Chapter 304: Drum Kingdom
A small white boat sailed steadily across the Grand Line.
It was far from luxurious, but at least it was clean and well maintained.
The large number three painted across its sail made its former owner obvious.
This was Mr. 3's ship.
Mr. 3 himself, however, was nowhere aboard.
Instead, the vessel currently carried two people and one duck.
The duck was Karoo, Vivi's pet and self-appointed bodyguard.
At the moment, Karoo was staring at Axel with a mixture of caution and fear.
There was a very good reason for that.
During the voyage, Axel had suggested more than once that they could cook Karoo if their food supplies ran low.
Naturally, Karoo had taken those remarks very seriously.
Unfortunately, his beloved Princess Vivi seemed to have temporarily fallen under Axel's tyranny.
So Karoo remained constantly vigilant, watching the white-haired youth for any sign that he might finally decide to turn him into dinner.
Axel, who was lying comfortably on the deck and enjoying the sunlight, eventually noticed the stare.
His eyebrow twitched.
"Maybe I really should boil this duck."
"Absolutely not!"
Vivi immediately objected.
"Karoo is my partner. I won't let you eat him."
"Fine."
Axel closed his eyes again.
"We still have enough food."
He paused.
"So we'll keep him as emergency rations for now."
"QUACK!"
Karoo flapped his wings indignantly.
Fortunately for him, there was something more important ahead.
In the direction indicated by the Log Pose, a snow-covered island had appeared on the horizon.
Its mountains and forests were blanketed entirely in white.
Vivi looked toward it with visible relief.
"Is that our destination?"
The journey had been exhausting.
Axel clearly had no interest in actually operating the ship.
His casual attitude toward navigation had nearly given Vivi a heart attack several times.
The Grand Line's weather could change without warning, and even experienced navigators had to remain alert at all times.
Vivi knew the basics of sailing, but she was certainly no professional navigator.
Dealing with the Grand Line's unpredictable currents, winds, and storms was beyond what she was comfortable with.
The journey had been rough.
Worse, Vivi still believed Axel was a Devil Fruit user.
Every time he stood too close to the edge of the ship, she found herself wondering what would happen if he fell overboard.
With his current physical condition, rescuing him would hardly be simple.
Axel waved lazily toward the island.
"Probably."
Vivi frowned.
"Probably?"
"The Log Pose points this way."
Axel sat up.
"But that doesn't guarantee this is Drum Island. Another island could simply be along the route."
He had learned that lesson personally over the past several years.
The Grand Line was filled with countless islands, and having a Log Pose did not always mean the first landmass one encountered was the intended destination.
"In any case, we'll land and find out."
Vivi nodded.
Then her expression became serious.
"But once your body is treated, remember what you promised me."
Axel looked at her.
"What did I promise?"
Vivi's face tightened.
"You know exactly what!"
Her voice rose.
"You said that if I cooperated with your demands, you would help me save Alabasta!"
Axel scratched his head.
"Did I say that?"
Vivi stared at him.
After a moment, Axel shrugged.
"Well, let's assume I did."
"Fine. I remember."
That answer left Vivi quietly unsettled.
He did not look like he was lying.
Throughout the voyage, Axel had occasionally behaved as though small portions of his recent memory simply disappeared.
Was she imagining things?
Or was that genuinely part of his condition?
Ever since meeting him, Vivi had struggled to understand what kind of person Axel actually was.
Sometimes he behaved like a spoiled child.
At other times, he spoke with the composure and foresight of an experienced adult.
And on rare occasions, like when he forced the Unluckies to kneel, he carried the overwhelming arrogance of a king.
For now, Vivi could only assume she simply did not understand him well enough.
The boat approached the island.
The anchor was thrown overboard.
Soon afterward, Axel, Vivi, and Karoo stepped onto shore.
Snow covered the ground in a thick layer.
In some places, it was nearly ten centimeters deep.
Karoo planted one webbed foot into it.
Splat.
His foot sank straight through.
The warmth of his body melted the snow almost immediately, and icy water soaked into his feathers.
Karoo shuddered violently.
Still, with Vivi watching, he pretended nothing had happened.
He turned toward her and gestured proudly at his back.
Vivi smiled and climbed on.
Then she looked toward Axel.
"Do you want to ride too?"
Karoo's expression immediately changed.
Absolutely not.
Axel noticed.
"I have no interest in sitting on emergency food."
Karoo's eye twitched.
"And I doubt I'd be slower than him anyway."
Karoo stomped his feet angrily.
The irritation actually helped drive away some of the cold.
A competitive look appeared in his eyes.
Then...
Bang!
A gunshot rang out.
The bullet struck the snow directly in front of Karoo.
Heat from the projectile melted the surrounding snow before it buried itself in the frozen ground.
Karoo froze.
Then his entire body began trembling.
This time, it had nothing to do with the cold.
Still, because Vivi was sitting on his back, he forced himself not to move wildly.
Several armed guards emerged ahead.
"Who goes there?!"
Their rifles were aimed directly at Axel and the others.
The guards wore matching uniforms.
A broad, sturdy-looking man stepped forward from among them.
One of the guards addressed him respectfully.
"Captain Dalton, we have foreign intruders."
Dalton looked toward Axel's group.
Then he glanced at the man who had fired.
"Don't shoot without warning."
His tone carried mild reproach.
"Ask who they are first."
The guard looked dissatisfied.
"But Captain, look at their ship."
"They don't exactly look like good people."
That suspicion was understandable.
Most ships sailing the Grand Line belonged to one of three groups.
The Marines.
Merchants.
Or pirates.
Marine vessels had distinctive designs and almost always displayed the seagull emblem.
Merchant ships tended to be built for practicality.
The brightly decorated vessel anchored behind Axel's group looked much more like something belonging to pirates.
And although Drum Island did not encounter pirates constantly, chasing them away was hardly an unreasonable response.
Dalton did not argue further with his subordinate.
Instead, he looked toward the strangers.
"This is the Drum Kingdom."
"State your identities and your reason for coming here."
Axel answered without hesitation.
"My name is Axel."
He gestured toward Vivi.
"This is my maid."
Vivi's eye twitched.
Axel ignored her.
"We're not pirates, so you don't need to worry about that."
"The main reason I came here is to seek medical treatment."
His straightforward manner caused some of Dalton's caution to ease.
The claim about Vivi being his maid was a little strange.
She was beautiful, dressed well, and currently riding a mount while the supposed master walked through the snow himself.
It did not exactly fit the image of master and servant.
Still, Axel's pale complexion clearly was not fake.
He genuinely looked ill.
And Dalton trusted his instincts enough to believe that, at the very least, they had not come here looking for trouble.
After a moment, he lowered his hand.
"Come with us."
The guards slowly lowered their weapons as well.
Vivi looked irritated by the maid comment and clearly wanted to object.
But Axel had already shrugged and started walking.
With little choice, she urged Karoo forward and followed.
Dalton glanced at Axel as they climbed.
"You really came here looking for a doctor?"
"Yes."
Axel nodded.
"There are serious problems with my body."
"I heard the Drum Kingdom was famous for medicine and had many excellent doctors, so I came here specifically for treatment."
Dalton's expression changed.
"Perhaps that was once true."
His voice grew heavier.
"The Drum Kingdom used to deserve that reputation."
He looked toward the snow-covered land ahead.
"But under the current king's policies..."
Dalton stopped himself.
A quiet sigh escaped him.
Once, he had been proud of this kingdom.
Watching it deteriorate into its current state filled him with regret.
And as captain of the royal guard, Dalton could not entirely absolve himself.
He had served King Wapol.
And he had failed to stop him.
....
https://discord.gg/KvMN2CFsMR
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03].