Winter Sea – North Blue Route
Snow fell like ash from the heavens.
Gentle. Silent. Beautiful.
And completely meaningless.
Like most people's lives.
We sailed north, into the icy jaws of the Grand Line's lesser-known islands, toward a place that should never have mattered.
Drum Kingdom.
Once a place of medicine.
Now a palace of decay.
Perfect for what I needed.
Docking in Bighorn
Our ship slid into the small, frozen dock of Bighorn, one of the few villages left functioning after Wapol's thugs took over. No flags flew. No soldiers greeted us.
Only silence.
The people watched from behind closed windows. Thin faces. Hollow eyes.
Raisa stepped down first, her boots crunching on snow. Mireille followed, silent as ever.
I stepped down last, dressed in black fur and a noble's cloak dyed crimson. Gold embroidery traced the hem.
I wanted them to see what they hated.
A noble.
A foreigner.
But no one spoke.
The villagers were afraid to even breathe.
Good.
That meant Wapol still ruled with fear.
But even tyrants leave openings.
And I know how to pick at rot.
At the Village Inn
The inn was abandoned, yet warm — likely once repurposed for the king's men.
I claimed it with a simple declaration:
"This is mine now."
And no one objected.
I sat by the fire, sipping tea steeped with herbs stolen from Goa Kingdom years ago. A blend designed to numb pain, stimulate clarity, and taste like nothing.
Exactly how I prefer life.
Raisa knelt beside me. "The villagers fear the castle."
"Of course they do," I murmured. "Wapol rules like a fool with teeth too dull to chew."
"He has a Devil Fruit," Mireille added. "Baku Baku no Mi. Cannibalistic. He can eat anything."
I chuckled. "Even better. Gluttony makes men stupid. He won't see me coming."
Day Two – The Climb
We scaled the mountain trail by dusk. Drum Castle sat like a crown of bones atop the highest peak. Ice clung to the stone like claws. Soldiers watched from above, rifles in hand, breath steaming in the cold.
They saw us coming.
Did nothing.
They feared what we were.
Or maybe just what I looked like — the smile I wore, the confidence that said I'm not here to negotiate.
At the gates, a portly man in a red uniform greeted us. Wapol's cousin, if I remembered correctly.
"You have no right to enter!"
I tilted my head. "And yet I already have."
Raisa moved first — a flicker of motion.
The man's throat bled before he realized he was dying.
Mireille dragged his body aside.
The soldiers stood paralyzed.
"Tell your king," I said, stepping through the arch. "Lucien has come to make him obsolete."
Throne Room – An Hour Later
Wapol sat slouched on his throne, surrounded by sycophants in medical coats and velvet. He chewed loudly on something red.
Meat, I hoped.
Not a person.
"Who the hell are you?" he slurred.
I didn't answer immediately.
Instead, I walked the length of the marble floor and dropped a small pouch at his feet.
It clinked.
Devil Fruit shards. Broken remnants from an old experiment.
"Do you know what these are?"
He blinked.
I smiled.
"They're the husks of failed power. Like you."
He stood, face reddening. "You dare insult a king?!"
I raised my hand — not to strike.
Just to silence.
And for a moment… he obeyed.
That was enough.
"I offer you a gift," I said. "You step down peacefully, and I let you live."
"LIVE?! I am the King of Drum!"
"Not anymore."
His guards moved.
Mireille's blades flashed.
Three fell before their weapons even left their belts.
Wapol's hands trembled.
"I'll call the World Government!"
I laughed.
"I am the World Government."
That Night – Drum Castle
The castle became mine without a single cannon fired.
I let Wapol live.
For now.
He would serve as an example. A puppet. Perhaps later, food for one of his own soldiers.
I walked through his halls, admiring the cold stone and the view of the moonlit sea.
Raisa approached. "What now, my lord?"
"Now," I said, "we rebuild. A new seat of medical power. A neutral zone. A sanctuary. One that answers to no king."
"And Hancock?"
"She's watching. Let her."
"And the World Government?"
I grinned. "They won't care."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm not breaking their rules. I'm bending them."
And that's how it begins.
One kingdom.
One crown.
At a time.