Ding ding! Engaged in battle with Tin-Plate Wapol and gained the favor of Captain Dalton from the royal guard. Check-in progress +20%. Current total progress: 70%. Reward: Tekkai (Iron Body) level +1. Current Tekkai level: Lv3.
Just as Lin Mo reached the cable car at the cliff's edge, the system notification echoed in his mind.
He was long used to these sudden, inexplicable system missions triggering and completing, so he wasn't surprised at all. Without hesitation, he calmly stepped onto the cable car.
The innkeeper followed right behind.
But Law didn't move.
Dalton blocked his way, his eyes filled with sorrow. "I know this country is beyond saving. No matter how much I hate Wapol's ways, as long as I remain captain of the royal guard, I must fulfill my duties. I know you have no obligation to help my subordinates, since we were just your enemies. But they only attacked because they had no choice. We are citizens of Drum Kingdom. If we defy our current king, I don't mind dying—but you can guess what fate awaits them."
Without hesitation, Dalton suddenly dropped to his knees in the snow. "I'm begging you—restore my men to their original forms. Even if you want to kill me, I won't resist."
"Captain, you're kneeling to our enemy for our sake… You're too good to us!"
"Captain, please get up!"
"Captain…"
The sounds of sobbing filled the air. Though they were all grown men, each wept like a child.
Law twitched at the corner of his mouth. He originally had no intention of helping, but the noisy crying was really getting on his nerves.
At that moment, from the cable car, the innkeeper added, "Dalton isn't like Wapol—he's a good man to us. Law, if you can help them, please do. It's freezing in here, hurry up. I'm fine, but if Lin Mo catches a cold, that wouldn't be good."
Lin Mo: "…"
As if such a little breeze could make him catch a cold.
Law was silent for a few seconds, then helped Dalton up. Though his expression showed some impatience, he still extended his hand, summoned the ROOM, and restored the dismembered soldiers to their original forms in a flash.
"Thank you, truly," Dalton said with gratitude.
Law just waved it off and boarded the cable car without saying much.
After they all got on, Dalton ordered his men to start the cable car and send them down the mountain.
Once they descended, the innkeeper repeatedly expressed his thanks.
Law responded from time to time.
Lin Mo, on the other hand, remained silent the entire way—he had nothing to say.
As they passed a treehouse, its front door suddenly swung open.
Out stepped an elderly woman wearing a white crop top, a purple coat, loose purple pants, and long, flowing hair. Her face was lined with wrinkles, and her thin, tall frame radiated energy. She held a bottle of plum wine in one hand.
Seeing the three of them descending from the direction of the castle on Drum Peak, she took a swig of wine and grinned widely. "Ihihihihi~ Are you boys having fun?"
"Who is she?" Law asked, puzzled.
"She's… the Witch!" The innkeeper broke into a cold sweat.
The old woman chuckled and asked, "Want to know the secret to my everlasting youth?"
The innkeeper quickly shook his head. "N-no… I didn't ask…"
Lin Mo simply stared at the so-called Witch calmly.
Of course he knew who she was.
Dr. Kureha, currently 129 years old. A brilliant doctor, but her fees were absurdly high.
Kureha and the quack doctor Hiriluk were the only two physicians who stayed on Drum Island despite Wapol's decree to exile all doctors. Because of this, Wapol's forces would continue to pursue them for years to come.
More importantly, after Hiriluk's death, Kureha became Chopper's mentor, passing on all her medical knowledge to him.
Kureha's gaze swept between Lin Mo and Law, then landed on Lin Mo's wine gourd at his waist. Stroking her chin with a smile, she said, "You must be the kid from those nearby towns—using some kind of strange witchcraft to cure people, right?"
Lin Mo gave a calm nod.
"Ihihihihi~ Interesting. How about this? I'll tell you the secret to my youthful looks, and in exchange, you tell me how your little witchcraft works to heal people. Deal?"
Lin Mo: "…"
No deal.
Law looked at the innkeeper, completely speechless. "Who even is this old lady?"
Kureha's ears twitched. Without hesitation, she flicked a small scalpel toward Law.
Law reflexively caught it in midair with ease.
"…A scalpel?" he asked, surprised.
"I'm only 129," Kureha grinned.
The innkeeper pulled Law aside and whispered, "She's called Dr. Kureha—one of the doctors in Drum Kingdom. Her skills are amazing, but she's strange. Whether she treats you depends entirely on her mood, and her fees are sky-high. That's why everyone calls her the Witch."
"She's really that skilled?" Law asked, surprised.
The innkeeper nodded. "She's the oldest doctor in the kingdom. They say her skills are practically miraculous."
"I said I'm only in my early 120s!" Kureha shouted, flinging another scalpel—this time at the innkeeper.
Startled, the innkeeper stumbled to the side just as the scalpel brushed past where his face had been… but because he moved, it now flew straight toward his forehead.
"Ahhh!" the innkeeper shrieked.
Law reacted instantly, catching the scalpel by its handle. It stopped just one centimeter from the man's forehead.
"Ihihihihi~ Lucky you," Kureha laughed and took another sip of wine.
Just then, a rough voice called out, "Kureha! I just finished developing a new miracle medicine!"
A man in a green sweater and black coat, wearing a tall black top hat and carrying a black briefcase with a skull on it, came striding toward them through the snow.
When he saw three strangers outside Kureha's cabin, he paused, then turned his attention to the innkeeper.
With excitement, he pulled a bubbling green vial from his case and ran over. "Hey, isn't that Mr. Polk? I heard you get colds a lot! I just created a new remedy—want to give it a try and tell me how it feels?"
"No, no no no! Don't come any closer!" Polk's face darkened with fear as he backed away, shaking his head furiously. "I don't want to die—stay away!"