Hey, Doc! We'll be docking in a few minutes."
"Thanks Mik!" called Peter in reply.
That was his nickname while on the ship, 'Doc', hardly original. Though he expected 'Doc' or 'Doctor' would be on his wanted poster in the future, just like Trafalgar D. Water Law ended up as the 'Surgeon of Death'. Peter was a fully capable surgeon himself, but he could do so much more on top of that. He was basically Law, Chopper, and Dr. Kureha (Chopper's teacher), all rolled into one and cranked up to Eleven.
He'd never admit it aloud, but part of him wanted to call himself Dr. Doom for the shits and giggles.
Soon enough the ship was docked and the passengers were disembarking, including Peter himself. He wanted to do a little shopping, sell a little gold, and see what this brand new town had to offer. He hadn't bothered to learn its name as it didn't matter to him, only Cross Island mattered.
It didn't take him long to sell off a lump of gold at the local pawn shop and find himself a few million Belly in the black once more. Sadly, nothing in the store caught his eye so he actually left it with that money in hand. Something that clearly annoyed the man running it.
His first stop was a weapon shop. While he had a knife of decent quality, it was nothing compared to even the lowest grade of Meito. He planned to hunt down at least a Wazamono grade knife, which would put it below Zoro's Yubashiri and on par with Tashigi's Shigure. Even so, it would be significantly better than the common blade he currently had.
As it turned out, the shop did indeed have not one, but three Wazamono grade blades. Unfortunately, they were all swords. Peter had zero skill in the use of a sword so they were useless to him. He didn't have the time or inclination to learn how to use a sword, that was the work of a lifetime. He was much more comfortable with knives, they were closer to the tool he had the most knowledge of how to use, a scalpel.
When it came to fighting for him, it was either going to be with his fists or with a knife. Thanks to his medical knowledge, he knew just where to punch or stab to deal the most devastating damage. Precision and skill would be how he fought. He doubted he would even be able to cut a mountain in half, but he was hoping to be able to punch it into rubble, eventually. As it stood, he only knew street fighting, brawling really, but he would make it work.
Aside from a new blade, he kept his eyes open for any equipment he could use or anything else that was worthwhile to him. Sadly, the town didn't have very much to offer him. The place was mostly just a trade port where goods shifted hands between merchant routes. If he had his own ship and wanted to make money that way, he'd be in a small bit of heaven. Frankly, the island was all about bulk purchases. He could do that, but there was no reason to. Soon, he returned to the ship richer and with a few small items added to his storage ring. The rest of the journey toward Cross Island went similarly.
Peter hummed as he worked on a potion in his cabin. Over the last five islands he'd been able to put together a small kit that would let him make slightly better potions than he'd been able to in the jungle. Granted it was mostly repurposed stuff not intended to work as chemistry gear, but it worked. Mostly.
It was also really easy to get permission to do some brewing. There was no way he was going to light a fire in his room on a wooden ship without permission. All he'd had to say was he was working on new medicines and the captain gave the go ahead.
While a small glass container hung close to, but not over, the flames getting the mix inside warm, he worked at a mortar and pestle to grind a bone into bone dust. The potion he was working on was by far the most complicated one he could only just barely make with his current setup, a Power Stripping potion. Though it acted more like a gas grenade.
Once finished and placed in a bottle, the potion could be thrown at someone or something with a supernatural power. One the bottle broke open the potion would react with the air and explode into a large cloud that hung around for a few seconds. Anyone or anything with a supernatural power caught within the cloud was boned. At full power the potion would permanently strip the power away. The one he was making wouldn't be pure enough for that but it would be strong enough to temporarily strip the power.
Naturally, he was making this to counter the powers of Devil Fruits. They were the main supernatural power in the world and having the ability to just shut them off at will would give him a huge advantage in dealing with them in combat. Just the surprise of losing their power could give him the edge he would need to win a fight. More importantly, it worked against Logia based powers. While rare, they were the one power he had no possible way of countering with just the skills and abilities he currently possessed.
Once he had the proper equipment it was entirely possible for him to permanently strip people of their Devil Fruit powers. It was even possible for him to make a potion that would allow him to extract their power! If he was being honest, there was one power among the Devil Fruits that he coveted. Not because it was the most powerful, or the most broken, but because it was the most convenient for himself. The Mera Mera no Mi, which should be in the hands of Ace, Luffy's brother.
He also had a plan to get Ace to willingly allow him to extract it, cure Whitebeard and rewind the old mans age a few decades. Two feats he could easily accomplish! He was certain Ace would willingly make that trade any day of the week. He just didn't have a single method or idea of how to get in touch with them and waiting for the war at Marineford was a terrible idea. He had no idea how far away that was and wouldn't have a rough idea until Luffy's first bounty poster went out. Even then he might not see it since it would be issued in East Blue. He might not know until after the events at Arabasta.
Hmmmm there was an idea. He knew Ace would show up at Arabasta before Luffy, if he could get there he could meet the man first. If he could convince Ace that he could cure Whitebeard he could completely circumvent the entire war. Or push it back. Either way would be good since he could easily return Whitebeard to the prime of his life where he would be strong enough to curbstomp the entirety of Marineford solo.
Well, it would all come down to what he managed to do and when. There was no telling if he'd reach Arabasta in time or not, or if Ace would actually put off his pursuit of Blackbeard to save Whitebeard. Ace was a total hothead and a bit of an idiot. Well, whatever the case may be, Peter was sure he could get his hands on the Mera Mera no Mi if he really put his mind to it.
He shook his head and pushed his thoughts to the side to toss the ground up bone into the gently steaming mix near the small fire. The potion instantly changed from a swirling gray to a pitch black. He removed it from the heat and began pouring the mix into four empty bottles. The color of the brew got him some odd looks, but he didn't pay any attention to that as he put the potions away.
His timing was almost perfect as just a few minutes later the man up in the crows nest called out, "Land ho! Cross Island on the horizon!"
Peter moved to the railing around the deck and looked toward the horizon. Soon enough he saw a black smudge, slowly it grew until he could recognize it as an island. A grin split his face as he pictured all of the things he would be able to do once they arrived and he went on a shopping spree. Thanks to oh so many pawn shops on the way, he was rolling in money and ready to blow it all. By the time he left Cross Island he would be more than ready to head into the Grand Line.
He couldn't wait.