After some treatment, Mo's injuries improved, and he regained consciousness.
"Mm, someone saved me?" Mo propped up his bandage-wrapped upper body and pressed his right hand to his chest. "Damn Whitebeard! I'll kill you one day!" He climbed out of bed and pulled the IV line from his hand. Unable to find his shoes, he stood barefoot on the cold floor.
"Ah! Bandage Man, please don't get out of bed. Your wound will reopen!" The soft-spoken blue-haired girl hurried over with a bowl of foul-smelling, pitch-black medicine, then stopped and anxiously circled in place, clutching the bowl.
"Kid, where am I?" Mo forced a smile and reached out to pat Axia on the head.
"Ah!" Axia sprang backward like a startled fawn. The bowl fell to the floor with a crisp clatter.
"What happened? What happened?" The doctor came running over, his footsteps hurried.
"Uh, I patted her head, and then she..." Mo Williams said awkwardly. It wasn't as if he were ugly.
"Oh, I see." The doctor had just breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his face when his eyes went wide. "What! You touched Axia?"
"Is there a problem?" Mo asked, puzzled. Perhaps it was some strange custom.
Then, in spectacular fashion, he fell flat on his face. A shard of pottery loomed larger in his vision. He hardened, a layer of black, asphalt-like material covering his head, and the shard shattered against him. Mo broke into a cold sweat. What had just happened? With his strength, how could he trip on flat ground while standing perfectly still?
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." The little girl couldn't stop crying. She knew this had happened because of her ability.
At that moment, Axia was more than two meters away from the two men.
The doctor took several steps back and sighed. "That's why. You must be strong. An ordinary person would have... Perhaps a Witch cursed her! Poor child."
After Mo had sat back down on the bed, the doctor gave him a rough account of Axia's past.
Mo listened quietly without interrupting. Axia gripped the hem of her clothes with small hands, her fingers turning pale. Head bowed, she bit her lip and said nothing.
"Axia, right?" Mo asked.
"Yeah." Axia secretly peeked at Mo's expression. He looked completely calm.
"Do you remember eating anything that looked like fruit before you started changing?"
Axia's mind returned to the house that had exploded that night, and she remembered the awful-tasting fruit.
"Maybe I can help you cure this 'curse,'" Mo said with a smile.
"Really?" Axia gazed at Mo with hope.
"Mm!" Mo nodded.
"I, I ate a really awful fruit. Just a little bite." Axia held up her hand to show him.
"Do you feel weak when you bathe?"
"Mm... a little." Axia touched her rosy lips with her index finger and thought it over.
"I'm eighty percent sure." The corner of Mo's mouth lifted. A Devil Fruit Ability was already this strong without any training. If she learned to use it... He could use it on Whitebeard. Heh.
"I didn't realize you were a doctor, sir," the doctor said, narrowing his eyes. Although Axia brought a little bad luck, he couldn't just stand by and let a stranger whisk her away.
"Mm, not exactly, but I can handle her condition."
"Is it because of that strange fruit?" The doctor looked at Mo warily.
"More or less." Mo Williams rubbed his chin. "Why not let Axia decide for herself?"
"Um, mister, can you really cure my illness?" Axia asked again to be sure.
"I promise!" Mo smiled again.
"That's wonderful! But what do I have to do?" Axia tilted her head, bewildered.
"Come with me. It'll take time." Mo's whole body turned hard and black. He reached out and patted Axia's little head again. "Like this, your ability won't affect me."
Axia had been about to step back, but she stopped when she heard Mo and enjoyed the head pat. "I won't cause Bandage Man any trouble, will I?"
"No, you won't." Mo was a little displeased by the word "bandage." "Axia, don't call me Bandage Man. Call me Mo. My name is Mo Williams, and I'm with the World Government." The last sentence was for the doctor.
"I need to discuss this with the mayor," the doctor said, smiling gently at Axia. "Axia's part of the town, too."
"Thank you all so much for taking care of me these past years."
Axia thought of how kindly the townspeople had treated her over the years. Tears welled in her eyes as she bowed.
"Hey, could you bring me a Den Den Mushi while you're at it?" Mo Williams scratched his head and smiled at the doctor. "I'll probably need a few more days to recover. You can discuss it in the meantime."
"I think the mayor has one. All right, I'll be off. Axia, please get another bowl of medicine for Mr. Williams. Make sure you watch him drink it all." The doctor grabbed his coat and went out the door.
"Okay!" The girl sounded a little excited.
After the doctor left, Mo and Axia stared at each other, neither knowing what to say. Mo finally found something to talk about. "Axia, could you please get me a bowl of medicine? Be careful not to spill it."
"Oh, right, I'll get it now, Uncle... Uncle Mo." Axia hurried out the door.
Three more days passed. Everyone in town heard that Axia was leaving. Some were happy, while others were sad.
"That little Witch is finally leaving. I hope she never comes back." This was one of the happy ones.
"Someone can cure Axia's curse? That's wonderful." This was another happy one.
"Will Axia be able to look after herself? I hope she doesn't bring bad luck to the people around her anymore. Poor child." This one was sad.
The Marine Ship Mo had summoned by Den Den Mushi arrived, too. Mo put on a Marine coat—he was cold—and covered himself in black Haki. Axia stood beside him. "Then we'll be off."
The whole town had come to see them off—Mo had reduced the town's taxes by a year.
The doctor and the mayor stood at the front, waving goodbye to Axia. "This will always be your home."
Axia cried her eyes out and nodded repeatedly. Mo placed a hand on her head. "Let's go."
The warship sailed farther and farther away...
"Um, who exactly is this Uncle Mo you keep talking about?" Rono pulled an apple from who knew where and asked around a mouthful.
"The sunglasses-wearing mister who beat you last time, obviously!" Axia answered matter-of-factly.
"Pfft—" Rono spat out the apple in his mouth. That aloof Sunglasses Man had such a warm side to him?
Before you continue