"It's you again? You've crossed Reverse Mountain several times these past few years," Crocus opened the door and came out.
"Have you seen a boy wearing a straw hat come through here?" Roy asked.
"A straw hat? You mean Luffy and his crew, right?" Crocus replied.
"So they've already passed through. Great, now I have to go to Drum Kingdom," Roy muttered, casually shutting the door behind him.
"You bastard! I was still inside—ow, my nose!" Crocus yanked the door back open, clutching his nose and cursing.
"Teach's route is Drum Kingdom, then Alabasta, then Jaya... The last island, I'm not sure," Roy mused, completely ignoring the fuming Crocus behind him.
"Hey, why are you looking for Luffy and the others?" Crocus chased after him to ask.
"I'm not looking for him, I'm looking for his brother," Roy said.
"His brother? What do you mean?"
"You know Roger had a son named Ace, right?"
"I suspected as much. Roger once said if he ever had a son, he'd name him Ace. But the timeline doesn't add up, 'Fire Fist' Ace is the captain of your Whitebeard Pirates' 2nd Division, and he's only twenty. Roger passed away twenty-two years ago."
"He is Roger's son doubt about it. I'm not explaining it any further. He left the Whitebeard Pirates on his own. I'm trying to find him."
"I haven't seen him."
"Fine, I'll keep looking."
"Why are you looking for Luffy, then?"
"Nothing major. Just checking the timeline. When did the Straw Hat Pirates leave?"
"It's been a few days. They took the Whiskey Peak route. Their next stop is Little Garden, you'll probably have to go there to find them."
"No need. I'm going to the Drum Kingdom," Roy replied.
"Drum Kingdom?!"
"Dad, look! A whale! A huge whale with scars all over its head, and it's got a pirate flag! Hahaha, what an ugly flag!" Loxus suddenly shouted, pointing excitedly.
Roy glanced over. It was Laboon, with the crudely drawn Straw Hat Jolly Roger on his head—Luffy's handiwork. It was indeed quite ugly.
"Your kid?" Crocus asked.
"Yeah, that's my son, Loxus."
"He does look like you, but personality-wise, he's more like your wife."
"That just proves he's mine."
"Time flies. We're all getting old."
"Don't worry. You'll be hearing the news soon enough. Fate has a funny way of working."
"For someone like you to say the word 'fate,' clearly you've been humbled by it."
"I hate when people think they know my fate. Just stay here and enjoy retirement, old man." Roy had no interest in continuing the conversation. He turned and left.
Loxus was still curiously staring at Crocus. After confirming he was just an old man, Loxus made a face at him.
Roy returned to the ship and set sail for the Drum Kingdom with Loxus.
He wasn't entirely sure about the exact timeline, but he knew Teach had appeared in Drum Kingdom, and Ace had been there too.
Luffy didn't receive Ace's message in Drum Kingdom, instead, a fake message lured him to Alabasta.
When Roy arrived at Drum Kingdom, he was greeted by a flurry of cherry blossoms.
"Late again. Last time, I missed Dr. Kureha. This time, I should see her."
Docking the ship, Roy and Loxus rode the cable car up to the castle.
The mountain was blanketed in pink petals as they ascended.
"Someone's coming," Dr. Kureha remarked, taking a swig of sake as she noticed the cable car moving.
"Who is it?" Dalton gripped his weapon, on high alert. Drum Kingdom had been too lively lately, and he had to stay vigilant.
As the snow and wind lessened, two figures, a tall one and a short one, appeared at the summit.
"Long time no see, Dr. Kureha," Roy said, as he tucked his hands into his sleeves and breathed warm air.
"Who?!"
Kureha didn't recognize him at first, but as Roy stepped closer, her memory clicked.
THWACK!
A foot lashed out. Roy sidestepped, but the leg still hooked over his shoulder, the woman effortlessly holding a full split right in front of him.
"Hey! Who the hell are you?!" Loxus was startled. Gripping his sword hilt, he tensed up.
"Loxus, don't be rude," Roy chided calmly.
"Well, well! If it isn't my former student, little Roy! Did you bring me booze?" Kureha grinned.
"I did. Last time I came, I couldn't find you. This time, I brought the good stuff. Let's have a drink, teacher."
"This little brat's got a bad temper. Yours and that wild girl's kid?" Kureha eyed Loxus.
"Don't insult my mother!" Loxus shouted angrily.
"Definitely her child," Kureha nodded. "So you did end up getting tamed by that wild girl, huh? And now you've got a rude little savage of your own."
"I'LL KILL YOU!" Hearing his mother, Whitey bay, called a wild girl, and being called a savage child himself, Loxus snapped and drew his sword to strike.
CLANG!
Dalton blocked Loxus's strike with his ice blade, and the two clashed in the snow.
"Teacher, the booze." Roy pulled out a bottle.
"Smart of you."
The two of them started drinking in the freezing snow.
It had been nearly thirty years since they last met, yet Kureha looked exactly the same. The last time Roy saw her, she was 109.
"You've only grown younger, Teacher," Roy said. When he came here to learn medicine from her, Kureha was already known as the most skilled doctor in the world. No one could compare.
Even that reindeer, while he had potential, wasn't quite there yet. For now, no one surpassed her.
As a doctor, especially one trained in traditional medicine, Roy had sought her guidance.
"I'm only 139. Still a young girl," Kureha scoffed.
"Hahaha, you truly are the strongest in the world!" Roy laughed.
At 139, Kureha showed no decline in appearance or skill. She had witnessed too much history.
When the two giants of Little Garden were still wreaking havoc across the seas, Kureha was already 39 and a top-tier physician.
"What's the point of being the strongest? I'll be dead in a few decades anyway. As for Whitebeard—if he behaves and follows your treatment, he might live a few more years. But if he keeps pushing himself, who knows?"
"I'll do my best to keep him from fighting," Roy nodded.
"A few months ago, a man named Blackbeard raided Drum Kingdom. Looted the whole place, scared the king right off his throne. Does that have anything to do with the Whitebeard Pirates?"
"He's a traitor from our crew."
"A traitor? Never thought I'd see the day someone betrayed a man like Whitebeard. Rare breed."
As Dalton and Loxus continued their brawl, Roy and Kureha drank in the snow.
"Right now, I'm tracking down our 2nd Division captain. He's chasing the traitor..."
...
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