people when you have a flower stuck in the back of your head?" Law asked while looking at

Crocus in a sarcastic tone.

"Youngsters these days don't know the first thing about respecting their elders," Crocus replied, shaking his head in disapproval, but he still didn't seem offended by Law's remark.

"Let's get going," I instructed with a sigh. "You guys can roast each other all you want once we get this over with," I added as I started walking towards the Gyasta town.

...

"Who are you people, and what do you want?" asked a man from Gyasta town as he approached us, nervousness apparent on his face as his gaze alternated between the various weapons we were carrying.

"We're pirates," I replied, which might not have been the best answer as the man took a step back in panic. "Relax, we're not here to cause trouble," I added, making the man pause as he was getting ready to make a run for it.

"We're looking for Dr. Kureha because our friend here some expert medical help," I concluded while pointing towards Doc, who by mere accident puked a mouthful of blood at that exact second.