The Most Talented Pirate Hunter - Chapter 19
“Bang! Crash!”
The back door of the clinic was violently pushed open, nearly causing the doctor, who was having a drink, to choke.
“What’s going on?”
Coughing continuously, the doctor stormed out to the backyard, where he immediately saw Hermes, covered in blood and looking like he was on the brink of death.
“Out there making a living again?”
“Kid, you look like you’re about to die!”
The doctor quickly supported Hermes. This guy was a major client; even if he was on the verge of death, the doctor had to keep him alive.
Not for anything else but for all the profit he had made from him recently. Hermes was generous and never questioned the medical fees, making him a good and straightforward guy to deal with.
Thanks to him, the doctor’s life had improved significantly.
“Kid, you’ve got five minutes. After that, clean up any trace of me. You don’t want the trouble.”
Hermes, pale-faced, lay on a chair, breathing weakly.
He was gravely injured, and the Twin Wheel Pirates were likely hunting him in town. He needed quick treatment and then had to escape to a secluded place.
“Kid, did you get yourself into big trouble? Is this target worth over ten thousand Berries?”
The doctor looked serious but worked quickly, pulling out a medical kit and cutting away Hermes’s clothes.
That’s right.
Until now, he didn’t know Hermes’s true identity, only that he was a bounty hunter, usually taking down pirates worth a few hundred or thousand Berries.
It was all self-assumed.
Hermes was just too young.
“Yeah, something like that.”
Hermes thought about Kokos’s bounty, forty-four million Berries, definitely over ten thousand.
“Ahhh…”
Hermes sucked in a breath, muscles twitching and veins bulging in his arms and neck. The doctor worked fast, but the pain was intense.
As usual, no anaesthesia.
“This is a gunshot wound.”
“Pretty dangerous, but luckily, it didn’t hit anything vital.”
The doctor stitched him up, treating other wounds as well, admiring the scar-covered body.
So young, yet constantly risking death. Not easy.
But more than that, he admired his own skills. Another doctor wouldn’t have done such a neat job, and wouldn’t have saved this kid repeatedly.
Clearly.
The doctor had some unwarranted confidence in his medical skills. Hermes’s survival was all thanks to him.
“Exactly five minutes. Here, I packed the meds. Don’t come back for a while!”
“You’ve been here so often, you should know what to do.”
The doctor had a bit of a conscience, but not much.
He was just a regular doctor and wanted to avoid trouble.
Hermes didn’t argue. The doctor had done more than enough.
“I’ll pay you next time.”
Hermes got up, ready to leave on credit.
He was in a hurry this time.
“Go quickly!”
“By the way, if I’m forced to, I’ll sell you out without hesitation. Don’t blame me for lack of professional ethics.”
The doctor wasn’t afraid Hermes wouldn’t pay. They had some rapport, even if it was limited.
Hermes took the meds and left, waving.
This doctor had a bit of a conscience, but was still trustworthy.
Meanwhile.
Just as Hermes had guessed, Kokos had regrouped his men and started searching the town, especially the clinics.
A logical move: take them down while they’re weak.
The whole town was in turmoil again.
“Did you hear? The pirate hunter Hermes Jormungandr fought Twin Wheel Gunslinger Kokos but got seriously injured.”
“No wonder the Twin Wheel Pirates are searching everywhere.”
“Did Lord Jormungandr lose?”
“No way, it must be because the Twin Wheel Pirates outnumbered him.”
“Shh, keep it down.”
Many clinics were searched, and word spread quickly.
Few had seen Hermes, and rumors about him varied widely.
“Boss, he’s not here.”
Soon.
The Twin Wheel Pirates searched the doctor’s place, messing up the medicine. The doctor, bowing and scraping, could only grit his teeth in silence.
“You really haven’t treated a kid with a gunshot wound?”
The leading pirate was irritable. They had searched several places with no luck.
“Sirs, this is just a small clinic. It’s been a while since I’ve had any business. I haven’t seen any kid with a gunshot wound.”
Inside, the doctor was seething.
This wasn’t obvious enough.
A gunshot wound.
A kid.
So that guy stirring up the town was the pirate hunter Hermes Jormungandr, not some weakling taking down pirates worth a few hundred or thousand Berries.
Every job he did was worth at least thirty million Berries.
Damn it.
He had undercharged for medical fees.
His heart ached, feeling he had missed out on millions.
That kid was a real piece of work, so stingy.
The doctor cursed silently, feeling an urge to report him.
For the next seven or eight days, the Twin Wheel Pirates continued their search but found no trace of Hermes. Little did they know, Hermes had left the town, hiding in the mountains.
Maybe the doctor was really skilled, or maybe the meds were good, or perhaps Hermes was just tough. In about five or six days, his wounds started to heal.
Then Hermes began hunting and training in the forest.
“Roar!”
A five-meter-long tiger roared, shaking the tranquil forest. Birds and animals scattered, fleeing in panic.
Only one biped stood still, frowning in thought.
The tiger’s eyes burned with anger. It had been napping peacefully when this human showed up, kicked it in the butt, nearly scaring it to death.
The worst part? The human wasn’t afraid. That was a serious problem.
The tiger felt its dignity challenged. As the boss of this forest, it couldn’t let that slide.
A real tiger hunting, its decades-old maw emitting a terrifying stench. Hermes instinctively held his breath.
“Something’s off.”
Dodging the pounce, Hermes frowned.
“Something’s still off. What’s missing?”
The tiger’s attacks were fierce, but Hermes dodged easily, not even using his Devil Fruit powers.
He was trying to regain that smooth feeling.
But it wasn’t working. Despite several exchanges with the tiger, that sensation didn’t return.
“Is it the lack of pressure?”
Hermes looked at the increasingly frustrated and roaring king of the forest, guessing the reason.
Not enough pressure.
Without the sense of mortal danger, adrenaline wouldn’t surge, and his potential couldn’t be tapped. He needed Kokos again.
So far, in Mayut Town, only Kokos seemed worthy of this honor.
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