Chopper had already explained it to her: until the arm was fully integrated with her body, these kinds of incidents would keep happening from time to time.
The problem stemmed from the arm that Vir had crafted.
Once it fully synchronized, these incidents would stop for good.
But that was little comfort to Jina right now!
In just a single day, she had not only slapped Shiki's butt and ripped his pants but also given him a resounding slap across the face in front of everyone.
Well... to be precise, everyone except Robin, who had been the first to notice something was off and deduced it was Vir's handiwork. She wisely kept her distance from Jina afterward.
Everyone else, however, had been on the receiving end of Jina's inexplicable slaps.
And when she got going, she didn't even spare herself—slapping her own face with a loud crack!
But that wasn't all.
While eating, her hand would suddenly jam fingers down her throat. Mid-conversation, she'd start digging for gold in her nose. She'd wake up from a nap to find herself groping her own chest. Or she'd be on the toilet only for her arm to suddenly smash the bowl to pieces.
The list went on.
These kinds of absurd incidents kept happening—and these were just a few examples.
Over the past few days, Vir had also been hearing frequent system notifications, each with sizable rewards. He didn't need to guess—this arm was clearly giving Jina a hard time.
Jina was regretting it to her very core.
She'd spent the past few days cursing Vir in her heart.
If you knew there were such absurd side effects, why didn't you say so earlier? If you'd told me sooner, I would've had you fix it from the start. Better to suffer once than to suffer forever!
After all these incidents, she was technically still alive, but her soul had long since departed.
The reason? Social death.
Even Shiki's expression wasn't exactly sunny these days. He'd been the primary victim.
But now, staring at Vir—the root cause of all this—he couldn't even complain.
After all, they were the ones who had chosen to let Vir's apprentice handle the treatment.
He had no one to blame but himself.
This frustration, with no outlet, left Shiki deeply aggrieved.
Vir's little reindeer apprentice was a good kid, gentle in his methods—but he just couldn't fix things in one go.
His medical skills still fell short of his master's.
"I'm all packed, Big Bro! Are we leaving now?"
Chopper held an axe in one hand and a bag in the other—that was all he carried.
The bag contained his medical supplies.
"We're setting off soon."
Vir nodded at Chopper with pride. The kid was nearly fully trained now, and he wielded that little axe with frightening skill.
He'd have to get him a proper weapon soon.
Honestly, his current axe was a bit shoddy.
Since he liked axes, Vir would find him a high-quality one.
No rush, though—following Whitebeard, that beat-up little axe was good enough for now.
With that, Vir stood and turned to Shiki.
"Alright, old man, I'm off. Don't forget what I asked you to look into."
Shiki scowled, visibly annoyed.
"Yeah, yeah, brat. Just get lost already! Seeing you pisses me off."
Still haunted by yesterday's embarrassment, Shiki wasn't about to give Vir a friendly send-off.
Vir could tell he'd suffered plenty, so he didn't press further.
With Chopper and Shirahoshi in tow, he made a swift exit.
Before leaving, he reminded Robin to train hard—otherwise, she might fall behind even Chopper.
Not that she needed the warning. Robin was even more driven than Chopper.
She didn't say much, only asking Vir to take good care of Shirahoshi.
In such a short time, the two of them had developed an unusual bond—something that left Vir blinking in surprise.
Hancock, of course, was full of reluctance. He'd only just arrived, and now he was leaving again—she hadn't even gotten a proper look at him!
In the end, she even suggested going with him.
Vir, naturally, refused.
He still planned to join the Marines later—bringing her along simply wouldn't work.
Before long, Vir and his crew set sail once more. The electric ship skimmed across the waves like a speedboat, leaving a white trail in its wake.
On deck, Shirahoshi waved sadly at Robin, while Chopper yelled at the top of his lungs:
"Robin! I'll miss you! Do your best!"
Robin chuckled softly and waved back.
Soon, the ship vanished over the horizon, leaving no trace behind.
Not long after Vir's departure, Shiki took to the skies as well—with Robin and Jina in tow.
Though Jina's arm chose that moment to act up again. The sharp sound of slaps echoed through the air...
Only Rayleigh remained.
He had considered returning home—it had been a while, and he wondered how Shakky was doing.
But then some reckless fool had gone and killed a Celestial Dragon on Sabaody, throwing the archipelago into chaos once more.
If he went back now, the Marines would probably pin the crime on him without a second thought.
After all, they had zero leads on the actual culprit.
They'd just slap the blame on whoever they disliked.
Rayleigh cherished his hard-earned retirement. Throwing it away for no reason? No thanks.
Before long, he too departed.
Taking Luffy—whom he'd retrieved from the forests of Amazon Lily—he set course for the island from the original storyline.
With that, Amazon Lily fell into quiet solitude.
Yet Hancock wasn't disheartened.
If anything, she felt fired up.
Vir's bounty had far surpassed hers—but more importantly, so had his strength.
Determined not to be dead weight, Hancock resolved to train relentlessly. Next time they met, she wouldn't let him leave her in the dust!
---
Meanwhile, in the New World, Marco received a phone call.
"Yeah? Who's this?"
"Um... is this Marco?"
A timid, hesitant voice came through the receiver.
Marco frowned.
The face on the Den Den Mushi was unfamiliar, and he didn't recognize the voice at all.
So... how had this person gotten his number?
After a pause, Marco replied coldly:
"Speaking. Who are you? What do you want?"
His tone was icy, exuding an air of aloofness.
Marco might have been easygoing among friends, but to outsiders, he was the very picture of a cool, detached leader.
The voice on the other end grew even more nervous.
After a moment of hesitation, it spoke again:
"I'm Brûlée. Katakuri is my brother. I wanted to ask... is it true that you can get Vir to treat him? If so, I'll bring him right away."
Silence followed.
Brûlée's heart pounded. This was their last hope. If this fell through...
Just as she began to suspect Marco had been toying with them, the cold expression on the Den Den Mushi vanished.
"Ohhh! Katakuri! Yeah, yeah, we're all good here! Vir's treatment? Absolutely guaranteed! 100% authentic, no substitutes! If he comes, he'll leave cured!"
"You guys need transport? I can send someone to pick you up! Hell, I'll come myself if you want! Don't worry, I've been around the block—my word's solid! He'll be fixed up good!"
"If you're worried about safety, I'll even send Jozu over as collateral! Full security! Top-tier doctor! Door-to-door service! What more could you ask for?!"
Marco's enthusiastic rant left Brûlée staring blankly at the suddenly hyperactive Den Den Mushi in her hands...
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