"Iggy, my child. Wake up—you have unfinished business!"
Amid swirling sand and flying rocks, a massive sandstorm condensed and gradually took the shape of a familiar human figure.
The figure, made entirely of countless grains of sand, was Yuni, Iggy's mother—a blurry vision from a long-lost past, her thoughts hazy but filled with tenderness.
Her face drew close to Iggy's, eyes full of warmth and concern. She stretched out her slender hand and gently touched his cheek.
"Mother… is that really you?"
Unable to hold back the flood of emotion, Iggy felt his mother's fingertips brush his face softly. Two warm tears traced down his cheeks.
He reached out to grasp her hand—but the moment his fingers touched hers, she shattered into a cloud of scattered sand.
The sand swirled upward from her hand, collapsing until only a gust of wind and dust remained, swirling away until gone.
"Mother!!!"
Iggy's shout echoed in the cold air as he awoke, lying on the white, frozen ground. His outstretched arm was still raised in the air.
The sky roared with biting wind and swirling snow. His cheeks stung painfully from the freezing cold, tears freezing and running in icy trails.
Snowflakes danced chaotically in his vision, and in the distance, he barely made out the towering form of Drum Mountain looming above.
"Am I at the foot of the mountain?"
Iggy recalled the moment before losing consciousness—when Wapol nearly swallowed him whole, and Dalton's timely intervention had knocked him out of the castle.
Dalton had saved him, but for reasons unknown. Iggy suspected the guard had his own agenda.
It seemed that in this world, his enemies were either more ruthless or far stronger than before.
Wapol had even swallowed darkness itself to fight back—a testament to his heightened combat intelligence.
"Ribs… must be broken."
Trying to push himself up, Iggy placed his hands on the ground. A sharp pain stabbed through his chest halfway up, forcing a gasp.
Though the thick snow softened his fall, he had dropped from several kilometers high—injuries were inevitable.
Fortunately, years of training had forged a strong body; an ordinary person would have shattered.
"Ribs…"
The bitter cold blizzard battered him relentlessly, exposing the brutal climate of Winter Island.
Exhaling frosty breath, Iggy felt his head spin. His vision blurred, and his consciousness wavered on the edge of darkness.
"Find shelter… make a fire. Or the cold will kill me first."
Shaking off the dizziness, Iggy forced his limbs to move. Slowly, he stood and began walking away from the mountain's base.
After a few hundred meters, sudden noises of rustling broke the silence. Around him, huge white creatures emerged, blocking his path.
"Laban!"
The tall, rabbit-like creatures before him were fierce carnivores known for their speed and aggression.
More and more Labans gathered, ready to feast on what seemed like a dying prey.
The creatures swarmed, filling the air—but Iggy smirked.
"Thanks for delivering yourselves."
The shadows of the rabbits blanketed the sky as Iggy's eyes narrowed, releasing a powerful, domineering aura fueled by his remaining strength.
The overwhelming presence instantly subdued all the Labans; they collapsed unconscious around him with heavy thuds.
Without neutralizing these predators, Iggy might not have survived long enough to find shelter.
He continued descending the mountain, his body recovering rapidly. His injuries slowly healed as vitality surged back.
The fierce Labans from moments ago were now lifeless, shriveled corpses behind him.
"Better leave them here… for now."
After walking two kilometers through the snow, Iggy found no signs of civilization—only long-abandoned ruins.
With night approaching, he hurried to gather usable wood scattered among the ruins.
Based on the remains of houses and the thick snow covering them, the village had likely been deserted for many years.
The ruins weren't vast; it didn't take long before he noticed no other signs of life.
Suddenly—
"Eh!"
Near the edge of the ruins, Iggy tripped over a protruding hard object.
Looking down, he spotted a half-buried stone monument, surrounded by others of varying heights.
Under the fading light of dusk, he cleared the snow from the nearest stele and read the inscription—it was a tombstone erected by former villagers.
One by one, as he uncovered the stones, the fourth tombstone revealed the name Marshall.
"This can't be…?"
A growing sense of unease filled Iggy as he wiped snow off the entire monument.
The inscription read: "Beloved Sister Marshall. Lanchi's Tomb."
Signed beneath was the familiar name: Marshall Teach.
Looking closer, the date carved on the stone read "1494 of the Sea Round Calendar"—the same time when Teach had joined the Whitebeard Pirates.
Shocked, Iggy cleared snow from nearby stones in hopes of more clues.
Next to Teach's tombstone was another, similarly patterned one that read: "Beloved Sister Marshall. Vickie's Tomb."
He searched the cemetery desperately—but found no further traces of Teach.
"Could this… be Blackbeard's home? And his two sisters?"
Standing still in the quiet cemetery, Iggy stared at the tombstones, caught in a deep web of mystery and thoughts.
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If any elements in this fanfic isn't in the canon, please consider them as an imagination or interpretation.
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