Fourteen hours later, Su Xiao, covered in blood, pushed open the cabin door and walked out. The pirates waiting outside swarmed around him.
"Doctor, how is my old man?"
"Mr. Byakuya, how did it go?"
"Is Pops all right now?"
Looking at the anxious pirates surrounding him, Su Xiao felt like he was facing a group of patients' family members.
"It was a success, more or less."
Su Xiao's words made the pirates' hearts skip a beat, and some of them continued asking questions.
"Don't crowd around me."
"Uh~"
Faced with such a fierce doctor, most of the pirates instinctively took a step back. Su Xiao went to the side of the deck and lit a cigarette.
The surgery could only be considered a barely successful one. The problems with his heart, lungs, spine, and other major organs had all been resolved, but Su Xiao could do nothing about the aftereffects of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. Those injuries had accumulated over many years. Unless Su Xiao helped Whitebeard recuperate for at least a month, there was no chance of a full recovery. At best, he could suppress them for a while.
Time passed quickly. It took nearly twenty hours before the cabin door was pushed open again. Whitebeard walked out with his upper body wrapped in bandages, having already removed the assisted-breathing apparatus.
He placed a hand on the back of his neck and tried slowly turning and lowering his head. His spine had previously been as stiff as if it had rusted solid, but now he felt as though the spaces between his vertebrae had been lubricated, making movement feel natural.
More importantly, Whitebeard experienced the sensation of breathing freely. The slightly salty sea breeze entered his lungs, and his chest no longer felt as stifled as before. His lungs