Ace frowned again, thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Father already has old injuries, and he's getting old."
Luo Yan nodded, then looked at Xia Tali. Xia Tali pondered for a moment, pinching her chin, then smiled.
"I can't reverse normal aging, but treating old injuries is very easy. I'm quite confident."
"Can it really be cured?"
A look of suspicion immediately appeared on Ace's face. Xia Tali didn't explain; she simply took out a tube of pink potion and handed it to Ace.
"This is a healing potion. You can try it."
"Uh…"
Ace hadn't expected her to be so direct and was momentarily choked. However, he was also decisive. Without the slightest hesitation, he took out a dagger and cut his arm. Blood immediately gushed out. Luo Yan's eyes narrowed, and he immediately used his water control ability to control Ace's blood, making it gather into a bright red blood sphere in the air, which then floated towards his palm.
Ace wasn't too concerned about Luo Yan taking his blood; he was just a little surprised that Luo Yan could control it. In this world, blood was just blood, with no other meaning, and for pirates, bleeding was perfectly normal.
"How do I use this?"
"Just drink it."
Xia Tali replied. Ace didn't hesitate either. He tilted his head back and drank the entire tube of potion. The not-so-deep wound immediately healed at a visible rate. In less than ten seconds, it was as good as new. If not for the slight blood residue at the original wound site, some might even wonder if the injury was an illusion.
"This!"
Ace's eyes widened. He had never seen such a miraculous potion that could heal a bleeding wound in just a few seconds.
"Amazing! What, what exactly is this?"
It wasn't Ace who exclaimed and asked, but Chopper, who was also a ship doctor. As a doctor, he understood better than anyone else what had just happened.
Xia Tali looked over at the sound, and seeing that Chopper was asking, a glint flashed in her eyes, and a slightly gentle smile appeared on her face.
"It's a potion. If you want to know, I can teach you later, but for some reasons, you might only be able to concoct potions with slightly weaker effects."
Xia Tali's potions couldn't be made just by knowing the recipe; they also required corresponding extraordinary abilities. So, even if Chopper knew the potion recipe, he wouldn't be able to perfectly replicate it. There would always be some differences.
Chopper, however, didn't think that far. Hearing that he could learn how to concoct such a magical potion, his eyes immediately lit up.
"That's great! Thank you!"
"Hehe~ You're welcome."
Xia Tali covered her mouth and chuckled softly. Sanji, standing nearby, felt as if his heart had been struck, and his expression became enraptured.
"Xia Tali is still so beautiful, beautiful lady, may I have the honor of inviting you to taste my cooking?"
Sanji flashed in front of Xia Tali, bowing very gentlemanly. Xia Tali nodded with a smile.
"Of course, your cooking is delicious. I've missed it a bit since I last had it."
"Missed, missed it! Ah! To be missed by a beautiful lady, this is my honor! I will definitely make more dishes that you will miss."
Sanji was struck again, his body swaying, almost falling, but he eventually steadied himself, making a solemn promise.
Luffy, seeing this, also laughed: "Haha! In that case, let's have a feast!"
"Oh!"
The Straw Hat Crew all responded. This feast was not only because of seeing Luo Yan again but also because of Luffy and Ace's reunion.
With the decision for a feast, the atmosphere on the Going Merry's deck immediately became lively. Luo Yan ordered his crew to drop anchor on the spot, and then everyone came aboard the Going Merry, including Qiguang Bird Potter, Little Golden Monkey, and White Sable.
Xia Tali and Chopper chatted in a corner. Xia Tali taught Chopper knowledge about potions, while Chopper taught Xia Tali normal medical skills. Both learned very seriously, clearly having already regarded each other as teachers.
Luffy thoroughly enjoyed the lively feast atmosphere, singing and dancing on the deck with Usopp, which made everyone laugh. At this moment, Luo Yan suddenly loudly interrupted everyone's laughter and the two's dancing.
"How can a feast not have singing? Luffy!"
Luffy's dancing movements immediately stopped, and then he nodded in agreement, saying, "That's right! Then let's sing! Yo ho ho ho~~ Yo ho ho ho!"
Luffy led the singing of the pirate song "Bink's Sake," and the others followed the melody, including Luo Yan.
The singing turned into ripples, vibrating the air and spreading far away. Everyone unconsciously became engrossed in the song. Large and small fish in the sea began to circle the Going Merry, leaping out of the water in formation, as if cheering for the singing on the ship.
Luo Yan clearly felt that his potion had digested quite a bit, far more than when he sang alone before, forcibly making the people on the ship listen.
When the feast continued into the evening, Luo Yan and Zoro, each holding a jar of sake, leaned against the ship's railing, both a little hazy. Neither remembered how much they had drunk, only that they had drunk a lot. However, neither had blacked out; they were just a bit tipsy.
Ace had also drunk a lot, but he wasn't drunk. He walked up to Luo Yan and handed him a letter and a small, fingernail-sized piece of white paper with very uneven edges.
"This is a letter I wrote to Father. If you bring it, Father will at least meet you. This paper is the life card of Father's ship doctor; it can help you find Father's ship."
"Hey! Thanks."
Luo Yan had come for this, so he naturally wouldn't be polite. He directly took the letter and life card, tucked them into his pants pocket, and after clinking his sake jar with Zoro, took a swig.
The feast continued late into the night. Everyone was a bit hazy from drinking. Even Mite and Luo Ta, who hadn't drunk as much as Luo Yan, were a bit tipsy. Only Xia Tali wasn't drunk; it wasn't because she held her liquor well, but because she hadn't drunk any alcohol. Sanji had been constantly bringing her juice, and she herself didn't particularly like drinking.
As the people on the Going Merry one by one passed out drunk, Luo Yan and his group also prepared to return to their own ship.
Xia Tali had Luo Yan put his arm on her shoulder, supporting him as they walked towards their ship. Luo Yan, who had been too drunk to open his eyes, suddenly looked up as they passed Ace, forcibly stopping his steps.
"Hey! Ace, why don't… *hic*… why don't you come with us to see Whitebeard…"
After saying this, Luo Yan lowered his head again, returning to his previously drunken state. Ace smiled and looked at Xia Tali.
"Do you need my help?"