Seeing the strange looks on everyone’s faces, Vir was speechless.
They still couldn’t figure it out?
Hiding deep?
If he didn’t want to be found, did they really think they could find him?
After briefly explaining his ability, Vir casually mentioned his plan.
“What? You want us to act? Act what? Let me make this clear—I’m not playing some idiot character!”
Marco looked completely confused at first, then quickly became determined.
Vir’s in trouble? Not help him?
No way!
“What role? A playboy? That’s my specialty!” Rayleigh said with full confidence.
But Vir just gave a mysterious smile.
He didn’t say what roles everyone would be playing.
Just told them they’d find out later.
Everyone could improvise.
Rayleigh wouldn’t be acting, though.
He still had to handle the negotiations.
Yamato wasn’t particularly interested either—until Vir dropped the bombshell.
“This is about whether we can save Ace or not!”
Instantly, Yamato perked up.
“I’ll play any role! My acting is top-tier!”
Seeing this, Vir grinned in satisfaction.
Too easy.
And hey, it wasn’t a lie~
Pure facts. Nothing but facts.
He loved telling the truth!
The others had no objections either.
After all, Vir had done them favors.
Bonney had been staying rent-free—was it too much to ask her to act a little?
With everyone in agreement, they declared they were ready to start whenever.
Vir’s inner schemer was absolutely thrilled.
It didn’t even have to be super realistic.
They were just creating temporary identities.
No need to go overboard.
So Vir told everyone to just go with the flow.
But before that, of course, Old Ray had to make a call first.
Otherwise, if they just showed up unannounced, they’d be riddled with arrows before they could explain.
Right now, the only recognizable thing about Rayleigh was his voice.
His appearance? His build?
Completely different.
There might have been some resemblance, but the average person wouldn’t recognize him.
Especially with his pouty lips.
He still hadn’t fully recovered after being sucked by that vacuum cleaner.
Probably only Shakky could recognize him at a glance.
“Hello? Hancock?”
The Den Den Mushi connected quickly.
“What do you want, you old geezer?! Don’t tell me you swam here again?!”
At that moment, the Pirate Empress was packing things for a sea voyage.
Once she finished, she planned to set sail in search of a certain doctor.
Because Luffy had been constantly telling stories about Vir—to the point where Hancock was now fully convinced that he could cure her.
So yes, she was eager to find him.
Not just for the treatment, though.
Mostly… she wanted to meet him.
She found him interesting.
Or rather, anyone who could remain composed after seeing her body intrigued her.
Luffy was like that too.
Her irritation with Rayleigh stemmed from the old man’s habit of randomly swimming to Amazon Lily for fun.
Hancock was sick of it.
Still, she couldn’t deny Shakky and Rayleigh had done a lot for her and her sisters.
So her harsh tone was mostly just an act.
Whenever he showed up, she’d still prepare food and drinks for him.
Which, of course, only encouraged Rayleigh to visit more often.
“Oh~ I’m hungry. Let’s drop by Amazon Lily!”
“Oh~ I’m thirsty. Let’s drop by Amazon Lily!”
“Oh~ I’m bored. Let’s drop by Amazon Lily!”
And so, the pattern continued.
“No, no… This time, I came by ship. We’ll be arriving soon.”
Rayleigh said with a grin.
But that immediately triggered Hancock.
“What?! By ship?! You don’t have a ship! Whose ship are you on? Who’s with you?!”
Her guard was up immediately.
“I’m warning you, Rayleigh! This isn’t a shelter! I tolerate you—but if you brought others, turn them the hell around!”
She was about to hang up the call.
But Rayleigh knew her too well.
He immediately shouted, “Wait! Don’t hang up! I brought an old doctor who can remove scars—he’s a miracle doctor!”
Clearly, that got her attention.
Even the Den Den Mushi mirrored her shocked expression.
Someone who could remove scars?
An old miracle doctor?
Was this for real?
She glanced suspiciously at Luffy beside her.
Were miracle doctors really that common now?
Her first reaction was disbelief.
But this was Rayleigh saying it.
Sure, he was unreliable most of the time…
But he’d never lie about this kind of thing.
What to do?
Maybe… give it a shot?
If this guy doesn’t work out, she could still go look for Vir.
No rush.
She had his Vivre Card.
She’d find him eventually.
Might as well see what this guy Rayleigh brought can do.
If he fails… then she’d just turn him into to stone!
Clearly, treating Boa Hancock was not a safe job.
Screw it up, and you’d be dead.
“If he can’t do it, I will kill him. You’d better think carefully before bringing him here.” Hancock warned.
She expected hesitation from Rayleigh—
But instead, he replied with the most confident tone she’d ever heard from him.
“Don’t worry. If he can’t cure you, I’ll let you turn me to stone alongside him!”
Rayleigh could doubt many things about Vir—
But his medical skills?
Undeniable.
The results spoke for themselves.
Even Hancock was taken aback.
That confident?
She couldn’t help but feel a flicker of curiosity.
Without another word, she hung up.
She had to see who this man was.
Someone who could make Rayleigh say something like that?
But the moment the call ended—
*BOOM!*
A bolt of lightning suddenly streaked down from the sky!
At first, she thought it was an enemy attack.
But the lightning didn’t strike her—
It struck the figure beside her—the one wearing a straw hat.
She moved to block it—but the lightning was too fast.
No warning, no buildup—instant impact.
Purple lightning slammed straight onto Luffy.
*CRACKLE—!!*
Purple lightning engulfed him in a dazzling, blinding flash.
The sheer force of the strike blasted a hole dozens of meters deep in the ground.
Luffy disappeared into the crater.
Hancock’s face turned deadly serious.
Who wanted him dead?!
That guy was Vir’s captain! If he died—
Or rather, if he died here, there’d be way too many misunderstandings.
That bolt was so powerful, even Hancock wasn’t sure she could’ve taken it head-on.
How could a weakling like Luffy survive?
He’s probably charcoal by now…
This… was going to be hard to explain.
How was she supposed to find Vir now?
How could she convince him she didn’t kill his captain?
Worst part? She had no idea who did it.
There wasn’t a single trace of an enemy nearby.
Who was it?!
Just as Hancock stood there, totally lost—
“Huh? Man, that was unlucky… Getting struck by lightning out of nowhere…”
A familiar, carefree voice rang out from the crater.
