At this moment, the Whitebeard Pirates were preparing for war.
The atmosphere had been bustling with activity.
But that bustle came to an abrupt halt as a newspaper dropped among them.
"News about Vir! There's news about Vir!"
The fishman Namur held up a newspaper, successfully drawing everyone's attention.
Even Whitebeard himself strode over, curiosity written across his face.
What has that brat Vir done now?
Didn't he just go back to reunite with his own crew?
How did he make headlines again?
Just as he was about to speak—
A figure suddenly slammed into Namur, sending him flying.
The newspaper ended up in the hands of the blockhead Jozu.
"My godfather sent news and I wasn't the first to see it? Shit!"
He quickly scanned the contents, but the moment his eyes landed on the first line, he froze in shock.
The frustration on his face instantly twisted into horror as he muttered under his breath.
"Holy... holy flying shit! Did godfather eat some divine elixir or something? He actually beat Akainu?! And beat him so badly his eyes rolled back?! What the fu—"
Another loud crash echoed.
Jozu followed Namur's trajectory as he soared through the air.
The newspaper landed right in Whitebeard's hand.
"This brat! Doesn't even know to let me read it first!"
Namur, sprawled next to Jozu, shot him an exasperated look.
"It's not the only damn copy, you idiot! Why the hell did you have to snatch it?!"
But just as he finished saying that... he caught a side-eye from Pops.
Soon enough, everyone got their hands on the newspaper.
The expressions on their faces when they saw the photo of Vir utterly demolishing Akainu were priceless.
"Damn! It's only been a few days! How'd he get this strong this fast? He didn't feel this scary back when he first showed up!"
"This guy's definitely cheating! To beat Akainu like that? His bounty's gotta be way over a billion now. Next update, he'll be on par with Marco!"
"Look at his talent! Awakening his fruit this fast?!"
"Yeah, one second his eyes were white, the next they turned purple. How the hell do you even compete with that?!"
If the crew was reacting like that—
Whitebeard was even more thoughtful.
He saw it clearer than anyone.
That kick wasn't just any ordinary attack.
The kid had learned a new move.
'What terrifying comprehension.'
'At this rate, it won't be long before my title of "The Strongest Man in the World" gets passed on.'
But even as he thought that, a proud smile played on Whitebeard's lips.
'Become even stronger.'
'The world belongs to the young.'
'And that brat... he's destined to lead them all.'
'Who knows how chaotic the world will become in the future?'
'Hopefully this old body of mine lasts long enough to see it.'
Watching the stunned reactions of the crew—
Whitebeard laughed heartily.
"Gurararara! The brat's gotten stronger again! If you guys don't pick it up, it won't be long before he comes to challenge me and snatch this Yonko title right out of my hands!"
His booming laughter and half-joking words successfully ignited the competitive spirit of everyone present.
"No way, Pops! We won't let him take it that easily!"
"If he dares to challenge us, I'll beat the shit outta him! And if nothing comes out, that just means he's got a clean gut!"
"Yeah! We gotta train harder! Gotta beat the crap outta Vir!"
"Get stronger! Beat Vir's ass!"
"Get stronger! Beat Vir's ass—!"
Listening to their synchronized chants, Whitebeard grinned.
'What a bold slogan.'
'My sons really have no fear.'
'Good thing Vir isn't here to hear it.'
'Otherwise, this might become his new catchphrase when treating them later...'
Indeed, if Vir were here, he'd definitely say—
"Oh, you wanna beat me up? Great, Jozu! Hope you don't get hurt! If you do, I'll 'treat' you so good I'll rip your guts out and squeeze 'em like toothpaste—backwards."
Vir wasn't around to hear any of it.
They narrowly escaped disaster.
Though with Jozu's big mouth, it was only a matter of time before Vir heard anyway.
The "treatment" was inevitable.
On the electricship gifted by Whitebeard.
Vir sat at the bow, yawning.
He had just woken up not long ago.
"Man, that drained me. This is brutal."
As the sea breeze brushed past him, he muttered to himself.
Those two ultra-long-distance teleportations yesterday had nearly killed him.
It took Robin and the others over twenty minutes to sail to the first spot. Then, when he rushed to save Rayleigh, it took another thirty-plus minutes.
An hour of sailing at full speed meant they'd covered an insane distance.
At least two hundred kilometers.
Instantly crossing that kind of range had to come with a price.
And the price? A splitting headache!
But could something so trivial stop him?
A doctor who can't heal himself is just a quack!
A true master would never allow himself to stay sick.
Vir pulled out one of his own cranial nerves, soaked it in his special medical solution, and reinserted it.
Then, he jabbed himself in the temple with an injection.
Boom—instantly cured!
He could heal himself way faster than anyone else.
A headache wasn't a big deal anyway.
Right now, Vir was staring at the newly refreshed items in his system shop, a sinister smile creeping onto his face.
From a distance, Bonney caught sight of it and shuddered.
'This guy's terrifying!'
'Nope, I'm too close! Gotta move further away!'
She retreated all the way to the stern before pulling out a spyglass to observe Vir again.
Ever since Vir returned, she hadn't taken her eyes off him.
Probably because he hadn't told her whether he'd gone to save Kuma.
So she was trying to figure it out herself by watching him...
At this moment, a rather peculiar item sat in Vir's system shop.
Functions: Retractable. This blade possesses two abilities.
When activated, the blade vibrates intensely. If impaled into a human body, the vibrations shatter the surrounding tissue in a small area—however, the shattered tissue remains alive and functional.
Note: The damaged tissues can be freely reassembled!
True to its name! When activated, your next attack has a high chance of deflecting the enemy's weapon and a small chance of briefly staggering them.
Evaluation: A great blade! An absolute masterpiece!
[Using the vibration ability consumes durability. When it reaches zero, the weapon is instantly destroyed.]
[Warning: If the weapon stabs and vibrates, victims will experience extreme and bizarre sensations—with a high chance of letting out weird screams. Host, please take precautions!]
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