Vir stared at the description of the ability.
To be honest, it didn't seem all that useful.
Steel? In the later stages, that would just be a toy.
Something that would shatter upon impact.
The real problem was the word "temporary."
Who knew how short the duration actually was?
He'd have to find an opportunity to test it out.
But the upper limit of this ability was clearly low.
It was only usable in the current situation.
On the other side, Chopper had nearly finished patching up Zoro.
Seeing Chopper's serious expression, Vir nodded in satisfaction.
"How are you feeling, Zoro? Still able to move?"
Vir reached out a hand toward Zoro, smiling as he asked.
Zoro didn't respond with words. He just smirked and placed his hand on Vir's.
Atop the palace walls.
Luffy was panting heavily, his face covered in bloodstains.
Crocodile, on the other hand, looked even worse.
That slicked-back hair of his was now a complete mess.
His cigar had long since disappeared.
His once-luxurious coat was now covered in dirt and grime.
And his face? It was twisted with pure rage.
The guy in front of him was like a damn monkey. It was infuriatingly hard to land a hit on him.
The more they fought, the angrier Crocodile became.
He was already at the point where he wanted to tear Luffy apart with his own hands.
At that moment, a motorbike slowly came to a stop below the palace walls.
Vir looked up at the towering walls, feeling a bit helpless.
He didn't know how to use Geppo (Moonwalk). There was no way up.
Earlier, he had run into Nami and the others. They were on their way to deal with the massive bomb Crocodile had planted.
So, Vir had Chopper and Zoro go with them.
Before they left, he told Chopper to keep an eye on the clock tower.
Then, he made his way here alone.
But now, he had no way up.
Just as he was at a loss—
A strange bird-like creature, resembling an ostrich, appeared in front of him…
Above, Luffy and Crocodile had clashed once more.
It was clear that Crocodile was truly furious now.
He had lost all interest in toying with Luffy.
His attacks had become ruthlessly lethal—every move aimed to end Luffy's life.
Crocodile suddenly slammed his hand onto the ground.
The once lush, green palace was instantly engulfed by an aura of destruction.
Plants withered. The earth cracked apart.
The ground beneath Luffy's feet split open into a massive chasm.
If not for his ability to stretch freely, he would've fallen in for sure.
Seeing this, Crocodile attacked again.
This time, everything around them began turning into sand at a rapid pace.
The ground, buildings, statues—
All of it crumbled into fine grains of sand.
And the devastation was sweeping toward Luffy.
Luffy tumbled out of the way, barely avoiding the attack, but he ended up dangling from the edge of the palace wall.
Just as he was about to climb up—
A hand appeared out of nowhere.
It gripped Luffy by the throat.
"You damn fly… you're annoying as hell."
Crocodile's golden hook swung straight toward Luffy's head.
Unlike before, he wasn't trying to drain Luffy dry—
This time, he was going for the kill.
This was because Vir had restored Luffy to peak condition earlier, making the fight far more troublesome for Crocodile.
The deadly golden hook slashed downward.
Luffy struggled violently—
But the hand gripping him was impossibly strong.
He couldn't break free.
At that critical moment—
A jet-black stone hurtled toward them!
Just as the hook was about to pierce Luffy's skull, it struck.
With a sharp clang, Crocodile's hand wavered involuntarily.
The hook veered off course—
And slashed straight through Luffy's right arm!
A complete, severed limb flew into the air.
At the same time, a foot clad in Haki-covered blackness appeared in front of Crocodile.
Before he could react, the kick smashed into his face.
Crocodile was sent flying, disappearing from Vir's sight in an instant.
The sheer impact cracked the palace wall beneath his feet.
Crocodile's grip loosened, and Luffy, stunned, watched his severed arm fall away.
He plummeted downward.
Using the recoil from his kick, Vir grabbed Luffy's detached arm first.
Then, with a powerful push off the wall, he chased after the falling Luffy.
Seeing Luffy's dazed expression, Vir hesitated.
Originally, he had planned to let Luffy break his fall.
But now, he just couldn't bring himself to do it.
With a thunderous crash, they landed.
Dust billowed up in all directions.
A massive crater formed beneath them.
Vir looked at the dazed Luffy in his arms, then promptly smacked him twice.
Luffy slowly turned his head to face Vir.
His eyes welled up with tears.
His fists were his only means of fighting, and now he had lost one…
This was a devastating blow.
Luffy's voice trembled, on the verge of tears.
"Stop crying! It can be fixed! It can be reattached!"
Vir, annoyed, snapped back at him. As he spoke, he pulled out a preservation device from his medical kit.
It was a small, box-like container that preserved anything stored inside in its original state.
Similar to a refrigerator.
Hearing this, Luffy's sorrowful expression froze.
Then, realization dawned on him.
With his remaining arm, he immediately wrapped Vir in a tight hug!
"For real, Vir?! That's amazing! I thought I was gonna be stuck with just one hand forever…!"
"You're incredible, Vir! You can even reattach a severed hand! You're the best doctor in the world!"
Feeling the strength of Luffy's embrace—strong enough to choke out two elephants—Vir retaliated with a punch to Luffy's head.
"Are you trying to strangle me?!"
Luffy sheepishly released him.
But before he could react, Vir shoved him onto the ground.
"Don't move. Let's bandage the wound first. We'll reattach it later."
"You stay here. I'll handle Crocodile."
But beneath that calmness… something else lurked.
He had planned to let Luffy grow through experience.
That damn Crocodile had hurt Luffy this badly.
If Vir had been even a second later, Luffy would've died.
Vir pulled out his specially crafted hemostatic powder and sprinkled it onto Luffy's severed arm.
The bleeding stopped quickly. He wrapped the wound with bandages, packed up his tools, and stood up.
Luffy remained silent.
He knew that, with one arm gone, he stood no chance against Crocodile.
Vir taking over was the best outcome.
"Vir, please… don't let Vivi's country fall."
Luffy's voice was solemn.
He tossed the preservation device into Luffy's lap and turned toward the secret room where the Poneglyph was kept.
Luffy clutched his severed arm, watching Vir leave.
The ever-kind Vir had shown a truly dark expression.
A cold, shadowed fury.
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