Chapter 121: Drum Island, The Witch Doctorine (Patreon)

Clatter and crash!

A few minutes later, the guards who had been surrounding the shore with their guns pointed at Moren and his crew were now scattered across the cold snow, groaning.

Their old flintlock rifles lay scattered on the ground. Every one of them bore bruises and scrapes, black and blue patches stark against the white snow. Muffled groans and sharp hisses of pain filled the air.

Moren casually straightened his sleeves, slightly rumpled from his earlier warm-up, and looked at the incapacitated soldiers. His voice was calm.

"So, still not welcome?"

The scar-faced captain, nursing a swollen jaw, shrank back and quickly changed his tune.

"No, no! Welcome! You're more than welcome on Drum Island!"

He glanced at his battered men, then at the composed outsiders who looked as if they'd just taken a leisurely stroll, and let out a helpless sigh.

"It's not that we wanted to be hostile. It's because His Majesty issued those orders. No outsiders are allowed on the island."

"The King's orders?" Nami raised an eyebrow. "Why? What good does turning away visitors do you?"

"Good?" The scar-faced captain's expression turned bitter. "For ordinary folks like us, it does no good at all. Only harm."

He looked around at the desolate dock and the silent village beyond, his voice dropping.

"Before... it wasn't like this."

"Drum Island was a medical kingdom. Many people came seeking treatment. The docks were always busy. Inns, taverns, shops... everyone could make a living. People managed to live decent lives."

"But," his face grew darker, "King Wapol... he drove away almost all the doctors on the island! He kept only his own twenty royal physicians."

"And he forbade them from treating commoners. He said doctors were his private property, and even medical skill belonged to him."

"So now, not only do outsiders dare not come, but even we islanders, when we get sick or injured, don't know where to turn." A younger guard chimed in, his voice bitter with frustration.

"My father broke his leg last month, and there was no one to treat him. He's still lying at home."

Robin, Nami, and Baccarat listened in disbelief.

They had seen many rulers, but one who monopolized medical care and ignored the welfare of his people... that was a new low.

"This king is insane," Nami muttered.

Baccarat wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Tch. What a despicable person."

Robin looked thoughtful.

"Monopolizing knowledge and the power to provide medical treatment is an effective way to control people and consolidate power. But it's also petty and vile."

Moren listened, already aware of Wapol's character from his pre-transmigration memories. But he hadn't known that the expulsion and monopolization of doctors had already reached this stage.

Looking at the bruised guards, their eyes filled with helplessness and the hardships they endured, he lost interest in pressing them further.

"Alright, you can go."

Moren waved his hand.

"We're just here to look around and resupply. We don't want trouble, but we're not afraid of it either."

"Yes, yes! Thank you, sir! Thank you for sparing our lives!"

The scar-faced captain scrambled to his feet, his men following suit. They didn't bother to collect their scattered weapons, just helped their more seriously injured companions and hurried away toward the village.

Watching them retreat, Moren turned to his companions.

"Let's go take a look. Let's see what this so-called 'medical kingdom' has become under that mad king's rule."

He pointed toward the faint, lonely plumes of smoke rising into the cold wind and walked through the snow toward the signs of life.

Behind them, the fleeing guards stopped only after putting some distance between themselves and Moren's group. They looked back at the group gradually disappearing into the distance, their expressions complicated.

"Captain... what do we do now?" A young guard with a bruise on his face asked, panting.

"We let them in... that's against the King's orders. How do we explain this?"

The scar-faced captain, still clutching his bruised ribs, shook his head with a bitter, self-mocking smile.

"Explain? Just report what happened."

He took a deep breath of the icy air and lowered his voice.

"Do you know who those people were? Ordinary travelers?"

He looked at his men's puzzled faces and continued.

"If I'm not mistaken, that black-haired young man in front is the 'Collector,' Black Moren! His bounty is a full 280 million Berries!"

"280 million?!"

"Oh my god!"

"R-really?!"

The guards erupted in shock, their eyes wide with disbelief.

For ordinary soldiers like them, a bounty of a few million was already a huge deal. Two hundred eighty million... that was an astronomical figure!

"That's not all." The scar-faced captain's voice grew hoarse.

"I've heard... he even killed one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."

"A Warlord?!"

"One of those great pirates recognized by the World Government?!"

"K-killed by him?!"

That news was even more shocking than the bounty.

One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, one of the world's greatest figures, standing alongside the Four Emperors and the Marine Admirals, had actually been killed by that young-looking man?

Everyone shuddered as the scene of their earlier confrontation replayed in their minds.

He had merely been warming up. If he'd truly intended to kill them, they would have all been wiped out.

"S-so..." a guard stammered, swallowing hard.

"We almost died?"

"Pretty much."

The scar-faced captain gave a wry smile.

"The only reason we're still alive is that he showed mercy. Or rather... we weren't even worth taking seriously."

He sighed, looking at his men's mix of relief and lingering fear.

"Just send word back. Tell them powerful outsiders have landed, and we couldn't stop them."

"The rest is beyond the likes of us. The King's Royal Guard, or the King himself, will deal with it."

Meanwhile, Moren and his group had entered the nearest village. The scene was even more desolate than they had imagined.

"My god! This hardly looks like a town at all. It's so desolate!" Baccarat exclaimed as they walked in.

The sight was nothing like the medical kingdom she'd imagined.

Most of the houses were old and dilapidated. Many shop signs hung crooked or had fallen off. Doors and windows were tightly shut.

Few people walked the snow-covered streets. Those who did kept their heads down, hurrying past with faces marked by long-suppressed numbness and anxiety.

Baccarat had traveled widely and seen both prosperity and poverty. But a place as renowned as Drum Island being so desolate beneath its reputation was a first.

"It's nothing like what I expected," Nami agreed, frowning as she looked around.

From the scale of the streets and the layout of the buildings, this had clearly once been a bustling, thriving town. Now it was lifeless, as if its soul had been drained.

Robin observed silently, her gaze lingering on architectural details and faded medical shop signs, imagining what it must have once looked like.

Moren's eyes settled on a street corner. A few thin children in ragged clothes, their cheeks red from the cold, were hiding behind a wall, peeking at them with a mix of curiosity and timidity.

They all looked thin, their eyes missing the lively innocence children their age should have had. When Moren's gaze met theirs, they shrank back like startled fawns.

"Ah..." A soft sigh came from a nearby wooden house that was still in decent condition.

An old woman with white hair and a kind but weary face opened the door, gesturing for them to come in. Her voice was gentle but aged.

"Outsiders? Were you shipwrecked? Come in and warm yourselves. It's cold outside."

Moren and his companions exchanged glances and accepted the kindness, stepping inside.

The house was simple but clean. A weak fire crackled in the hearth, offering a hint of warmth.

The old woman poured each of them a cup of hot water with a few dried leaves floating in it. It barely qualified as tea.

"Drink something warm, then be on your way," she said, sitting in an old chair with a sigh.

"The King doesn't allow outsiders on the island anymore. If you're caught here, it'll be trouble."

She looked them over carefully.

"I don't have much food, but I do have some pickles and hard bread. If you're hungry, eat a little, regain some strength, then leave quickly."

"That won't do!" Nami quickly refused. "Grandma, if we eat your food, what will you have?"

The old woman shook her head, a faint, resigned smile on her face.

"I'm old. I don't have many days left. This freezing weather only makes my chronic ailments worse... Rather than letting the food go to waste, I'd rather give it to you young people. At least I'll have done one more good deed."

Her voice was calm, but her words carried a deep weariness and resignation toward life that weighed heavily on everyone present.

Moren said nothing. He raised his hand, and in the old woman's astonished gaze, a pile of food suddenly appeared on the small wooden table.

Golden, crispy loaves of bread, smoked sausages, canned goods, and even several fresh-looking fruits. They were especially precious in this frozen land.

"Th-this is..." The old woman's eyes widened in surprise.

"We weren't shipwrecked. We're travelers out on an adventure." Moren spoke softly. "Thank you for your kindness, but we have our own supplies. These are for you."

Nami handed a still-warm loaf and a sausage to the old woman.

"Grandma, please eat. You look like you haven't had a proper meal in a long time."

Robin smiled and offered her a cup of hot water.

"Yes, please take good care of yourself too."

The old woman looked at the food, then at these extraordinary young strangers, refined in bearing, mysterious in ability, yet gentle in manner. Her eyes gradually grew moist.

"Not... not shipwrecked... that's good..."

"But there's really nothing worth seeing here. Please leave before dark, before you get yourselves into trouble..."

Just then, excited voices and hurried footsteps suddenly rose outside.

A moment later, the door burst open. The boy who had been peeking from the corner earlier rushed in, breathless with excitement, shouting to the old woman.

"Grandma! The Witch Doctorine! She's here!"

"She's at Old Jack's place on the east side of the village, treating people! Your leg has been hurting, right? Come on! I'll help you over!"

"The Witch Doctorine is here?!" The old woman's cloudy eyes lit up as she struggled to stand.

"Really? She hasn't come to our side in such a long time!"

The boy finally noticed Moren and his group, along with the pile of food on the table.

His eyes immediately lit up, and he couldn't help swallowing, but he quickly lowered his head in embarrassment.

Baccarat smiled, picked up a loaf of bread and a piece of fruit, and handed them to him.

"Hungry? Here. Eat."

The boy accepted them with delight.

"Thank you! Thank you, big sister!"

He took a huge bite of the bread, then helped the old woman to her feet before turning to Moren and the others with a serious expression.

"Big brother, big sisters, you're good people! Don't worry! If the guards come, I'll run over and warn you! I can run really fast!"

In his simple little world, this was how he repaid Baccarat for the food.

Moren smiled faintly, reached out, and ruffled the boy's messy hair.

"Thanks."

"But could we come with you? I'm curious about the Witch Doctorine you mentioned."

The boy hesitated for a moment, glanced at the old woman, then back at Moren before nodding.

"I guess so."

"Granny Doctorine is really kind... she's just a little fierce... and she even has a talking raccoon with her!"

His eyes sparkled once more with excitement.

A talking raccoon?

Moren's heart stirred.

Chopper really was here.

"Then let's go see her together."

Moren nodded to Robin and the others.

The group followed the boy as he supported the old woman toward the eastern side of the village.

Along the way, they saw many villagers leaving their homes. Some were helping the elderly, others were leading the young, but all of them were heading in the same direction.

The numbness on their faces had been replaced by hope and anticipation, as though the arrival of the Witch Doctorine was the only ray of light in this lifeless village.