“Loan, look! I caught a glowing fish! If I eat it, will I be immune to all diseases?”
Shanks held up a still-twitching deep-sea fish as if presenting a treasure.
“That’s an anglerfish. Its flesh is coarse and contains trace toxins. Eating it will cause diarrhea and nervous dermatitis. Its bioluminescent organ can be dried and ground into powder for use as a low-grade lighting material. If you want to itch all over while having diarrhea, you can try it.”
Loan flipped through his medical book without lifting his head.
Shanks dejectedly threw the fish back into the sea.
But the next day, Shanks excitedly ran over again: “Loan! I found this in the deck cracks after the rainstorm! It’s crystal clear, it must be some kind of heavenly treasure!”
In his hand, he held a small piece of jelly-like transparent object.
Loan picked up a bit with tweezers, sniffed it under his nose, then looked at Shanks expressionlessly: “This is a gelatinous substance formed by the mixture of seabird droppings and rainwater, fermented overnight. Its composition is very complex, but mainly… uric acid.”
Shanks’s face instantly turned green. He rushed to the ship’s rail at the fastest speed of his life and washed his hands for a full ten minutes.
Buggy was the other extreme. He would rather walk a full circle around the cabin than pass by the infirmary door.
He hid all his treasures tightly, fearing that Loan would see through them.
Buggy always felt that Loan’s gaze could penetrate the wooden boards and see the half-eaten chocolate he had hidden under his mattress, and even how many bacteria were on the chocolate.
This feeling of having nowhere to hide made Buggy, the once fearless clown, develop a severe Loan-phobia.
Loan did not feel impatient with the crew’s almost pathological health anxiety.
On the contrary, he found this to be an excellent opportunity.
Loan’s sustainable development path of ‘beat them, then cure them; cure them, then beat them’ seemed to be able to be promoted on the Roger Pirates in a more advanced and scientific way.
Thus, a few days later, Loan posted a notice on the deck.
“Outline of the Physical Fitness Optimization and Potential Development Training Plan for All Crew Members of the Roger Pirates (First Edition).”
This outline was precisely worded and logically clear, detailing a set of training methods uniquely created by Loan.
Its core theory was to apply high-intensity stimulation to specific acupuncture points and meridians of the human body, breaking the body’s original balance, and stimulating cell activity in extreme pain, thereby achieving the goals of strengthening the body, prolonging life, and breaking through limits.
As soon as the announcement was made, the entire ship was in an uproar.
“High-intensity stimulation? Extreme pain? Is that even human language?”
“It sounds amazing, but why do I feel a chill down my spine?”
“From Doctor Loan, it must be a masterpiece… but it might also be deadly!”
To dispel everyone’s doubts, Loan decided to conduct a public demonstration.
He needed a brave volunteer.
As everyone pushed each other, no one daring to step forward, Douglas Bullet stood out.
This battle-crazed man, covered in muscles, was full of interest in any method that could make him stronger.
“I’ll do it.”
Bullet’s voice was deep, his eyes filled with fighting spirit.
“Very good.”
Loan nodded, motioning for him to lie down in the center of the deck.
“The process will be a bit… special.”
Loan put on special gloves and took out a set of silver needles of varying lengths.
“You might experience the illusion of your bones being disassembled and reassembled, or your muscles being torn and then sewn back together. Those with weak willpower might suffer a mental breakdown. It’s still not too late to back out.”
Bullet snorted coldly, closed his eyes, and looked as if he was at Loan’s mercy.
Loan stopped talking nonsense, his hands moving like lightning. Dozens of silver needles precisely pierced into the major acupuncture points around Bullet’s body.
The next second, Bullet’s steel-like body suddenly tensed, and his veins bulged under his skin like coiling dragons.
He gritted his teeth, not letting out a single scream, but his violently trembling body and wide-open eyes silently spoke of the terrifying pain he was enduring.
The surrounding crew members felt their scalps tingle. They seemed to hear Bullet’s bones moaning and his muscles wailing.
Shanks and Buggy huddled together, trembling.
It was too terrifying!
This was not training; this was clearly torture!
Ten minutes later, Loan removed all the silver needles.
Bullet lay motionless on the deck, soaked in sweat, as if he had just been pulled out of the water.
“He… he’s not dead, is he?”
Buggy asked with a trembling voice.
As soon as he finished speaking, Bullet suddenly leaped up from the ground.
He felt his body, his eyes filled with incredible shock.
“Strength… My strength seems to have gotten stronger!”
Bullet swung his fist, and a dull bang echoed in the air.
He could clearly feel that the power within his body was more condensed than before, and his control over his body was more effortless.
Some old injuries from previous battles also felt completely unhindered.
“This is just the initial breaking down and then rebuilding.”
Loan wiped his hands and said, “Once a week, for three months, your strength will increase by at least 30%.”
Boom!
The deck instantly exploded into a frenzy.
Everyone looked at Loan with fanatical eyes. The previous fear was swept away, replaced by endless desire.
In this vast sea, strength was everything!
To increase their strength by 30%, let alone a few needles, they would be willing to go through a mountain of swords and a sea of fire!
“Loan! Give me a set!”
“Me! I’ll go first! I have the strongest will!”
“Don’t push! Line up! Didn’t you see the announcement says to make an appointment!”
Looking at the crew members who instantly transformed from spectators to rabid fans, Loan’s lips curved into a knowing smile.
A new field of leeks, successfully cultivated.
And, the kind that were willing, growing vigorously, and actively seeking to be harvested.
As the Oro Jackson sailed amidst a peculiar atmosphere of both wailing and joviality, the World Economic News Agency’s newspaper finally spread the news of the Battle of Edd War to the entire world.
“Extra! Extra! Great Pirate Golden Lion’s fleet suffers devastating blow, Great Pirate Roger creates a miracle in the Edd War sea!”
The front page headline of the newspaper featured a silhouette of Roger standing at the bow of the ship, laughing into the storm, full of Haki.
However, in an inconspicuous corner of the newspaper, a piece of unofficial news from a survivor of the Golden Lion Pirates was published.
“According to survivors, a mysterious Demon Child appeared on the Roger Pirates. He commanded the battle as a child, his words becoming law, and he could discern everyone’s weaknesses.”
“There are even rumors that he, by himself, instantly defeated several of Golden Lion’s elite officers with bizarre methods, like a ghost or a god…”
Rayleigh read this passage from the newspaper, and the crew couldn’t help but laugh, all looking at Loan, who was sitting on a small stool, intently studying a medical book larger than his face.
“Demon Child? Hahaha, that title suits Loan quite well!”
“If anyone calls Loan a little ship doctor again, I’ll take issue with them. He’s clearly our ship’s chief tactical advisor and devil instructor!”
Roger snatched the newspaper, looked at the description, and grinned: “Excellent! Our people should have such resounding titles that match our status!”
Loan was oblivious to all of this. His entire mind was immersed in analyzing Roger’s illness and studying the treasure map.
He spread the huge sea chart on the infirmary floor, marking countless possible locations with red ink.
Every legend, every myth, was meticulously dissected by Loan, trying to find a trace of a real clue within them.
On this day, the Oro Jackson arrived at a new island—Wanchun Island, famous for its longevity and peculiar herbs.
This was the place Loan had deduced from ancient texts as the most likely to find clues about the life elixir.