Dier didn't bother saying "I'm here to save you."
Because they wouldn't have believed him anyway.
The Storm Petrel had an excellent operating room with all kinds of equipment. Once they ran some tests, the truth would become clear.
Besides, he was currently busy imbuing the ship with abilities as usual and didn't have time for explanations.
The Law family found themselves tied up again, though this time without sacks over their heads.
Madson felt slightly more at ease;
At least they hadn't encountered murderous maniacs, but rather a calculated kidnapping operation.
Whether the boss on the other end of the Den Den Mushi wanted his money or him personally, as long as the kidnappers had demands, they could stay alive.
Thus, the family spent an unpleasant day and night aboard the cargo ship.
Late the next night, the cargo ship rendezvoused with the Storm Petrel.
Deno untied Madson and his wife, then carried Lami up the rope ladder.
Another pirate followed suit, carrying Law up after them.
With their children taken, Madson and Leia had no choice but to climb up as well, not daring to make any sudden moves.
"Perona! You're staying up late again! How many times is this now?!"
"Big brother, you're not asleep either!"
"I'm handling important business. No running barefoot on the deck!
Next time, I'll have Hina tie you to the bed when it gets late."
"But I'm handling important business too, waaah~"
When Madson stepped onto the deck, he saw a young man scolding a little girl while pinching her cheeks.
His wariness diminished slightly further.
A boy who looked thirteen or fourteen, and a girl about Lami's age.
As a father himself, he could at least be somewhat assured they wouldn't harm Law and Lami.
Though he'd heard Dier's voice over the Den Den Mushi, he still didn't believe the thirteen-year-old-looking boy could be the boss.
At most, the boss's son.
Madson scanned the deck, searching for the presumed boss.
Unexpectedly, the kidnappers ushered him toward the young man,
"Boss, we've brought them all."
Madson's pupils contracted slightly in surprise.
Snap~
Dier confiscated the photographing transponder snail from Perona's hands,
"Confiscated. No playing with this at night anymore."
Ignoring Perona's pouting expression, he turned to examine Law's entire family.
Well, mainly examining young Law.
The cold, stern gaze already bore some resemblance to the future Law.
But Law wasn't Dier's primary target this time.
"Follow me."
Dier bent down to pick up Perona and led the group down to the lower deck;
The "excellent operating room" Wolf had mentioned was located here.
The moment Madson entered, his eyes were drawn to the array of advanced medical equipment.
Terms like organ transplants, blood bags, and human experiments immediately flooded his mind.
"Platinum lead is toxic. These toxins accumulate in the human body and are passed down through reproduction, causing each subsequent generation's lifespan to shorten."
Dier got straight to the point:
"I don't know if this equipment can detect the platinum lead in your bodies, but I suggest you try. The instructions are over there."
He pointed to several books on a nearby table and shrugged nonchalantly:
"In any case, whether you believe me or not, I kidnapped you to save your lives."
"Hey, Deno, you and the others take shifts watching them. Make sure they don't do anything stupid. I need to get some sleep."
With that, he yawned and carried Perona out of the operating room.
Madson could still faintly hear their conversation.
"Ah~ Don't sleep yet! I still want to take night photos."
"You didn't take any earlier, and now at 2 AM you remember? Go to sleep. Irregular sleep will stunt your growth, and you'll end up short!"
"But I was just—"
Clank
The iron door closed, cutting off the voices outside.
Surgeries required silence, so Wolf had installed the best soundproofing materials in the operating room.
Madson and Leia exchanged bewildered looks, unable to comprehend what was happening.
A kidnapping group that didn't kill them—and claimed they were here to save them?
"What does that guy even mean?" Law blurted out, voicing his thoughts.
"How could Platinum Lead be poisonous? Flevance has been mining it for over a century."
Having not yet experienced the future tragedy, Law was still naive, stubbornly believing in his country and his parents.
"If it were really toxic, my parents would have discovered it long ago!"
Deno shrugged and spread his hands.
"I'm a Pirate. What's the point of telling me? I don't know anything about this stuff."
"The boss just told me to keep an eye on you and make sure you don't do anything dumb. Other than that, do whatever—pretend I'm not here."
He plopped down on the floor, resting his chin on his hand, silently watching Law's family.
The other Pirates quickly arranged their shifts.
Those on duty sat down, staring at the family just like Deno.
The next shift's crew even lay down to catch some sleep first.
Seeing them like this, Madson hesitated.
"Leia, you operate."
After a moment of thought, he decided to test it out.
He removed his square-framed glasses and any metal items on him, then lay down on the machine without hesitation.
No need to read the manual—he and Leia were more than familiar with these devices.
The machine activated, and after a low hum, the results came out.
Everything else was normal—except for a significant buildup of toxins in the liver.
"How is this possible!? I just had a full-body checkup days ago!"
Madson's face twisted in disbelief. Flevance was wealthy, so the hospital equipment couldn't possibly be subpar.
Yet in all his years as a doctor, he had never detected any illnesses caused by Platinum Lead.
"Leia, you try."
Leia then lay down for a scan, and her results also showed abnormalities in the liver.
Next were Law and Lami—same result, without exception.
Madson even pleaded with Deno to get scanned.
The results came quickly.
Lung and liver damage from years of smoking and drinking, stomach issues from binge-eating and irregular meals, and kidney deficiency for... certain reasons.
"Bullshit! This damn machine's broken! My kidneys are fine!"
Madson ignored Deno, staring blankly at the results.
Though disastrous, these findings were normal for an average Pirate.
If the machine wasn't faulty, then the problem lay with his family.
In his urgency, Madson momentarily forgot his current predicament and reverted to his role as the hospital's lead physician.
He turned to the remaining Pirates and ordered,
"All of you—get scanned too!"
The pirates exchanged glances before finally lining up to lie down on the examination equipment.
They were also curious about their own physical conditions.
Fresh examination results came out one after another, most of them shockingly poor, revealing various minor ailments.
But these were normal—each issue had a traceable cause.
Unlike their family, who were otherwise healthy but had shadows specifically on their livers.
"Dad, are we sick?"
Hearing his daughter's voice, Madson snapped out of his thoughts and forced a smile, patting Lami's head reassuringly.
"No, we're all perfectly healthy. But if we don't sleep soon, we might really get sick. Go find Mom and get some rest."
"Mm!"
Lami dashed into Leia's arms.
It was already past 3 a.m., and the five-year-old Lami was exhausted. She quickly fell asleep in her mother's embrace.
But the more mature Law remained wide awake.
His father was lying—they were sick, and seriously so.
"Dad..."
"Don't worry, Law."
Madson's gaze hardened with resolve. As the head of the family, he had to take responsibility.
Placing both hands on his son's shoulders, he said firmly,
"There's no disease in this world that can't be cured!
Trust me, everything will be fine. I'm still waiting for the day you surpass me!"
Law clenched his fists and nodded hard.
"I'll help too!"
"Hahaha~ That's my boy!
Now go to sleep. You need to be well-rested to help properly."
After coaxing his son to sleep, Madson sought out Deno.
"I need to see the boss."
"You'll have to wait until he wakes up."
"You know how many lives this concerns—"
"Oh~ You'll still have to wait until he wakes up."
Seeing Deno's indifferent attitude, Madson had no choice but to suppress his anxiety and wait for the next day.
...
The following noon, the operating room door opened again.
As Dier stepped inside, he saw Madson kneeling before him, his face haggard.
Madson had spent the entire night researching Platinum Lead Disease, trying to find a cure.
But in the end, he arrived at a despairing conclusion.
Unless the liver was completely removed and the lead inside meticulously separated with a scalpel—
Then the liver was placed back, and the wound stitched up.
He couldn't do it. To be precise, no surgeon could.
So he had no choice but to pin his hopes on Dier.
"Hold on, I don't know how to treat Platinum Lead Disease!"
"In about ten days, I'll make the existence of Platinum Lead Disease public.
In exchange, I want you to join us."
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