"Yes, that's the kid! He's the one who saved Old Xing's daughter."
"Really? But he looks like he's only a few years old. Are you sure you're not mistaken?"
"No mistake at all. I was there too. That kid didn't even touch Old Xing's daughter, and he still managed to heal her."
"Hey kid, how did you do it? Come on, tell us!"
The crowd was abuzz with chatter.
Lin Mo originally didn't want to respond, but after a moment's thought, he asked, "Which restaurants are still open?"
"Huh? Restaurants? Most places have probably closed up by now. But when I was walking over, I saw that New Star Ramen was still open. Just head that way, straight down the road."
"This kid must be hungry. Does he have any money? If not, he can come eat at my place."
"Yeah, mine too."
The townsfolk were suddenly full of warmth and enthusiasm—completely different from the critical tone they'd used on Lin Mo earlier.
Ignoring them, Lin Mo continued walking forward.
When the townspeople's attention shifted, Law took another look at Lin Mo and immediately recognized him as the one he'd locked eyes with earlier.
From what the townspeople were saying, it seemed this guy also knew medicine—or rather, some strange form of healing.
"Who is he?" Law asked, watching Lin Mo's retreating figure.
The nearby townspeople all shook their heads.
"No idea. Old Xing asked him for his name, but he didn't answer," one replied.
Law continued, "How exactly did he heal her?"
"Like this." One villager mimicked Lin Mo's earlier motion—extending a hand palm-down. "He hovered his hand about half a meter above the girl's head, and then a soft green light appeared on his palm. That light slowly sank into her body, and her fever went away just like that. It was incredible. I've never seen anyone cure a fever like that."
"Yeah, same here! That kid is amazing—I really want to know how he did it."
"Me too. But he's so aloof. Doesn't like to talk to people."
"Ah, I almost forgot—we should've warned him. The kingdom is expelling doctors right now. If the guards find out he knows medicine, they'll kick him out immediately."
"Huh? Isn't that obvious? He came from the port side; he must already know."
"Not sure… Maybe someone should still go warn him, just in case. That kid is way too aloof. I'm not going—any of you want to?"
The townspeople began pushing the responsibility off on each other.
Law stood quietly, still clutching his stack of medical books, eyes fixed on Lin Mo's disappearing figure.
Then—
The man who had tried to retrieve the books earlier suddenly spoke up:
"Keeping these books only gives us the hope that things might change someday. We know not everyone can learn medicine. Honestly, I'd rather see these books go to someone who can really use them. Kid, do you truly want to learn advanced medical skills?"
Law turned toward the man, tightened his grip on the books, and nodded. "Yeah!"
The man smiled faintly and said, "In that case, take the books. But in return, I want you to go warn that kid not to reveal his healing abilities. I can tell—you're curious about him too. Go."
Law looked at the man with wide eyes, nodded, then ran off in the direction Lin Mo had gone.
Braving the cold wind and flurries, Law followed Lin Mo's path for five minutes until he reached New Star Ramen.
Since it was around dinner time, the ramen shop was quite busy.
Lin Mo entered, ordered a bowl of house special ramen, and seeing that alcohol was sold here, bought two more bottles of booze.
He sat at the only empty four-person table in the dining hall.
Before the ramen arrived, he took a sip of his newly purchased alcohol.
Law came in shortly after, scanning the place until he spotted Lin Mo, then went over and sat across from him.
Expressionless, Law said, "The townspeople asked me to tell you not to reveal your healing abilities. If the kingdom's guards find out, they'll kick you out."
Lin Mo casually responded, "Oh."
Law stared at him in silence.
Lin Mo didn't seem to care and kept drinking.
A few moments later, his ramen arrived.
He pulled out a pair of chopsticks from the holder and began eating.
The aroma of the ramen wafted over to Law, who involuntarily gulped. His stomach grumbled loudly.
"Damn it," Law muttered, his face flushing slightly. He grabbed the hot water kettle for guests and poured himself a cup, chugging it down in one go.
Lin Mo glanced at him—he understood now. This guy clearly had no money.
Also, the sword Law carried wasn't the "Kikoku" (Demon Cry) blade that Lin Mo remembered from the future. That meant Law likely hadn't yet mastered his Devil Fruit abilities.
Yes, Law was a Devil Fruit user—the wielder of the "Ope Ope no Mi," the Operation Fruit.
This fruit gave its user the ability to create a spherical space within which they could cut, swap, or stitch anything together at will—including body parts and personalities. The victims wouldn't die or even bleed, though they'd feel mild pain.
Its powers weren't physical but supernatural, meaning it could even affect Logia-type users.
If wielded by someone with enough talent, the Operation Fruit could even perform the "Perpetual Youth Operation," granting eternal life to another—but at the cost of the user's own.
In short, it was a terrifyingly powerful fruit.
But its power came with a heavy toll—using it consumed massive amounts of stamina and could even shorten the user's lifespan if overused.
Law noticed the two swords on Lin Mo's waist. As Lin Mo neared the end of his meal, Law hesitated before asking:
"You… are you a swordsman?"
Wiping his mouth after finishing the last sip of broth, Lin Mo replied, "Sort of."
"Sort of?" Law blinked, touched the sword strapped to his back, and asked again, "Did you come to Drum Island alone?"
"Yeah." Lin Mo stood up, preparing to leave.
Law followed suit. "I came here alone too. I can use a sword. I can use medicine. We've got a lot in common."
Lin Mo: "…"
Law went on, undeterred by Lin Mo's silence:
"What's your name?"
Lin Mo didn't answer.
Unbothered, Law continued:
"I've started my own pirate crew. Still recruiting. Since you're alone, how about you join me? I'll even make you my first mate."