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

Sengoku led the way at the front, while Saturn trailed at the rear.

His purpose for coming here today was to determine whether this kid named Chiba truly possessed genuine medical skills and whether he could actually boost strength.

These were the orders handed down by Imu.

So, he had no intention of stealing the spotlight. Getting the job done as instructed was the priority.

Vir was pulling Shirahoshi along, but she lacked the courage she’d shown yesterday.

With so many eyes on her and Vir holding her hand, her face flushed hotter by the second.

The whispers around them only deepened her blush.

“Chiba’s got some luck, huh? Look at that girl—she’s a catch.”

“Talk about hitting the jackpot. Already holding hands? How lewd.”

“Seriously, he’s the Fleet Admiral’s personal doctor now, with even the Five Elders seeking his counsel. He’s living the dream.”

“She’s so young, though. Chiba’s got some nerve.”

Hearing the remarks, Shirahoshi wavered between pulling her hand away and moving even closer to Vir.

Vir ignored the chatter, his brow slightly furrowed as he pondered the treatment plan ahead.

Truth be told, neither Sengoku’s nor Zero’s injuries were particularly severe.

Sengoku’s main issue was his severed hand—straightforward enough.

As for Zero, although the poison had penetrated deep into his body and was extremely potent, it was ultimately of Vir’s own making. Curing it would be relatively straightforward.

Vir had the antidote; a simple dose would suffice.

But could he just let Zero recover that easily?

Of course not. If Zero got off scot-free, what was the point? Charity work?

No way.

Sengoku didn’t need to be dealt with too harshly. With this many witnesses, a few swings of the Vibro-Blade would be enough to keep him in line.

But Zero was different. Without some clever maneuvering, this could all be for nothing.

The guy had endured soul-deep pain without kicking the bucket, after all.

Ordinary physical sensations wouldn’t faze him.

However!

Vir had anticipated this situation when he poisoned Zero.

Or rather, when he crafted that poison, he’d already planned the perfect antidote strategy.

In making the antidote, he’d mixed in three pounds of muscle-weakening powder.

Three pounds. That’s not a typo.

It wasn’t just a pinch of powder in the medicine—it was more like pinch of medicine in the pile of powder.

The muscle-weakening powder’s effect was simple: it rendered the user unable to control their muscles for a short time.

No other side effects, just that.

And three pounds? That was more than enough to strip Zero of all bodily control.

What happens when someone loses control of every muscle in their body? It’s not hard to imagine.

At best, uncontrollable drooling; at worst, complete loss of bladder and bowel functions on the spot.

The scene that would unfold was almost too much to picture.

Could Zero handle it?

Not a chance.

From the moment he was poisoned, Vir had already paved his road to social death.

Whether Zero walked it was his choice, but he was already standing squarely in the middle of it. There was no turning back.

And then, the wok. Stir-frying was essential.

First, Zero would be vigorously stir-fried, followed by a standard stir-fry for Sengoku.

The first ingredient in the wok had been the deeply poisoned Blackbeard. Using it for detoxification was the unquestionable solution.

—

At the center of the plaza, the group came to a halt.

Sengoku had chosen this spot for two reasons.

First, he wanted more Marines to witness.

What if there were hidden talents among them who could awaken to and learn this medical technique?

Who knew if some strange genius might emerge?

Second… he hadn’t expected to be a patient himself.

The plan was supposed to be treating Zero alone.

But on the way, Vir casually said, “Fleet Admiral, your injury is easy to fix. Let’s handle it while we’re at it.”

That alone would have been one thing, but Saturn from behind strongly supported the idea.

He was here on Imu’s behalf to assess Vir, so the more Vir demonstrated, the better.

After the treatment, Saturn had to compile a report for Im to review. More comprehensive data was naturally preferable.

This threw Sengoku into a panic. He’d seen what happened to Akainu and the others yesterday, and now it was his turn?

And he couldn’t even refuse—Saturn’s reasoning was solid. Treating an extra person was worth it.

So, Sengoku became the unlucky one.

If he’d known he’d be a patient too, he’d never have chosen the plaza for this.

Talk about buffing himself for disaster.

On the way, Sengoku was already uneasy, but when Vir pulled out that massive wok from yesterday, his heart sank.

This is it.

After a lifetime of fighting, was his legendary reputation about to crash and burn here?

No way. Absolutely not.

Akainu and the others ended up like that because their willpower wasn’t strong enough.

No matter how bad it got, Sengoku wouldn’t let himself end up like them.

Besides, this treatment could boost his strength by a whole ten percent.

Think of it as advanced training!

Sengoku steeled himself, the unease on his face vanishing.

In its place was the calm, unflappable demeanor of a Marine Fleet Admiral.

After Vir set up the wok, Zero was surprisingly cooperative.

They had watched footage of Vir treating Akainu and the others, so they were familiar with the procedure.

Eager to get it over with, Zero hopped right in.

Vir was stunned.

Whoa, someone’s actually rushing to jump into the wok?

This was the first time since he’d bought it.

Akainu and Zephyr, fully recovered after a day of rest, also stood nearby watching.

Their faces were grim, lips sealed tight, not daring to make a sound.

No coughing, no chewing noises—nothing.

They were barely holding it together.

But when they heard there was a new “victim” who had traveled from afar today, they had to see it.

Seeing it happen to others too, even if it changed nothing, brought them some comfort.

Look—it’s not just us.

And when they saw Zero leap into the wok without a word, their eyes widened slightly.

Exchanging glances, they saw mutual respect in each other’s gaze.

Say what you will about CP0 men—this one had guts.

Jumping into that wok without a moment’s hesitation.

Since the patient was so eager, Vir wasn’t about to keep him waiting.

He immediately started the fire.

Nearby, Saturn transformed into a war correspondent, starting to film at close range.

As time passed, the temperature steadily rose.

Ten minutes later, the wok was already at a blazing thousand degrees.

And Zero was still bearing it without issue.

When the temperature reached five thousand degrees, Zero was already starting to feel unbearably hot.

Watching the temperature continue to rise, he began to lose his composure.

What the hell is going on here?

Wasn’t the plan to cook the antidote together with his body so it could be fully absorbed?

But what kind of antidote is this?! Who needs this kind of heat to cook it?

Are you frying the medicine or frying me?

Zero was, to put it mildly, freaking out a bit. Up until now, not a single thing had been tossed into the mix.

It was just dry-roasting—pure, endless scorching with no end in sight.

Was he going to kick the bucket before the antidote even went in?

With that nagging doubt, the temperature soon shot up to ten thousand degrees.

Zero even started generating negative points for Vir—the relentlessly rising heat and the despair of not seeing an end were truly unbearable.

The sensation felt like his very soul was being scorched, almost to the point of mental collapse.

His resistance was already heavily compromised from the poison.

Now, with this brutal intensity cranked up, he was barely holding on.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You’ve earned 300,000 negative points!]

Finally, after hitting ten thousand degrees, the temperature stopped rising.

Not because it had reached some limit, but because Zero had gone completely numb.

He was done for, basically.

At that moment, Vir finally slid the single dose of antidote down the side of the wok.

There were no seasonings below—just one ingredient and this basketball-sized packet of antidote.

Pure dry-roasting.

The same blistering aura from yesterday began spreading outward in waves.

Sengoku’s expression grew heavy. He couldn’t shake the feeling that the packet Vir had just tossed in was no ordinary stuff.

After all, anything that could make a freak like him smile couldn’t be good news, right?

Sengoku, who had been calm and composed until now, felt a flicker of unease.

But it wasn’t a big deal yet. He could still handle it.

The fierce flames began to furiously stir-fry, the sizzling sounds erupting wildly from the wok as white smoke quietly rose.

Before long, an aroma that teased everyone’s taste buds started wafting out.

No seasonings had been added, yet somehow, this dry-roasting was producing a mouthwatering scent. That was pretty absurd.

Those with strong enough Haki could handle the smell, but the weaker ones were already starting to wobble.

A sensation of muscle fatigue and powerlessness crept in, growing stronger with every breath of the smoke they inhaled.

Soon enough, people started collapsing, unable to stand.

It was like someone had unleashed Conqueror’s Haki—people were dropping in waves.

This spooked Sengoku big time.

He immediately shifted into battle-ready mode but couldn’t sense a shred of danger.

Conqueror’s Haki? No way that was happening.

After a quick observation, Sengoku noticed something off.

The people collapsing weren’t unconscious—they just seemed to have lost all strength, unable to stand.

His brows furrowed.

What’s going on?

No trace of a dangerous presence, no suspicious figures anywhere.

So why were people dropping like flies?

Panic began to spread. Those on the ground started shouting.

They couldn’t feel their own bodies anymore.

Aside from their five senses, their bodies were completely unresponsive.

It was like… paralysis.

But they could still control some tiny muscles, preventing total humiliation. After all, it was just the smoke.

Nobody could stay calm in a situation like this. Full-body paralysis? That’s terrifying.

Just as the panic peaked, Saturn stepped forward to explain.

Even he had felt a momentary muscle relaxation from inhaling the smoke.

Being the closest and sucking in the most with a deep, forceful breath, he was naturally the first to notice something was up.

“It’s the smoke coming from the wok that’s causing the muscle weakness.” Saturn said.

All eyes turned to the smoke drifting from the wok.

Those who took quick, deep breaths—especially those on the edge of their strength—could feel it clearly.

Their muscles lost control for a moment.

But then recovered just as fast.

“It’s true! It’s the smoke!”

“What’s going on? How can smoke make your muscles go limp?”

“What is this smoke? It’s downright sinister!”

The scene erupted into chaos, but Sengoku, Akainu, and the others looked up at Vir in shock.

It really was the smoke!

If just the smoke could rob a fifth of the people here of control over their bodies…

What would happen to someone cooked inside that wok with that stuff? It was unthinkable!

Their gazes grew heavier.

Sengoku swallowed hard.

The confidence he’d been building up was crumbling fast.

He knew exactly what could happen if every muscle in your body stopped working.

If it were him… could he withstand it?

Could he?

Sengoku wasn’t so sure.

—

A short while later, the frying in the massive wok finally stopped, and the blistering heat began to cool.

With a single flick of Vir’s hand, Zero was unceremoniously dumped out.

His landing, though, was a bit… extreme.

Like a pile of mud. Literally a pile of sludge—almost with a jelly-like wobble.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You’ve earned 400,000 negative points!]

Zero’s consciousness was fading. Ten thousand degrees—that was a treatment even Zephyr had never endured.

Only Akainu had experienced scenery hotter than that. That alone spoke to what Zero had just been through.

Inside the wok, all he’d felt was searing heat. Pure, unrelenting heat.

Nothing else. No other sensation.

Now, as the temperature dropped and he made contact with the ground, Zero felt like he was finally coming back to life.

But halfway there, something felt… off.

Because he still couldn’t feel his body.

Sure, he hadn’t felt it in the wok either, but he was out now! What was going on?

Zero started to panic. What if he’d been fried to a crisp? What if this state wasn’t just temporary but permanent?

Lying flat on the ground, Zero’s face was grim.

Meanwhile, Saturn was circling him with a video Den Den Mushi, capturing every angle.

Not missing a single close-up, he looked like a pro.

*Click, click, click*—he was snapping away.

Practically shoving the camera in Zero’s face to catch his pores.

After dumping him out, Vir wasted no time rushing forward.

He whipped out a knife and fork and stabbed down.

He had to act fast—before this guy started to react.

Once Zero lost it, there would be no way Vir could bring himself to take a bite.

Source: .com, updated by novlove.com