A Thousand Treasures (One Piece)

Eleven

"Hey, Vivi. Are you really sure this is the right direction?" The sleigh moved at a slower speed with a new driver. "Unless we find the doctor soon and ask her to go back to the castle..."

"I know that," Vivi sighed. They had left Cocoaweed without their guide. The moment Wapol was mentioned, Dalton took off on horse. Which meant they had to try and navigate the island with a poor map and major guessing.

"If you know that, then do something. You're a princess, right?"

"That has nothing to do with this. I'm not a witch. I'm a princess."

"But..."

Vivi shoved the paper at their new driver. "Then you look at the map."

"What?! Don't be ridiculous!"

"But you're the great Usopp-sama." Illyria leaned on the back of the chair between them. "You've sailed the four blues and fought all sorts of monsters. You should be able to navigate one island."

"In that case, you should look at it!" Usopp looked back at her, "you've been to the four blues too!"

Her hands raised in surrender, "I crashed in the last snowy landscape I came across."

Vivi let out a breath, "there should be a sign for Gyata on this route. We should try not to miss it."

"Got it! Leave it to me! I'll watch for signs of the sign!" They continued to go straight until it was physically impossible to do so. The deer were chest deep in snow and the sleigh wedged deep. "This isn't good..." Usopp fret. "We can't go further because of the snow."

"By sleigh at least." A hand on the side, she hopped out. "We gotta walk the rest of the way." The moment her feet touched snow the ground began to rumble. Chunks of snowfall dropping from the tree branches around them. "Well... this ain't good..." A nervous sweat fell from her brow while they knit together, mixed eyes moved up the mountain. "We gotta get somewhere safe. Now!"

"A...Avalanche!" The two threw themselves out of the sleigh. With two swings of her arm, the ties holding the animals in place were cut and they, too, sprinted down the mountain. "W-w-w-w-w-we'll be fine! Don't worry, Vivi, Ria!" Usopp led the charge with his arms swinging. "Even if we get swallowed, I'll save you two for sure!"

"Do you think Luffy-san and the others have been swallowed by this avalanche?"

"Probably." Illyria ran at her side, "but that idiot can figure a way out. Don't worry so much about him. We need to outrun it first!" Though, it seemed that wasn't going to happen. The snow raged down the mountain and only grew in intensity. Her tongue clicked, if only I was better at using it! She looked behind her. To the height of destruction. The only place to be safe from it... The treetops! Illyria reached out and her fingers closed on Vivi's arm, locking into place. A fast and harsh pull and the princess was launched into the air and towards trees already knocked by the avalanche. Speeding her pace as the snow chased her heels, she latched onto Usopp and did the same thing.

"I-Illyria-san!" Vivi's voice reached her ears then everything turned white.

Snow slid in the gaps between her skin and jacket, its weight coiling around her and pushing her further down. Even as everything settled, she lay in a white coffin. Its cold leaking through her layers of protection. Great. Now what? Her arms wouldn't move. The weight of the snow more effective than any cage she's ever been in.

"Illyria-san!"

"Ria!"

Two voices reached her ears, though they were muffled. Steadily, the darkness of the snow grew lighter. More and more weight lifted from her limbs. Waiting until her arm was movable, she forced her hand above surface. A man's hand grabbed hold of hers, a woman's on her forearm, and she was pulled from the snow. Breaking surface with a large breath. "Man, I hate avalanches."