As Ace's words fell, the two charged toward each other!
"Darkness: Annihilation!"
"Dai Enkai: Entei!"
*BOOM!!*
A deafening explosion instantly echoed across the entire island!
The ground trembled violently!
Light and darkness clashed like opposing forces of yin and yang.
From a distance, it looked as if the entire island was swallowed by their attacks!
The animals, hills, and trees on the island vanished in an instant!
To say that the entire island was leveled to the ground wouldn't be an exaggeration!
This explosive clash raged on for several seconds!
At first, the two were evenly matched!
But soon, darkness began to falter!
And once it lost its edge, defeat became inevitable!
*BOOM!!!*
Another massive explosion erupted!
Ace's nearly exhausted Entei slammed directly into Teach's body!
Even with its power diminished, the attack still dealt devastating damage to the already exhausted Teach!
Badly wounded, Teach took the full brunt of the blast—
He hit the ground, unconscious, his body covered in horrific burns!
Ace, looking down at the fallen Teach, managed a weary smile.
But he too was spent, his body battered and bruised.
Though he had won, it hadn't been easy!
Just as he was thinking about finally capturing Teach and returning in triumph...
From beneath the nearby rubble…
Several figures slowly rose to their feet…
...
...
Back to the present, one day later.
"Hey, you! Quit acting all high and mighty!"
"Get out of the way! Let Vir check on Pops!"
"Yeah! Move aside already!"
Aboard the Moby Dick, the crew openly mocked the fake-serious Jozu without hesitation.
Some didn't even bother with words.
They just kicked him aside.
Like Marco, for example.
"Move it!"
*BANG!*
After delivering a solid Phoenix Kick to Jozu, Marco landed beside Vir.
He threw an arm around Vir's shoulders.
"Brother Vir! You must've had a rough time on the way here. This big brute probably didn't take good care of you!"
"Don't worry, we'll give you a proper welcome! How about a banquet to celebrate your arrival?"
"Oh, right! I'm Marco, the First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates!"
Marco spoke enthusiastically, keeping an arm around Vir.
The crew around them eagerly chimed in.
"Yeah, Doc! Eat, drink, and rest up first!"
"After traveling for so many days, you deserve a break."
"Yeah! Don't worry, Doc, we'll treat you well!"
Surrounded by so many cheerful faces, Vir was... well, surprised.
He hadn't expected such a warm welcome.
He'd assumed they'd look down on him as some backwater country doctor.
As for resting?
No, no.
He'd rather treat Whitebeard first and secure his reward.
Better safe than sorry!
"No need, no need. I'm here to treat him! Resting can wait."
Vir waved his hand with a smile.
The moment he finished speaking, the entire place fell into silence.
Everyone quietly stared at him.
Vir suddenly felt like he had stepped into a cursed horror tale.
As if he had just broken some sacred rule.
And these ghosts were about to tear him apart.
But in truth, they were just stunned by his words.
They felt the same way Jozu had earlier.
This guy…
Was he for real?
Why was he in such a hurry?
Almost as if he was afraid Whitebeard would disappear!
What kind of doctor was this obsessed?
"Alright! No more talking! Vir, was it? You're my sworn brother now!"
Marco clapped Vir's shoulder firmly and led him toward Whitebeard.
The crew behind them all wore touched expressions.
A true brother, for life.
Caring for Pops is caring for us!
This guy—they'd all take a bullet for him!
As Vir stood before Whitebeard, he finally felt the overwhelming pressure.
His height barely reached Whitebeard's lower leg.
Even seated, Whitebeard was towering over him.
Seeing the countless tubes attached to Whitebeard's body, Vir knew the situation was dire.
If it were anyone else, receiving this much IV fluid for a day would have made them explode.
"So, you're the friend Ace mentioned? That brat talks about you often."
Whitebeard's lips curled slightly as he sat up straighter, his calm gaze fixed on Vir.
Normally, if some rookie with a 1-billion berry bounty dared step onto his ship, Whitebeard would test him with a swing of his bisento first.
But Vir was different.
Whitebeard valued bonds.
The friend of a son was someone he'd show respect to.
A guest aboard his ship.
Of course, not all friends were equal. He wouldn't acknowledge just any drinking buddy or riffraff.
Vir, however, clearly belonged to the category of those Whitebeard deemed worthy of respect.
Hearing Whitebeard's words, Vir laughed.
"Ha! That's me! Speaking of which, Ace's kidneys were in rough shape when I took 'em out—all shriveled up."
"And there aren't many women on this ship, right? How'd his kidneys get so weak?"
Vir scanned the crowd with a suspicious gaze.
The implication was obvious.
The crew suddenly felt awkward.
Ace...
Was that kind of guy?!
They really hadn't noticed before!
So he was playing around in secret?!
The crew exchanged glances.
Every single one of them was now a suspect.
Who the hell did this with Ace?!
Damn it, if I find out, you're dead!
Whitebeard's expression was just as strange.
This...
Is this for real…?
That kid Ace doesn't seem like that kind of person at all.
And what did this brat just say?
Took it out?
He took out Ace's kidney?
What kind of new treatment method is this?
Never heard of anything like it.
With these thoughts running through his mind, Whitebeard looked at Vir with a bit more caution.
"Alright, enough about him. When are we starting?" Vir asked, looking at Whitebeard.
Hearing this, Whitebeard simply waved his hand.
"No rush. You've come a long way—let's feast first."
As he spoke, food was already being brought out one after another.
It wasn't that Whitebeard was afraid—after all these years, he had seen everything.
But since he considered Vir a guest, he couldn't neglect basic hospitality.
The guy came here to do something for him.
Getting straight to work the moment he arrived?
That wouldn't be right.
Eating first was a must.
Even though Whitebeard had already determined that Vir had no way of actually curing him.
Still, he appreciated that the kid was willing to come.
Seeing that food was being served, Vir didn't argue any further.
Fine, eat first, then talk.
Besides, he was a bit hungry too.
Before long, the feast began.
Large platters of meat quickly filled the tables, and barrels of sake were brought up.
It was just around noon, and everyone was getting hungry.
Before long, the ship was buzzing with activity.
Although everyone was eating heartily, they couldn't help but feel concerned.
They were worried about whether Vir could actually heal Pops.
At this moment, a crowd had gathered around Vir.
They weren't asking the same question as Jozu.
Instead, they were asking about Ace's story.
"Vir, that brat Ace is really a poser? Never saw it coming."
"Yeah! That guy's really good at pretending!"
Hearing these comments, Vir, who was enjoying his meal, casually pulled out a photo.
It showed a shriveled-up kidney.
Not Ace's, but very similar.
"Exactly like this. See for yourselves."
Vir, still savoring his food, used a single photo to shut them up.
Then, he continued devouring his meal.
"Heh! The fried rice your cook made is pretty damn good!" Vir said in surprise.
"Of course! Our cook is top-notch! Eat up if you like it!" Marco said while unfolding the photo in his hands.
The crew took a look and were instantly shocked.
"Whoa! What the hell did Ace do?"
"No idea! Maybe you tempted him? You're always acting sus!"
"What?! Say that again and I'll rip yours out too!"
"Tch. Yours probably looks the same!"
"You bastard! You're dead today!"
Cries of shock and rowdy arguments broke out immediately.
None of them had ever seen a kidney that messed up before—this was insane.
Ace had gone way too far...
They were definitely going to have a talk with him later.
Make sure he takes it easy.
Just then, a panicked figure came running out from below deck!
"Bad news! Bad news!"
A panicked voice rang out as a crewmate came sprinting from below deck!
The entire ship fell silent as all eyes snapped toward him.
He dashed straight for Whitebeard, but his footing failed—
*THUD!*
He faceplanted hard onto the deck, blood instantly gushing from his forehead.
This guy was new recruit—not in great shape yet.
"What's wrong, Cass? Why are you panicking?" Whitebeard put down his sake bottle and looked at the bleeding Cass.
Cass ignored the pain and, without even catching his breath, shouted.
"Pops! Ace—Commander Ace has been captured by the Marines!"
As soon as he said that—
"WHAT?!"
"What happened?!"
"No way! The Marines dare to capture Ace?!"
The entire crew erupted in shock and outrage.
Ace was the commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division.
What the hell were the Marines trying to pull?!
A terrible feeling welled up in their hearts.
Cass took a deep breath and quickly continued, "It was Teach! Teach and his crew defeated Commander Ace! They traded him to the Marines in exchange for the title of Shichibukai!"
The moment those words left his mouth—
"F*!! THAT BACKSTABBING PIECE OF S*** TEACH!!"
"I'LL SKIN THAT DOG ALIVE!!"
"ABSOLUTE SCUM!!"
A wave of furious curses exploded across the ship!
This was beyond unforgivable!
Even Vir, an outsider, was pissed off hearing this.
Let alone the Whitebeard Pirates.
So it happened after all.
Ace was captured.
Vir, still chewing on his fried rice, thought to himself.
That means… the Summit War is about to begin.
Healing Whitebeard just became even more critical.
At that moment, Vir's gaze toward Whitebeard changed.
Succeed or die trying!
As soon as they finished eating, he had to get to work!
Meanwhile, Whitebeard frowned deeply after hearing the news.
He wasn't surprised that Teach would do such a thing.
But the fact that the Marines accepted the deal…
That spoke volumes.
'Looks like these old bones of mine...'
'It's time for one last fight!'
The moment he received the news, Whitebeard had already foreseen the storm ahead.
A brutal war was about to begin.
'Back down?'
'You think they call me Whitebeard for nothing?!'
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