Chapter 31: Huh? That’s Not Right!

At this moment, Chopper had finally finished preparing.

The two syringes, usually used for injections, were now filled to the brim with a special solution.

Vir took them from Chopper's hands and directly injected one into the shriveled kidney he was holding.

The entire dose of the medicine was smoothly administered.

As the drug took effect, the kidney visibly began to swell, rapidly regaining its fullness.

The once-wrinkled surface became smooth and glossy, its dull, lifeless grayish-black hue transforming into a vibrant crimson red.

Before Ace could react, Sanji let out a startled cry.

"This—this is a miracle drug! Vir! Big bro Vir! How about giving me a shot as well? I promise I'll behave!"

Sanji was utterly ecstatic. Seeing the revitalized kidney in Vir's hand, he was genuinely envious.

If he could get his hands on such a drug, wouldn't that mean…!!

But before his fantasy could run wild, a sharp pain struck the top of his head, yanking him back to reality.

"Can't you see Vir is saving someone?! Stop messing around!"

Nami's furious shout followed immediately after.

Sanji chuckled sheepishly and dared not say another word.

Though slightly speechless at the scene, Vir didn't stop his actions.

The second syringe was swiftly plunged into the other kidney.

Moments later, two fully revitalized kidneys were now fresh and ready.

Ace, witnessing Vir's methods, was completely dumbfounded.

Restoring kidneys… can be this fast?!

What kind of insane medicine is this?!

Before he could fully process everything, Vir had already moved on to the next step—stitching him up.

When Ace turned to look, the first thing he saw was a needle that had snapped in half due to rust.

As for the thread… no matter how he looked at it, it suspiciously resembled a long strand of enoki mushrooms.

What the hell?!

"Hey! Vir! What are you doing?! Are you really stitching me up like that?!"

Ace felt like he was about to lose his mind.

His eyes widened in shock, staring at Vir in pure horror.

Why does this guy not resemble a normal doctor in the slightest?!

Since when did doctors have such bizarre methods?!

"Almost done!"

With that, Vir's expression twisted into a sinister grin, his hands applying even more force.

The intense pain, combined with the sheer psychological discomfort, made Ace cry out in agony.

This guy… he's brutal!

In reality, it wasn't Vir's fault. Despite using the best equipment he had from the medical kit, Ace's absurdly tough skin made it almost impossible to stitch him up without using some serious strength.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You have gained 1000 Negative Points!]

Tch. No doubt about it—Ace was a goldmine for negative emotions.

Just a little effort, and the rewards were leagues beyond what anyone else could provide.

After five minutes, Vir had finally finished.

The kidneys were seamlessly reattached.

Ace, despite gritting his teeth in pain, exhaled a deep breath of relief.

It was over~

He should have collapsed to the ground from exhaustion, yet, strangely enough, he felt the complete opposite.

Instead, he was brimming with energy.

As he stood up and stretched his body, the sensation became even more apparent.

From his lower back, an endless surge of power radiated throughout his body.

He suddenly felt terrifyingly strong.

Even his physical strength seemed to have increased.

Curious about this newfound sensation, he immediately decided to test it out.

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes for a moment, then suddenly snapped them open.

His right arm shot up towards the sky.

"Hiken!! (Fire Fist!!)"

An enormous burst of flames erupted instantaneously, soaring into the sky.

The scorching heat forced everyone nearby to instinctively step back.

The towering inferno shot up at least a thousand meters, growing larger and more intense the higher it climbed.

From a distance, it resembled a massive flaming tornado.

The pile of rocks around him instantly melted under the immense heat, and within half a second, they had completely vaporized—vanishing without a trace.

The entire process lasted only two seconds.

Then, just as quickly as it appeared, the pillar of fire dissipated into the air.

"What the…?!"

The entire Straw Hat crew stood frozen in place, dumbfounded.

What just happened?!

Had Ace been holding back before?

This punch… felt several times stronger than before!

Luffy's jaw nearly hit the ground, his face filled with disbelief.

"Ace, you're this strong?! No! I know you're strong! But I swear I'll catch up to you!"

While the crew chattered in astonishment, Ace remained completely silent.

Because, out of everyone present, he was the most shocked of all.

Staring at his own fist, his expression was one of utter disbelief.

What… what just happened?

That Fire Fist attack—its temperature, range, and sheer destructive power—had far exceeded his usual level.

In fact, it was nearly twice as strong as normal.

And all of this… was a direct result of what just happened.

His body had undergone a transformation, at least a 10% improvement compared to before.

If he had to train for such a boost on his own, it would have taken him at least half a year.

But now…

Half an hour?

Not even!

And if it were just a 10% boost to his physical strength, it wouldn't have been enough to unleash a Fire Fist of that caliber.

The true source of that explosive power…

Came from his lower back.

His newly restored kidneys had actually amplified his attacks.

Even though he could tell that a significant portion of that energy had already been expended after that one move, it didn't change the fact that Vir's ability was absolutely ridiculous!

Finally, Ace turned to face Vir.

At this moment, any doubts Ace had about Vir's medical skills had completely vanished.

This man…

Was a miracle doctor!

Not only had he restored him to peak condition, but he had even made him stronger!

What else could this be if not a miracle?

Old Man still has hope!

Ace decided right then and there—he needed to call Whitebeard immediately and tell him to send people to pick up Vir.

The sooner, the better.

If not for his current mission, he would have outright kidnapped Vir himself.

No one would be able to stop him.

"Vir! You're a miracle doctor!"

Ace finally snapped out of his shock, his face filled with excitement as he shouted at Vir.

But truth be told, Vir wasn't faring any better.

Watching Ace's test run of that punch, Vir himself was utterly dumbfounded.

What the hell?!

Sure, he had heard that healing a patient could make them stronger, but this kind of power boost was way too broken!

If he healed Ace a few more times, wouldn't that turn him into the Pirate King?!

Or better yet, with such an overpowered ability, why bother healing others?

Why not just heal himself instead?!

Just as he was thinking this, the system's voice rang out.

[Ding! Each individual can only receive one power-up from the host per year.]

[Note: The host himself cannot receive enhancements!]

Tch~!

Well, if that's the case, then I guess this ability isn't as overpowered as I thought.

Still, it's better than nothing.

At that moment, the system finally announced the reward from this treatment session.

[Ding! Congratulations, host! You have acquired the ability: Armament Haki (Intermediate Level) — About to break through to Advanced Level.]

[Advanced Armament Haki will automatically unlock the Ryuo technique.]

-----

Read 40+ advanced chapters on my P@treon.

p@treon.com/KakuzuTL