"Wait! Captain Roger, why refuse? Isn't this plan supposed to cure you? Mr. Crocus, what do you think?"
Oran had fame, but that fame didn't equal trust.
For Buggy and Shanks, Mr. Crocus, who had sailed with them for a while, was more trustworthy.
"Probably… it might work."
Mr. Crocus didn't know how to answer Buggy's question. At this moment, he was also pondering a question: Did Oran's technology really count as medicine?
Consciousness transplantation seemed to be beyond the scope of medicine.
As a doctor, Mr. Crocus was very knowledgeable about medical matters, but he didn't understand scientific inventions. At the same time, he misunderstood something.
While Oran scored a hundred on the medical paper, his other scientific paper also received full marks. It was just that this paper was hidden beneath the medical paper. Except for a very few people, those outside couldn't see this paper, so they instinctively overlooked it.
Naturally, Mr. Crocus couldn't give an answer about something beyond his understanding.
"Captain Roger, Mr. Crocus said it might work! Why are you refusing?!"
"Yeah, if you keep dragging this on, you'll really die later!"
"Hahaha, death? It's an unknown topic. Perhaps this is my destination.
People always have to die, it's just a matter of time. Since it's destined to be unavoidable, then before death arrives, let's sing praises to freedom to our heart's content!"
Roger stroked Shanks and Buggy's heads, comforting them that they didn't need to be sad.
[Is this the man who can smile on the execution platform? Yes, this answer is more fitting for him.]
Oran didn't try to persuade Roger again. He was only responsible for proposing the treatment plan; whether to treat or not depended on the patient himself. Since Roger chose to refuse, he couldn't possibly force Roger to do it.
"It's different! Captain Roger, isn't there a way?!"
"Yeah, changing to another body... that's acceptable too..."
"Hahaha, the body is the ship for the soul. You are still young and have a more distant future. If the ship is broken, you should naturally replace it with a new one.
But I am different. 'This ship' has been with me for most of my life. How can I abandon it halfway? I want to witness the final scenery with it and then end this magnificent voyage!"
Roger still had a smile on his face, as if the man with not much time left wasn't him at all.
"I've walked the path I should walk, and everything should come to an end. Don't cry, I still have several years left. You're making it seem like I'm going to die right away."
"Alright, Buggy, Shanks, you know what kind of person Captain Roger is. No one can change what he has decided.
Be a man, don't cry!
You should give full respect to the decisions a man makes!"
Although they had only sailed together for a few months, Mr. Crocus had already been infected by Roger's demeanor and understood Roger better than Shanks and Buggy.
This was understandable. For Shanks and Buggy, Roger was less like a Captain and more like their father.
"Excuse us, King, since that's the case, we plan to leave now and won't trouble you further."
"I respect your choice. Although your illness cannot be completely cured by conventional methods, some inhibitory drugs can still be provided."
"Can it make Captain Roger last longer?"
"Unfortunately, no. Your ship doctor has already done his best in that regard. By the way, after your pirate crew disbands, are you interested in working for me? The pay is negotiable."
This was Roger's own choice; he was destined to face death, which also meant that the Roger Pirates would cease to exist. Having a stronger medical team under him wouldn't hurt Oran.
"No, I still have a promise. There's a troublesome little fellow I need to take care of."
Mr. Crocus didn't agree. The little fellow he mentioned was Laboon at Twin Cape.
Laboon is an island whale. When the Rumba Pirates decided to venture into the Grand Line, because the Grand Line was too dangerous, the Rumba Pirates could only leave Laboon before Reverse Mountain, asking Laboon to wait there for a while and entrusting Mr. Crocus to take care of it.
However, after waiting like this, Laboon never saw its friends again.
Mr. Crocus's current trip also had some idea of finding traces of the Rumba Pirates.
After the voyage ended, he still had to go back.
"I see, then forget it. I'll give you the prescription directly. You can prepare the medicine according to this method and give it to him along with the medicine you made.
This will make his body more stable. At least fighting or drinking alcohol will be fine."
"Can he drink alcohol? He doesn't have to quit drinking? That's great! This trip wasn't in vain!"
Hearing this, the smile on Roger's face widened even more. As for Oran's attempt to poach Mr. Crocus just now, he didn't have any objections.
Originally, Mr. Crocus was only a temporary addition. If Mr. Crocus could really find a good place to go, Roger would be happy for him.
And Oran didn't give up directly. He knew what Mr. Crocus was looking for now. At worst, he could get him over there with news of the Rumba Pirates later.
Of course, this would depend on the future developments. Perhaps Mr. Crocus wasn't worth the effort for him to search for the already disbanded Rumba Pirates in the Mist Sea.
"Then how should the consultation fee be paid? We still have a lot of treasure on board."
"Ah, as for treasure, just leave a little as you see fit. This prescription itself isn't worth much. However, if you are willing to pay with something special, I can give you some inside information as a bonus. How about it? Want to consider it?"
"Something special? Interesting? What is it?"
Gotham doesn't welcome riddlers, but pirates are sometimes very interested in riddles.
"It's no fun if I tell you in advance. I have a special payment method here: techniques. Let me record your combat techniques, and I will give you a piece of information. Whether it's worth it, you'll only know later."
"Gambling? Then I'll match the bet. But where do we test the techniques? Not here, right?"
"Of course not here. If you agree, then come with me."
Oran led Roger and the others out of the hospital and then boarded the tram.
The energy developed by Oran was mainly electricity, and naturally, similar applications were used on Firefly Island. To enhance the flow between the islands, it took a year to lay such a line throughout the island.
The tram traveled through the fields, and after passing through a tunnel, they arrived at District 11, which was the island's industrial area and also a weapon testing ground.
Here, they saw a special testing robot, the same model as the one in the Marineford training camp, but it was a ProMax enhanced version that could record more things.
"This is it. Just hit it. It's okay if you break it, but it's best not to break the head, otherwise it's very troublesome."
"Okay, since that's the case... I'll use this move."
Roger's eyes narrowed, and then he drew the weapon from his waist, the Supreme Grade Great Grade Sword, the famous sword Ace.
Zzz... Crack...
A special current seemed to surround Roger, and the invisible energy eventually wrapped around the blade. After locking onto the target in front of him, Roger casually swung a slash forward.
"God Avoidance!"
Boom!!!
The testing robot was cut in two, severed at the waist. Roger seemed to have intentionally controlled the force, not wanting to destroy the robot too severely, but after the blade energy cut through the testing robot's body, it exploded like uncontrolled dynamite.
In just an instant, more than half of the testing ground was leveled, and the targets behind were reduced to dust all over the ground.
"Phew, it's been a while since I used this move. It seems I haven't gotten rusty."
In a sense, Roger was also a single-minded person. Since he chose to enter the gamble, he didn't care about the size of the bet. Originally, Oran just asked him to swing casually, but Roger directly used an attack with Conqueror's Haki coating.
Conqueror's Haki coating, a new skill born with the version update.
Most people's Conqueror's Haki could only serve as a deterrent, but in the hands of top powerhouses, Conqueror's Haki was no longer limited to this.
Conqueror's Haki could also be wrapped around weapons or attacks in their hands.
After coating, it would enhance attack power and could physically attack enemies without contact within a certain range. Only a very small number of top powerhouses could do this.
God Avoidance was one of them. Perhaps for Roger, this move wasn't a big move, just part of a normal attack.
Even though Roger controlled the power, after destroying half of the testing ground, it still affected the area behind.
"As expected of the legendary pirate. His strength is still not to be underestimated."
Oran clapped lightly from the side.
"Hahaha, I guess this is the reward for being able to drink freely again. So, can you tell me what your inside information is now?"
"Of course. The Marine has its eyes on you.
The Navy Hero, Monkey D. Garp, is already on his way to find you.
Based on the distance from Marineford to here, if Garp travels at full speed, he'll probably arrive very soon.
How about it? Is this news timely enough?"
Hearing Garp's name, Roger was clearly stunned for a moment.
"Garp? This guy is really persistent. Has he caught up so quickly? Is the news reliable?"
Roger didn't find it too strange. He couldn't remember when it started, but no matter what he did, as long as he revealed a little bit of information, Garp would immediately catch up.
"Very reliable."
It couldn't be more reliable. After all, the news of Roger being here was 'sold' to Garp by Oran. Now, repackaging this news and selling it back to Roger was a cost-free business, nothing could be more cost-effective.
"I see. It seems I can't stay too long."
Roger wasn't particularly worried about Garp. After all, Garp had never succeeded in so many years. However, to avoid being stuck, Roger also began to think about his next move.
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