Shin couldn't help but curl his lips. "A medical student who can get seriously ill himself—doesn't seem very reliable," he thought.
But even if he isn't reliable, he could still demonstrate his skill. That way, Shin might earn a spot on Ace's crew.
As the son of the Pirate King, Ace's physical potential far surpassed Shin's. In addition to his fearless nature, Shin felt confident that if he got close to Ace, he'd have the chance to analyze the mysteries of his body.
Unlike those who pillage and plunder, Ace embodied the spirit of a true adventurer. If Shin were with him, they'd be far more respectable than the average pirate crew.
Not to mention, Ace's Spade Pirates would eventually join the Whitebeard Pirates—where Blackbeard, the infamous one, was waiting!
Shin was deeply intrigued by Blackbeard's strange body, which allowed him to consume two Devil Fruits.
Smiling at the thought, Shin spoke up. "If you're looking for a doctor, you don't have to search too hard. I'm a doctor."
"Really?" Ace looked pleasantly surprised. "The Drum Kingdom lives up to its reputation as a medical haven if even the young folks are doctors."
'You've got the wrong idea about Drum Kingdom,' Shin thought, feeling a twitch in his brow.
It reminded him of how people had once assumed that all Chinese knew kung fu when Bruce Lee's movies became famous. Shin chuckled to himself. Apparently, the world of pirates had its stereotypes too.
"Not just anyone can be a doctor," Chopper interjected, standing behind Shin. "Shin here is a renowned doctor from Drum Kingdom."
"Whoa! A talking raccoon!" Ace exclaimed in amazement.
"Idiot! I'm a reindeer, not a raccoon!" Chopper roared, baring his teeth at Ace.
"Reindeer?" Ace cocked his head, unconvinced. "Looks like a raccoon to me."
"It's reindeer!" Enraged, Chopper launched himself at Ace, and the two began to wrestle.
Meanwhile, Shin glanced at Ace's forgotten deputy lying nearby, injured and unacknowledged. Shaking his head, he knelt to examine the wound and noted an inflamed, festering sore on the man's back.
"Really? I thought he was just sick, but this is a bad wound infection," he muttered.
"What's up with this guy, anyway? He couldn't even handle such an injury—he calls himself a doctor?"
Shin leaned over and opened his mouth with a slight sigh, swallowing Deuce whole.
Still tangled in a brawl with Chopper, Ace froze wide-eyed as he pushed Chopper aside and dashed over.
"What did you do to Deuce?!"
In a panicked motion, Ace reached out to pry Shin's mouth open, sticking his head right in—only to be struck away as Deuce was spat out by Shin, landing squarely on the ground.
"Wha–? What happened? Deuce, are you okay?" Ace blinked, a bit dizzy, as he looked at his friend, who was slowly waking up.
"I'm so thirsty... Where am I?"
"Deuce! You're awake!" Ace's face lit up with joy. Not only had Deuce regained consciousness, but the fever had finally subsided, and the wound was now just a tiny scar.
"What happened? Oh, right, I had a high fever from an infected wound, but I feel fine now. How long was I out?"
"I healed your injury. The infection's cleared up too," Shin said, spitting in distaste, though he didn't truly mind. Swallowing people wasn't as disgusting as it seemed, but it still felt odd.
Shin's ability to apply his fruit powers combined with his medical expertise allowed him to treat such injuries easily, even if the method was somewhat unorthodox.
Ace looked at Deuce with astonishment, finally coming to terms with what he'd seen, though Deuce impatiently swatted him aside.
"It's healed that fast? What kind of Devil Fruit power is this?" Ace asked excitedly, practically sparkling with fascination as he ran over to Shin.
Though initially startled by Shin's actions, Ace had quickly pieced together that it must be some unusual Devil Fruit ability.
"This is the power of the Munch-Munch Fruit. It lets me modify anything I swallow, including living bodies," Shin explained.
"That's incredible! Does that mean you can heal any injury by swallowing and spitting it out?" Ace asked, his eyes gleaming.
"Not quite. I still need to know how to treat the injury for it to work. The fruit's power simply speeds up the treatment and recovery process," Shin clarified.
There was more he hadn't mentioned, though—if the person wasn't fatally wounded, his fruit could restore them to health as long as their organs were intact. However, he knew his power couldn't perform miracles. If the patient's heart were destroyed, even the Munch-Munch Fruit wouldn't be able to save them.
"That's still incredible!" Ace said, his eyes practically twinkling. "Would you be willing to be the doctor on our crew? Deuce here can barely manage to disinfect wounds, let alone treat real injuries," he added, gesturing at Deuce, who stood nearby, dejected.
Deuce slumped his shoulders at Ace's words, muttering to himself as he drew circles on the ground. "I'm just a medical student. It's not like I asked to be dragged onto this ship."
But Ace was already fixated on his goal, murmuring plans to himself as he strategized to recruit Shin to join the crew for good.
"Although our Spade Pirates are still new to the Grand Line, we have great potential," Ace began.
"Alright, I'll join you," Shin replied, smiling.
Ace froze mid-sentence. "Huh? Wait, really?"
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Mass Release: [1/5]
For every power stones milestone: 50,100, 200, 300,400,500 I will release a bonus chapter.
I will also release a bonus chapter for every two reviews until it reaches ten reviews.
Review status: [3/10]