At this moment, Luffy was once again pulling himself back by grabbing onto the rocks.
Vir had been too fast earlier.
Luffy hadn't even had time to react before he was sent flying.
"Vir, what's wrong with Ace? He's not going to die, is he? He's still so young!"
Luffy asked with a worried expression, only to receive a heavy blow to the head.
"What nonsense are you spouting! If you don't know how to talk properly, just shut up!"
The hot-tempered Nami immediately punched Luffy.
Vir glanced at Ace and had already figured out the situation.
Not that he really needed to check…
He was the one who did this, after all. Of course, he knew what was going on.
But appearances had to be kept up.
"It's fine, everyone, don't panic. Ace is just suffering from food poisoning. His body is strong, so he won't die, but if we leave him like this, he'll go through a period of weakness before he recovers."
As he spoke, Vir pulled out his medical kit and started rummaging through it.
Luffy, hearing Vir's words, immediately panicked.
Ace had just told him that he was on a mission.
And his opponent seemed to be pretty strong.
If he ended up in a weakened state, wouldn't that be incredibly dangerous?
"Vir! You have to help Ace! He has a mission to complete! If he's weak, he'll be in danger!"
Luffy pleaded anxiously.
Ace was also aware of the seriousness of the situation.
Although he had no idea why this was happening to him so suddenly,
there was no way he was giving up on chasing Blackbeard.
Even if he had to endure the period of weakness Vir mentioned, he would still go.
Ace was just that stubborn. He believed Thatch had died because of him, so no matter what, he couldn't stop now.
Despite the intense pain rendering him immobile, he still forced himself to look at Vir.
But suddenly, both his and Luffy's faces underwent a strange change.
Their mouths and eyes widened more and more.
Their expressions turned to sheer horror.
"EHHHH?!"
Luffy even let out a shocked cry.
And their reaction was shared by everyone present.
Every single person at the scene looked at Vir in absolute terror.
Because he had just pulled a bloodstained chainsaw out of his medical kit.
Holding the chainsaw in his hand, Vir yanked the starter cord hard.
*Vrrrrrrr!*
A deafening noise filled the air as the chainsaw roared to life.
Ace was so shocked that, for a moment, he forgot about his pain.
Before he could even scream, Vir set the chainsaw aside.
Ace let out a huge sigh of relief. Just now, he had seriously thought Vir was going to operate on him with that thing.
But then, Vir pulled out another unsettling tool from his bag.
It was just a tube, really.
A flexible rubber tube that wasn't too thick.
And another strange object.
It looked like the kind of wooden bite stick people in ancient times would use when enduring great suffering.
Except this one was made of metal, looking incredibly sturdy.
It had a round hole in the middle, just large enough for the tube to pass through.
Without hesitation, Vir shoved the metal piece into Ace's mouth.
Ace, utterly confused, looked at Vir in bewilderment.
Vir didn't explain.
Instead, he turned to Luffy and said, "Here, Luffy, grab both ends of this thing and make sure Ace doesn't spit it out."
As soon as Vir finished speaking, Luffy kicked Ace to the ground.
He stepped on Ace's back, firmly gripping both ends of the strange device and pulling upward with all his might.
Ace: You're really my brother, huh?!
Being yanked like this didn't do much damage, but his teeth hurt like hell.
Luffy didn't hold back at all.
He was pulling with everything he had.
Meanwhile, Vir approached Ace with the tube in hand.
Ace finally realized what was happening.
That tube…
It wasn't going where he thought it was… was it?!
Seeing the nearly two-meter-long tube, Ace truly panicked.
And his fears were proven right.
Vir was preparing to pump his stomach.
There were definitely remnants left in his gut.
He had to clear them out first.
And the device he was about to use?
It was originally meant for washing out cows' stomachs.
But in a world where people were built as tough as monsters, what was a little veterinary treatment?
No problem at all.
Compared to the animals of the Blue Planet, people in the One Piece world were way more durable.
Without hesitation, Vir inserted the tube through the hole in the metal bite stick.
Ace's eyes widened in horror.
You're actually doing this?!
He couldn't take it anymore and started struggling frantically.
But the pain in his stomach made him weak all over.
His "good" little brother was using all his strength to pin him down, rendering him completely immobile.
Ace: I swear, Luffy, I'm going to beat the crap out of you when this is over!
The metal bite stick had already been slightly flattened by his desperate clenching.
But it was still usable.
The tube advanced rapidly, and in Ace's despairing gaze, it successfully reached his stomach.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, you've earned 5000 Negative Points.]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, you've earned 2000 Negative Points.]
And they hadn't even started yet—7,000 points already!
What fantastic news!
As long as nothing unexpected happened, this was going to be a jackpot of Negative Points!
Just as he thought that, the system's voice chimed again.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, your balance has reached the threshold. Unlocking new ability: "Painful but Not in Vain!"]
Huh? What?
This ability…
Turns out, those who suffer under his treatment gain varying degrees of power-ups?
Damn! This system is actually pretty considerate.
It even provides benefits to the victims!
Respect. Total respect.
Ace, you should be grateful to have a doctor like me~
Thinking this, Vir pulled out a funnel and attached it to the exposed end of the tube.
"Chopper, bring the water."
Hearing this, Chopper immediately transformed into his larger form, rushed over, and took the bucket of dirty water Vir handed him.
Ace was completely shattered.
His stomach ache was "probably" caused by drinking that stuff earlier!
He didn't know why the others could drink it while he couldn't, but it was very clear that he shouldn't drink any more of it!
What was this bastard up to now?!
This was bad!
Really bad!
Luffy was still pinning him down, making escape impossible.
"Ace, it's okay. Just close your eyes and endure it. It'll be over soon."
Luffy, for once, spoke like an understanding big brother, trying to console Ace.
Ace had finally reached his breaking point.
He swore to himself: As soon as I recover, I'm beating this idiot to a pulp!
And so, the first bucket of water went down.
The bizarre sensation provided Vir with another 2500 Negative Points on the spot.
And where there was one, there were more.
After several buckets, Ace's stomach visibly swelled.
Vir grabbed the tube and began forcefully pumping.
Soon, a flood of unknown liquids—and an influx of Negative Points—came pouring out.
Ace was completely numb.
Was this really how stomach pumping worked?
"Your poisoning was too severe. Standard procedures wouldn't be fast enough."
Vir explained casually as he poured in more water.
And to Ace's surprise…
His pain really was subsiding.
And even more shocking—
His physical strength had actually improved slightly!
What was going on?!
If this was the case…
Maybe this suffering wasn't entirely unbearable…
It was just the price of getting stronger.
Fine. I'll endure it.
Just a little more…
But as Vir pumped again, Ace's eyes watered.
This… This isn't something a human should have to endure!!!
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