The citizens in the back all widened their eyes in shock.
They shouted in disbelief, some feeling that this had gone a little too far. A few even considered stepping forward to stop Dalton, but he silenced them all with just a look.
Dalton ignored the crowd and instead raised his head to look at Vir, his expression filled with gratitude. "That bastard Wapol has inflicted an immeasurable wound upon this country."
"Yet as the captain of the guards, I was powerless to stop him. But now, you have defeated him. We cannot thank you enough—you are the hero of this entire nation!"
Dalton's words came straight from the heart, expressing both his helplessness and his immense gratitude toward Vir.
Hearing this, Vir couldn't help but find the man rather decent. He patted Dalton on the shoulder and pulled him up.
Seeing Dalton's emotional expression, Vir responded, "It was just a casual move. No need to be so formal."
Dalton, assuming Vir didn't realize the gravity of his actions, was about to explain further when Vir raised a hand to cut him off.
"Alright, alright, I get it. No need to keep talking about it. That so-called king isn't dead yet. I just kicked him down the mountain. If you search now, you might still find him."
With that, Vir directly pushed Dalton toward the ropeway.
Dalton had intended to express his gratitude a bit more, but Vir simply didn't give him the chance.
Two grown men getting all sentimental? Just thinking about it made Vir uncomfortable.
Dalton, seeing Vir's attitude, understood that he didn't like being fussed over. Though he was full of gratitude, he could only keep it to himself.
With no other choice, Dalton signaled to his men, and the group quickly set off.
They had to find Wapol—if that guy escaped, their country would never truly be at peace.
Just as they had arrived in force, they now left in force.
Before departing, Dalton cast a deep gaze at Vir. Though it was clearly a look of gratitude, it made Vir uneasy.
Just now, this big guy had knelt before him in front of so many people.
That was so awkward, he almost wanted to dig a hole and bury himself in a three-room apartment.
This kind of thing was just unbearable.
He had already decided that if this happened again, he'd let Chopper handle it.
Let Chopper take the embarrassment while he just watched from the sidelines.
This kind of thing was top-tier torture.
Only after Dalton disappeared from sight did Vir finally breathe a sigh of relief.
At that moment, Luffy and the others walked over.
Doctor Kureha didn't let everyone keep standing in the cold wind. She waved them inside.
"Come on, don't just stand out there."
With that, she led the way into the house.
Everyone followed closely behind.
Once in the living room and seated, Luffy wasted no time and got straight to the point.
"Doctor! Do you want to join my crew? Our ship needs a doctor!"
Hearing Luffy's words, only Usopp and Zoro showed a reaction.
Sanji and Nami, having already benefited from Vir, had no objections to him joining.
Though his treatment was painful…
Still, considering the things Vir had provided afterward, the pain was somewhat bearable.
As for Zoro, there was nothing to say.
Though he resisted at first, though he had his doubts—
He wouldn't argue with the captain's decision.
Was not something he would oppose.
That left only Usopp, who had no say in the matter. He could only tremble and hope that Vir would reject Luffy's outrageous invitation.
Vir's lips curled slightly at Luffy's words.
But inside, he was ecstatic.
Hahaha! Here it comes!
I knew it! Luffy loves recruiting all kinds of weird and wonderful people onto his ship.
Joining the Straw Hat Pirates? Easy as pie! Everything is under control!
Though he was thrilled inside, Vir remained outwardly calm, even pretending to be startled by Luffy's words.
"Huh? You want me to be a pirate with you? What's so great about being a pirate?"
Vir looked 'reluctant' as he spoke.
Seeing his reaction, Luffy panicked.
It was clear—he really wanted Vir to join.
"Being a pirate is awesome! Pirates get to go on adventures! Pirates… pirates get to eat and sleep… um…"
Luffy racked his brain trying to convince Vir, but he just couldn't come up with another reason why being a pirate was appealing.
The thrill of being chased? The rush of surviving a storm? The excitement of unexpected encounters?
Luffy genuinely couldn't think of something that would attract a normal person.
Convincing someone to join his crew was proving difficult!
Luffy said, reaching into his pants and pulling out a massive piece of meat he had swiped from Kureha's house.
"I'll give you this meat!"
"If you join my crew, I'll make sure you always have good food!"
Luffy looked like he was making the ultimate sacrifice, as if this piece of meat was his very life.
The others, hearing this, had the same deadpan expression.
You're offering him food?
Look at the pained expression on your face!
If you're already over one piece of stolen meat, once he's actually on the ship, you probably wouldn't even let him have a bone to chew on!
Just when everyone thought Vir would refuse—
"Eating a piece of meat you just pulled out of your pants? No thanks, not interested."
"But if you just need a doctor, I suppose joining your crew wouldn't be too much trouble."
He hadn't expected Luffy to be so desperate that he'd pull out his last bit of food stash.
This guy really went all in.
If this dragged on any longer, Vir was afraid he might pull out something even more questionable.
Well, let's not go there.
Agreeing now made sense. Their next stop was Alabasta, a place that could provide him with an immense power boost.
Not to mention the many useful Devil Fruits that could be obtained. If he could snag one or two, it'd be a huge win!
Hearing Vir's response, Zoro, who had been about to stand, sat back down.
He glanced at Vir with a hint of approval.
Regardless of what kind of person this doctor was, at least he had the sense to reject Luffy's offer of a vice-captain position.
That alone earned Zoro's respect.
The others all looked relieved as well.
Luffy, upon hearing Vir's agreement, immediately cheered.
"So that means you're joining?! Hahaha! We have a doctor now! No more worrying about getting sick or injured!"
Luffy clapped his hands excitedly, his face beaming with joy.
His infectious laughter lifted everyone's spirits, making them all smile.
"Don't call me Doctor. Just call me Vir."
KakuzuTL: You know what to do, now throw your stones. Right at my face!
P.S. Yeah, there was no vice-captain offer, I double-checked the raws. Blame the author.