Marco mercilessly fired back, mocking Rayleigh, who was so poor he only had his loincloth left.
And it was truth.
Right now, Rayleigh didn’t have a single coin to his name. Even if he wanted to see a doctor, he couldn’t afford it.
But when Marco said that Whitebeard had been healed by Vir…
Rayleigh’s expression instantly changed.
He looked at Vir, who was clearly eager to help him, with suspicion.
“You…?” he asked incredulously.
Vir responded with a modest smile.
“That’s right, it was me.”
“Whitebeard just had severe organ ruptures and advanced aging. After my unique massage techniques and acupuncture, he’s completely recovered now.”
*Gasp—*
“Cough cough cough!”
Everyone who hadn’t heard about this before drew in a sharp breath.
Rayleigh even coughed violently from the strain on his wounds.
He knew full well the extent of Whitebeard’s injuries.
And now… this brat in front of him had completely healed Whitebeard?
What did that mean?
A miracle doctor.
A true miracle doctor.
If that was the case, then it made sense that a single treatment from him would cost a fortune.
Information about someone like this… being worth a Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit didn’t seem unrealistic.
For those on the verge of death, or for powerhouses seeking to regain their peak, this was completely acceptable.
And now this guy was offering to treat him for free?
Could it be…
He really was just trying to help someone who’d sacrificed too much?
That he meant no harm?
After all, Rayleigh had nothing to lose in this situation.
In fact, he stood to gain a lot!
Rayleigh wavered.
Maybe… he should give it a shot?
His expression grew complicated.
Above him, Chopper was stunned when he heard that Vir had healed someone whose entire body had suffered organ rupture and aging.
‘Organ failure was bad enough, but aging?’
‘That was almost impossible to cure!’
‘But even so… Big Bro still healed him?!’
‘That’s amazing!’
‘What kind of technique did he use?!’
‘He hasn’t taught me that yet!’
‘I hope he uses it this time so I can learn!’
With that thought, Chopper stared at Vir with intense focus, watching his every move without missing a detail.
Bonney, still a bit dazed, listened on.
She had a rough idea of what was going on.
The Whitebeard they mentioned… was probably that Whitebeard, right?
And this guy—who seemed to be Marco the Phoenix—wouldn’t lie about something like that.
Which meant…
That Vir, The Deceptive Doctor…
Healed Whitebeard?!
His medical skills were that incredible?!
She’d thought he was just strong in combat.
But he was this skilled in medicine too?!
Bonney stared at Vir’s handsome face, a look of astonishment appearing on her own.
That was Whitebeard, after all.
The Strongest Man in the World.
And this guy, who didn’t even look that old…
How had he done it?
Aren’t the best doctors supposed to be old men?!
Why is this guy so different?
Bonney couldn’t help but wonder.
Just then—
Rayleigh seemed to have made up his mind.
He figured if Whitebeard was fine—and living his life as usual—then there was hope for him too.
He wasn’t any worse off than Whitebeard.
Let the kid use the same method on him.
“Alright, go ahead and treat me. But let’s be clear—only the same method used on Whitebeard.”
Rayleigh said warily.
Normally, treatment methods are tailored to the patient.
But in a twist of fate…
His condition just so happened to match.
“No problem!” Vir agreed instantly.
“Exactly the same! Let me explain—Whitebeard took my medicine, then underwent my specialized massage, followed by acupuncture. That’s how he fully recovered.”
“I’ll follow the exact same steps with you!”
Vir’s grin was no longer restrained.
Everything lined up perfectly!
First, ingestion. Then, massage and medicinal ointment. Finally, acupuncture—which, of course, meant injection.
It all matches up!
Hearing Rayleigh’s request, Marco suddenly seemed to recall something traumatic.
His expression turned a bit strange.
Rayleigh really was something else…
Of all people, he chose to go through that treatment—the one Whitebeard endured.
That was the most brutal torture method Marco had seen in his entire life.
‘You’re braver than I thought, old man.’
Marco shot Rayleigh a look full of sympathy.
“Are we starting now?” Rayleigh, still unaware, asked.
But Vir didn’t jump in just yet.
After explaining the procedure, he asked one more thing.
“My treatments come in packages. You’ll need to pick one.”
Everyone blinked in confusion.
Rayleigh was completely at a loss.
What kind of treatment comes with packages?
Is this a massage parlor or something?
This is actual medical treatment, right?
“What do you mean, packages? Don’t give me that ‘extra charge for premium service’ nonsense! I’m an honest old man! Massage is massage, medicine is medicine! No shady business!”
Rayleigh said righteously.
Vir blinked, a little surprised by the reaction.
Whoa. So this kinda thing exists in the pirate world too?
And not just exists—looks like Uncle Ray here has seen his fair share.
Even triggered the keyword response.
“Hey now, don’t get the wrong idea. This is real medical work, nothing shady, okay?”
“My treatments come in 588, 888, 1888, and 3888 packages. Honestly, they’re not all that different—just pick whichever one you like.”
Vir smiled amiably at Rayleigh.
Rayleigh didn’t hesitate for a second.
He picked the most expensive option right away.
Based on his years of experience in massage parlors…
The more expensive, the better!
And since Vir was giving it to him for free…
Why settle for the cheap one?
“You kidding me? 3888, obviously!”
Rayleigh waved his hand decisively.
Hearing this, Vir’s smile widened even further.
He reached into his medical kit and pulled out a digital scale.
Then he brought out a plate roughly the size of a well cover and placed it on top.
He powered on the scale, zeroed it out—
Then flipped his entire medical kit upside down and started knocking on its bottom.
*Clang clang clang—*
After knocking the kit a few times, he took out a gas mask and put it on…
Seeing this, Marco and Yamato’s faces instantly went pale.
They immediately retreated together to the very edge of the ship’s stern.
But Marco still didn’t feel safe.
Without hesitation, he transformed into his phoenix form and shot into the sky.
This was a trauma born from experience.
He meant to buy a top-grade hazmat suit.
But…
He drank too much and forgot.
“Hey! Don’t leave me! Please! Take me with you!!”
Yamato’s desperate screams echoed across the deck.
But Marco’s phoenix flames grew fainter and fainter.
And soon enough, he vanished beyond the horizon.
Not even a trace of light remained.
Leaving Yamato standing alone on the deck.
At that moment, she deeply regretted not eating a flying-type Devil Fruit.