Vir began by mixing medicine.
Time flew by quickly.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
During these three days…
Vir, as usual, was completely absorbed in his work, forgetting to sleep and eat.
But…
This was absolute hell for the other two.
Neither of them could cook.
What they made tasted absolutely terrible.
And they couldn’t even bother Vir.
Because the moment little Merry spotted someone approaching his room, she would dart over and block the door, refusing to let anyone in.
With no other option, the two could only scrape by and survive however they could.
During these couple of days, thanks to Merry and Marco’s guidance, Yamato had gained a general understanding of the terms used in the outside world.
When Yamato first started chatting with Merry, she had been totally shocked.
This little spirit could talk.
And fly.
And even pass right through Yamato’s body!
It was just too fascinating.
What’s more, this little one was even part of the combat crew.
After a round of questioning from Yamato, Merry shared a few things.
But she didn’t reveal the specifics of her or Vir’s abilities.
She only said that she could assist Vir.
That she could help him avert danger once.
And that she could only work with Vir.
Even that much left Yamato stunned.
Avoid danger once?
That was crazy impressive.
That jerk Vir actually had such a reliable partner!
Yamato immediately started showering Merry with praise.
She praised her so much that Merry was practically turning into Chopper.
The two quickly hit it off.
Yamato even discovered that Merry could stop Vir from treating someone.
Previously, that guy Vir had definitely planned to forcibly treat her after the drowning.
But when this little one spoke up, he actually dropped the idea.
That was seriously impressive!
Right then, Yamato resolved to build a strong bond with Merry.
They were going to become the best friends!
“From now on, if you’re in trouble, big sis will help! And if big sis is in trouble, you make sure Vir doesn’t lift a finger!”
And so, the two spent their time chatting away happily.
For Merry, it was the first time she had ever talked so much with someone.
For Yamato, it was all about forging brotherhood—or in this case, sisterhood.
Thankfully, nothing major happened during these three days.
No storms or rough seas.
Although there was a crew of pirates looking to stir up trouble.
They were completely wiped out—ship and all—by a single Thunder Bagua from Yamato.
On their side, things were quiet.
But for the Whitebeard Pirates, who Vir had just left not long ago, today brought an unexpected visitor.
Right off the bat—a burst of Conqueror’s Haki swept through the area.
One after another, members of the Whitebeard crew who couldn’t withstand it began to collapse.
Jozu looked extremely annoyed at this guy brazenly using his Conqueror’s Haki on their ship.
But he didn’t move.
Because Pops hadn’t given the signal to act.
The visitor wasn’t Red-Haired Shanks.
It was a man with a ship’s rudder lodged in his head.
“Gurararara! Shiki, if you’ve come to my ship, you’d best behave. If you keep this up, I can’t guarantee you’ll leave here in one piece.”
Whitebeard looked calmly at the floating figure before him.
That’s right.
The visitor was none other than a pirate from the same era as Whitebeard and Roger—
Golden Lion Shiki.
“Jihahahaha! Old man Whitebeard! You should be able to tell—I’m not here to pick a fight.”
“Otherwise, the first thing you’d see wouldn’t be me—it’d be dozens of islands!”
Shiki laughed maniacally, showing no fear of Whitebeard’s threats.
Whitebeard didn’t argue.
He could tell that Shiki didn’t come with hostile intent.
Because of that rudder stuck in his head, even Shiki’s Conqueror’s Haki was being suppressed.
It wasn’t all that strong—at least, that’s how Whitebeard saw it.
“Well? What brings you here?”
Whitebeard asked casually.
But truthfully, he already had a pretty good guess.
Shiki didn’t answer right away.
Instead, he floated around Whitebeard twice.
As if confirming something, his expression suddenly twisted into wild ecstasy.
“It’s true! Jihahaha! Damn it, old man, you’re really healed! That rotting body of yours—it’s completely healed now!”
“This is unbelievable! The rumors were actually true! What kind of insane luck did you stumble into?!”
Shiki shouted like a madman.
But everyone could hear the jealousy in his voice.
Whitebeard gave a small smile.
So it was true.
This old lion had heard the rumors.
But he never thought Shiki would come in person.
Looks like this guy had no intention of retiring quietly from the stage of the sea.
“Tell me! Who healed you!? Since when did such a powerful doctor appear on the seas?! Someone capable of healing you!?”
“I won’t beat around the bush, Whitebeard! Give me a name, and I’ll hand your crew a Logia-type Devil Fruit and an Ancient Zoan! How’s that?!”
Shiki tossed out the bait with confidence.
For just a single piece of information, the reward was beyond generous.
Shiki was confident.
He was certain Whitebeard wouldn’t refuse.
But very soon…
That confident grin froze on his face.
Because the man sitting across from him, Whitebeard, simply shook his head.
Calm and composed.
“What?! Don’t get greedy, old man! I’m just buying a damn name from you!”
Shiki exploded on the spot.
He thought Whitebeard was trying to bleed him dry.
But then he looked at Whitebeard’s now-peak condition…
Then back at his own barely-holding-together body…
And swallowed his frustration.
Vir’s whereabouts were only known to the Whitebeard Pirates and the Marines.
If Whitebeard didn’t talk, Shiki really had no leads.
Just as Shiki was preparing to offer up a Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit he’d gotten years ago…
Whitebeard waved him off.
“Don’t bother. Even if I told you who that doctor is—what difference would it make? You think he’d agree to treat you?”
If Vir were here, he’d definitely be shouting: “I treat anyone! I treat anyone, damn it!”
But Shiki didn’t know that.
He assumed it meant Vir’s fees were sky-high.
“What’s that supposed to mean? You think I can’t afford treatment!?”
Shiki asked angrily.
“No. I mean he rarely takes cases. Unless you’re introduced by someone he knows, he usually won’t even bother.”
And honestly, Whitebeard wasn’t lying.
He was referred by someone.
“Tell you what, Shiki. Not only will I tell you his name for free—I’ll even arrange an introduction and get him to treat you at no cost.”
Whitebeard spoke with full confidence.
But Shiki smelled a trap.
There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
This guy definitely had conditions.
Big ones.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t be talking this much.
Still…
Thinking about his current state…
Thinking about how far his strength had fallen…
Shiki decided to hear him out.
“Alright. Let’s hear it. What’s the catch?” he said calmly.
A victorious smile spread across Whitebeard’s face.
“My condition is simple: help me save my son!”