That woman…
What’s going on with her?
Could it be… that time of the month?
Why does she seem so irritable?
Forget it, not my problem.
Women… they all have those few days in a month.
With that thought, Vir focused his mind.
And vanished from his spot.
That’s right.
Ever since he instinctively saved Chopper last time, he no longer needed to open a door for his spatial jumps.
Now, he could just phase right through.
This greatly increased safety.
At the very least, he wouldn’t have to worry about encountering that kind of situation again.
—
On the large ship on the other side.
Jozu watched as Vir disappeared and then suddenly reappeared, a look of amazement on his face.
“Hey, Vir, your ability is seriously useful! Makes everything so convenient!”
Jozu spoke with undisguised envy.
His biggest drawback was his lack of mobility.
Which was why he admired Vir so much.
If he had this ability, those Vice Admirals who were toying with him earlier would’ve been beaten into submission long ago!
Hearing this, Vir just smiled and waved it off casually.
“Oh, right! Let me take you to your room first. We’ve already got everything prepared for you.”
Without waiting for a response, Jozu took the lead and walked forward.
Vir followed behind him.
“It should take about ten days or so to reach Pops. If you need anything, just let me know.”
As they walked, Jozu continued chatting with Vir.
Vir nodded repeatedly, indicating he understood.
The next few days would be the perfect time for him to fully adjust to his body.
To be honest, he still hadn’t completely adapted.
It felt like his body wasn’t even his own.
The power boost he received all at once had been too overwhelming.
This trip would give him the opportunity to perfect his control.
At the same time, he needed to prepare some post-treatment medicine for Whitebeard.
Even with his intervention, Whitebeard wouldn’t recover in one go.
His chronic illness had plagued him for decades.
It was impossible to cure that easily.
Since he hadn’t examined him yet, he decided to prepare some medicine designed for deep internal organ repair.
Though it could restore his body significantly, it wasn’t an instant cure.
Whitebeard would need long-term care and slow recovery.
Even after treatment, Vir planned to leave behind some medicine.
It wouldn’t hurt to drink it occasionally.
There was just one small issue…
The medicine smelled and tasted absolutely vile.
Like a mix of stale piss and rancid body odor.
But hey—good medicine was supposed to be bitter, right?
Hopefully, Whitebeard wouldn’t mind too much…
—
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Robin had already handed over the items Vir entrusted to her.
Nami held the pinwheel in her hand, looking puzzled.
Why did Vir suddenly give her this?
Did this mean something bad was going to happen?
The thought made Nami uneasy.
As for Chopper, he didn’t overthink it.
He simply assumed that Vir was giving him some emergency supplies, just in case he faced injuries beyond his abilities.
After all, the advanced medicine Vir developed would be useful in a pinch.
At that moment, a shipwright came over to call them.
He had been sent by Iceburg.
Iceburg had already arranged accommodations for them and sent someone to escort them.
He also informed them that there would be a banquet later.
If they had time, they were welcome to attend.
Hearing this, the group didn’t hesitate.
They were all still injured.
The priority was to let Chopper patch them up.
Luffy, on the other hand, was already eager to attend the banquet.
But then, they all suddenly froze.
Wait.
Bandaging? Stitching?
The words popped into their minds.
Yeah!
Medical treatment included bandaging and stitching!
Before this, they had only ever thought about one thing: welding!
With Vir’s method, there was no need to bandage wounds.
He’d just zap them with electricity, and they’d heal instantly!
Now, hearing the word “stitching” suddenly felt… foreign!
“Chopper! Let’s go! Hurry!”
“Yeah! I can’t wait!”
“Ya-hoo~ Let’s move!”
With that, the crew hoisted Chopper onto their shoulders and sprinted toward the lodging Iceburg prepared for them.
Chopper, now being carried, looked utterly confused.
Huh?
Am I really this popular?
Ah, whatever!
As long as everyone is happy!
With that thought, Chopper grinned while being carried away.
The group soon arrived at their temporary lodgings.
A simple, ordinary house.
Without wasting time, Chopper immediately started his work.
He checked each person’s injuries.
Applied medicine where needed, stitched where necessary.
Compared to Vir’s brutal approach, Chopper’s treatment could only be described as gentle.
The crew, now being treated, stared at Chopper in disbelief, their eyes wide in shock.
Even Chopper himself started feeling embarrassed.
Sure, there was a bit of pain when applying medicine or stitching wounds.
But in their minds…
Pain?
Have you ever had your leg chopped off, had the dead bone scraped out, and then reattached?
Have you ever had your throat inflamed and then the doctor decided to just replace your voice cords?
Have you ever had your stomach pierced, intestines cut, and the doctor casually pulled them out to examine them like a new toy?
And after examining, wrapped them around your neck and asked, “So, want a transplant or a repair?”
No?
You haven’t?
If you had experienced even one of those things, you wouldn’t think this pain was worth mentioning.
Oh, and that doctor? He never used anesthesia.
And he loved doing things the hard way.
If he could use his hands, he’d never use a scalpel.
If he could just rip the wound open with a saw, why waste time?
That was Vir’s philosophy.
And now they realized—
Medical treatment could be… comfortable?!
This was unreal.
—
An hour later, Chopper was finally done.
Everyone’s wounds had been treated.
Each of them now sported bandages.
Something that never happened under Vir’s treatment.
Because when Vir healed you, you were instantly fixed.
No lingering injuries.
Completely cured.
“Wow… haven’t seen bandages in ages.”
“Yeah, been a long time since I had wounds like this.”
“Usually, it’s instant healing. Not even a scar left behind.”
Looking at the bandages covering their bodies, they couldn’t help but feel nostalgic.
Without Vir, life suddenly seemed… better?
Well, on normal days, yes.
But in life-or-death situations, Vir’s brutal treatment was definitely more effective.
—
“The banquet is starting!!”
A loud voice rang out from outside.
It was Franky.
He was already waiting at the door.
Hearing him, Luffy immediately jumped up.
With a loud *BANG*, he—well, kicked the door open.
Or rather, kicked it to splinters.
And disappeared in an instant.
As for Franky, who had been standing at the door, he was sent flying into a nearby ditch…
His mouth twitched uncontrollably.
Bro, seriously?
Have you never had a banquet before?
—
Though everyone was lagging behind Luffy, they weren’t too far off.
After all, they were starving.
If they didn’t eat soon, their stomachs might just detach and crawl to the banquet on their own.
Before long, the banquet was filled with lively and cheerful figures.
The celebration was being held in a large plaza.
The venue was still a bit rough since reconstruction wasn’t complete yet.
But the purpose was clear, to celebrate surviving the Aqua Laguna.
Robin stood to the side, holding a cup of coffee.
Watching the singing and dancing before her, a faint smile appeared on her lips.
Just then—
A cold voice suddenly cut through from behind the wall she was leaning against.
“You could have escaped. Why didn’t you?”
The voice startled Robin.
But upon recognizing it, she quickly realized who was behind the wall.
Aokiji, his face unreadable, was standing with his back to Robin.
Only a wall separated them.
“I couldn’t leave… Vir entrusted them to me.”
Robin wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and spoke calmly.
“Vir? That guy again.”
Aokiji muttered in annoyance before returning to the main topic.
“Saul was my good friend. Twenty years ago, I followed his will and let you go, and because of that, I took on the responsibility of watching over your future.”
At this, Aokiji let out a sigh.
It was indeed his responsibility.
But now, that responsibility felt… off.
That’s right, seeing Vir’s face in reports really irritated him.
But he couldn’t quite put his finger on why.
Thinking about it, Aokiji fell silent for a moment.
Then, after another sigh, his voice carried a trace of longing as he asked:
“Have you finally… found a place to belong?”
Robin was momentarily stunned by his words.
But after a brief moment of thought, she gave a firm answer.
“Yes, I’m certain I have.”
Hearing this, Aokiji lowered his head.
Moments later, he spoke again:
“Then live well… Ohara has not perished.”
His voice faded into the distance.
Aokiji… walked away.
—
One chapter today. Don’t forget—we’re following a 2-1-2-1 schedule till Chapter 144.
Why? Because chapters 126–143 are a mix of fat, juicy, double-sized and one-and-a-half-sized chapters.