Vir was momentarily stunned.
After a brief pause, he quickly regained his senses and shot Chopper a meaningful smile.
He never expected that the client Chopper mentioned would turn out to be Ace.
A prime target, delivered right to his doorstep.
He had been fretting over how to find him, and now Ace had come knocking of his own accord.
Chopper just said it was a family member who needed treatment.
So the person Ace wanted to be treated…
"Hello, I'm Vir, the doctor of the Straw Hat crew. Who in your family needs treatment?"
Vir didn't hesitate to ask what was on his mind.
And Ace's answer was exactly what he expected.
"Oh~ it's my old man, Whitebeard."
After saying that, Ace looked at Vir with anticipation. There wasn't a soul in the world who didn't know the name of Whitebeard.
The fact that Whitebeard was plagued by illness was no secret either.
Ace wanted to see how Vir would react.
But before Vir could respond, Chopper's voice rang out first.
"Whitebeard?! The Yonko Whitebeard?!"
Chopper stared at Ace in utter disbelief.
Before he could ask any further questions, Vir suddenly smacked himself across the face—hard.
A crisp "PAH" echoed in the air.
This sudden action startled Chopper.
Has my mentor gone crazy?
Why does everyone like slapping themselves these days?
Ace just did it earlier, and now his mentor was doing it too…
Even Ace was taken aback.
Was his old man's name really that intimidating? Did it scare people senseless?
But as Vir felt the burning pain on his cheek, he was finally certain—
A golden opportunity had landed right in his lap!
And not just any opportunity—this was massive!
If he played his cards right, he could soar to new heights!
Whitebeard's abilities—he could choose any one he wanted!
Even if he couldn't get the Gura Gura no Mi, any other power he obtained would be enough to push his bounty past a billion berries.
Just think about it! Just think about it!
That was basically Emperor-level right there!
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a leap to the top.
After a brief moment of excitement, Vir quickly calmed himself down.
Ace wasn't a fool. He wouldn't just take Vir's word for it without proof of his abilities.
He needed an opportunity to showcase his skills.
And that opportunity was just around the corner.
As long as Ace believed in his abilities, at the very least, he'd get to meet Whitebeard.
And as for treating Whitebeard—Vir had already thought about it. With his system, who wouldn't have considered how to cure Whitebeard?
'Divine Medical Arts'
Price: 30,000 points.
Effect: Instantly elevates medical expertise to the highest level, capable of curing all known diseases in this world.
Evaluation: Even a dog could become a divine healer with this.
Vir had his eye on this for a long time, but he had never been able to afford it.
Now, with a few thousand points saved up, scamming—I mean, treating—Ace could push him over 10,000.
After all, Ace was both an important figure and incredibly powerful.
If he could also take down Crocodile, there was a real chance he could reach the goal.
Once he exchanged for this ability, he wouldn't need to keep buying medical supplies from the system.
That would save him a fortune.
And curing Whitebeard? That would be an absolute win-win-win scenario.
With that in mind, Vir spoke up:
"So, Whitebeard, huh? His condition certainly isn't simple. Even though I haven't examined him yet, I can already tell how tricky it is."
Hearing this, Ace's face immediately fell.
"But tricky doesn't mean impossible!"
Vir's confident tone brought a smile back to Ace's face.
Grabbing Vir's arm excitedly, Ace asked, "Really?!"
Seeing Vir nod firmly, Ace became even more thrilled.
He immediately pulled out his Den Den Mushi, ready to call Whitebeard.
But just as he took it out, he hesitated.
Wait… what if this guy was a fraud? Wouldn't that just give the old man false hope?
"You don't have to rush. You can assess my skills first," Vir said, his voice calm. "I have a patient to treat soon. You can observe and decide afterward."
Hearing this, Ace nodded repeatedly.
He realized Vir had a point—he had been too hasty.
And since Vir mentioned a patient arriving soon, it wouldn't take much time.
What he didn't know was… that the patient was himself…
"Alright, I'll stick with you guys for now."
"Don't worry! If you can really pull this off, you'll be the savior of the entire Whitebeard Pirates!"
Ace's voice was filled with sincerity.
Vir simply nodded. "Rest assured, if I can save him, I will."
With his system, even Whitebeard's condition could be tackled.
Soon, the trio set off again to purchase food and water.
Ace watched in amazement as Vir stored all the supplies inside his medical box.
From what Ace had seen, at least dozens of tons of provisions had been packed away.
What was up with this box?
Had it eaten a Devil Fruit?
But how would a box eat a Devil Fruit? Or could it be another one of Vir's special potions?
After all, if Vir could strip abilities, maybe he could grant them too.
The thought made Ace trust Vir even more.
Half an hour later, their shopping trip was finally over.
As they made their way back, Chopper was carrying a bag of food on his back.
He stubbornly refused to let Vir put it in the medical box.
After all, anything that came out of that box… usually didn't look very appetizing…
He definitely wasn't eating that stuff.
Meanwhile, Vir's thoughts were already drifting.
By now, Luffy should be running into Smoker, right?
Even without Ace around, those two were bound to clash.
Since they only came to this town to restock supplies, they'd soon set sail for a place called Yuba.
A perfect spot Vir had picked for Ace's heartbreak.
Now, they just had to wait for Luffy to show up, then make a quick escape.
This place was scorching hot—not somewhere he wanted to stay a second longer.
Just as he was thinking this, a loud crash erupted ahead.
A restaurant door was sent flying.
And along with it—a figure wearing a straw hat.
That figure was none other than Luffy.
Just as Luffy hit the ground, before he could even get up, a thick cloud of smoke engulfed him.
The choking fumes made Luffy cough uncontrollably.
Ace, having recognized Luffy immediately, vanished from Vir's sight in a flash.
The next moment, he reappeared in front of Luffy.
The approaching smoke abruptly halted.
Luffy, battered and bruised, looked at the familiar figure in shock and delight.
Before he could say anything else, a breeze swept past, and he found himself grabbed by Vir and thrown onto Chopper's back.
"East Port. Wait for us!"
Shouting this to Ace, Vir took off without looking back, dragging Luffy along.
"Vir! Chopper! You're here too?! How do you know Ace?!"
"He came to me for treatment," Vir replied nonchalantly.
Luffy looked completely confused.
"We'll talk later. First, we need to warn Sanji and the others to retreat."
Luffy nodded. That made sense.
Meanwhile, the rest of the crew, freshly changed into clean clothes, were still waiting for them, bored.
"They're taking forever," Nami muttered, enjoying Sanji's fan service.
But just as she finished speaking, a commotion erupted nearby.
She turned to look and her eyes widened in shock.
Vir and the others were sprinting towards them.
With a horde of Marines hot on their heels!!
No need for Vir to say anything—everyone ran for their lives.
Nami watched as Vir blew past her and immediately took back her earlier complaint.
"Too fast! Slow down! Take me with you!!"
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