"Ace!! I'm here to save you!!"
Another loud shout!
As soon as the words were spoken, Luffy began sprinting toward the figure in the distance.
But the Marines along the way clearly weren't going to let him pass so easily.
"Luffy! What are you doing here?! We agreed not to interfere with each other's journeys! What the hell are you doing?! Get out of here now!"
Ace shouted with a serious expression.
But his words had no effect whatsoever.
"I won't let you die! I'm saving you no matter what!"
While fending off the surrounding attacks, Luffy yelled back.
Ace's face twisted with mixed emotions.
This guy...
Still as reckless as ever!
But this place... it was way too dangerous!
In a corner nearby, Vir watched the scene unfold without much to say.
The situation wasn't too bad.
Luffy's current strength was enough to handle a Vice Admiral without much trouble.
Most of the combatants on the field were already occupied.
Good.
At this rate, he might actually be able to save Ace.
Assuming Kong doesn't make a move, that is...
Vir was currently holding a medical kit in his hand.
Not his medical kit.
A proper, standard-issue one.
There were some familiar faces around, and if he could save them, he might as well.
The ones he was saving, of course, were Marines.
He didn't want to save them.
But if he didn't, he'd have to fight against his own allies.
Sure, he could knock them unconscious without injuring them, but wouldn't that just weaken their side's overall combat strength?
Might as well switch to playing medic.
A guy who killed few people.
Realized he wasn't that strong after all.
Then turned around and started saving lives instead—nothing wrong with that, right?
After dragging a very familiar-looking but unnameable guy to a relatively safe spot and bandaging him up, Vir wiped away his nonexistent sweat.
*Thud*
Right then, someone collapsed beside him.
Turning his head, Vir saw a very familiar face.
"Captain Hina! Damn it, you pirates! Die!"
"Charge! How dare you hurt our Captain Hina! Take down this fat bastard, brothers!"
From the shouts around him, it wasn't hard to figure out who had fallen.
One of the few Marines known for her looks.
The one with the Bind-Bind or Cage-Cage Fruit or something.
Black Cage Hina.
And standing over her was a massive figure, his body glistening with diamonds—no need to guess who that was.
Diamond Jozu!
Hina had just been sent flying by a single tackle from Jozu.
Her chest was visibly caved in.
Well... her ribs were caved in. (Lucky Jozu.)
Her more... prominent assets remained unharmed.
A few white knights nearby immediately rushed forward in a frenzy.
But was that really a good idea?
They were just charging to their deaths.
Right then—
A somewhat sleazy, but not quite sleazy enough figure suddenly appeared in front of them.
Blocking Jozu's crushing fist.
"Are you alright, Captain Hina?"
After stopping Jozu, Chaton flashed what he thought was a cool smile.
He glanced back at Hina.
But at the moment, Hina was in too much pain to even look at him.
The agony was so intense she almost wanted to curl up on the spot.
Seeing her condition, Vir quickly assessed the damage.
All the bones in her chest had been shattered.
Her lungs were severely compressed, causing massive internal bleeding.
The broken ribs had likely punctured multiple organs in her chest.
Given that she was still conscious, her heart was probably untouched.
Otherwise, she'd be immobilized already.
But aside from her heart, just about everything else had taken damage.
Jozu might be a blockhead, but his tackles were no joke.
If she didn't get proper treatment, Hina's combat ability would plummet after this.
The injuries were just that severe.
Her lungs were practically crushed...
What to do?
Should he save her?
But if he did, he might blow his cover.
But her Devil Fruit ability is so tempting...
As Vir hesitated—
"Hey... are you a doctor?"
Hina, on the verge of passing out from the pain, spotted Vir Chiba in his white coat and clung to him like a lifeline.
Her voice was weak, pleading.
The pain was unbearable.
She could barely breathe, her chest feeling like it was being sawed apart by a chainsaw.
Seeing this, Vir could only sigh.
Fine.
He'd follow standard procedure for now.
Whether her strength dropped or not wasn't his problem.
He was just a little medic.
Thinking that, Vir grabbed Hina's arm and quickly dragged her toward the edge of the battlefield...
---
Meanwhile, Chiba, watching the whole scene from a third-person perspective on Vir's shoulder, was filled with even more admiration.
The way Vir had treated the fallen Marines with such fluid precision—even if it was just basic first aid—was insanely fast.
Far faster than any doctor he'd ever seen.
Or rather, Vir had optimized the process.
Streamlined to perfection.
Achieving maximum effect with minimal steps.
Chiba was genuinely blown away.
Even Vir's basic treatment methods were already worth learning from.
And now he had the chance to witness his idol perform a high-level surgery from this incredible vantage point?
This was too good!
An opportunity!
This was an absolute goldmine!
Sure, he'd gotten slapped hard earlier.
But compared to this? That little injury was nothing!
Nothing!
Honestly, that slap was amazing!
You should've hit me harder, bro!
Next time you need a punching bag, call me!
*Thud*
Hina collapsed.
Seeing this, Chiba's face twisted with worry.
The sound of the impact alone was enough to make his heart race.
That was the sound of multiple bones breaking at once.
Please don't tell me my goddess is dead!
Clearly, Hina was Chiba's crush too.
"Big bro! Big bro, you gotta save her, bro!"
As Vir pulled Hina away, Chiba buzzed in his ear like an annoying fly.
It was really getting on Vir's nerves.
And his voice was loud.
"Stop yelling~ He can't reveal his identity right now~"
A sudden voice cut in.
Chiba nearly jumped out of his skin.
"Who—who's there?!"
As he shouted, Merry's spirit appeared before him.
"I'm Merry~ a ship spirit~ and Vir's partner~ You really shouldn't shout, you know~ He said if you keep it up, he's gonna beat the crap out of you~"
Staring at the little figure, Chiba processed everything in about two seconds.
His brain worked fast.
What was his big bro planning, using his identity?
He's a pirate—what could he do with my identity?
I'm just a small-time medic.
Was it just to avoid attention on this battlefield?
That was the only reason Chiba could think of.
But... that reason was enough.
Maybe he could convince big bro to save Captain Hina!
-----
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