Joining the Spade Pirates

Although Ace had been inviting Yota, he had not been very confident deep down.

Ace had long seen that Yota was no ordinary person. Just the stone Yota had thrown when Ace approached had carried tremendous force. His fighting ability was undoubtedly far beyond that of an ordinary person.

Ace could even guarantee that, aside from himself, no one in the Spade Pirates was a match for Yota—and that was without even counting his Devil Fruit ability.

On top of that, he was a rare Devil Fruit user. A modifying ability like the Munch-Munch Fruit was obviously no ordinary Devil Fruit. Combined with his considerable medical skill, he would surely be highly valued whether he joined the Navy or the pirates.

Even setting aside his combat ability, his power to instantly heal wounds alone would be enough for a Four Emperors Crew or Navy Headquarters to welcome him with open arms.

The Spade Pirates might have been called Supernovas, but in truth, they were nothing special. Every year, one or two Supernovas emerged on the seas, yet few ever truly gained a foothold. It went without saying how little appeal they had for a Devil Fruit user like him.

Otherwise, Ace would not have had such a miserable time recruiting members for the Spade Pirates.

His little brother Luffy's Straw Hat Pirates, on the other hand, had a truly dreamlike lineup: a top-tier navigator, first-rate cook and shipwright, a skilled ship's doctor, combatants not much weaker than Luffy himself, and even the world's only archaeologist.

As for Ace's crew... that was hard to put into words...

The so-called Spade Pirates could be summed up as Ace and the accessories hanging off his thigh!

Of course, Yota did not yet know the Spade Pirates' current state. He assumed that since Ace was Luffy's older brother, the Spade Pirates might not have the Straw Hat Pirates' dream lineup, but surely they could not be that bad, right?

After all, he had never read Ace's spin-off manga and had no idea just how lackluster the Spade Pirates were.

But even if he had known, it would not have mattered. They were going to join the Whitebeard Pirates eventually anyway. To Yota, the Spade Pirates were merely a stepping stone.

Ace, meanwhile, immediately grew excited when he heard Yota accept his invitation.

At that moment, the Spade Pirates' ship pulled up to the shore, and seven or eight people poured off the deck.

Yota swept them with a glance and quietly thought, These guys don't look like much. They feel far weaker than Ace.

And this vice-captain named Deuce seems pathetically weak too. Ace really has some skill if he managed to take this bunch all the way to the New World.

Though Yota had developed Observation Haki, he could only vaguely sense the strength of others. He was not confident he could completely see through the abilities of Ace's other crewmates.

But he had already analyzed Deuce's physical condition with the Munch-Munch Fruit, so he understood Deuce's strength better than anyone else's.

And since someone of Deuce's level was already the vice-captain, Yota now had a rough idea of the strength of Ace's subordinates.

"Ace, are you all right? Who's this guy?"

"Deuce looks like he's recovered! Is our ship's doctor finally normal?"

Deuce's face reddened slightly. "Ahem. I'm not the ship's doctor anymore. Ace found us a new companion."

"A new companion?" Their gazes turned to Yota, who smiled faintly. "My name is Yota. I'm just an ordinary doctor from Drum Kingdom."

Chopper, however, looked reluctant to part with him. "Yota, are you going out to sea too?"

"So, Chopper, do you want to come with us?" Ace suddenly leaned his head over and asked Chopper.

Enough already! He's your brother's vital crewmate and emergency food supply! If you lure him away, won't Luffy become the dumbest member of the Straw Hat Pirates?

Though Yota was shouting this inwardly, his expression did not change. Drum Kingdom was no longer like the original story, with its idiotic laws that hunted doctors. Excellent doctors were everywhere. With Straw Hat Luffy's charisma, finding a reliable doctor would not be difficult. So even if Chopper left, it would not really be a problem.

Chopper covered his face and twisted his body. "Idiot, do you think I'm that easy to lure onto a ship? Even if you invite me, I won't go."

No, you obviously really want to go, don't you? Everyone can tell!

Yota sighed, already starting to wonder what sort of new doctor the Straw Hat Pirates would end up meeting.

But then Chopper's expression suddenly changed. "Th-this-this, what is that?! Waaah, don't come over here!"

A huge lynx pounced on him and immediately bit down on Chopper's head. Chopper screamed and ran around in a frantic panic, blood spurting from his head.

"Kodatz! Don't!"

"Stop! That's not prey!"

The Spade Pirates were instantly horrified. They rushed over and, after a great deal of effort, finally separated the lynx from Chopper. Chopper's face was covered in blood and tears. "Waaah, I'm not going! I'm not going! If I go, I'll definitely get eaten!"

Yota saw everything clearly. The lynx named Kodatz was seemingly lowering his head obediently while being scolded, but upon hearing that, the corner of his mouth curled into a faintly sinister grin before returning to normal.

Well, well. Even pets were getting competitive these days!

Kodatz's meaning was abundantly clear: there could only be one mascot on this ship!

Come to think of it, most ships either had no mascot at all or only kept one. Whether it was a Mink Tribe member, some animal, or a reindeer that had eaten a Devil Fruit, there would never be a second one.

Perhaps that was what they meant by one mountain not being able to hold two tigers—unless one was male and the other female?

Clearly, Ace and the others in the Spade Pirates had also noticed the issue, so they did not continue inviting Chopper. Otherwise, those two animals would probably turn the ship upside down.

"All right, all right, Chopper. Let me treat you." Yota sighed helplessly and swallowed Chopper in one gulp.

"Eeeek!!!" The Spade Pirates were terrified to the point of goosebumps. Even the lynx's fur stood on end, and its tail shot straight up.

Fortunately, Yota spat Chopper back out moments later. By then, all of Chopper's wounds and bloodstains had vanished without a trace. Only then did the frightened crew members breathe a sigh of relief.

"A-amazing!" Deuce's eyes went wide as he stared at Yota's mouth. So this was how he had been healed!