One Piece Swordsman's Heart - Chapter 26

After boarding the ship, Vir did not immediately tend to his wounds. Instead, he first started the ship and sailed out to sea.

Only at sea did Vir feel truly safe. He believed his ship’s speed was far beyond that of any sailing ships.

Reaching the bedroom on the second floor, he took out a medical kit and began stitching up his wounds.

Though Vir wasn’t a skilled doctor, his ability to stitch wounds was unmatched, even by most doctors, because he had practiced on himself and his senior brother countless times.

During past missions, if he got injured, he had to stop the bleeding by stitching himself up first before seeking medical attention. If the hospital was too far, he might bleed out and die even if he survived the mission.

After painfully stitching his wounds, Vir managed to close most of them. However, the wound on his abdomen was more troublesome. He applied medicine and relied on his recovery ability to slowly heal it.

With his face pale, Vir slowly climbed into bed and pressed an emergency button next to the bed.

Once the button was pressed, the ship stopped accelerating and automatically dropped anchor far from Tut Island. Small sea prism stone columns extended from the ship’s bottom, locking the ship in place. Unless forcibly destroyed, no doors on the ship could be opened.

Having done all this, Vir fell into a half-conscious sleep.

He didn’t know how long he had been out when he was awakened by a “Purururu” sound.

Feeling disoriented, Vir wondered where he was. After a while, he regained his senses and immediately felt intense hunger and pain.

Looking at the ringing Den Den Mushi, Vir realized it was the one that the woman had given. Thinking for a moment, he picked it up.

“Who is this?” Vir asked though he had a guess.

“This is Gabriel Ferdinand Saint, residing in Mariejois,” Ferdinand introduced himself, waiting for Vir’s response.

“Residing in Mariejois? Saint? Celestial Dragon? I don’t think I know any Celestial Dragons, Mr. Ferdinand. Hehehe, hehehe,” Vir responded, surprised.

“Oh, you might have forgotten. We met on Tut Island a few days ago,” Ferdinand replied, unfazed by Vir’s tone.

“A few days ago? Looks like I was out for several days,” Vir thought, heading to the bathroom and then to the kitchen, where he found some food in the fridge and began eating.

“The noble from that day was you? But you Celestial Dragons from Mariejois always wear those bubbles on your heads. I didn’t see you wearing one,” Vir mocked maliciously.

“That’s not called a bubble. It’s a bubble helmet. Wearing it makes me feel suffocated and strange. Also, not all Celestial Dragons are as stupid as those oval-headed pigs. That’s just a part of them. Anyway, what’s your name?” Ferdinand replied calmly.

“I’m Vir. You’re quite different from the Celestial Dragons I know. So, why did you call me? Surely you’re not afraid of my revenge, are you? Hehehe, hehehe,” Vir asked, still eating.

“Mr. Vir, I called to apologize for the incident. I had to give someone an explanation, hence the ambush. As an apology, I can provide you with some information and rare items. We might even collaborate in the future,” Ferdinand said sincerely.

A Celestial Dragon genuinely apologizing was rare. If he wanted to kill Vir, he would have sent a formidable force, not a group of cannon fodder. Even if Vir escaped, it would have been at a great cost.

“Ferdinand, I wouldn’t believe you if you were a minor noble. But since you’re a Celestial Dragon, I can grudgingly accept it. However, I won’t let go of the ambush easily. You can look into my past. I’m not afraid to assassinate even a Celestial Dragon. So, how do you plan to compensate me?” Vir asked coldly.

“Mr. Vir, everything has its value. You have yours, and I have mine. I can compensate you for this incident. As for your previous work, I’ve thoroughly investigated it. It’s precisely because you were an assassin that I contacted you. Collaborating with a Celestial Dragon is better than offending one, isn’t it?” Ferdinand replied, his smile fading. Clearly, he had encountered a difficult issue and wanted Vir’s help.

“Since you put it that way, what’s your compensation? And what troublesome matter do you need my help with? If I’m satisfied, we can collaborate. If not, expect me to come after you,” Vir said, curious about this Celestial Dragon who had once tried to kill him.

“Here’s the situation: Before the guild was established, the island was controlled by three major forces: the Roaring Lion Pirates, the local Navy, and a small noble.

“With the World Government’s mediation, the Navy was easily dealt with, and the small noble took a bribe and withdrew. The difficult part was the Roaring Lion Pirates.

“Their leader, Gat, whom you killed, was their captain. The Roaring Lion Pirates wouldn’t be qualified to work with us if it were just him. The key is their vice-captain, Gat’s brother, Gard.

“Gard wasn’t originally Gat’s brother. He might not even have been called Gard. The story starts when the Roaring Lion Pirates rescue an injured man at sea. Gat, usually greedy and arrogant, uncharacteristically saved this unknown man and had the ship’s doctor treat him.

“Later, Gat discovered the man was incredibly strong but had lost his memory. He couldn’t even recall his name, and he only remembered fighting a powerful enemy and losing.

“Gat seized this opportunity, generously treating the man and naming him Gard, declaring him his brother. With Gard’s strength, the Roaring Lion Pirates rose on Tut Island. Gat became a pirate with a bounty of 70 million berries, while Gard had a bounty of 120 million berries,” Ferdinand explained.

“Originally, I intended to leave you at the dock. But seeing your strength, I decided to let you go and work with you.

“If Gard returns, I have no idea what he might do. He often acts irrationally due to his head injury. It would be a significant loss if he disrupted my carefully cultivated Tut Island operations. So, I propose a collaboration to eliminate Gard,” Ferdinand finished, awaiting Vir’s response.

“Oh? Gard must be quite strong. If he’s as strong as you say, I might not be able to defeat him. Tell me more about his abilities. And if you lose the Roaring Lion Pirates, how will you handle business in illegal areas? Don’t treat me like a child. Just because I dislike using strategy doesn’t mean I’m stupid, Mr. Celestial Dragon,” Vir replied, interested but cautious.

“Ver, you must believe I’m sincere. As far as I know, Gard is skilled in Armament Haki and powerful martial arts but has no Devil Fruit abilities.”

“I once saw him jump into the sea to fight a Sea King, confirming he doesn’t have a Devil Fruit power.”

“As for smuggling in illegal areas, I’ve found a better partner: the Sea Rogue, Donquixote Doflamingo. We’re on the same side and have agreed on a partnership. His condition was to work exclusively with me,” Ferdinand explained, pleased to see Vir interested. After all, the Roaring Lion Pirates had always been a problem for him. While Doflamingo was formidable, he was a sane person, unlike the unpredictable Gard.

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