“Kid, is there something important you need to get back for?”
Whitebeard furrowed his brow and asked.
The others chimed in as well, trying to persuade him to stay longer.
They wanted Vir to stay a few more days.
But Vir simply waved them off, refusing.
He looked at Whitebeard with a calm expression and said, “Yeah, I’ve got things to take care of. Staying here won’t help me grow stronger.”
With that, he lifted his cup and downed the rest of his sake.
After hearing Vir’s response, Whitebeard and the others showed a hint of surprise.
Grow stronger?
They hadn’t expected that to be the reason.
Is improving one’s strength really that urgent?
Was this what they called a hardworking genius?
Sigh… Success really didn’t come out of nowhere.
He’s probably been training hard all this time, in places no one can see.
And not just your average hard work, either.
This guy, Vir…
He deserves his success.
Behind that strength is the sweat of relentless effort.
They really ought to learn from him. Had they been too lazy all this time?
The division commanders couldn’t help but reflect on themselves.
But what sweat has Vir shed?
Okay, to be fair—he does sweat… when he’s treating people.
“In that case, I won’t stop you. Eat and drink your fill, then leave whenever you want.”
“But if you don’t eat well, I’m not letting you go!”
Whitebeard knew there was no stopping Vir.
And he didn’t really intend to.
But if the kid came all this way and left without eating properly…
Where would his pride go?
No matter what, he had to finish the meal before leaving.
“Bring over a few more plates of fried rice! Pile it on!”
Marco got up and shouted toward the back.
Vir really had no reason to refuse now.
Fine—time to eat.
No rush.
Honestly, he wasn’t even full yet.
He’d mostly just been drinking.
Soon enough, the rice was brought out.
Vir put down one bowl and picked up another.
Time to feast.
After all, treating Whitebeard just now had taken a toll on him.
And he’d had to stay on guard in case the old man suddenly threw a punch his way.
As Vir dug in, Whitebeard had already taken care of all the arrangements.
They were even giving him one of their top-performing ships.
It was more than twice as fast as the Moby Dick.
Smaller in size, sure—but don’t let that fool you.
The Moby Dick was already one of the fastest ships in the world.
Very few could match it.
And this little guy? Twice that speed.
What kind of concept is that?
Normally, the Whitebeard Pirates treated this thing like a treasure.
Unless it was a top-priority mission, it never left port.
But now they were gifting it away—and not a single person objected.
All because the man they were giving it to… was Vir.
The savior of the Whitebeard Pirates.
The ship was fully stocked with all necessary supplies, everything meticulously prepared.
After finishing his last bowl, Vir walked over.
He looked exactly the same as when he’d arrived—
Dressed in white.
Wearing large flip-flops.
A shabby medical kit in hand.
Honestly, if no one told you who he was, you’d think he was just some poor wandering doctor.
That medical kit looked like it was held together with hope and tape.
“This ship is yours. The fastest one we’ve got!” Whitebeard said, pointing down toward the vessel.
Vir followed his gaze.
A sleek, compact ship floated quietly on the sea.
But—it had no sails.
“What kind of ship is this? What’s powering it?”
In this era where most ships rely on wind, sail-less ships were a rare sight.
Whitebeard gave a mysterious grin.
Then explained, “Electricity. That battery on board? Took me a hell of a lot of effort to get my hands on. Works like a charm.”
Vir blinked.
‘Electricity?’
Well, wasn’t that a coincidence?
‘I am literally electricity.’
Damn, talk about a perfect match.
Now that’s a gift that hits the heart.
When the time comes for that two-year promise with Luffy and the others…
He couldn’t just keep sailing back and forth alone on the Thousand Sunny, right?
Having this ship would be perfect.
“This ship is amazing. I was just thinking I needed a good one—couldn’t be more perfect.”
Vir was clearly in a great mood now.
Whitebeard and the others were all smiles too.
Nothing better than giving a gift and seeing it truly appreciated.
“Alright, I’ll be off then.”
With that, Vir leapt nimbly onto the smaller ship.
Compared to the Moby Dick, it looked almost pitifully small.
Barely a fifth of its height.
Vir landed lightly on the deck and immediately headed for the helm.
But just then, Whitebeard called out again.
“Kid!”
“Don’t rush off just yet!”
That booming voice made Vir glance back.
But he couldn’t see Whitebeard.
Because his entire field of vision had been engulfed in a pale blue flame.
Everything was blue.
*Whoosh!*
Marco landed directly in front of Vir.
Grinning.
“Kid! Let Marco accompany you for this trip!”
Whitebeard’s voice echoed again.
“Your crew’s probably about to face some trouble. With Marco watching your back, I’ll feel better about it.”
“Otherwise, with that temper of yours, I’m seriously worried you’ll get yourself killed.”
Whitebeard said this casually, then tossed a small gourd over to Vir.
Vir reached out and caught it steadily.
“This bottle’s for you—drink it on the way.”
“If anything happens, just drop my name. There ain’t anyone in this world who’d dare disrespect me.”
“If that doesn’t work, call me! My Den Den Mushi ain’t gonna kick the bucket outta nowhere!”
Whitebeard rattled off a whole string of words.
Vir didn’t know why, but it left him with some mixed feelings.
It was honestly the first time he’d seen the old man talk this much in one go.
Tch.
Whatever.
Time to go.
Marco was already waiting in the helm, ready for Vir’s signal.
He was here as both driver and bodyguard for this trip.
But he didn’t mind one bit.
Actually, he was more than happy.
This was the kind of gig people fought over.
Vir didn’t say another word.
He just turned and headed toward his cabin.
As he walked, he waved one hand behind him.
Marco took the signal immediately and started up the ship.
The vessel quickly began to sail off into the distance.
“Vir! Come back and hang out next time!”
“Marco! Quit showing off, damn it! Next time I won’t lose!”
Back on the Moby Dick, a group of crewmates, tall and short alike, stood in a neat line.
They silently watched Vir leave.
Before long, the ship carrying Vir and Marco disappeared from view.
Whitebeard stared at the empty horizon, clearly annoyed.
“That brat… couldn’t even say a proper goodbye before taking off.”
Grumbling, he turned and made his way back toward the bow of the Moby Dick.
Still had some drinking left to do.
Soon enough, he was seated at the bow again, reaching for one of the towering jugs nearby to pour himself a drink.
But as soon as he lifted it—
Too light!!!
Whitebeard immediately knew something was off!
He’d just cracked this open!
He’d only taken one sip!
He quickly turned the jug over to check.
But… not a single drop left.
“Alright, alright, alright! A whole jug like this—how the hell did that brat sneak it off me?!”
Just as he was about to explode in fury, something under the jug caught his eye.
Were those… small bottles??
He picked one up and stared at it, but couldn’t figure out what it was for.
Right then, his Den Den Mushi started ringing.
Pururu pururu pururu…
Click.
“Yeah?”
“The meds I left you—take one bottle a day. Don’t skip it. If you do, your old wounds are gonna flare up again in a few days.”
Vir said it flatly.
Click.
Then hung up without another word.
Whitebeard: “…Huh?”
What the hell?
He couldn’t say this earlier, had to call just now?
Is he testing whether my Den Den Mushi still works?
And what is this, a prescription?
Wasn’t he the kind of guy who healed people on the spot, no need for recovery time or aftercare?
So why the change with me?
Ugh, whatever.
Just some medicine.
Thinking that, Whitebeard uncorked one of the tiny bottles in his hand.
*Pop~*
“BLEGH~~”
“Oooogh—! The hell is this stench?!”
“Shit! Who brought in something that smells like a damn corpse?!”
“OOOOGHH—!”
In a flash, the entire ship was once again seized by the terror of that foul stench.
Retching noises filled the air as vomit rained into the sea from all sides.
“I just ate, dammit! Now it’s all gone to waste!”
“Don’t talk about it, we’re all in the same boat—BLEGH~”
Meanwhile, Whitebeard just sat there, staring at the little bottle in his hand.
Lost in thought…