“Don’t panic. If I had ill intentions, you’d already be on the ground given how relaxed you were just now.”
Vir’s calm voice broke the silence.
The now-composed Kuma didn’t make any sudden movements. He simply turned to face the speaker, wanting to see who could approach him so stealthily without detection.
As he turned, he was met with Vir’s faintly smiling face.
The curiosity in his eyes instantly turned into surprise.
Of course he recognized Vir.
He believed Luffy was Joy Boy.
Naturally, he paid close attention to those around him.
Especially someone like Vir—the first crewmember whose bounty surpassed that of his captain.
At this point, there probably wasn’t a soul in the world who didn’t know of him.
But why was he here, looking for him?
And even showing such friendliness?
What did he want?
Could it be that he’d noticed something?
But how was that possible?
This was their first time meeting, wasn’t it?
During the incident with Moria, Vir hadn’t even been present. Had he been there, Kuma wouldn’t have shown himself either.
So, why was he here now?
“Let’s make a deal.”
Vir didn’t keep him waiting.
Still smiling, he stated his purpose plainly.
Kuma froze for a moment.
He didn’t know why, but his instincts told him this ship doctor was dangerous.
There was a strange urge to keep his distance.
Yet he still wanted to hear what kind of deal a man with a billion-berry bounty would propose.
“What kind of deal?” Kuma asked, his tone surprisingly gentle, carrying a sense of simple honesty.
“You help me get everyone in the Straw Hats out of here safely, and I’ll make sure your consciousness stays intact.”
Vir looked at Kuma, still wearing that unwavering smile.
But those words left Kuma frozen in place.
This guy…
How did he know?
How did he know he was about to lose his consciousness?
Could he read minds?
Had he heard what Kuma had just been thinking?
Even if that wasn’t it…
Why would he propose this kind of deal?
Kuma couldn’t make sense of this man at all.
He couldn’t see through him.
This was their first time meeting, and he had shown such kindness.
That could only mean he’d realized something.
Realized Kuma’s intentions.
Realized that he planned to help the Straw Hats.
Otherwise, there would be no reason to be so friendly to a Shichibukai.
But there was no way the Straw Hats had told him.
After all, they saw Kuma as a formidable enemy right now.
So why did he make this offer?
Even if he hadn’t said anything, Kuma still would have helped them escape.
Why go this far?
They were complete strangers.
Why would he help him?
Kuma’s mind was full of questions.
He simply couldn’t read Vir.
As for why Vir said those words?
Yeah, to be honest, it was a little dumb.
Because Kuma was going to help the Straw Hats anyway.
There was no need for a deal or any kind of exchange.
But Vir still said it.
Partly, he just wanted to help Kuma.
No real reason—he just wanted to give this most tragic man in the pirate world a hand.
And partly…
Maybe the system would count this as treatment.
Restoring memories—shouldn’t that qualify as healing?
Vir didn’t know for sure.
He even asked the system, but got no response.
Still, it was worth a shot.
No real downside.
If it worked, he’d get some negative points and maybe even Kuma’s ability in return.
That’d be a massive win.
But even if the system didn’t count memory restoration as treatment…
Well, no big deal.
It wasn’t like he was desperate for Kuma’s contributions.
Kuma’s consciousness would be completely erased after returning from this mission.
The next time they’d meet would be at Marineford.
All Vir needed to do now was copy his memories.
The process shouldn’t be painful.
But restoring them later… that would probably hurt a tiny bit.
Copy now. Restore at Marineford.
If he got rewarded—awesome.
If not, no biggie.
And Kuma? He had no reason to refuse.
At the moment, he was just staring at Vir in a daze, still silent.
Vir didn’t rush him.
They just quietly stared at each other.
Truthfully, the atmosphere was a bit weird…
Finally, after what felt like forever, Kuma opened his mouth.
“Why are you helping me?”
He just wanted to know why.
He didn’t question whether Vir could help.
Even he had heard about Whitebeard’s recovery.
And since he’d been tracking Vir’s movements, it was obvious who was responsible.
If someone could heal Whitebeard…
Preserving Kuma’s consciousness would be child’s play.
As for why Kuma had been keeping tabs on Vir?
This time, it wasn’t because of Luffy.
Maybe it had become a habit.
In the past years, he’d sailed non-stop.
Searching for a doctor who could cure Sapphire Scales.
So he paid extra attention to every skilled doctor he heard about.
Whenever one surfaced, he rushed over immediately.
Even though Bonney was already cured…
He still kept watching doctors.
It had become second nature.
Vir just chuckled at Kuma’s question and replied, “I’m not helping you. This is a transaction, remember?”
But as soon as Vir said that, Kuma looked at the smile on his face…
And how could he not understand what he really meant?
He sighed.
Then looked at Vir with sincere gratitude.
And softly said, “Thank you…”
He was truly thankful.
But he didn’t hesitate anymore.
In his eyes, Vir was already a friend.
“Should we do it now? Or wait until after I lose my consciousness?”
Kuma asked softly.
Vir had just been about to say, “Let’s do it now.”
He had already found something in the system shop that could make it happen.
‘Research Materials USB Drive’
Function: Insert into the brain to instantly copy all stored memories. Reinsert to restore the copied data.
Note: Pre-existing “research materials” in the USB will also be transferred. Use with caution~
Price: 700,000 points
Review: Oh~ This USB’s got a bit of a ‘naughty’ side~ Sure you don’t wanna peek first, Host?
[Effective on all living beings.]
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