The clouds cut through the storm like a blade through silk, climbing higher and higher until even the world below felt unreal—just a blur of white and wind. Snow lashed sideways, thick enough to sting exposed skin, and the air grew thinner with every passing second.
Luffy sat unmoving at the front of the cloud-throne, eyes narrowed, posture relaxed but unyielding. The speed stayed steady—fast enough to matter, slow enough not to tear Nami's fragile warmth away.
After nearly half an hour of ascent, the storm thinned.
The clouds broke apart like curtains, and there it was.
A castle.
It stood alone atop the mountain like an old monarch who refused to kneel—tall spires, stone walls dusted in snow, windows dark but intact. Not abandoned. Just… waiting.
Luffy slowed the cloud to a crawl as they approached, bringing them down gently within the inner courtyard. Snow crunched underfoot as he stepped down first, brushing frost from his straw hat and shoulders.
"Bring her," he said quietly.
Sanji carefully lifted Nami from the cloud and passed her into Luffy's arms. She felt lighter than she should have. That irritated him more than the cold.
Nojiko and Sanji landed beside him. Behind them, the cloud rose back into the sky, lingering above the castle like a silent sentinel.
"So," Nojiko said, scanning the courtyard, "where's the witch?"
Sanji frowned. "Front door's open."
They all turned.
The massive doors stood ajar, snow having crept inside as if the castle itself had been breathing it in.
They stepped closer.
The moment they crossed the threshold, all three of them stopped.
The first floor was buried in snow.
Not just dusted—blanketed. White piled up along the walls, over furniture, along stair edges. It looked less like neglect and more like intention.
Sanji clicked his tongue. "Who leaves a door open in a place like this?"
He stepped forward to close it.
"No," Luffy said instantly.
Sanji froze.
"Look up."
They did.
Just above the doorframe, tucked into the stonework, was a nest—small, careful, alive. Tiny birds huddled together inside, feathers puffed up against the cold.
Silence settled.
"…She left it open for them," Nojiko said softly.
Luffy nodded once. "Yeah."
He looked deeper into the castle.
"HEEELLOOOO!" his voice echoed up the stairwell. "ANYONE HOME?"
The echo answered back. Nothing else.
They waited.
A full minute passed. Snow shifted. Fire crackled faintly somewhere above.
"Dalton said she lives here," Sanji muttered. "We didn't climb a mountain for a ghost."
"She's real," Luffy said calmly. "And she'll come back."
He started up the stairs.
They moved through the castle slowly, methodically. Some rooms were lived in—chairs pulled out, books stacked, half-used candles. Others were locked tight, untouched.
Eventually they found a bedroom. Plain, but warmable. A single bed. Bookshelves heavy with age and use.
"This works," Luffy said.
They laid Nami down gently. Nojiko tucked the blanket around her with care, brushing hair from her damp forehead.
Her breathing was shallow—but steady.
Sanji clenched his jaw. "She's not getting better."
"I know," Luffy said.
He walked to the fireplace and snapped his fingers. Lightning flared briefly, igniting the logs. Warmth spread through the room, slow but sure.
"So what now?" Sanji asked. "We just… wait?"
"For a bit," Luffy replied. "This is her home. She'll return."
"And if she doesn't?"
Luffy turned, eyes sharp but calm.
"Then I'll go find her."
The certainty in his voice shut down further argument.
He stepped out of the room, back down the stairs, and into the courtyard. Snow whipped around him, tugging at his coat like impatient hands.
Luffy leaned against a stone pillar, arms folded, gaze fixed on the mountain path below.
Wind howled. Snow danced.
He didn't move.
Not even once.
Patience, he decided, wasn't about waiting quietly.
It was about standing your ground until the world answered.