Chapter 93: Chapter 93: You’re Awake, the Surgery Was a Success
The group returned to Horn Village.
They found themselves back at the familiar tavern they had visited before.
Will, too lazy to bother finding a room, pushed two square tables together and unceremoniously dumped Ace onto the makeshift surface from his shoulder.
"Chopper, this guy’s all yours."
"Got it."
Chopper, standing nearby, nodded in acknowledgment.
He climbed onto a chair beside the table, carefully examining Ace’s injuries with a serious expression creeping onto his face.
"To think, the guy who unleashed that massive fireball was this guy," Karina remarked, arms crossed as she stared at Ace lying on the table, her tone tinged with lingering surprise.
As someone who could also wield flame-based abilities, she knew all too well that she was nowhere near capable of producing a fire attack on the scale Ace had. No wonder he’d managed to hold his own against Will for so long before collapsing.
At that thought, Karina’s wariness of the Grand Line heightened significantly. In a chaotic place like this, unknown powerhouses could pop up at any moment.
Meanwhile, Dalton had approached the table, his gaze fixed on Ace with a solemn expression. "I wonder who this guy really is," he said, concern lacing his voice. "And why he suddenly showed up here, asking around about the Blackbeard Pirates."
Will, hearing this, casually responded, "No need to worry, Dalton. This guy’s not some villain."
He continued, "His name’s Ace, the commander of the 2nd division of the Whitebeard Pirates. The reason he’s here snooping around is because he’s hunting Blackbeard."
"I see," Dalton nodded, processing the information.
But then, his expression shifted abruptly, and alongside a equally shocked Vivi, they exclaimed in unison, "Wait, what?! This guy’s with the Whitebeard Pirates
?!"Will raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "What’s the big deal?"
Vivi snapped out of her shock, though traces of astonishment lingered on her face. She hurriedly explained, "Of course it’s a big deal! Don’t you know? The Whitebeard Pirates are one of the most powerful forces in the New World—stronger than most kingdoms, even! Their captain, Whitebeard, is one of the Four Emperors, known as the ’Strongest Man in the World,’ a truly terrifying figure!"
She cast a wary glance at the man on the table, her tone turning grave as she cautioned, "If this guy really is one of Whitebeard’s crew, and you beat him up this badly, aren’t you worried they’ll come after you for revenge?"
"What?! This guy’s that important?!" Nami and Karina gasped, their faces mirroring Vivi’s shock.
Will, however, remained unfazed by the revelation. As the princess of Alabasta, it wasn’t surprising that Vivi knew such things. Calmly, he replied, "Relax. As long as we didn’t kill or imprison him, the Whitebeard Pirates won’t go out of their way to start trouble."
While Whitebeard cared deeply for Ace, he wasn’t the type to seek vengeance over a fair one-on-one fight where Ace got injured. If Whitebeard were that petty, he wouldn’t command the respect of so many across the seas.
Then, with a pointed glance at Vivi, Will added, "By the way, for someone hanging around the entrance to the Grand Line, you sure know a lot."
"Uh..." Vivi’s expression stiffened briefly before she forced a laugh. "Well, of course! Who doesn’t know about this stuff on the high seas, right?"
Nami and Karina, who had been caught up in their shock, snapped out of it and turned to Vivi with thoughtful looks. Her behavior—her speech, her manners—didn’t quite match the image of a seasoned seafarer. She seemed more like a sheltered noble who’d snuck away from some grand household.
Will didn’t press further, instead shifting gears. "Alright, that fight left me starving. Let’s eat."
"On it," Dalton replied promptly, his tone earnest.
Vivi, relieved that Will dropped the subject, let out a quiet sigh.
The group gathered around a dining table, digging into a spread of delicious food, while Ace lay alone on the nearby table, still unconscious.
The next morning.
Snow fell heavily outside the tavern, blanketing the village in white.
Inside, the group sat together, sipping wine and enjoying a hearty breakfast.
Suddenly, Ace, who had been lying motionless on the table all night, twitched. His nose wrinkled, and his brows furrowed slightly.
"Hm?"
Will noticed and raised an eyebrow, standing to approach him.
"Where... am I...?" Ace mumbled, his eyes slowly fluttering open, confusion clouding his gaze.
A handsome face came into view.
"You’re awake," Will said with a smirk. "The surgery was a success."
"Surgery?!" Ace, still groggy, snapped to attention at the word, bolting upright.
A sharp wave of pain surged through his body, forcing a wince as he grit his teeth, gradually adjusting to the sensation.
"Ugh... what...?" He tried to speak, but his face felt oddly tight.
Recalling Will’s words, Ace panicked and reached up to touch his mouth.
Chopper, noticing his movement, hopped down from his chair and hurried over. "Don’t move around too much!" he said seriously. "I’ve covered you in special medicinal herbs. You need to rest properly to recover."
"Herbs?" Ace blinked, puzzled, and glanced down at himself. To his shock, not only was his face wrapped in bandages, but his entire body—arms, legs, torso—was swathed in them as well.
"Ugh..." He tried to speak again, but the bandages muffled his words. Frustrated, he tugged at the wrappings around his face, tearing a small opening to finally speak clearly. "My injuries are that bad?"
This was hard to believe. He’d once fought Jinbe for five days and nights straight, and even then, he hadn’t felt pain like this—or ended up wrapped head-to-toe in bandages.
"Of course," Chopper nodded, his tone grave. "Your body endured some kind of extreme stress, causing severe damage all over. If you hadn’t eaten a Devil Fruit, giving you a physique far stronger than a normal human’s, you probably would’ve died from your body giving out entirely."
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