As Kuma waited anxiously, the door to the makeshift infirmary finally opened, and Ai Haibara Meow walked out in a white coat and glasses, her expression grave.
"How is Bonney? Can you cure her illness?"
Although deep down, Kuma had not placed much hope in Ai Haibara Meow, his heart was still in turmoil.
"Bonney is still asleep. It'll be a little while before she wakes up, meow." Ai Haibara Meow answered Kuma's first question before continuing, "As for her illness..."
Ai Haibara Meow nodded, but before Kuma could rejoice, he saw her shake her head again.
"Wh-what does that mean?" Kuma grew even more anxious.
"These azure jade scales... aren't a disease, meow." Ai Haibara Meow lashed her tail, though it was unclear whom she was angry with.
(=益)
Still, the little kitten suppressed her anger and continued explaining, "From the examination I just performed, what causes the azure jade scales should be some kind of substance rooted within the cells. It isn't a virus, meow, but exists as part of the cells. However, it offers the body no benefit whatsoever. Instead, it competes with its host for nutrients, so once it spreads on a large scale, the host's body can't absorb enough nutrients and dies of organ failure, meow."
No wonder Kuma's Devil Fruit Ability had been useless...
Then Ai Haibara Meow continued lashing her tail as she suppressed her anger and said, "Most importantly, I discovered that this substance is inert under the vast majority of circumstances, and its transmissibility is extremely low. That means it's almost impossible for this to be a disease contracted after birth, unless it was inherited, or... someone deliberately implanted it, meow."
"!!!"
Kuma abruptly rose to his feet, his formerly gentle presence instantly turning wildly violent.
But he soon suppressed the