"Knock, knock, knock…"
"Excuse me, is Dr. Kureha here?"
Following the clues provided by the villagers, Sherwin came to the forest near the lakeside town. Using his Observation Haki, he quickly located a large tree fitted with doors and windows among the others. He then stepped forward and knocked on the door.
Early the next morning, after sending Huamei to Drum Castle to manage the daily routines of the two research Felynes, Sherwin continued touring Drum Island with Klee Meow and Shermie Meow.
Joining them were Robin, who wished to further investigate the history of Drum Island, as well as Shirahoshi—who had finally overcome the island frigid climate—and her big sister, Jinx.
As for how Shirahoshi managed to endure the cold…
Since the two research Felynes were completely absorbed in Drum Island medical studies, it was Kaido Meow who stayed up through the night to knit her a warm woolen sweater for her fish tail.
To be honest, this was the first time even Sherwin had learned that Kaido Meow possessed such a skill.
In any case, after solving the problem of her tail being unable to withstand the cold, Shirahoshi—who had always been devoted to promoting Fish-Man Island desire to coexist peacefully with humans—immediately asked Sherwin for permission to come ashore with them.
Naturally, Sherwin had no intention of dampening the "little" mermaid enthusiasm, so he brought her and Jinx along as well.
It was just that when heading to Drum Castle, Shirahoshi enormous size prevented her from experiencing the island distinctive cable car.
That, however, was not necessarily a bad thing. Given wapol dreadful way of ruling the country, if Shirahoshi had witnessed it in her current state, the "little" mermaid would likely have been unable to restrain herself—just like Robin—and would have struck out with the Fish-Man Karate she had been diligently practicing lately.
Of course, precisely because Shirahoshi could not take the cable car with them, Sherwin and the others were unable to use the ropeways connecting the various towns to quickly fill in the map of Drum Island.
Fortunately, they had plenty of time. So Sherwin led the Felynes and the "little" mermaid along the roads opened up by the local villagers, visiting each town one by one. While mapping out the island, he also let Shirahoshi carry out her work as the "ambassador of Fish-Man Island."
Unfortunately, under wapol exploitation, the people of the Drum Kingdom had no mind to care about anything else. The only reason they gathered to listen to Shirahoshi speak was out of consideration for Sherwin status as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Sensing this through Observation Haki, Shirahoshi could only helplessly put an end to her futile efforts.
However, the ever-kind Shirahoshi did not ask Sherwin to punish wapol. Aside from having gained some understanding of such matters through her experiences, it was also because during her time traveling with Sherwin, she had encountered many countries in similar situations. She knew very well what his backup plans were.
After Shirahoshi canceled her speech, their pace immediately picked up. As they wandered from place to place, they eventually arrived at the lakeside town known as Kester.
Originally, Sherwin had planned to bring Haibara Meow and the others to visit Dr. Kureha after they finished learning the medical skills of the "Isshi-20." But since they had already come across this place, he decided to stop by and pay her a visit.
That was how the scene at the very beginning came to be.
"Hm? Someone actually found this place?" A vigorous elderly woman voice came from inside the treehouse. "Is someone suffering from an acute illness?!"
As she spoke, the door of the treehouse swung open swiftly, and an old woman dressed fashionably, still holding a bottle of alcohol, appeared before Sherwin and the others.
Though her hair was completely white and her face lined with wrinkles, Dr. Kureha figure was in no way inferior to young women like Robin or Hancock.
Even the condition of her skin was far too good for a centenarian. So when she claimed she could maintain eternal youth…
It was not entirely bragging.
"The Hunter? Why would someone of your stature come to visit a reclusive old woman like me?"
Upon seeing Sherwin and the Felynes beside him, Dr. Kureha pupils contracted sharply. But she quickly returned to her usual unrestrained demeanor. Even so, there was still a trace of tension hidden in her words.
After all…
She had actually called herself an old lady!
You had to know, in the manga, Luffy only called her "granny" once and was kicked flying by Dr. Kureha.
Sure enough, when someone is strong enough, most people will choose to speak properly.
Gently shaking his head to clear away the scattered thoughts in his mind, Sherwin politely bowed to her and then explained his purpose.
"Our Felyne Investigation Team doctor heard that the medical technology of the Drum Kingdom is extremely advanced and came specifically to exchange knowledge.
I've heard that aside from the 'Doctors 20' by wapol side, Dr. Kureha, your medical skills are also extraordinary, so I came ahead to pay my respects and hope you won't hesitate to offer your guidance."
"…You said that afterward, that little one called Haibara would treat others in the Drum Kingdom for free. Is that true?"
It was obvious that this old lady, Kureha, not only paid attention to what was happening within the Drum Kingdom, but also had some understanding of information from outside the island.
"Of course." Sherwin nodded, then remembered that she seemed somewhat greedy and added, "If you feel this would reduce your income, I can provide compensation—consider it Haibara tuition."
"Hahahahahaha!" Kureha, who had been a little tense, suddenly relaxed. She burst into laughter and took a swig of alcohol. "If that little one can cure patients, that her ability. I don't need any compensation!"
Hm? This reaction doesn't quite match what that villager said…
Seeing the astonishment in Sherwin eyes, Dr. Kureha let out a snort. "You must have heard from the townsfolk that I force outrageous fees, right? I've never overcharged them for consultations.
In fact, many times I even give them discounts! It just that those people don't understand medicine at all and always think I'm swindling them."
Sherwin believed her.
The people of the Drum Kingdom were already far from wealthy under wapol exploitation, and with wapol having almost monopolized the nation medical resources, Kureha cost of making medicine was certainly much higher than under normal circumstances.
With expenses rising while the villager incomes fell, it was only natural they would feel her fees were expensive.
More importantly, given this old lady free-spirited and willful personality, she clearly wouldn't have the patience to explain herself to others. That would naturally make misunderstandings even more likely.
"Who would've thought the World Government newspaper could tell the truth sometimes?"
Seemingly sensing the Hunter good-natured disposition, Dr. Kureha couldn't help but remark in admiration.
Then she reached out and patted Sherwin on the shoulder, saying the catchphrase he still remembered clearly even after crossing into this world:
"You're having your ship doctor come study under me… is it because you want to know the secret to my eternal youth?"
Sherwin first twitched his lips speechlessly, but then his gaze fell upon the bottle in Kureha hand…
"Actually, I really am quite interested!" Sherwin expression turned serious as he replied earnestly.
"Whitebeard is only about half your age, and he drinks just as heavily, yet he already gives people the impression that his oil has run dry and he doesn't have many years left.
So I'm genuinely curious how you've managed to keep such a healthy body while never letting go of alcohol."
Of course, Sherwin also knew that Whitebeard current physical condition had little to do with drinking. It was mainly the result of too many old injuries accumulated within his body.
The people of the pirate world were far more resilient than the fragile humans of Earth. Take the chain-smoker Shakky for example—she was clearly over sixty, yet still maintained a youthful appearance.
However, the most unusual thing about Dr. Kureha was that her strength was actually quite ordinary, and she had not mastered Haki.
Yet in terms of the vitality of her life force, it was even more vigorous than that of those "grandson-generation" figures like Garp and Whitebeard.
Before Dr. Kureha could respond, a sharp scream rang out from behind Sherwin.
"What?! Old Man Whitebeard is about to die?!"