Chapter 11: The Rough Doctor
Outside the cabin, Marco's expression had softened considerably. Hearing the thunderous snoring from within the cabin, his mood improved even more.
"Don't get too happy too soon. That was just a painkiller with very low side effects. It has some healing properties, but for Whitebeard's injuries, it's a drop in the bucket. I need a complete set of surgical instruments, the most advanced kind, plus some materials."
Su Xiao handed a list to Marco. Seeing the lengthy list, Marco felt his head buzzing.
"To treat my old man, do you need metal?"
Marco pointed to the substitute for Fire Gold on the list (Fire Gold: one of the main materials for Apollo).
"Metal therapy."
"?"
Marco was speechless for a long time, and ultimately could only walk away in silence. As for payment, Su Xiao had already negotiated with Marco. The Whitebeard Pirates couldn't pay the reward right now; their treasures were all on the Moby Dick.
Once the Moby Dick reached the Grand Line, Su Xiao could choose any ten items from the treasure vault, including Devil Fruits, famous swords, and other treasures. If he wasn't satisfied with what was in the vault, he could also designate three specific items, and the Whitebeard Pirates would do their best to find them, provided they could win the Paramount War.
There was no need to discuss this with Whitebeard at all. Whitebeard didn't care about treasure; he cared about his family. So, all financial matters were managed by Marco.
Choosing any ten items from the Whitebeard Pirates' treasure vault was almost equivalent to the reward for completing a world.
The ship slowly sailed across the sea. Su Xiao lay on the gunwale, crossing his legs, looking like he might fall into the sea at any moment.
Compared to Su Xiao, who was alone enjoying the sea breeze, Bubu Wang, who was being held as a hostage, had already mingled with the pirates. From the looks of it, he was almost ready to swear brotherhood with Diamond Jozu. Amu was following Bubu Wang, freeloading on food and drink.
Seeing that Bubu Wang had already won over the pirates with his Charm Attribute, Su Xiao closed his eyes to rest. He had instructed Bubu Wang to do this; it was an insurance policy. If the surgery failed, he would take Bubu Wang and Amu and jump into the sea to escape.
Marco and Flower Sword Vista had already left. They had to gather advanced medical equipment within just ten hours. Some items were to be delivered from their territory in the New World, while others could only be seized from the Navy's experimental bases.
When the sky was completely dark and the stars filled the heavens, Marco returned with his men. They all had a smell of blood about them. Marco himself was drooping his eyelids, looking very tired.
"My old man is still sleeping. How about..."
"Fifteen hours at most."
"Alright."
Marco came to the cabin where Whitebeard was and sat down by the door. Hearing the snoring inside, he couldn't help but fall into a deep sleep himself.
Thump, thump, thump...
The sound of knocking on wood reached Marco's ears. He suddenly opened his eyes. The glaring sunlight made him instinctively close his eyes. It felt like only a moment had passed, but the sun hanging high in the sky told him it was already morning.
"Looks like you slept even better than Whitebeard."
"I accidentally dozed off."
Marco smiled.
"Who is Brianna?"
"..."
Marco's expression suddenly froze.
"How do you know..."
"Half the people on this ship probably know. You were mumbling her name all night. It was very noisy."
"..."
Marco stiffly turned his head to look at Jozu. The usually stoic big man was looking at Marco with a meaningful expression.
"Whitebeard's condition has recovered quite well. We can begin. Move those medical instruments inside."
Just as Su Xiao pushed open the cabin door, he saw Whitebeard holding an oversized bowl, tilting his head back and drinking something.
"This is no different from not eating."
Whitebeard put down the large bowl. As a pirate who ate meat, only having a large bowl of porridge in the morning was a very rare occurrence.
Whitebeard sat on the hardwood bed. The pressure he exuded was even stronger, and his eyes were much more spirited.
"Kid, what was that medicine you used yesterday? That kind of medicine would be enough."
Clearly, Whitebeard didn't want the surgery. He preferred to use the painkiller Su Xiao provided before the battle. That would be safer.
"If you want to fight under semi-anesthesia of the central nervous system, I have no objections."
Hearing Su Xiao's words, Whitebeard looked at the blonde little nurse beside him. The blonde nurse shook her head, indicating it was absolutely not allowed.
"Considering your condition, I won't fully anesthetize you during the surgery. You can sit up from the operating table anytime you want, provided you want to die."
A smile appeared on Su Xiao's face. Whitebeard's expression gradually became serious. For some reason, he felt that Su Xiao was not someone to be trifled with right now, even more troublesome than the powerful enemies he had faced in the past.
One by one, medical instruments were carried into the room by the pirates. The hardwood bed was also replaced with an operating table.
Two hours later, Whitebeard lay on the operating table. He felt he could still move. It felt like many hands were holding him down. He could break free, but he wouldn't do that unless it was a critical moment.
The reason Su Xiao didn't fully anesthetize Whitebeard was because of Sha. According to Sha's own account, when she underwent Su Xiao's surgery, the feeling of Su Xiao casually manipulating her body was absolutely terrible—weak, hopeless, and helpless.
So, Su Xiao simply decided not to fully anesthetize Whitebeard. This way, as long as Whitebeard could withstand the intense pain, he wouldn't experience the same terrible feeling as Sha.
Thinking of this, Su Xiao picked up the small plasma saw beside him and pressed the switch.
Buzz~
Hearing this sound, Whitebeard's eye on the operating table visibly twitched, but he still maintained his composure.
Whitebeard's surgery couldn't be completed in one go. It would take at least three sessions. The first would address his liver, spine, and those old injuries. The second would deal with his heart problems. The third would be surgery on all organs except the heart and liver.
Whitebeard's problems weren't just old injuries + geriatric diseases + uncontrolled drinking. The Tremor-Tremor Fruit was very powerful, but it caused the user's body to endure recoil force. This was one of the main reasons for Whitebeard's terrible physical condition.
Blood splattered, staining the rubber gloves Su Xiao was wearing. Outside the cabin, Marco and the others were ready to rush in at any moment. The sounds coming from inside were simply too horrifying. This wasn't surgery; it sounded like someone was repairing some kind of machinery.
Four hours later, Su Xiao sutured the wound on Whitebeard's back and injected an Ancient Secret Medicine into the surrounding area to accelerate the recovery of Whitebeard's surgical trauma. Barring any accidents, the next surgery could be performed in two hours.
Whitebeard on the operating table didn't show much change in expression. It turned out that as long as he wasn't fully anesthetized, he wouldn't experience the terrible feeling Sha had. So, Whitebeard only felt the intense pain and Su Xiao's, to put it mildly, rough surgical methods. This was the first time in Whitebeard's life that he had seen his own liver with his own eyes, and it might be the last.
Su Xiao rested for two hours, then returned to the operating table. Whitebeard's injuries were already showing signs of healing. After all, he was a powerful plot character. The restorative items Su Xiao created had a greatly diminished effect on him.
The second surgery began. This time, it was to address the heart problem. Seeing Su Xiao approach the operating table again, Whitebeard's eye twitched once more.