"Ah, sorry about that, Michael."
Cobra, full of apology, carried Vivi back from Michael's arms. In little Vivi's hand was clutched a feather nearly as long as her body.
It shimmered with flickering traces of Holy Light.
Soothed by that Holy Light, the once slightly excited Vivi actually began to drift into sleep.
Michael gave Vivi a rather resentful look…
This little girl sure had a strong grip!
But complaints aside, he couldn't seriously argue with a baby who couldn't even talk.
"Alright, Cobra, what's the matter that you had to call me over in such a rush?" Michael shook his head, his expression turning serious. "It can't just be for your daughter to pluck my feathers, right?"
"Ahem, I swear that really was an accident." Cobra coughed twice to cover his embarrassment, then laid Vivi on the bed. "This time, it's mainly to ask you for a favor…"
As he spoke, he nodded at Igaram.
Receiving Cobra's signal, Igaram turned and pulled aside the heavy curtains at the side.
On the wide soft bed, a gray-haired woman was sitting up, leaning against the headboard.
Seeing the curtain pulled back, she shook her head at everyone and said:
"Don't… don't come near. We still don't know if it's contagious."
"Titi, don't worry. I brought Vice Admiral Michael here! His Holy Light will definitely cure you!" Cobra said earnestly.
Michael, however, was slightly surprised as he looked at the woman on the bed. Judging from Cobra's words, this was the Queen of Alabasta, Nefertari D. Titi.
Vivi's mother.
It was clear Vivi had inherited her mother's looks. Which meant…
Crocodile's current appearance bore a striking resemblance to this queen. Put side by side, people might even believe they were sisters.
That was… quite the coincidence.
Michael glanced sideways at Cobra, then asked:
"What exactly happened?"
"Sigh, it started a month ago. Titi had just given birth. While cleaning her body afterward, she noticed some patches of skin turning grayish-white, accompanied by pain… At first we didn't pay much attention, but later the grayish areas started to spread. That's when I realized Titi might have contracted a disease that has never appeared in Alabasta before."
Hearing this, Michael's brows furrowed tightly.
Grayish-white skin? Accompanied by pain?
He didn't hesitate to step inside the curtain, moving to Queen Titi's side.
Though weak, Titi raised her hand in alarm and said,
"Vice Admiral Michael, we still don't know if this illness is contagious."
"Your Highness, I already know what this disease is. I just need to confirm it. If it's as I suspect, then it is not contagious."
"Really?"
"I'm a Marine Vice Admiral—and somewhat of a friend to Cobra. Of course I wouldn't lie to you."
"Hey! What do you mean, 'somewhat'!" From outside the curtain, Cobra, relieved to hear it wasn't contagious, stomped in with protest. "Ahhh! Sorry! Being my friend is that much of a burden, huh?"
"Quiet, you absentee king who's addicted to skipping work." Michael rolled his eyes, then nodded toward Titi. "Let me see the affected area and I'll know for sure."
In the end, Titi nodded. She lifted her hair, revealing the back of her neck.
On that slender nape was an irregular patch of grayish-white skin.
Michael nodded.
Just as he thought… it was Amber Lea disease.
"As I suspected—it's Amber Lea disease."
"Amber Lea disease? What is that?"
"It's a kind of heavy-metal poisoning from the North Blue, in a place called Flevance. Those afflicted suffer from whitening skin due to toxin accumulation, and the built-up toxins are passed on to their descendants, greatly shortening their lifespans…"
With each word Michael spoke, Titi and Cobra's faces grew paler.
"This illness… is hereditary!?"
"Then Vivi…"
Igaram didn't even wait for Cobra's order—he rushed out to fetch the already sleeping Vivi.
"I remember Princess Vivi also had a small patch of grayish-white on the back of her neck…" Igaram said anxiously. But when he bared Vivi's delicate little neck, nothing was there. "Huh? It's gone?"
"You're certain Vivi originally had grayish skin?"
"Of course! From the moment a royal heir is born, every feature must be recorded in the palace archives and continually updated."
Seeing Igaram so certain, Michael's gaze slowly drifted to the feather clutched in Vivi's hand…
And suddenly, he chuckled.
Human infants really do have a powerful instinct to survive. No wonder she had strained so hard to pluck one of his feathers.
So she must have sensed something wrong with her body.
"Alright, no need to worry about it anymore." Michael smiled. "Ever since she pulled out my feather, that trace of lead-platinum toxin in her body has already been purified by the Holy Light remaining on it."
"Purified?" Cobra's eyes immediately shifted to Michael's wings.
"Oi! Don't even think about my feathers! I can just use Holy Light to purify the queen directly."
With that, he cast two Holy Light Purifications onto Queen Titi. The grayish patches of skin gradually faded away into nothing.
It really wasn't any complicated illness—just heavy-metal poisoning.
But in the world of One Piece, a place both advanced and backward at the same time, it had accidentally become an incurable terminal disease.
"Still… what I'm more curious about is, how did Queen Titi contract Amber Lea disease?" Michael frowned. "Could it be that something around her is made from lead-platinum ore?"
"Lead-platinum ore… could it be that?" Cobra rushed to the side and grabbed a pure white cup.
"Titi loves the color white. So when I bought this cup last year, she's been using it every day to drink water."
Michael took the cup and examined it. Sure enough—it was a product made of lead-platinum ore.
"You two really are bold! Drinking water from a lead-platinum cup—no wonder she showed symptoms in a year that others wouldn't see for over a decade!"
In the original story, the queen also died young. But Michael had never expected that in this world, she would have almost perished from Amber Lea disease.
Since Michael cured her, Cobra naturally expressed his boundless gratitude. He draped an arm around Michael's shoulder in a brotherly manner as they walked out together.
Michael was just about to remind him to order the destruction of all lead-platinum products in Alabasta when he heard Cobra suddenly say:
"So… how is she doing lately?"
Michael turned his head and asked tentatively,
"She? What, you've got another woman outside? I'll go tell the queen right now."
"Don't joke around. You know I mean Crocodile."
"Brother… how could I not recognize my own sister?"
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