In his Life Vision, Roger's life flame was the most vigorous and domineering Luo An had ever seen.
That flame almost broke through the sky, filled with unparalleled vitality.
However, at the root of this raging inferno, Luo An saw a trace of rust that was almost imperceptible yet incredibly stubborn.
The rust was eroding the foundation of the flame at an extremely slow but steady pace.
This was the incurable disease that even Crocus was powerless against, as legend had it.
Before advancing to the Master rank, even if Luo An knew about it, he couldn't understand the essence of this disease.
But now, he understood.
It wasn't a virus or cellular pathology in the traditional sense, but a decay originating from the essence of life itself.
Conventional medicine and Surgery simply couldn't reach that level.
"Interesting…"
A slight curve appeared at the corner of Luo An's mouth.
This was a truly challenging subject worth tackling.
If he could remove this rust, how much experience could he gain?
To what extent could his medical skill level improve?
Divine level?
Or beyond divine level?
Luo An's eyes sparkled with an unprecedented light; it was the fanaticism of a doctor seeing a difficult and complicated disease, and the excitement of a scholar facing an unknown field.
Roger seemed to sense his gaze, and grinned, "What's wrong, little Ship Doctor? Have you found your Captain so handsome that you can't take your eyes off him?"
The surrounding crew burst into laughter again.
Luo An didn't answer, merely withdrawing his gaze.
This subject was too vast; with his current Master-level medical skills, he had only seen the essence of the problem, and was still miles away from solving it.
He needed more knowledge, stronger abilities, and… more precious materials.
Just as the ship was filled with joy, celebrating Joy's miraculous survival and the storm finally passing, the crew member on the crow's nest suddenly issued an urgent alarm.
"West! Ship spotted to the west! It's… it's the Golden Lion Pirates' fleet!"
"What?"
The joyful atmosphere on the deck instantly froze.
Golden Lion, Shiki.
A legendary pirate on par with Roger and Whitebeard.
Everyone rushed to the ship's rail, only to see dense black dots rapidly approaching where the sea met the sky.
It was a massive fleet, like dark clouds pressing down, simply looking at it made one breathless.
On the leading giant ship, the Golden Lion's iconic ship's wheel hairstyle was particularly dazzling in the sunlight.
"Roger!"
The Golden Lion's voice, carried by some ability, traveled across the vast distance, filled with overbearing arrogance.
"I heard you found a way to decipher the Poneglyphs and know the whereabouts of the Ancient Weapons! Be my subordinate! With my fleet, your power, plus the Ancient Weapons, we can rule the entire world together!"
The Roger Pirates' crew members all showed angry expressions, drawing their swords.
Roger, however, picked his ears and laughed uproariously, "Shiki, did a ship's wheel clamp your brain? I'm not interested in ruling the world! What I want to do is this!"
He extended his thumb, pointing to the boundless sky and sea.
"Sail freely!"
"Then there's nothing to discuss!"
The Golden Lion's voice turned cold, "Men! Sink the Oro Jackson! Bring Roger to me!"
"Fire!"
In an instant, hundreds of cannons roared in unison, dense cannonballs trailing black smoke, pelting the Oro Jackson like hail.
"Engage!"
Rayleigh drew his long sword, his sword qi crisscrossing, exploding several cannonballs in mid-air.
Bullet even jumped directly to the bow, his arms covered in Armament Haki, meeting the cannonballs head-on like an iron tower.
The battle erupted instantly.
Although the Oro Jackson was strong, it was still just one ship.
Facing a massive fleet, it immediately fell into a bitter struggle.
Luo An stood at the relatively safe cabin entrance, his expression calm.
His Life Vision played an unexpected role at this moment.
"Mr. Rayleigh!"
Luo An suddenly shouted, "The gunner on the enemy ship at three o'clock has an old injury on his right arm, making his force unstable—that's a weak point!"
Rayleigh was startled by the words, subconsciously glancing in that direction, and indeed saw a gunner unnaturally shaking his arm after firing a shot.
He no longer hesitated, using Soru to step on a flying cannonball, rushing towards that ship like lightning.
"Mr. Bullet! The big guy directly in front of you has an unstable lower body, attack his left knee!"
Bullet obeyed, his furious fist changing direction, delivering a heavy blow to the opponent's knee, and the opponent's mountain-like body immediately crashed to the ground.
"Shanks, dodge! Someone's behind you!"
Shanks, who was entangled with an enemy, heard the shout and, without thinking, did a clumsy roll.
A sharp flash of a blade almost grazed his scalp, making him break out in a cold sweat.
"Buggy! Don't just hide behind the barrel! The axe-wielding guy on your left is just for show; his life flame is very shallow, he'll collapse with a scare!"
Buggy, trembling behind the barrel, heard this, peeked out, and indeed saw an enemy ostentatiously brandishing a large axe.
He, as if possessed, grabbed a nearby wine bottle and threw it with all his might.
With a bang, the wine bottle hit the opponent squarely on the forehead.
The man's eyes rolled back, and he actually fell straight down.
"I… I knocked one down?"
Buggy looked at his hands, his face full of disbelief.
For a moment, Luo An became the tactical command center of the entire battlefield.
Luo An's voice wasn't loud, but it always rang out at the most crucial moment, guiding his companions to attack the enemy's weakest points.
In Luo An's Life Vision, every breath, every heartbeat, and every muscle exertion of the enemy was clearly visible.
Hidden old injuries, physical limits, and ostentatious disguises—nothing could escape him.
Under Luo An's guidance, the Roger Pirates' crew erupted with combat power far exceeding their usual, single-handedly withstanding the Golden Lion fleet's first wave of fierce attacks with just one ship's force.
The Golden Lion watched from his flagship, dumbfounded, rubbing his eyes, unable to believe what he was seeing.
"Who is that brat?"
The Golden Lion pointed at Luo An, who was giving orders from the rear, and roared, "Take him out first!"
Several elite pirates immediately took the order, bypassing the frontal battlefield, flanking from the side, and heading straight for Luo An.
A cold smile finally appeared at the corner of Luo An's mouth.
This was what he had been waiting for.
After all, even the most exquisite command required the ability to protect oneself.
And Luo An was not just a doctor.
Facing the several Golden Lion Pirates elites who were flanking him, Luo An's expression remained unchanged.
His black eyes were as calm as a deep pool, reflecting the enemies' ferocious faces without a single ripple.
