Just like that, Vir’s irritation vanished in a puff of smoke.
He even glanced at the short, curvaceous Jina not far away and found her kind of… cute.
Hmm.
A mascot.
A little mascot.
Vir had already sized up her strength with his Observation Haki.
She was probably around Vice Admiral level, give or take.
Not bad for a doctor her age. After all, mastering both medical skills and physical training takes a ton of time. Balancing the two and reaching that level of strength? Pretty impressive.
He wasn’t sure about her medical prowess, though.
Whatever. It’s not like it mattered to him.
His main goal was getting Shiki fixed up.
Though he didn’t know why this young lady had such a big problem with him, as long as she behaved and didn’t act up, he couldn’t be bothered with her.
She wasn’t bad-looking, and her figure was, well, dangerously eye-catching.
Too bad her brain seemed a bit… off.
Poor kid, he thought.
With that, Vir led the two into the house.
The peanut gallery trio had already made thorough preparations, sitting around a small round table, thoroughly entertained.
They’d even started snacking on sunflower seeds.
The others sat beside the trio, while Vir, Shiki, and Jina sat across from them.
At some point, Shiki whispered something to Jina. It was clear she wasn’t thrilled about it, but out here, she wasn’t about to argue with the Golden Lion himself. Even if she was annoyed with Vir, she kept her mouth shut.
With his top-tier Observation Haki, Vir naturally overheard their little chat.
“Don’t make a scene. Wait until after the treatment.” Shiki had said.
Guess the old lion could tell what Jina was thinking and stepped in to cool her jets.
But here’s the kicker: Shiki knew how strong Vir was. Yet he didn’t warn Jina or try to rein her in.
Maybe he felt that Jina, having lived in the sky for so long and being spoiled, had grown too arrogant.
She needed a reality check—a little humbling.
With him present, letting Vir be the one to deliver that check was probably the best option.
He just needed to make sure Vir didn’t hit her too hard.
A lesson was fine, but breaking the kid was a no-go.
With their own thoughts in mind, the three took their seats.
A small table sat between Vir and Shiki, with Jina right next to the Golden Lion.
The peanut gallery trio was whispering excitedly among themselves.
“Heh, looks like that girl has some attitude.” Yamato said with a grin.
“Just wait. She’s definitely gonna stir up some drama. I wonder if Vir can handle her.” Marco chimed in, eyeing Jina with amusement.
“Hahaha! Forget the girl for a sec — wanna make a bet?” Rayleigh’s gambling addiction flared up again.
The other two looked at him, puzzled. “Bet on what?”
“Whether Shiki’s gonna scream or not!” Rayleigh said, practically trembling with excitement. Betting always got him way too hyped.
His voice was a bit too loud, though.
Shiki and Jina glanced over.
“They’re going too far! Betting on something so stupid!” Jina glared at them, furious.
Realizing his slip-up, Rayleigh was about to smooth things over when Shiki himself swaggered over.
“Jihahaha! Rayleigh, you old dog, you haven’t changed a bit! Count me in! I bet I won’t scream!” Shiki roared, not the least bit offended. If anything, he looked thrilled.
A bet, huh? Count him in!
Years of quiet living had mellowed the Golden Lion’s temper a bit. Or maybe he was just getting old, like Rayleigh.
Hearing this, Rayleigh broke into a wide grin. “Hahaha! Alright, since you’re showing such good sportsmanship, here’s a heads-up: the next part might get a little bloody. Better be mentally prepared.”
Shiki’s face flickered with surprise. Bloody?
He’d lived long enough to see more blood than that kid had drunk water.
What could possibly be so bloody it warranted a warning?
He looked toward the young man who was spacing out.
Roughly Jina’s age.
A doctor, treating someone—how bloody could that get?
He hadn’t heard anything weird about this guy before. What was Rayleigh getting at?
Shiki was stumped.
“Hmph! Mental prep? You guys clearly haven’t seen much!” Jina scoffed, storming over. She slammed a massive case of Berries onto the table with a thud.
“I’m betting he won’t scream either! And if you lose, you’re streaking around this place buck-naked!” she declared, fuming.
Not only were they betting on whether her father would scream in pain, but now they were even questioning his mental fortitude?
This was an insult!
A blatant insult!
As someone who idolized Golden Lion, how could she tolerate this?
She immediately threw down all the money she’d prepared for the medical fee!
She had to see these guys humiliate themselves!
Shiki raised an eyebrow but didn’t object. He was confident enough in himself. Sure, Whitebeard had said it’d be free, but Shiki didn’t buy it.
Free stuff is always the most expensive in the end.
This case had to be worth at least a couple billion Berries.
Good thing Nami wasn’t around — otherwise, who knew how crazy she’d go.
The peanut gallery trio froze, staring at the mountain of cash.
Yamato didn’t have a deep understanding of money, but she still recognized it.
And this was a lot.
What was going on? Was this chick just… handing it over?
In this day and age, people just gave away money like that?!
The three exchanged glances, their faces breaking into identical, mischievous grins.
*WHAM!*
They slammed their hands on the table in unison. “Deal!”
Their excited smirks were impossible to hide, stretching ear to ear. They couldn’t hold it in.
Two billion Berries! Two billion!
Yamato dragged over a chair, Marco passed around a fruit platter, and Rayleigh just cackled. Their hospitality was off the charts, leaving Jina bewildered.
What was this? She hadn’t exactly complimented them, had she? Why were they so giddy? Did they… like running around naked?
Utterly confused, Jina was ushered into a seat by the trio.
This was their golden goose!
They had to treat her well.
Handing over two billion Berries just like that? Who wouldn’t be thrilled?
What?
What if they had to run naked?
Please.
Marco could only think one thing: If even Pops couldn’t take it, what makes you think Shiki can?
Their faith in Vir’s treatment was unshakable. They’d seen it with their own eyes.
Nobody could endure it.
Nobody.
—–
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