Louis spread a pale golden canopy of light. Specks of holy light rained down, and a rich life force bloomed, immediately stabilizing the lives of those who had collapsed screaming.
The Red Hair Pirates' doctor, Hongo, sprinted over and quickly began administering first aid to the poisoned individuals.
Yelena stood behind Hongo, reaching out to stop several people who were instinctively about to rush forward to help their family members.
"There's nothing we can do to help. Don't disturb the doctor." Although Yelena's expression was terrifyingly grim, she still did her best to calm herself. Then, she looked at her anxious people, lowered her voice, and soothed them, "Don't be rash. If the doctor needs us, he will call for our help."
On the other side, Louis extended his superhuman senses and Observation Haki, peering into the bodies of the poisoned victims to find the source. Soon, he made a discovery. There were large amounts of liquid in everyone's stomachs.
In other words, water.
Although the Red Hair Pirates had brought many supplies, water was not among them. So, the most likely source of the problem was the village's own water reserves.
A moment later, Louis informed Yelena of his findings.
Yelena's face turned ashen. After thanking Louis, she instructed her people to stay put and be ready to assist the doctor. Then, without looking back, she left.
Louis calmly watched Yelena depart until her figure disappeared into the shadows. Only then did he turn his head and once again gaze toward the town on the plains. If he remembered correctly, during the battle a few days ago, the women and children who couldn't fight had brought back a lot of water from the river.
"..."
Soon, Yelena reached the stone house where the water and the fruits and vegetables gifted by Shanks and his crew were stored. She looked down at the water that her people had traded their lives for, her eyes empty, and said nothing. Gradually, she clenched her fists, the veins on her arms and forehead bulging.
Just then, Beckman, who had also realized the problem, slowly approached. He scooped up a cup of water and tested it with a poison detection tool he had gotten from Hongo. Soon, he got the expected result.
Beckman's brow furrowed. He sighed inwardly. No wonder even Roger, a man Shanks held in such high esteem, could be so ruthless towards them...
He then turned to leave, needing to tell his outstanding ship's doctor the name of the poison. As he reached the doorway, he paused. He turned his head back to the dark shadow in the stone house and offered a word of comfort. "Don't worry. Our ship's doctor is excellent. As long as we know the type of poison, he can definitely save them."
With that, Beckman closed the door, leaving the silent Yelena alone in the room.
"..."
"We already chose a river that you people look down on, one you use to dump your trash..." In the dim stone house, Yelena slowly unclenched her fists, her eyes downcast. "Even so," she whispered, "you still want to hunt us to extinction?"
Yelena pressed a hand to her chest, feeling the sharp pains that came with every breath. "If I die," she murmured to herself, "what will happen to my people?"
"..."
"Can they really defeat this despicable race?"
Yelena already knew the answer in her heart.
After a long time, a flicker of resolve flashed in her eyes. I'm sorry, Grandfather, she thought. Your way of thinking was wrong. The ordinary people of the Jacob Kingdom are probably not so innocent after all...
In the dim stone house, Yelena made her decision. She used chains to tie up the water barrels, then turned. But as she did, she noticed that the appearance of a nearby fruit had suddenly undergone a strange transformation.
Yelena froze. "What is this?"
"The source has been identified. It was definitely the work of the Jacob Kingdom."
"Hongo is already preparing the antidote."
Beckman walked slowly to Shanks's side and explained, "Hongo said it's a potent poison often used for assassinations by Cipher Pol organizations. After it became well-known, it started to see use in the underworld as well. As long as you have connections to the underworld, you can buy it."
Hearing this, Shanks's icy expression gradually softened, but his hand still did not leave the hilt of his sword. "The people of Jacob... they really haven't learned a single lesson..."
Beckman stood beside Shanks, but his eyes were on Louis, who was surrounded by a golden aura. "Thanks to little bro Louis," he remarked with feeling. "Hongo said that if he hadn't stabilized their lives immediately, the villagers would likely have suffered severe after-effects, even after drinking the antidote."
Not far away, Louis looked at the victims, whose breathing had now stabilized. After some thought, he retracted the holy light surrounding him. Letting out a long breath, he looked over at the two men who were discussing him.
Just then, Hongo, finished with his immediate treatment, walked over to Louis, an odd expression on his face.
"Louis, your ability seems to be able to help people heal quickly?"
Louis was a bit confused but nodded anyway. "Yes. Is something wrong?"
"The power of Devil Fruits is truly amazing. No doctor, no matter how skilled, could do something like this," Hongo said, not pressing about Louis's unrevealed abilities, but simply marveling with pure admiration.
Louis understood. If someone in his past life had built a skyscraper in an instant in front of him, he would have been even more flustered than Hongo.
Then, Louis suddenly remembered Yelena's condition and began to explain the state of her lung disease to Hongo.
Hongo was stunned. "Shanks mentioned on the way here that there might be patients with diver's disease who need treatment," he said. "But based on the symptoms you're describing, her condition has already surpassed the scope of diver's disease. It's a completely new illness. You could name it after her!"
Hongo remarked that if he weren't a pirate and had encountered this situation, he might have already started research and prepared to publish a paper.
Hearing this, Louis gave Shanks a surprised look. He hadn't expected him to have considered this as well. But it made sense. Yelena had said she was the youngest to develop the disease, which meant the previous pillars of their community had also suffered from similar illnesses. It wasn't strange that Shanks and Roger, having been here before, would know that some people might have this disease.
However...
"Is her condition that much more severe than the previous King of Canaan's?" Louis fell into thought, then pressed, "Are you confident you can cure her?"
Before Hongo could answer, an arm was already draped over his shoulder from behind.
Shanks leaned his head in and said with a grin, "Of course he can! Hongo of the Red Hair Pirates is the best ship's doctor in the world!"
"There's no illness in the world that can stump him!" As he spoke, Shanks's face was full of smug pride for his crewmate.
Behind him, the regrouped members of the Red Hair Pirates all nodded in agreement, seeming to fully endorse their captain's words.