"Hiss! Do you need me to equip him with some special body parts? Like gorilla arms, tiger teeth, to make him even stronger."
In a mansion to the side, Hogback stood before the operating table, looking at Heckle with excitement.
"Gorillas and tigers?"
Heckle let out a scoff and said, "Their strength might not even match mine."
"You just need to focus on the treatment," Ace's voice echoed from a distance. "Don't do anything useless."
"What a shame."
Hogback was operating on Heckle. Although the injuries were horrific, for a world-renowned doctor like Hogback, they were nothing.
"I really didn't expect the Whitebeard Pirates' second division commander to show up here."
Hogback chatted as he operated.
"Don't get distracted, focus on the surgery," Ace said coldly upon hearing this.
"Don't worry, it's just a minor surgery."
Hogback said, "Why don't we discuss what happens next? I'm just a doctor, I pose no threat to you. If you let me go after I treat him, how about that?"
Ace looked at Hogback and said, "I'm not the boss, I don't have the authority to decide whether you stay or go. But if you heal Heckle, I believe the boss will spare your life."
"The boss? You don't mean Whitebeard, do you?" Hogback froze, looking at Ace.
"Of course not, I've temporarily left the Whitebeard Pirates," Ace shrugged.
"This..."
Hogback frowned, about to say something more, when a thunderous noise came from afar.
Boom, boom.
Ace immediately walked out and went outside the house, seeing Xia Qiu. "Heckle has been treated by Hogback."
Xia Qiu didn't reply but looked around. Ace looked into the distance, frowning, and said, "What are you guys doing?"
In the shadows, some pirates who had been secretly observing them were quietly leaving.
They were people whose shadows had been stolen by Moria. They were not dead yet and were temporarily residing on the island.
They had sensed the great battle earlier but dared not approach.
However, with Moria's death and the return of their shadows, they had quietly hurried over.
"It really is Fire Fist Ace."
Some people who had been captured in the last three years knew information about Ace. Seeing him in person now, they confirmed his identity.
They passed the message to each other and slowly emerged from the darkness.
"We... we came here to thank you."
A figure stepped forward and said, "Thank you for saving us."
Ace heard this and said helplessly, "You don't need to thank me, I didn't come here to save you."
"But no matter what, you are our benefactor."
The figure in the distance bowed to Ace. Ace waved his hand and said, "Alright, you guys leave here, but don't leave the island for now."
"Okay."
Figures walked away into the distance, but one figure did not leave.
"Huh?"
Ace looked at the person. It was a woman with a peculiar face, standing there awkwardly.
"Do you have something else?" Ace asked, looking at her.
"You saved me, and I have nothing to repay you with, so I can only offer myself."
The woman said quickly, "Please marry me."
Ace was stunned by this. Xia Qiu, however, opened his mouth wide with amusement. This woman, if nothing unexpected happened, should be Big Mom's daughter, Lola.
"Sorry, I refuse," Ace said helplessly.
"Failed again."
Lola shook her head, left sadly, and disappeared into the distance.
"President, if you want to laugh, just laugh."
Ace looked at Xia Qiu's expression and said helplessly.
"Cough, cough."
Xia Qiu coughed, flicked his front paw, and threw Perona out. "Tie her up first, then wake her up."
"Okay."
Ace immediately stepped forward, went back into the house to get bandages to tie Perona up, and then poured water on Perona's head.
"Ah."
Perona's eyes snapped open, and she gasped for air. She tried to move but found herself restrained. After a couple of struggles, she looked into the distance and saw Xia Qiu.
Xia Qiu immediately opened his mouth, revealing sharp teeth.
"Aaaahhh."
Perona screamed. Seeing Ace not far away, she immediately shouted, "You, you make it go back."
"Sorry, I can't command it," Ace said with a smile.
"Are you afraid of me?" Xia Qiu's voice sounded from nearby.
"Of, of course."
Perona answered subconsciously, but then realized something and glared at Xia Qiu. "You can talk."
It wasn't just one voice; another voice rang out from nearby.
Hogback stood there, looking at Xia Qiu.
"Weren't you treating Heckle? Why are you out here?" Ace asked, seeing this scene, sounding a bit angry.
"The treatment is finished. He's getting an IV drip and an injection," Hogback said quickly. He then looked at Xia Qiu and said, "Respected sir, I didn't intend to eavesdrop on your conversation. I just wanted to report his condition to you."
Xia Qiu ignored the pleasantries and looked at Hogback, asking, "When can he recover?"
Hogback replied, "If he can walk, it will take two days. But if he's fully recovered and able to fight, it will take at least seven days."
Xia Qiu nodded and said approvingly, "Very good, you've done well."
"Thank you, sir," Hogback said, wiping the sweat from his brow. He then asked, "Sir, can you let me go now?"
"Let you go?"
Xia Qiu shook his head and said, "I don't plan on letting you leave."
Hogback's expression turned nervous, and he asked, "I, I pose no threat to you, and Moria forced me to be here."
"Forced?"
Xia Qiu sneered. "Weren't you and Moria working together? He helped you revive Sindori, and you worked for him. Without you, he couldn't have created such a large Zombie Legion."
"How do you know?"
Hogback's expression faltered, and he stared blankly at Xia Qiu.
"Don't try to deceive me," Xia Qiu said coldly. "I won't let you go, and I won't let her go either."
"No, don't kill me," Perona cowered backward, her expression extremely tense.
Xia Qiu smiled. "Of course, I won't kill you. I need you to become my subordinates and serve me."
"Become your subordinates?"
Both Hogback and Perona were surprised by this outcome.
Xia Qiu smiled. "Moria is dead now, and you have nowhere to go. Why don't you come with me? What do you say?"
Perona was very important, and Hogback's value was also immense. As a genius surgeon, his medical skills were of great worth.
"I agree," Hogback said, looking at Xia Qiu. "I am willing to be your subordinate." For him, money was more important than his medical skills, but in the face of death, none of that mattered.
Xia Qiu nodded and looked at Perona, asking, "What's your opinion?"
"I, I'll join too." Perona hesitated for a moment before agreeing to the outcome.
"Excellent." Xia Qiu nodded and looked at Ace. "From today on, she will be your partner."
"My partner? Won't that mean we'll be together often?" Ace recalled the events of the day, how her ghosts had made him incredibly despondent, and suddenly felt that his future life would be somewhat terrifying. I must learn Armament Haki as soon as possible, Ace thought.
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Translation by: randomtranslator.com
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