As Kuma waited anxiously, the door of the hastily set-up medical room was finally pushed open. Haibara Meow, dressed in a white coat and wearing glasses, walked out with a grave expression.
"How Bonney? Can her illness be cured?"
Though deep down Kuma didn't hold much hope for Haibara Meow, his heart was still in turmoil.
"Bonney is still unconscious. It'll take some time before she wakes up, meow." Haibara Meow first answered Kuma initial question, then continued: "As for the illness on her body…"
Haibara Meow nodded once, but before Kuma could feel relieved, she shook her head again.
"W–what does that mean?" Kuma unease only grew stronger.
"This Jade Scale… it not an illness, meow." Haibara Meow flicked her tail, as if venting her irritation at someone unseen.
(=益=)But the little cat still held back her anger and continued explaining: "Based on the examination I just performed, the cause of Jade Scale should be some kind of substance rooted within the cells.
It not a virus, meow. Instead, it exists as part of the cells themselves. But it brings no benefit to the host. On the contrary, it competes with the host for nutrients.
So, once it spreads on a large scale, the host body can't absorb enough nourishment, and eventually collapses and dies, meow."
No wonder Kuma Devil Fruit ability was useless…
Haibara Meow kept flicking her tail, suppressing the anger in her heart as she said:
"The most crucial part is, I discovered that in most cases, this substance remains inert, and its transmissibility is extremely low. So it almost impossible for it to be an illness contracted later in life—unless it inherited, or… deliberately implanted, meow."
"!!!"
Kuma suddenly shot to his feet, his usual gentle presence instantly erupting into violent fury.
But he quickly forced his anger down, because there was something far more important at hand…
"Then… you can cure Bonney, right?" Kuma asked in a trembling voice.
Haibara Meow once again nodded, then shook her head. Before Kuma could lose control, she quickly explained:
"I've read literature about Gore Magala before. The Jade Scale on Bonney body bears some resemblance to the Frenzy Virus. So in this kind of case, I do have some treatment approaches—and not just one solution, meow. But…"
The little cat spread her paws in frustration and helplessness, voicing her difficulty:
"No matter which method we try, our current equipment is severely lacking, meow. And as for the instruments needed to operate at the cellular level—forget about whether we have enough money—even if we did, I don't even know where such equipment could be bought, meow."
"How could this be…"
With a thud, Kuma dropped to his knees. The hope he had just grasped was instantly extinguished. For someone who had already endured so much suffering, the blow was devastating.
But Sherwin thoughts were different…
Since Klee Meow had already given her blessing, then surely a way could be found.
So while asking Haibara Meow questions, Sherwin also spoke to comfort them:
"What are the main instruments we're missing? Ai, could you make a list? Kuma, when you sought doctors for Bonney before, didn't you come across any channels for this kind of equipment? Even if not, don't worry. I have some ties with Morgans from the World Economy News, I can ask him for help."
Reminded by Sherwin, Kuma immediately regained his spirit.
"You're right. I can't give up so easily! And… I really do know someone who could help."
What came to Kuma mind at once was the Revolutionary Army. Though he knew well that Dragon side was already strained for funds, for Bonney sake, he would have to trouble him.
Besides, he didn't need the Revolutionary Army to purchase the equipment for him. As long as he found out where to buy them, he could find another way to manage the cost himself.
The doctors who hadn't left yet also spoke up:
"Don't worry, Kuma, we'll also ask around with our colleagues."
"Thank you, thank you all," Kuma said gratefully, tears welling in his eyes as he turned to Sherwin and the cats. "I really don't know how I could ever repay you!"
"Ah… it nothing. Let just focus on solving Bonney problem together first."
Sherwin, as expected, wasn't used to Kuma emotional outburst, and quickly steered the topic away.
Then, Haibara Meow presented a long list of requirements, neatly dividing them into two sections.
"These two lists correspond to two different treatment plans, meow," Haibara Meow explained. "Some instruments overlap—I've circled those. And there are a few I don't know the exact names for, so I only wrote down their general functions. As long as we can gather all the instruments from one complete list, it will be enough, meow."
Sherwin glanced at the two lists in front of him. One was written densely from top to bottom, while the other had far fewer words, probably only about a third of the first list, and most of them were circled.
That pile of professional terminology made Sherwin head spin, so he decisively gave up on trying to understand what they were for. Instead, he asked,
"Can you briefly explain your two plans? That way, if we can't find the exact instruments, it'll be easier for us to look for substitutes."
The doctors also nodded in agreement. Their main concern was whether the two plans were actually feasible.
Haibara Meow didn't mind being questioned and carefully explained her treatment plans to everyone—
"The first plan is to create brand-new stem cells for transplantation, completely replacing all the 'infected' cells in Bonney body from top to bottom, meow. This plan is relatively safer, but the drawback is that it requires a lot of equipment, and the entire treatment process will be very long, meow."
"The second plan is to manually remove the 'jade-like substance' from Bonney cells, meow. This plan requires fewer instruments, and the recovery speed would be much faster than the first, but the safety can't really be guaranteed, meow…
Because this method demands a strong body from Bonney. Even if we manage to get the life-support capsule and the nutrient solution I asked for, there will still be significant risks, meow."
"Although both of these methods are theoretically possible, they're far too difficult…" the elderly doctor leading the group clicked her tongue.
"Not to mention the cost of this equipment… Even if we took an entire year Heavenly Tribute from the Sorbet Kingdom, it still wouldn't be enough…"
Although these doctors' medical skills weren't on par with Haibara Meow, they still had vision and experience. If the patient weren't Bonney, they might have already advised Kuma to give up.
Haibara Meow flicked her tail and raised her little head proudly. "I have confidence in my own ability, meow. As long as you can gather the equipment, even the second plan will absolutely be no problem, meow!"
But after thinking for a moment, she added, "Whether Bonney body can withstand it is another matter, meow."
After hearing Haibara Meow two plans, Sherwin realized that the second option was more suitable for them. The first plan not only consumed too much time and effort, but also posed a serious financial problem.
But if they switched to the second plan…
This Jade Scale Disease sounded somewhat similar to Amber Lead Syndrome!
Since the Ope Ope no Mi could treat Amber Lead Syndrome, then even if it couldn't fully cure Jade Scale Disease, it should still provide some help.
Moreover, the Ope Ope no Mi ROOM ability was essentially the creation of a "surgery room" completely controlled by the user.
If Trafalgar Law were involved, then regardless of which plan they followed, they should be able to save a lot on equipment, right?