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

Without giving Vir much time to think, Saturn and the others’ actions spoke volumes.

The moment that shadowy figure appeared, Saturn and Zero dropped to their knees.

No hesitation—straight to the floor.

Sengoku, on the other hand, only bowed deeply.

As for Garp, he simply turned his head away, pretending he wasn’t there—didn’t hear, didn’t see a thing.

But he did stop drinking tea.

That was some serious respect.

Even if Vir were a complete idiot, he could tell what was going on.

Who else could this be but Imu?

Good grief, all he did was put on a disguise!

To think even Imu was stirred.

It seemed that healing treatment boosting strength by a tenth had a bigger impact than he thought.

Vir had kept this news under wraps precisely to avoid people like Imu showing up at his doorstep.

After all, that ten percent boost applies to anyone.

If word got out, droves of powerhouses would come rushing in.

And with that, danger would follow.

If you could enhance everyone, why would I let you boost my enemies?

Wouldn’t it be better to lock you up and keep the buffs for my own people?

But Vir never imagined Imu would take notice.

And to show up in person, no less.

Even if it was just a small appearance, it was still Imu in the flesh.

Absolutely ridiculous.

But then—

Suddenly!

A thought flashed through Vir’s mind.

If Imu came to him, did that mean he was injured? Or maybe he wanted a strength boost too?

Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap!

This was Imu we’re talking about. Imu!

If he could heal him, wouldn’t that shoot him straight to the stars?

No matter what he gained from it, it’d be top-tier, sky-shattering stuff.

Instantly, a hint of greed flickered in Vir’s eyes as he looked at Imu.

This was, without a doubt, the most worthwhile guy to heal in the entire pirate world.

But under the shadow’s veil, Imu furrowed her brow.

Because she caught that faint, barely concealed glint of desire in Chiba’s eyes.

What was this?

Could he see through the black mist?

His strength probably didn’t even reach Vice Admiral level, did it?

How could he possibly see through it?

But if that wasn’t it, what did that look of longing mean?

Imu felt a flicker of doubt, but she hadn’t forgotten why she came here.

The next moment—

Vir immediately sensed a powerful Observation Haki sweeping over his body.

Not a single inch was spared.

It was like Imu was trying to turn him inside out.

But…

That Observation Haki wasn’t as strong as his own!

Vir felt a secret thrill—his Observation Haki was actually stronger than Imu’s.

Was this the strength of his spiritual power?

Terrifying.

A moment later, Vir felt that faint pressure vanish.

Imu’s probing was over.

And the shadow hovering above Saturn’s finger disappeared in an instant.

The tension in the room evaporated.

Just before Imu vanished, Vir thought he noticed him glance subtly at Shirahoshi.

Did he sense something?

Could he even detect something like the Poseidon bloodline?

Honestly, Vir was a bit shocked.

Even his own Observation Haki couldn’t pick up on something like that.

This must be one of Imu’s other abilities.

As expected, you couldn’t underestimate this ancient monster who’d ruled the world for centuries.

Some unexpected ability could probably kill him on the spot.

He’d have to play it safe around Imu from now on…

With Imu gone, the tense atmosphere in the Fleet Admiral’s office dissipated completely.

Saturn slowly stood and returned to the couch.

Zero and Sengoku did the same.

The sound of Garp sipping tea echoed once more.

Everything seemed to snap back to normal in an instant.

Saturn carefully tucked away the ring on his finger before turning his gaze to Vir.

Imu-sama hadn’t attacked this kid, which was enough to prove he was clean.

After all, no one in this world could deceive Imu-sama.

“Kid, I heard you can boost people’s strength. Is that true?”

Saturn didn’t waste words, his serious face cutting straight to the point.

“My teacher did say it could boost strength, but this is my first time using this kind of treatment, so I’m not entirely sure.”

Vir answered calmly, without a hint of panic.

And his words were technically true.

Aokiji had already questioned him, and he’d confirmed the treatment’s strength-boosting effect.

Same as with Kizaru and the others.

With that confirmed, Saturn and the others relaxed.

This kid really had learned it all—both the medical skills and this bizarre effect.

Didn’t that mean everyone could get a strength boost from him?

No injuries? Just make some.

As for whether this kid would gain anything from it?

Nobody even considered that.

Think about it: what does a doctor get from healing you?

Nothing but payment, right?

So that was never a concern, nor should it be.

“Young man, let’s see if you can cure my poison.”

Zero stood with a smile, his attitude toward Vir fairly polite.

After all, he was asking for a favor, and Zero wasn’t a bad-tempered guy.

As he spoke, he lifted his shirt, revealing a slash wound across his chest.

The wound wasn’t too deep—no bones were visible.

But it looked horrifying.

The cut had turned his entire chest a terrifying black.

If he weren’t naturally resistant to poison, he’d probably be long gone.

“This is the poison your teacher inflicted. See if you can cure it.”

Zero looked at Vir, who was carefully examining the wound, and spoke again.

But it felt… odd.

The teacher poisons, the disciple cures.

What was that guy even thinking, taking on a Marine apprentice?

Vir didn’t need to look to know if he could cure it.

But he put on a troubled expression, studying it closely for a moment.

After a pause, with his brow furrowed, he gave his answer.

“It can be cured.”

The moment Vir spoke, Zero, who had seen him frowning and deep in thought, felt a wave of relief.

Zero had long given up hope.

He had already shown this condition to the doctors who specifically treat Celestial Dragons in the Holy Land.

Their verdict was that they were completely powerless.

They had no idea where to even begin.

One doctor even put on gloves and touched his wound, only for the entire glove to be instantly corroded.

The doctor was immediately reduced to a pile of bones on the spot.

That scared off all the other doctors trying to help.

It was simply incurable.

And Zero had to endure inhuman torment every day, his chest wracked with piercing pain.

It nearly drove him insane.

The agony was especially intense at night, often lasting the entire night. Just being able to endure it without screaming was an achievement in itself.

The severity of the pain was unimaginable.

When Vir said he could cure it, Zero’s face lit up with joy.

He had thought he’d be tortured by this for the rest of his life, but now there was a glimmer of hope.

Zero couldn’t help but get excited.

“Really? Little brother, what do you need? Any conditions? When can we start?”

In his excitement, Zero grabbed Vir’s shoulders, looking like he might devour him.

Even Saturn coughed twice to rein him in.

Zero realized his mistake and quickly let go.

Vir, meanwhile, was helpless.

He hadn’t expected his poison to be this effective.

It had nearly driven a man with Admiral-level strength insane.

“We can start now. I’ve got all the tools; no prep needed.” Vir said casually.

This made Zero, who had just calmed down, excited again.

If it could be done quickly, of course he wanted it cured today.

Otherwise, by nightfall, he’d have to endure that soul-deep pain again.

At Sengoku’s signal, they prepared to head to the plaza that had been wrecked yesterday.

The plaza had already been fully restored.

It looked almost identical to before.

That was the Marine’s efficiency—top-notch.

But just as they were about to leave, the Den Den Mushi on Sengoku’s desk rang.

Sengoku’s brow furrowed immediately.

He strode over and picked it up.

“What is it?”

“Fleet Admiral! There’s big trouble in the New World!”

“Big Mom’s crew is heading toward Whitebeard’s territory! It looks like a massive clash between two Emperors is about to happen!”

“Big Mom seems to be after someone from Whitebeard!”

The news made Sengoku pause.

Big Mom and Whitebeard clashing?

They had just fought not long ago, and now they were at it again?

And it sounded like a fight to the death.

Going to Whitebeard to demand someone—what did that mean?

It meant you were ready to fight to the bitter end.

Because Whitebeard would never hand over anyone he wanted to protect.

If the intel was accurate, a world-shaking war might truly be on the horizon.

Hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Sengoku thought for a moment and decided to send Garp and Kizaru.

This could very well be a crucial turning point for the Marines to regain their standing after the defeat at Marineford.

If they could take down one of the Four Emperors, the Marines would reclaim all the prestige they had lost.

“Garp! Take Borsalino and head to Whitebeard’s territory immediately!”

“Take Tsuru with you too!”

Sengoku initially planned to send just the two of them.

They were the least injured from the Summit War, after all.

But on second thought, he reconsidered.

If it was just those two chatterboxes on the ship, they might still be sipping tea and chatting by the time the fight was over and everyone had gone home.

It wasn’t entirely impossible.

Garp didn’t say much, standing up to leave.

With Saturn and the others here, if he acted out of line, it’d be like slapping Sengoku’s face.

Jokes were fine, but there was a time and place.

Watching Garp leave, Sengoku’s face was full of worry.

Vir had overheard the Den Den Mushi conversation clearly.

Big Mom demanding someone from Whitebeard.

Who could she be after?

Surely not Whitebeard’s sons.

She wasn’t that stupid—demanding them from Whitebeard was a death wish.

That left only one possibility.

Either Katakuri.

Or Katakuri’s sister.

What in the world had happened over there?

Things had already gotten so heated.

Oh well, it wasn’t his business anyway.

Whitebeard’s strength these days was more than enough to handle Big Mom.

Chopper would probably be fine too.

For now, Vir figured he’d focus on finishing the job at hand.

—

Meanwhile, in Mary Geoise.

On the Empty Throne.

A beautiful young woman lounged lazily, her red hair cascading over the armrests.

But her brow was furrowed, as if deep in thought.

Her recent Haki scan was meant to check if Vir was an imposter, but she had unexpectedly detected the trace of Poseidon.

It wasn’t that Imu possessed some mystical artifact—it was simply that she had seen much over the centuries.

Having lived for hundreds of years, she had encountered few Poseidons.

She could still recognize the unique aura they carried.

But this Poseidon was still young. While it was possible to capture and control her, it wasn’t necessary.

Such a small thing couldn’t possibly wield that power yet.

What really intrigued her was that kid named Chiba… his medical skills.

No matter how you looked at it, a kid who could boost strength was fascinating.

Everyone wanted to get stronger, especially someone like her, who had already reached the pinnacle.

For centuries, she had pushed herself to the absolute limit of her potential.

Now, with a Marine kid like Chiba showing up with such abilities, action was necessary.

Once Saturn and the others returned, if the Marine’s claims held true, she’d have Chiba enhance her too.

Imu had plenty of powerful secret weapons—like the one in the original story that could wipe out an island instantly.

But those required someone to activate them, and activation had conditions.

Strength was one of them.

Even for Imu, using a weapon that could pinpoint an island and erase it from the map was exhausting.

But if her power could be enhanced by even ten percent, everything would be different.

As for how to get injured for him to treat her…

And whether he could actually heal her…

Those were concerns for later. First, she wanted to see if that interesting young man had what it took to injure her in the first place.

Imu leaned back on her throne, her eyes radiating the authority of a queen.

Her black cloak made her look like the Queen of the Night.

Glancing toward the Marine base one last time, her figure vanished from the throne.

The vast palace fell silent once more.

—

“Another treatment today?”

“Yeah, I heard even the Fleet Admiral is getting treated. Wonder if it’ll be as wild as yesterday.”

“He can reattach heads—fixing a hand should be no problem.”

“I heard there’s a CP officer too, but no clue what’s up with them.”

Amid the chatter, several figures approached from the distance.

—

TL Note: Just for clarification — Vir doesn’t know that Imu is a woman, which is why he refers to her as “him”.

Source: .com, updated by novlove.com