Whiskey Peak, the "Town of Welcome."
As the first island on the route from Twin Cape, its entire purpose was to "welcome" newcomers in the most literal sense. It was a town sustained by bounty hunters from all over who would deceive, capture, and turn in pirates who had just entered the Grand Line, all for the sake of collecting their rewards.
The land was ill-suited for agriculture, to put it mildly, but they managed to produce just enough to sustain themselves. Their true specialty was brewing alcohol, which they used as their standard tactic: get the pirates drunk and careless, then capture them.
However…
"A-A bounty over one hundred million?! Why is someone that big here?!"
"How should I know?! They call her 'the Witch,' the worst criminal from the West Blue everyone's been talking about! Don't you dare lay a finger on her!"
These bounty hunters were accustomed to preying on overconfident rookies at the Grand Line's entrance. They had never even considered taking on a target with a bounty in the hundreds of millions. Here, anyone over ten million was considered a major rookie; a three-hundred-million-Beli target was beyond anything they could have imagined.
Kanata's crew had docked in the evening and taken rooms at an inn for the night. The locals who saw her face confirmed it was her, no mistake. In another building, a group of them gathered, all holding their heads in their hands.
"You've got to be kidding me… A monster who fights with a Marine vice admiral? There's no way we can handle that."
"Forget fighting her. We could probably get a fee just for telling the Navy where she is…"
She had repelled a full guard detail and killed a Celestial Dragon. The Navy was surely hunting her with everything they had to save face, so there was a good chance they would pay a high price for the information.
But that brought another fear: retaliation.
"She escaped from Sengoku the Buddha. What happens if the Navy fails to catch her and she comes back to this town for revenge?"
"If that happens, we'll have no choice but to abandon this town and run for it…"
"Can't put a price on your own life, after all."
In truth, pirates didn't come through all that often. Bounty hunting was merely a town-wide side business. If pirates were a dime a dozen, it might be different, but there just weren't that many in this day and age.
"Alright, then it's decided. If we make a move, we risk getting the whole town destroyed."
"""No objections."""
Heeding the primal warnings of their own instincts, not a single person objected. The plan to attack Kanata and her crew was unanimously called off.
☆
The next day.
After disembarking and resting at the inn, most of the crew was ordered to remain on the ship. The town was scraping by on its food supply and had little to spare for outsiders. The only thing they had in abundance was the alcohol produced by their far-too-numerous breweries.
Naturally, the crew members who loved to drink were all clamoring to buy some, but there were limits. Since alcohol, unlike water, doesn't spoil easily, it was an essential provision for any voyage. Georges was tasked with calculating the necessary amount and making the purchase.
In the meantime, Kanata and the others set out to recruit the doctor Crocus had told them about. They got his location from one of the townspeople.
"Alright, let's see what kind of person he is."
"As long as he's interesting, I'm good with whatever," Kuro commented.
"Crocus called him an eccentric. I didn't get any specifics, but as long as we can come to an agreement, I don't care."
With Junci and Kuro in tow, Kanata headed for a large building situated a short distance from the town. One would think a doctor would set up shop in the middle of town, but perhaps he built it out here to avoid getting caught up in the locals' side business.
Not that it mattered to her.
"This is the place."
The building was rather large for a private residence; it must have been built as a hospital. She immediately knocked on the door.
After the pitter-patter of someone running towards the door, it opened to the sound of a sweet voice.
"Yes, how can I help you?"
A girl with pink hair stood there, dressed in a nurse's uniform. Figuring she was one of the nurses, Kanata stated that she had business with the doctor.
"The head doctor? I'm afraid he won't see anyone unless they're sick or injured."
"So he's that type… Actually, my business is with his son. Is he here?"
"His son is…"
The nurse's face soured for a moment before she forced a smile. "I'll go get him for you," she replied in a drawn-out voice, disappearing back inside.
After a short wait, a man with messy white hair and dark circles under his eyes emerged. He was tall, over two meters, and slender. He had a sharp gaze but seemed utterly indifferent.
"I was told you had business with me. If you're not a patient, leave."
"I can't do that. We're looking for a ship's doctor."
"A ship's doctor? Why are you telling me this?"
"I heard about you from Crocus at Twin Cape. He said you might be willing to join my crew."
"Hmph… What's in it for me?"
The man looked the three of them up and down, his expression suggesting he didn't expect much. But when Kanata told him, "I can grant you almost anything," his eyebrow twitched.
"…In that case, have you ever met a Devil Fruit user?"
"Countless times. I'm a user myself."
When she casually created some ice in her right hand, the man grabbed it and began observing it from various angles. Perhaps because she sensed no malice, Kanata didn't pull away and let him do as he pleased. After a moment, he seemed satisfied, let go, and began scribbling notes.
"It seems I've piqued your interest."
"Yes, more than enough. I am a doctor. And in my view, Devil Fruit users are patients."
"Devil Fruit users are patients, you say."
"Perhaps it would be better to say they are possessed by something. To lose the ability to swim just by eating a disgusting piece of fruit—what else could that be but a disease?"
I see, Kanata thought. This man was definitely an eccentric. Devil Fruits were not easy to come by, even on the Grand Line, and acquiring one could cost a fortune. Unless one was a researcher for the military or a government, obtaining such funds would be nearly impossible. To be doing this as a personal hobby was eccentric indeed.
"Let me dissect a Devil Fruit user, and I'll join your ship."
"You can't have me, but I'll capture any enemy users we encounter from now on. You'll have to make do with that."
"…Very well. As long as you can render them unable to resist, that will suffice."
The man said he would go get ready and returned inside. The conversation had gone smoothly, but things had moved so quickly that she hadn't even gotten his name. She figured she could ask when he came back, but then a series of shouts, screams, and the sound of something shattering echoed from within the building.
A short while later, he reemerged without a single bag in hand and beckoned to them. "Give me a hand with something."
"You know, I've got a really bad feeling about this," Kuro said.
"As do I. May I go back?" Junci asked.
"Absolutely not," Kanata replied.
All three of them entered the building with a sense of foreboding. As expected of a hospital, the interior was exceptionally clean. They followed the man deeper inside, the smell of chemicals stinging their noses.
Several people, including the pink-haired nurse from before, were hiding under a desk. When their eyes met Kanata's, they looked away with an indescribable expression. She faintly heard one of them whisper, I wish he'd just leave…
(…It seems that while the father may be respected, the son isn't very welcome here.)
They strode further into the back, where a man with the same white hair as the one they'd been talking to was sitting in a chair. It must be his father. Aside from the beard, their faces were nearly identical. The sharp eyes must be genetic, Kanata thought idly, before shifting her gaze back to the son.
"So, what do you need help with?"
"I'm going to sea," the son declared. "There's no hope for medical advancement on this boring island. If I go to a place like Drum, I can learn more advanced medical techniques. Can you take me there?"
"We'd need to get an Eternal Pose for that location, but it's not impossible."
"You heard her. Any objections, you damn old man?"
"Plenty, you idiot son." The father then muttered under his breath, "Crocus, you meddler…"
Wanting to at least learn their names, Kanata asked. The father sighed again, wondering if Crocus hadn't even told them that much. The son's name was Scura, and the father's was Crates.
"I want to advance the field of medicine. There's no progress in just patching up the sick and injured day after day," Scura argued.
"But a doctor is still necessary. Are you planning to abandon your patients and do as you please?"
"One damn old man is enough of a doctor for this place. I'm going to sea."
"To research Devil Fruits? What's the point of studying something like that?"
"Because they are patients. Nothing more, nothing less. Curing any disease, any injury, requires medical science. What's wrong with wanting to advance that?"
They glared at each other until Crates finally gave in. "Do whatever you want," he said, turning back to the medical charts on his desk.
Scura snorted and left the room, leading Kanata and the others to another one. It was his personal room, filled with various chemicals and equipment.
"I'm taking all of this. It will take some time, I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all. Take everything you need. Our lives will depend on it."
The chemicals were especially important. It would be a disaster if someone fell ill and they lacked the necessary medicine to treat them. They would also need to stock up on anything that could be bought in town. In any case, they needed more hands.
"I'll pack the chemicals and equipment. You can just throw the clothes and everything else into boxes."
"Junci, go back to the ship and bring four or five people. Have them help pack."
"I'll bring Feiyun, too. I feel bad giving her this kind of work all the time, but she's the best suited for it."
As a giant, Feiyun could carry many times more than an ordinary person. Junci probably wanted to avoid making multiple trips between the hospital and the ship. He hurried out of the room, leaving Kanata and Kuro to pack personal belongings while Scura packed his medical supplies into appropriate containers.
They could have worked in silence, but there was something Kanata wanted to ask her new crewmate.
"To you, are Devil Fruit users really patients?"
"That's right. Many fools spout unscientific nonsense about being cursed or hated by the sea, but I believe it's a type of disease."
"Do you have any proof to support that diagnosis?"
"Proof? I have none. But what else would you call a condition where eating a single piece of fruit renders you unable to swim?"
He said his ultimate goal was to develop a way to separate the fruit's power from a person even after it had been eaten—an irreversible process. In other words, he wanted to remove a Devil Fruit from a living person.
If such a technology were ever developed, Kanata's own life could be in danger. However, the potential benefits far outweighed the risks. Whether it was possible or not was another question entirely.
"I see… Very well. As our ship's doctor, I'll provide you with whatever you need."
"I'm glad you understand. Also, since I'll be the doctor on this ship, my word is absolute when it comes to sickness and injury. I can't be bothered to look after patients who won't follow a doctor's orders."
"I'll make sure that is strictly enforced."
It was always best to leave specialized fields to the experts. Many fools failed to grasp that, though if an expert was untrustworthy, their reluctance was understandable. But since Scura came with Crocus's recommendation, she could trust his medical skills. For now, Kanata judged, this would be fine. She had heard he was an eccentric, but this was well within her range of tolerance.
"We have a giant on our crew. Can you treat her as well?"
"A giant? My medical knowledge is primarily for humans… but no, as the ship's doctor, I will treat a giant if needed. It will require some research, though."
"That's acceptable."
It wasn't just a matter of different body sizes. There were things they wouldn't know until they visited an island of giants. And it was possible they would have members of other races join their crew in the future. They would cross that bridge when they came to it. As long as they followed the rules, it didn't matter if they were human, fish-man, or any other race.
"More races is a good thing. More samples."
There were likely diseases that only affected certain races. It seemed that as long as Scura could study various illnesses, he was content.
☆
It took them until nightfall to finish packing. They had Feiyun carry all the luggage to the ship in one go. Georges was relieved that they had successfully secured a doctor. He also seemed reassured that the "eccentricity" they had worried about was nothing more than this. Georges acted as if it had nothing to do with him, but there was a good chance he would become one of Scura's "patients" eventually. On this sea, it was not at all uncommon for people to eat a Devil Fruit in their quest for power.
"In any case, we've successfully recruited a doctor. That's one less thing to worry about."
"Yes. An outbreak of disease could wipe out the entire crew. It had to be our top priority."
Their itinerary now included the great medical nation of Drum, but that shouldn't pose any major problems. They would just have to acquire an Eternal Pose for it somewhere.
Georges, curious about their next destination, asked Kanata.
"Do you have any information on the next island?"
"It's strange, but apparently no one knows anything about it."
The seven initial islands were all relatively close to each other, so any interaction they had was limited to those islands. It wasn't that no one had ever gone to the next island, but there was no way to get from Whiskey Peak to the next island and then return. It would be a different story if they had an Eternal Pose.
"So it's a one-way trip."
"There's no reason to come back, is there? It would be different if we were making this our base."
"Making a town like this our base… We're on the run anyway, so let's just push on ahead."
"A wise decision," Kanata said, tipping her glass and drinking the amber liquid.
They would depart the next morning. They hadn't been able to resupply, but it couldn't be helped. They would have to restock on food at the next island. She would also need to check with Scura and buy more medical supplies if necessary. If the expert said they were needed, then they were needed.
"Do we at least know the name of the next island?"
"Yes, I found that out. It's called 'Little Garden.'"
We'll find out what that means when we get there, Kanata thought, refilling her glass with the amber liquid and spending the rest of the evening moon-gazing until it was time for lights out.
***
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