One Piece: Don't Worry, I'm a Doctor

Chapter 435: Chapter 435: Nah, I’ll Pass—Find Someone Else

Vir’s words didn’t just make Kizaru breathe a sigh of relief; they sent Zephyr and Akainu, who were already a bit rattled, into full-blown anxiety.

This kid was dead serious.

Both of them turned their gazes toward Sengoku.

It all seemed to hinge on Sengoku’s word now.

The two were undeniably tense.

If they were forced to undergo treatment live on air, it’d be the end of them.

Originally, it was just a Den Den Mushi recording for internal analysis among their own.

But a live broadcast? That’d be crystal clear for the whole world to see.

Though they were shaken, they weren’t overly worried.

This wasn’t a trivial matter. It wasn’t something that kid could decide with a single sentence.

As expected.

When Sengoku heard Vir mention a live broadcast, his brow furrowed.

A live broadcast wasn’t something you just casually set up.

There was no real need to showcase their medical prowess to the world.

While it would make the Marines appear even more formidable in the eyes of the people…

Wouldn’t it be better to keep it as a hidden trump card?

The pros and cons were laid bare, and Sengoku leaned toward the latter.

“Chiba, let’s skip the live broadcast. I’ll have someone escort them out, and we’ll gather every medic in the base to observe.”

“You don’t mind a crowd, do you?” Sengoku said with a smile.

Vir knew they’d likely refuse. He’d only thrown it out there on a whim.

If it worked, it’d be a bonus.

If not, no loss, right?

“Fine by me! No problem. The more, the merrier. Medicine is meant to be shared. My whole purpose in learning it is to pass it on, so every Marine can bring people back from the brink!” Vir said, his eyes resolute and his tone sincere.

The surrounding crowd couldn’t help but cast admiring glances his way.

Honestly, if they’d learned such incredible medical skills, they wouldn’t share them without a hefty price.

Someone like Vir, who showed no hesitation or attachment and wanted to contribute it all to the Marines, was truly a rare find.

A glint of approval flickered in Sengoku’s eyes.

This kid wasn’t bad.

Patting Vir’s shoulder, Sengoku turned to make arrangements.

On their beds, Akainu looked at Vir with growing approval.

Zephyr, however, was filled with shame.

’Why didn’t I let him try back then? There’s nothing wrong with Chiba.’

’Why didn’t I stop Binz?’

*Cough, cough…*

A sudden coughing fit came from a nearby bed.

All eyes turned toward the sound, landing on a beautiful girl lying there.

Shirahoshi slowly opened her eyes. As consciousness returned, she found herself surrounded by a crowd of unfamiliar faces.

Their gazes felt so foreign to her.

Instinctively, she shook her little head, searching for that figure.

But after scanning the room, she didn’t find who she was looking for.

With everyone staring at her like this, her social anxiety kicked in hard.

Shrinking back, she clutched the blanket tightly, looking like she might burst into tears any second.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You’ve earned 30,000 negative points!]

Seeing the Negative Points pop up, Vir stopped standing by. He quickly stepped to Shirahoshi’s side, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

He’d been holding back to see if her social anxiety had improved.

From the looks of it, it had gotten slightly better. But only slightly.

“Little Ostrich, you’re finally awake.”

Vir’s soft voice and gentle tone made Shirahoshi look up at him instantly.

That nickname!

Staring at this complete stranger, her little mind raced.

Good thing she was only socially anxious, not stupid.

“B-Big Bro… where are we?”

“This is Marine Headquarters. You’re safe.”

“Huh?”

Vir’s words left Shirahoshi dumbfounded.

She nearly fainted from shock.

Marine Headquarters? Weren’t they enemies of the Marines? Why were they here?

But despite her fear, she didn’t panic too much.

After all, Vir was here. No matter what happened, Vir wouldn’t let anything happen to her.

Clinging to that belief, Shirahoshi quickly calmed herself.

After Vir explained he needed to treat some patients, he asked if she wanted to come along or stay here.

Recalling how terrifying Vir looked when treating people, Shirahoshi was hesitant to join.

But compared to staying here alone, she’d rather stick by Vir’s side.

It felt safer.

Soon, at a training ground, Akainu and Zephyr were brought in.

This was another training area, though not as large as the main plaza.

It was about half the size.

The smaller field was bathed in sunlight, surrounded by earthy yellow ground.

A few stubborn blades of grass still clung to the dirt, refusing to be cleared.

Now, the area was packed with people, circling the two patients in layers.

Most were doctors in white coats, but some weren’t.

Binz stood at the front of the crowd, his face dark.

Beside him was Ain, looking somewhat unsettling.

Her waist, grotesquely distorted from Marco’s kick, drew occasional odd glances from those around.

It was unavoidable.

Hearing of Chiba’s return, Ain—who’d locked herself in her room for days—had made a rare appearance.

She couldn’t ignore the stares.

Her expression was grim, her head lowered the entire time.

Zephyr, of course, noticed his two prized students. Seeing Ain like this, his heart ached.

Not long after, Vir strolled through the crowd, dressed in a white shirt, his expression calm.

At his side was a small figure, head down, sticking close like a shadow.

When Binz saw Vir, he hurried over.

Standing before Vir, the burly Binz’s face was heavy with conflict.

But thinking of Ain’s suffering and the judgmental looks she endured, he finally bowed deeply to Vir.

“Dr. Chiba! I was wrong before! Please, can you heal Ain?”

Binz’s ninety-degree bow left his face crumpled.

It was clear how much this cost him.

Ain lifted her head, her teary eyes locking onto Vir.

Zephyr, on his bed, watched with a heavy expression.

Everyone stared at Vir, waiting for his response.

Vir didn’t leave him hanging.

Moments later, he finally spoke.

“Forget it. I won’t push myself. You’d better find someone else.”

“I can’t let your senior sister down, you know.”

“…Right?”

Vir’s blunt, no-nonsense words instantly froze Binz’s expression.

His eyes were filled with disbelief.

It was as if he couldn’t fathom why Vir would reject him like that.

He snapped his head up.

But Vir had already brushed past him, moving to Zephyr’s side to check his injuries.

Watching Vir, who showed no intention of treating anyone else, and seeing Ain’s growing despair, Binz’s shock slowly faded. In its place came a heavy wave of regret.

Staring at Vir’s retreating figure, he felt overwhelmed with remorse.

He began to regret—regret why he had to act so foolishly, why he had stopped Vir from treating her.

And now, because of him, Ain was left in this state.

She would have to live forever with that disfigured form.

It was all because of him…

Self-blame, regret… a flood of emotions began to drown him. His eyes turned bloodshot, and his face grew grim.

But was it really because he had stopped Vir from treating Ain?

No.

In that situation, no one would’ve let a stranger touch their fragile senior sister, who could shatter at the slightest contact.

Stopping Vir wasn’t the issue.

The problem was the words Binz had said—words that had seriously ticked Vir off.

If you’re stupid enough to mouth off and curse someone, then don’t expect them to give you face.

You’re on your own.

In the wide, empty clearing, two beds stood out starkly.

Vir stood by Zephyr’s bed, calmly examining his wounds.

The injuries were severe. Fighting Whitebeard rarely left anyone without internal damage.

The bulk of Zephyr’s injuries were internal, taking up more than half of his total wounds.

Aside from the severe internal damage, Zephyr’s only other issue was the slash across his chest, still oozing blood.

That final blow from Whitebeard was anything but light.

After all, Whitebeard had fought with the resolve to die, and it wouldn’t be a stretch to say he intended to take Zephyr with him.

But these weren’t insurmountable problems.

They were all injuries that could be fixed with a good stir-fry.

Whether he could fully recover depended on the quality of the medicinal ingredients.

Clearly, Vir was confident he could heal Zephyr completely.

He’d also checked on Akainu. Their injuries were more or less the same.

After all, they were caused by the same person.

The only difference was that Akainu was missing half his head, which would require some Vibro-Blade work.

Otherwise, it was the same as Zephyr—toss them in the pot and stir-fry.

And since they both needed a big stir-fry, why not cook them together?

Frying them one by one would be such a hassle. Two in one pot—now that’s the way to go.

With his mind made up, Vir motioned for Shirahoshi to step aside. He was ready to pull out the big wok and whip up a dish.

Just then, Zephyr, his face heavy with hesitation, called out to Vir as he was about to grab his tools.

“Chiba, is there really no way you could help treat Ain? Consider it me owing you a favor.”

Zephyr’s face carried an apologetic smile as he looked at Vir sincerely.

Binz’s head shot up, and Ain glanced over again.

The others around couldn’t help but feel sympathetic. Dean Lys felt a pang of guilt for being unable to heal Ain himself.

He, too, hoped Chiba could lend a hand.

Ain was like a daughter to him, having grown up under his watch.

Momousagi, who was fairly close to Ain, also spoke up. “Chiba, I heard what happened. It’s not Ain’s fault. Please, help her out.”

Hearing this, Vir looked at Zephyr, who was pleading from his bed, and at Momousagi, whose eyes carried a hint of a request.

He slowly shook his head.

“I can’t treat her.”

Vir rejected them again, leaving no room for negotiation.

Just three words—”I can’t treat her”—shut down all their pleas.

Sure, it wasn’t Ain’s fault.

But… what’s that got to do with me?

Vir didn’t know Ain. She was a stranger, and a weak one at that. Whether to save her was purely a matter of mood.

And clearly, Vir wasn’t in the mood to help Ain.

It would be simple to treat her—a quick Armament Haki massage, and she’d be fine in no time.

But after Vir spoke, the entire scene fell silent again.

Binz clenched his fists, his face full of disbelief.

Even their teacher had offered to owe him a favor, so why wouldn’t he agree?

This guy even said he couldn’t treat her.

If he could treat injuries as severe as their teacher’s, how could Ain’s wounds be beyond him?

After Vir’s words, Ain’s face turned deathly pale.

In her vision, everything seemed to darken.

Chiba was her only hope for treatment. But now, after finally getting him back, this was the answer she received.

Ain couldn’t hold it in anymore.

Large tears began to fall uncontrollably.

But she bit down hard, refusing to let herself cry out loud.

Momousagi, seeing her dear sister reduced to tears, felt a pang in her heart.

But looking at Chiba, she knew he wasn’t going to help.

Momousagi made up her mind—once they were alone, she’d have a good “talk” with this guy. And if words didn’t work, her fists would do the talking!

On the bed, Zephyr’s eyes flashed with surprise.

He hadn’t expected that even after he’d humbled himself to this extent, Vir still wouldn’t budge.

But he also knew that talking further was pointless.

This kid had made up his mind.

The thought of Ain living the rest of her life in that condition weighed heavily on Zephyr’s heart.

*Thud!*

Suddenly, a massive iron wok was slammed down in front of him.

The enormous pot blocked out the sunlight shining on him completely.

The sudden sight made Zephyr’s eyes widen.

His gaze was filled with shock.

What was this thing? Why was this pot about the same size as that guy’s pot?

And why was he pulling out a pot like this now? Could it be…?

Zephyr’s body tensed instantly, and his eyes betrayed a hint of panic as he looked at Vir.

It made sense. After learning that guy’s medical techniques, pulling out a giant pot like this…

What he was about to do was pretty obvious.

And wasn’t this “big pot stew” technique something Chiba himself had pioneered?

Vir had seen Chiba’s big pot stew treatment for Marco and came up with this method.

Then he taught Chiba how to use it to treat injuries.

So, didn’t that mean… with this pot out today, Zephyr was destined to be stewed?

Before Zephyr could even ask, he was already airborne.

Vir grabbed him by one leg, swung him with a flourish, and tossed him into the giant pot.

Straight into the cold wok, ready to cook.

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