AVALANCHE

The inner cover of Volume 16, featuring the same illustration as the outer cover. Monkey D. Luffy sits smiling on the left. Dr. Hiriluk stands tall in the center with his arms outstretched, wearing his top hat and cross-patterned shirt. Tony Tony Chopper sits on the right. The black pirate flag with cherry blossom petals waves behind them. The background is a faded map.

The title page for Volume 16. The Straw Hat Pirates and Tony Tony Chopper are depicted on the deck of a ship. Luffy is in the center, cheering with his arms raised. Zoro stands to the right, holding his swords. Nami is behind Luffy, smiling. Usopp is on the left, looking through a telescope. Sanji is below Usopp, smoking a cigarette. Chopper is prominently featured in the foreground, looking forward. A seagull wearing a pirate hat flies above them.

The title page for Chapter 137, "AVALANCHE". The illustration shows four members of the Straw Hat crew in a relaxed indoor setting. Sanji stands on the left, wearing a polka-dot shirt and holding a bouquet of flowers, adjusting his tie. At a table, Usopp and Zoro are intensely focused on a game of chess. Usopp rests his head on his hands, looking stressed, while Zoro leans on one arm, contemplating his move. In the background, Luffy sits on the windowsill, eating a snack and looking outside, with a large, strange pink bird perched next to him.

A full-color version of the Chapter 137 title page. Sanji stands on the left in a yellow polka-dot shirt and green pants, holding yellow flowers. Usopp, in a striped shirt, and Zoro, in a black shirt, play chess at a table with a purple and blue patterned tablecloth. Luffy, wearing a red shirt, sits on the windowsill eating, next to a pink bird with a striped beak.

The story begins with a single panel showing a large, round, white rabbit standing in the snow. The rabbit looks back over its shoulder with a fierce, angry expression, its small ears perked up. A speech bubble next to it reads, "GRR!"

In a snowy village, the residents look up in panic as a loud, ominous rumbling sound echoes from the mountains. One man yells, "It sounds like a big one! This village is gonna be hit..." Another villager shouts, "Everyone get away from here!" Usopp, sweating nervously, looks up and says, "Oh crap... Usopp! This sound... could it be..." The scene cuts to a massive, terrifying wall of snow crashing down the mountainside, obliterating trees in its path. Large, dramatic text reads, "BY AN AVALANCHE!"

Luffy, carrying a bundled-up Nami on his back, runs frantically alongside Sanji. Luffy yells in panic, "Sanji! What do we do now!?" Sanji, teeth gritted and looking furious, replies, "Those freakin' rabbits! Damn them all to hell!" The massive avalanche rumbles violently down the slope right behind them, snapping pine trees like twigs. Sanji yells instructions over the roar of the snow: "How the hell should I know!? Just be sure to keep an eye on 5 things: Nami, Nami, Nami, Nami, and Nami! Keep her safe no matter what!" Luffy, still running hard, replies, "I know but how!?"

Sanji points ahead, shouting over the noise, "We gotta get up on higher ground even by a little bit! A cliff!? The cliff over there!" Luffy, following his lead, agrees, "Ah!" They sprint desperately towards a snowy ledge as the avalanche roars closer, crushing everything behind them. Sanji looks back and yells, "It's coming!" Luffy, his face stretched in terror, screams, "Aghhhhh!"

Luffy and Sanji leap onto the snowy cliff just as the avalanche crashes into the trees directly below them. Sanji, thinking they are safe, says, "Good! We made i-" but his relief is cut short. He looks up in horror as the massive wave of snow towers high above their small cliff, casting a dark shadow over them. Sanji yells in despair, "Crap! This cliff's still too low!"

The avalanche sweeps violently over the cliff, engulfing Luffy, Sanji, and Nami. Sanji yells, "Aghhhh! We're being swept away!" Tumbling chaotically in the whiteout, Luffy thinks, "The heck should I do now? Ah that's right." Sanji manages to grab onto a sturdy tree branch protruding from the rushing snow and yells, "Sanji! Grab on!" Luffy stretches his arm and grabs Sanji's leg. Hanging from the branch, Sanji says, "Thanks! We're safe for now."

Sanji hangs desperately from the tree branch, holding Luffy's leg, while Luffy continues to carry Nami on his back. The snow rushes violently beneath them like a river. Sanji assesses the situation, "We won't be buried in snow now, but at this rate, we're gonna be right back down at the foot of the mountain!" He curses their luck, "Why now when we're right at the base of the chimney-shaped cliff!? Son of a...! We were so close to getting to the doctor! We have to think of a way to stop as soon as possible!" He glares angrily, "Damn those rabbits! I swear I'll make rabbit stew out of'em if I ever see them again!" Suddenly, the branch they are holding onto snaps with a loud "CRACK!"

The branch breaks, and Luffy and Sanji are sent tumbling back into the rushing avalanche. They slide rapidly down the mountain, surrounded by a chaotic herd of the giant, round rabbits, who are also being swept away by the snow. The rabbits flail and growl in panic. Sanji yells, "Aghh!" and Luffy screams, "Wha-aaaa-aa!?" As they slide, Sanji spots an opening through the tumbling bodies and yells, "Run for it!"

Luffy and Sanji slide rapidly through the churning snow, dodging the tumbling giant rabbits. One massive rabbit rolls directly towards them, growling. Sanji yells in frustration, "What is wrong with these rabbits!?" He then spots a hazard ahead and shouts a warning, "Luffy! In front of us!"

Sanji points ahead, warning, "Crap, a rock! We're gonna crash!" He looks back at Luffy, who is carrying Nami, and says calmly despite the danger, "Ladies should always be treated, as gently as possible." Luffy, determined, yells back, "Not if I can help it!" Luffy stretches his arms out wide, preparing to take the impact of whatever is coming.

Instead of hitting the rock, a giant rabbit crashes directly into Luffy's outstretched body. Luffy takes the full force of the blow to protect Sanji and Nami, yelling "Sanjiiii!" The massive impact sends them flying through the air, over the rock and the tumbling rabbits. They plummet down into the deep snow with a loud "PLOMP!" Sanji, landing safely in the snow, thinks to himself, "That... worked out alright..."

Sanji angrily kicks Luffy in the head as they tumble, yelling, "You idiot! Who the hell said you could just decide to do something like that on your own!?" Luffy, still holding onto Sanji and Nami, yells back as they crash violently into the snow. They continue to tumble uncontrollably down the snowy slope, creating a massive cloud of white powder.

The massive avalanche continues its destructive path down the mountain, heading straight for the village of dome-shaped houses. The villagers flee in terror as the wall of snow approaches. Someone yells, "Crap! This whole town's going to be buried! And it's not slowing down at all! Run for it!"

Wapol is riding a giant, furry, white hippo named Robson. Chess and Kuromarimo run alongside him. Wapol commands, "Robson! Switch to 'Serious Mode'!" Chess and Kuromarimo reply, "Yes, Your Majesty!" A trivia box explains the "White Walkie" (commonly known as a furry hippo) adapts to the cold by walking without stretching its legs. Wapol's men run frantically behind the hippo, begging, "Your Majesty! Please let us on too!" Wapol yells back selfishly, "Back off! Get your own hippo!"

Wapol rides Robson frantically away from the avalanche, yelling, "Faster, Robson! The avalanche is already right behind us!" Nearby, Usopp and Vivi are also running for their lives. Usopp, crying and terrified, yells, "E-even if we get swallowed up, I'll save you somehow! I-I-it'll be fine! N-n-nothing to w-worry about V-v-Vivi!" Vivi looks back, concerned, "You don't think Luffy and the others could have been..." Meanwhile, a brief glimpse shows Luffy tumbling in the snow, holding onto Nami, saying, "Nami! You're not cold, are you!? Just hang in there for a second! Here, just hold on to this and wait right here!" as he prepares to maneuver.

A massive, wide shot shows the avalanche crashing down the mountain, completely burying the landscape and heading towards the village. A collective, terrified scream of "AGHHHHHHHHHH!" is heard from Wapol, Chess, and Kuromarimo as they are engulfed by the massive wave of snow.

The snow finally settles. The avalanche has stopped, leaving a thick, quiet layer of white over the area. The village seems to have narrowly escaped the worst of it, but the landscape is drastically changed, buried under tons of snow.

Wapol bursts out of the snow, coughing violently. He spits out a rabbit and yells, "Ahhhh! Cough cough! You three taste like bad syrup!" He realizes what happened and says, "Hm? This must be their doing!" Chess asks, "Come again, Your Majesty?" Wapol explains, "They said Straw-Hat and his crew were climbing the mountains right now, did you forget!? Then it's obvious, isn't it!? They've been waiting up in the mountains until we'd show up so they could have their revenge!" Kuromarimo agrees, "Ahhh! Of course! So it was them who caused the avalanche just now!" Chess adds, "Is it true all the ropeways to the castle are gone now!?" Kuromarimo confirms, "Yes, according to the villagers, Your Majesty." Wapol declares angrily, "Then we'll climb up the mountain too! I'll teach them what winter warfare is all about!"

The giant rabbits start popping out of the snow, shaking themselves off and growling angrily. Suddenly, a hand bursts from the snow nearby. Luffy pulls himself up out of the deep snow, carrying an unconscious Sanji under his arm. Nami is still strapped securely to Luffy's back. Luffy looks around at the snowy landscape.

Luffy trudges through the deep snow, carrying Sanji under one arm and Nami on his back. He is panting heavily, "Huff... Huff..." He says with determination, "I'll get us up there no matter what...! Don't worry, you two... So don't you dare die on me..." He looks up and sees the angry giant rabbits blocking his path ahead. He glares at them fiercely and declares, "I'll kill'em all!"

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