The group spent a night in the village.
Philo learned the identities of Maude and his crew. Fortunately, she wore her raven mask, sparing her from losing composure entirely.
Determined to find a way to cure the plague, Philo stayed despite Law's evident disdain. Thankfully, the rest of the crew neither resented nor drove her away.
By noon, Philo witnessed firsthand the Maude Pirates using hypnotic techniques on the villagers. She was dumbfounded.
"Is this really necessary just to help them cure the plague?" she asked, incredulous. "This is my first time seeing hypnosis in action, and I have to admit the effect is impressive, but… why go to such lengths? Surely if you explained your intentions, the villagers would cooperate. Isn't this because of your identity? But even pirates can be good or bad. You're helping them cure the plague, so they wouldn't reject you."
Wearing her crow mask, Philo's usual reserved demeanor gave way to a torrent of words as she stared at the hypnotized villagers.
Nearby, Lafitte tilted his hat slightly, calmly observing Philo's lack of awareness before saying, "Miss Philo, if you're willing to remove that crow mask, then we truly wouldn't need to go to such lengths."
"Absolutely not."
Philo reflexively covered her mask. Without it, even basic communication was a struggle for her—a serious inconvenience for a doctor.
Lafitte's expression remained calm. "The villagers are very hostile toward your crow mask. Unless necessary, I suggest you stay indoors and refrain from moving around freely."
"Then can I at least observe Mr. Law's treatment process?"
Philo's gaze burned with eagerness, even through the reflective lenses of her mask.
"…"
Lafitte felt her intensity and responded flatly, "That's not for me to decide."
Hearing this, Philo looked disappointed. She was deeply curious about how Law treated patients, identified carriers in their incubation periods, and managed to cure someone in just fifteen minutes. Such feats seemed impossible by her understanding.
"I really want to know…"
Returning to her room, she stared at the closed door, feeling restless.
"How… how… how does he do it?!"
Using the sharp beak of her crow mask, Philo began tapping the wall repeatedly. The unfulfilled desire to uncover the truth was agonizing.
Inside the room, Law activated his ROOM and began treating a critically ill patient who was on the brink of death. In theory, this person shouldn't have survived—but they were lucky to encounter Law, a wielder of the Op-Op Fruit.
This particular surgery took Law over an hour, consuming significant stamina.
"How much longer can I keep this up…"
Panting slightly, Law wiped the sweat from his face. This intense, high-frequency workload was unprecedented for him. He was utterly exhausted—both physically and mentally.
However, as Maude had pointed out, the patients on this island were invaluable training opportunities. By pushing himself to the limit, his stamina and surgical precision would improve noticeably. Plus, Gaya's nourishing meals accelerated his recovery.
"Right now… I'm too weak," Law thought silently, immediately moving on to the next patient. He would keep going until he ran out of strength or collapsed. To keep up with Maude, he wouldn't stop.
The grueling surgeries continued without pause.
Behind the house, a large pot was set over a blazing fire. Nearby, Gaya worked at a makeshift kitchen, preparing ingredients. Just then, Maude arrived, carrying a massive beast five to six meters long. Behind him, Bepo and Bailey dragged similarly large game.
"Sister Gaya, is this enough?" Maude asked.
"Plenty. Thank you for your hard work," Gaya replied with a smile.
To support Law's "training," she prepared meals daily to accelerate his recovery. Additionally, the villagers treated by Law needed milder, restorative dishes. With Law's surgeries, Gaya's meals, and Lafitte's hypnotic quarantines, they could soon eradicate the plague from the village.
However, this was only the first step. According to information extracted by Lafitte's hypnosis, the island had eight such villages. No one knew how long it would take to end the plague, but until then, they wouldn't leave Lorre Island.
Since Maude couldn't perform surgeries, hypnosis, or cook, his role was to gather food with Bailey and Bepo. With Gaya shouldering the responsibility for the villagers, Maude supported her wholeheartedly.
Time passed quickly. A week later, thanks to Law's tireless efforts with the Op-Op Fruit, the plague in the village was eradicated. The results were evident: Law had become significantly stronger. But this was just the beginning.
After curing this village, they immediately set out for the next one. Before leaving, Gaya took the large pot she'd grown accustomed to using, and Lafitte released the villagers from hypnosis.
Awakening from their trance, most villagers were dazed and unaware that the storm of plague hanging over them had been dispelled by the Maude Pirates.
With Philo in tow, the crew continued their journey. Though her crow mask was a hindrance, Lafitte's interventions prevented major issues. Moreover, Philo's concoctions couldn't cure the plague but effectively suppressed symptoms, giving Law more time for surgeries.
"With them here, the plague on Lorre Island will definitely…"
Over the week, Philo alternated between torment and exhilaration. Solving the plague was her top priority, and nothing else mattered.
Unbeknownst to her, had the Maude Pirates not arrived, the villagers would have burned her at the stake long ago.
The group trekked onward and reached the next village, where the outbreak was even worse. Using Lafitte's hypnosis to gain entry, Law began another round of surgeries without rest. He was mentally prepared to work himself to death on Lorre Island.
Meanwhile, on a calm sea, a Marine ship lay at anchor.
"What did you say?"
Servis, the ship's commander, listened to the report over a Den Den Mushi, his expression incredulous. Nearby officers and Marines shared his disbelief.
"Are you saying the Maude Pirates are treating villagers?"
"Yes, and not only that—Dr. Philo is with them."
"!!!?"
Servis was stunned. What on earth was going on? The notorious Maude Pirates… helping people?
At that moment, Maude had just finished gathering the day's supply of ingredients when an unexpected call came through his wristwatch Den Den Mushi.
"Hmm?"
He raised his right hand, glancing at the ringing device.
-------
Want to read waaaay ahead of schedule?
Join here: patreon.com / emperorgarus
There are more than 200 advance chapters available for you!