Chapter 67: Ascent

After locating the inlet leading further into the island, the Merry traveled upstream until it encountered a waterfall of ice and snow.

As it was impossible to travel further inland via ship, Nami asked, "Does this island not have a port?"

Before Thomas could answer that he didn't have a clue, Vivi chimed in to explain, "Following the death of his father, King Wapol isolated the Drum Kingdom from the outside world. He hasn't even shown up at the Reverie since the one I attended as a child."

Massaging her forehead, Nami groaned, "What an idiot. How can an island nation hope to survive without trading with other islands?"

Inserting himself back into the conversation, Thomas answered, "Piracy. Even before Wapol was chased out of his country, he possessed a unique ship specialized in ambushing prey out at sea. It's capable of submerging itself underwater, waiting for unsuspecting Pirates and cargo ships to get near before revealing itself."

Raising her brows, Nami questioned, "Seriously? This Wapol guy sounds more ridiculous the more I hear about him..."

Shrugging his shoulders, Thomas replied, "All the more reason to take him out before he can do even more damage. What say you, Captain...?"

While everyone else was wearing thick winter clothing to counteract the -34 degree temperature, Lucy wore her usual straw hat, blue jean shorts, sleeveless red tee, and sandals. In response to Thomas's question, she adopted a toothy grin, raised her fist, and replied, "Let's kick his butt...!"

Having heard everything he needed, Thomas adopted a smile of his own as he said, "Wapol's castle should be at the top of the tallest mountain in the region. If he's already been defeated, that's where we'll find Chopper and Dr. Kureha."

Shifting his attention to Caenis, Astolfo, and Atalanta, Thomas surprised them by asking, "Feel like taking a stroll...?"

As she had expected Thomas to ask them to guard the ship, Caenis had an incredulous look on her face as she asked, "You serious...?"

Nodding his head, Thomas explained, "Recent developments have caused me to reconsider my views on certain things. I still plan on getting strong enough to trade blows with people like Kaido, but I can't keep prioritizing my growth at the expense of everyone else's. From now on, we'll face our enemies together."

Catching everyone by surprise, Caenis abruptly burst out laughing like an asylum patient. She wasn't angry, but her usually aquamarine eyes gained a crimson hue as she screamed, "Now you're speaking my language! Let's fucking do this...!"

Without waiting for Thomas's response, Caenis changed into her combat attire and leaped off the Merry, covering hundreds of meters in a single bound before turning back and shouting, "Well, what are we waiting for!?" with a massive, murderous grin on her face.

Turning to Lucy, Thomas adopted a wry smile as he said, "Sorry, Captain. It looks like I'll be going on ahead."

After snicking in her usual shishishi-like manner, Lucy replied, "It's okay, Tom. Just remember, even if we're on opposite sides of the world, we're still Nakama."

Punctuating her words, Lucy extended her fist toward Thomas, waiting for him to respond with a fist bump before donning her straw hat, leaping off the Merry, and exclaiming, "Last one to the top of the mountain's a rotten cabbage...!"

Seeing Lucy run off, Nami exhaled a sigh, grumbling, "That idiot..." before approaching the taffrail and shouting, "At least put on a jacket before you go running off...!"

As if to spit in the face of Nami's concerns, Zoro promptly removed his shirt, exposing his ripped torso as he asked, "You think a bit of cold will take down the future Pirate King?" before jumping off the ship.

While Nami was at a loss for words, Thomas called out to Beni, tasking her with keeping an eye on Zoro while Astolfo chased after Lucy. As for himself, he decided he would tackle the snowy terrain and the mountain using his own strength. Canon Luffy managed to climb the Drum Rockies with the added weight of an unconscious Nami and Sanji, so he wasn't going to let a bit of ice and snow deter him from an opportunity to train...

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Though Drum Island had a number of dangerous fauna, the most well-known being a type of rabbit with a bear-like physique, the presence of Caenis was enough to scare off every wild animal for tens of kilometers. As a result, Thomas's journey to the base of the Drum Rockies was more like a casual hike, the only real threats being the weather and the people accompanying him.

Since it was the first time Thomas had invited them to accompany him, Atalanta accepted his invitation despite being weak against the cold. She could materialize winter clothes to protect herself, but the snow was well over a meter deep. Walking through it was like trudging through a waist-high swamp in the middle of winter, so her tail eventually became frozen solid as the cold gradually seeped into her body.

To provide Atalanta some relief, Thomas allowed the petite woman to crawl into his coat with her head poking out behind his. It was incredibly awkward, but it was also fairly exciting to have her snuggling against him for warmth as he slowly made his way up the mountain path. The problem was that she wasn't the only person utilizing his jacket for warmth...

Though they could have easily flown up the mountain ahead of everyone else, Illya, Chloe, and Ruby decided to travel with Thomas. However, as they were even shorter than Atalanta, the snow nearly came up to their shoulders at certain areas along the path. They could protect themselves from the frigid temperatures using Magical Energy, but it drained their Od, the energy contained within their bodies, fairly quickly.

Thanks to his Mana-Mana-no-Mi providing him functionally unlimited Od, Thomas could sustain his personal magic barrier indefinitely. Thus, shortly after Atalanta crawled into the back of his jacket, the two lolis nestled into the front, supported by his hands and forearms.

While Illya was pretty obedient, remaining silent and as still as possible, Thomas could feel Chloe siphoning his Magical Energy as she frequently adjusted her position. She also nestled her face into the nook between his head and shoulders, her breath briefly warming his neck before the sub-zero temperatures immediately cooled it...

Waiting for Thomas atop the corpse of a large, hippo-like creature covered in white fur, Caenis, seemingly unaffected by the cold as she was wearing her characteristically scant armor, asked, "Since when did you go and become a Hydra...?"

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Adopting a wry smile, Thomas jokingly replied, "I am apparently very warm..."

Snorting through her nose, Caenis flatly retorted, "More like gullible..." before adding, "If the three of you are going to get in the way, you should return to the ship. Do you expect Thomas to carry you up the mountain as well...?"

Narrowing her eyes in amusement, Chloe replied, "No need to be jealous. I'm sure if you asked him to, Tom would be happy to hold you for as long as you like. Considering your relationship, he would probably be willing to do a lot more~."

Before Chloe could goad Caenis even further, Thomas set her and Illya down, stating, "Caenis is right. I don't mind being depended on, but the two of you aren't as susceptible to the cold as Atalanta. I also need my hands to ascend the mountain, so the two of you can either scout ahead, return to the ship, or wait in a nearby town. By now, Lucy is probably at or near the summit..."

Confirming Thomas's suspicions, Caenis revealed, "She and Astolfo flew up to the top on Griff like half an hour ago. Though, I'm guessing they're waiting for us since I haven't heard the sounds of fighting or explosives."

Turning her gaze to the drum-shaped mountain behind her, its plateau-like peak sitting 5000m above sea level, Caenis added, "This is a pretty big mountain. Are you sure you'll be able to climb it...?"

Though the mountain was pretty intimidating up close, Thomas didn't hesitate to nod, stating, "It's just a big rock. I've never actually climbed one, but I'm sure I can manage."

Returning a nod of her own, Caenis said, "Well, just in case, we're going to climb in tandem, okay? The cat on your back can probably save you in the worst-case scenario, but I'd rather not leave things to chance."

Without waiting for Thomas to respond, Caenis returned her gaze to Illya and Chloe, asking, "What are the two of you still doing here?"

Smiling awkwardly, Illya looked up at Thomas as she offered, "If you'd like, I can fly you up to the top. Or maybe I can watch over you while you make your ascent...?"

Understanding that Illya was just trying to be helpful, Thomas extended his hand to caress the bright-eyed loli's head, responding, "You're free to do as you please. If you decide to rush off to fight Wapol, just be careful. His Devil Fruit allows him to eat anything, and he isn't opposed to eating people..."

"Eh...?"

Though she was initially embarrassed to have her head caressed, Illya's expression morphed into one of disbelief when she heard that Wapol ate people. It wouldn't be the first time she encountered a human-devouring monster, but she never anticipated that the King of a nation recognized by the World Government would be a cannibal...

Inserting herself into the dialogue, Chloe narrowed her eyes and asked, "What about me? Don't I get a headpat and some encouraging words~?"

With his expression morphing into a deadpan, Thomas replied, "You're lucky I didn't toss you into the sea half a dozen times on our way here..."

Narrowing her eyes in amusement, Chloe licked her lips and remarked, "Then it seems my charms are slowly starting to have an effect. Give me another year or two, and I'll crack your defenses wide open..."

Surprised by her bronze-skinned doppelganger's remark, Illya exclaimed, "Chloe! W-W-What are you saying!?"

Rolling her eyes, Chloe replied, "Relax, Illya. I'm just teasing him. Both you and he should know better than to take everything I say seriously."

Contrasting her words, Chloe directed a wink at Thomas before donning her ever-skimpy Archer attire and approaching the base of the mountain. She had never climbed one before, so she figured she might as well give it a try. If she positioned herself correctly, she could even guarantee that Thomas spent the next several hours staring up at her from below.

Seeing through Chloe's intentions, Thomas exhaled a thick plume of icy condensation from his nose before turning to Illya and saying, "If you're going to keep pace with someone, watch over your succubus of a sister. I'm going to start at a different point with Caenis and Atalanta."

Though it felt weird hearing Thomas referring to Chloe as her sister, not to mention calling her a succubus, Illya gave an affirming nod before flying over to ensure the former didn't slip and fall. Doing so wouldn't kill her, as she could easily catch herself, but, as Caenis pointed out, it was better to be safe than sorry...

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While Thomas's group was slowly scaling the mountain, Lucy and Astolfo were snuggled up next to Griff, enjoying a picnic as they monitored Drum Castle a few hundred meters away. Several rifle-wielding guards patrolled the area, but due to the castle's location, they were pretty lax. Most of the security was focused on the various lifts connecting the mountain plateau to several towns, so Lucy and Astolfo went completely unnoticed within the small forest of pine trees serving as both a windbreak and the castle's perimeter...

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(A/N: Thomas is gradually running out of fucks to give xD...)

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