One Piece: Don't Worry, I'm a Doctor

Uta’s singing truly had the power to inspire strength and confidence in people.

Her main goal in singing was to bring a ray of hope to those who had been ravaged by pirates and lost all hope in life.

Now, unexpectedly, even Shirahoshi was irresistibly drawn to her voice.

Vir couldn’t help but feel a bit helpless about Shirahoshi’s situation.

Her social anxiety seemed utterly impossible to overcome.

Gentle methods didn’t work, and harsh approaches were even less effective.

Honestly, Vir was starting to lose hope in Shirahoshi.

Her ability was most likely control over Sea Kings, but in the end, that was still just an external power.

What Vir had always pursued was his own, personal strength.

So, whether he could harness Shirahoshi’s ability or not, Vir was beginning to treat it as optional.

But now, Uta’s appearance gave him a glimmer of hope.

Just by hearing a trace of that song, Shirahoshi lifted her delicate face.

If she could listen to Uta’s songs regularly, wouldn’t that mean she’d recover in no time?

Sure, that wouldn’t count as Vir curing her.

It’d be Uta who healed Shirahoshi.

But Vir’s patient stamp was still on Shirahoshi.

So even if Uta did the healing, the credit would ultimately go to Vir.

Shirahoshi’s negative points were almost paid off by now, and if he could gain her ability in the end, that’d be perfect.

“Do you like listening to songs?”

On the bustling street, Vir softly asked Shirahoshi, who was staring off in a daze.

Her head snapped back at his words.

Uta’s singing truly had a magical quality.

To those who had lost hope and confidence, it was like a heavenly melody.

But Vir wasn’t particularly moved by it.

Shirahoshi, coming back to herself, met Vir’s gaze. This time, surprisingly, she didn’t shy away.

Instead, she stared straight at him, her stubborn little eyes brimming with defiance.

Just as Vir was scratching his head, unsure what this girl was up to, Shirahoshi suddenly moved.

Standing so close to Vir, she abruptly stood on her tiptoes and quickly pecked his cheek.

After the peck, she reverted to her ostrich-like state, her face turning bright red.

In that moment, the world seemed to fall silent.

The sea breeze ruffled Vir’s white shirt and sent Shirahoshi’s skirt fluttering.

Vir stared blankly at the shy girl in front of him, his expression utterly stunned.

‘What… just happened?!’

‘This ostrich… kissed me?’

The shock in Vir’s eyes wouldn’t fade. He really hadn’t seen this coming.

That song could inspire this much confidence? Enough for her to just up and kiss him?

What kind of song was this?

Vir, who hadn’t been too impressed by Uta’s singing before, was now genuinely intrigued.

This effect seemed a bit too strong.

A pirate version of a courage-boosting ballad? Filling her with bravery to the brim?

This… this… this…

But why’d she use that courage to kiss him? This ostrich was only fourteen!

Looking at Shirahoshi, who was bowing her head, her whole body seemingly turning red, Vir felt a bit helpless.

What was he supposed to say in a situation like this?

Nothing seemed quite right.

Forget it. For now, he’d focus on the song.

Taking Shirahoshi’s hand, Vir led her to the small shop where the singing was coming from.

Inside, the shop’s proprietress was basking in the performance on a screen.

But by then, Uta was already saying her goodbyes to the crowd.

Soon after, the projection vanished.

The proprietress snapped out of it, brimming with energy, and turned to get back to work.

When she spun around and saw Vir, she jumped in surprise.

“Need something?” she asked, eyeing Vir curiously.

“That singer—how can I hear her again?”

“Oh~ you mean Uta! If you want to hear her sing, all you need is a Visual Den Den Mushi. But she’s resting now, so you’ll probably have to wait a week.”

When she spoke of Uta, the proprietress’s eyes sparkled with pride.

Vir couldn’t help but marvel—was this the power of an idol?

But after she finished, Shirahoshi’s head drooped in disappointment.

A whole week… that was so long.

Vir noticed Shirahoshi’s mood immediately.

After thanking the proprietress, he led her out.

Chiba had a house here.

Following Chiba’s guidance from the Going Merry, Vir soon arrived before a small home.

The house wasn’t large, about the same as those along the street—two floors, but the first wasn’t a shop.

More than enough space for one person to live in.

There was a Visual Den Den Mushi inside, but it was useless right now.

They’d have to wait a week.

But Vir had other ideas.

Why wait? Why not just go get Uta, bring her back, and have her befriend Shirahoshi? She could sing to her every day.

Living alone on that island, Uta’s mind had eventually twisted, wanting to drag everyone into her Sing-Sing World.

Bringing her back from that island could indirectly save her.

After all, she had died in the end.

Still, this plan would have to wait. For now, he didn’t have the time to make the trip.

This time, he had healed three people all at once.

There was no way to hide the news of their strength skyrocketing.

The good part was, this meant he’d be very busy from now on.

His own strength would likely grow rapidly too.

Once he’d milked the Marine’s injured for all they were worth, then he’d set out to find Uta.

As for being recognized, Vir wasn’t worried at all.

As he’d always said, even Imu’s Observation Haki wasn’t as strong as his.

The only way his Mimic ability could be exposed was if someone with overwhelmingly powerful Observation Haki scanned him directly.

Other than that, only subtle behavioral quirks might give him away.

But beyond that? No chance.

The Mimic ability wasn’t a joke.

And his Observation Haki was unmatched in the world.

Expose him? Don’t make him laugh—not even Imu could do it.

As Sengoku had promised, no one bothered Vir that day.

Aside from Momousagi, who came to chat with her “cousin”, no one else showed up.

With Chiba’s help, Vir managed to dispel Momousagi’s suspicions.

But then she decided to stay over.

Her reason? She was worried Vir might “lose control” and do something to Shirahoshi.

She insisted on sleeping in the same room as Shirahoshi.

This left Vir dumbfounded.

Do something? He hadn’t done anything.

If anyone had done something, it was Shirahoshi.

When Momousagi said this, Shirahoshi’s face turned red again.

“Shirahoshi, tell me, has this guy tried anything with you…?”

Momousagi pulled Shirahoshi aside, and they quickly disappeared from Vir’s sight, heading to the next room.

Vir shook his head helplessly.

Lying on the bed, he couldn’t help but think about what came next.

The only one left with visible injuries worth treating right now was Sengoku.

Aokiji had already been treated and would probably resist any further help.

More importantly, his injuries this time weren’t severe.

Thanks to the 10% boost Vir gave him last time, he handled himself pretty well at the Summit War.

The odds of treating him again were slim.

As for Sengoku, a severed hand was relatively easy to deal with.

A few swings of the Vibro-Blade, and he could probably reattach it in no time.

But the first step, of course, was to give him a good stir-fry.

Vir was counting on this round to hopefully max out the damage immunity effect.

Even though Sengoku didn’t have any other obvious injuries besides his hand, he definitely wasn’t unscathed.

No need to overthink it—just stir-fry and call it a day.

After using the Vibro-Blade on Akainu, it only lost 8 points of durability.

Now, the blade was down to 39 durability.

At most, it could handle two or three more treatments before its healing effect completely burned out.

After that, it’d just be a top-tier combat weapon.

Sengoku’s injury was only a hand, so it probably wouldn’t cost too much durability.

He decided to treat Sengoku first in the morning.

With that thought, Vir collapsed onto his soft bed. Thanks to his sharp hearing, he could make out the whispers from the next room, but he quickly drifted off to sleep.

—

The next day.

Marine Headquarters welcomed two expected guests.

Inside the Fleet Admiral’s office—

In the reception area, a few small sofas circled around a low tea table.

The floor was laid with dark wooden planks, and a light-colored carpet covered the center of the area.

The sofas still bore the obvious dents of someone who’d just been lounging comfortably there.

Saturn sat opposite Sengoku, while Sengoku himself took the seat with the fresh indent.

Glancing at Garp, who had moved to the side to sip tea, Sengoku helplessly rubbed his forehead.

Zero, dressed in a standard black agent suit that fit a bit too tightly, spoke first.

“Where’s that kid of yours? Call him out so I can take a look.”

Zero’s face was noticeably paler than the last time they met.

Even his voice betrayed a hint of weakness.

Sengoku, fully aware of the purpose of their visit, didn’t bother with pleasantries. He called out to the door, “Get Chiba in here.”

Then, politely, he poured tea for the two guests.

This, of course, earned him an eye-roll from Garp.

“If that kid turns out to be problematic, don’t blame us for taking direct action.” Zero took a sip of tea and spoke to Sengoku in a cold tone.

The venomous spider’s influence made everything he did carry an eerie chill.

Sengoku gave a faint smile.

“If you don’t trust me, you’re welcome to test him yourselves. My conclusion is that there’s no problem. But if you find something, feel free to handle it as you see fit.”

With that, the room fell silent.

Saturn hadn’t said a word from the start. He’d originally planned to give Sengoku a bit of a verbal thrashing.

But this time, he was here on Imu-sama’s orders, so petty squabbles could wait.

*Creak~*

The door swung open again, and Vir walked in slowly with Shirahoshi.

The moment he stepped inside, his heart sank.

Why were these two here?

Seeing Saturn and Zero, Vir clearly hadn’t expected them.

He’d assumed this visit was just about treating Sengoku.

That’s why he’d come so quickly.

As for these two, Vir wasn’t afraid of them.

Whether it was playing it safe or throwing down, Vir was confident he could escape if needed.

What worried him now was whether Imu had some bizarre ability to detect that he was an imposter.

Until that theory was confirmed, Vir wasn’t letting Shirahoshi stray too far from his side.

If things went south, he’d toss Chiba aside, grab Shirahoshi, and teleport out of there.

With that in mind, Vir quietly took Shirahoshi’s hand.

He walked toward the group.

But Shirahoshi thought he was simply holding her hand in front of everyone.

Her cheeks flushed a lovely pink, making her look even cuter.

Still, she gripped his hand a little tighter.

“Fleet Admiral Sengoku, did you call for me?” Vir asked bluntly, his expression blank as he approached.

All eyes were on him, but no one spoke.

The atmosphere grew heavy.

Time ticked by, and still, no one said a word.

Just as Shirahoshi was starting to wonder what was going on, a sharp whoosh cut through the air.

By the time she registered it, a spider leg was already inches from Vir’s face.

It was mere millimeters from his eyes.

Yet Vir didn’t flinch, staring calmly at Zero with no trace of emotion.

He let the spider leg hover in front of him.

After a moment, Zero slowly retracted his hand.

“Why didn’t you dodge?” he asked.

“Because I’m not afraid.” Vir replied.

“Why aren’t you afraid?”

“Not afraid is not afraid.”

“If Fleet Admiral wanted me gone, it wouldn’t be you two making the move.”

“And if he didn’t, he wouldn’t stand by and let you kill me.”

“Since I don’t know either of you, and you don’t seem to have a personal grudge against me, this is obviously a test.”

Vir’s confident, unflappable demeanor earned a faint look of approval from Zero.

He had observed every micro-expression of Vir’s.

As a spider, capturing such details was effortless.

But everything Vir had shown matched his strength perfectly.

Nothing was off.

Even Observation Haki revealed no abnormalities.

He glanced back at Saturn and gave a slight nod before sitting back down.

Saturn, who’d been observing Vir as well, came up empty-handed.

Without another word, Saturn pulled out the ring Imu-sama had entrusted to him. He rubbed it gently, and suddenly, a dazzling light began to shine.

Seeing the glowing ring, Vir felt a sudden sense of dread.

It was as if some terrifying presence was about to emerge.

As for Zero’s earlier test—Vir’s Observation Haki far surpassed his.

The moment Zero even thought of making a move, Vir had already clearly sensed it.

But whatever Saturn was doing with that ring… it felt like something else entirely.

Before Vir could think too much, a shadowy figure appeared above the ring.

The figure was small, proportionate to the ring.

But even this tiny shadow radiated a clear, overwhelming sense of danger to Vir.

His expression didn’t change, but inside, his heart was roiling like a stormy sea.

A single thought began to form in his mind.

This shadow… could it be Imu?

Source: .com, updated by novlove.com