" Kuzan! I haven't heard anything good about you!"
"Enough with the rambling nonsense! Get your men out of here!"
Doflamingo kept babbling on and on as he walked, and Aokiji clearly didn't want to pay attention to him anymore. He was still disturbing Aokiji's mind. Vic, who had been watching from the sidelines, finally couldn't help but speak up and tell him to leave!
"You... you! Four Emperors! Thunder God Vic! How could you...?"
Doflamingo looked towards the familiar voice that had been reprimanding him, and was immediately terrified by the familiar, indifferent face that stood there. The person there was the great figure he truly feared—the emperor of the New World!
Doflamingo wanted to say, "What are you doing here?" but then he remembered that the other party had told him to get lost, so he didn't dare to say anything more. He quickly walked up to Baby-5 and Buffalo, picked them up one by one, and left without any hesitation!
He truly dared not delay. He was genuinely terrified of the Four Emperors. His former Celestial Dragons status was of no use whatsoever, and this Four Emperors was someone who had even killed Celestial Dragons!
"Four... Four Emperors!"
"It's the newly Four Emperors, Thunder God Vic!"
"What a big day it is today! And where is this place? Why are all the important people here!"
"It seems like they're all here for Smoker!"
"What? Does Smoker have that much influence? I didn't realize it before!"
Vic's arrival shocked the G5 marines. They never expected their commander, Smoker, to have such powerful connections. With Four Emperors and a former Admiral coming to their rescue, they were sure they could do whatever they wanted in the New World!
Vic actually came to Punk Hazard after leaving Sabaody Archipelago, mainly because he had previously interfered with Aokiji's thoughts. It was hard to say whether Aokiji would come here again. If it were someone else, Vic might not have bothered, but he couldn't ignore Smoker.
"Hey! Who's the doctor? Get treatment done right now!"
Aokiji glanced at Vic, then ignored the departing Doflamingo and rushed to the wounded Smoker, anxiously calling out to him. His previous air of superiority had vanished, replaced by deep concern!
"There's no need to look for anyone else; I also have some medical knowledge."
"Oh right, Mr. Garp did say you could do it, so let's get treatment done quickly!"
Smoker was already in a daze, but he knew that his two best friends had come to his rescue. It was impossible for him not to be moved, since neither of them were Marines anymore and their rescue was entirely out of friendship.
Vic didn't say anything more. He walked up to Smoker, his palm crackling with lightning, and pressed it against Smoker's chest. Aokiji then saw Smoker's clothes instantly turn into lightning and disappear without a trace, revealing the numerous wounds on his body.
Although he was naked and lying on the ice, Smoker didn't feel cold. Instead, a warm current flowed through his body, which cleared his somewhat drowsy mind. However, his completely naked appearance made him a little embarrassed, especially with so many subordinates watching. How could he, as their superior, maintain his authority afterward?
However, Smoker soon couldn't let his mind wander anymore, because he felt hungry, incredibly hungry, as if his stomach wanted to digest him whole!
Then the pain in his wound subsided, replaced by an itch that made him want to scratch it. However, he found that his body was completely immobile and beyond his control. All he could do now was blink.
Although Smoker knew that his friend Vic was behind it all, he still felt an instinctive fear; these methods were terrifying!
It is indeed unsettling to feel out of control of one's body. This may stem from ancient memories in human genes, because in that era, being unable to move meant death!
Just as Smoker looked at Vic with an incredulous expression, Vic smiled strangely at him. Their eyes met, and then Vic held a rather odd-looking fruit in his other hand and brought it to Smoker's mouth.
Smoker felt an instinctive aversion to this fruit of unknown origin, and Vic's smile made him even more uneasy. He didn't want to eat this unknown fruit no matter what!
To Smoker's horror, his mouth, which he had been struggling to keep closed, opened on its own. Smoker desperately glanced at Kuzan beside him, hoping Kuzan would notice something was wrong and stop this Vic!
Kuzan, however, gave him an encouraging look, as if hoping he would quickly eat the fruit that could heal his wounds and recover soon.
Smoker was almost in despair. He looked at Vic again, Vic still had that eerie smile on his face. Then he saw himself take a bite out of half of the unknown fruit and chew it. Although he could no longer control his body, he could still feel it. The tactile sensation and fullness of the fruit in his mouth, as well as its sweet taste, were truly the best fruit he had ever eaten in his life!
Smoker watched helplessly as he ate the entire unknown fruit. He simply couldn't control himself. Damn world, let it be destroyed!
Smoker's thoughts had already drifted far away, completely unaware that his stomach, which had been throbbing with hunger just moments before, was no longer hungry and even felt slightly full.
Meanwhile, Aokiji was amazed and full of wonder, because Smoker's wounds were visibly healing and shrinking. He had witnessed the growth of flesh and the entire process of wound healing!
This was something Aokiji had never seen before; even the Navy's best doctors couldn't do it. He suspected it was the effect of the Mystery Fruit from earlier and was also thinking about how to ask Vic for it. In such a chaotic sea, no one could guarantee they wouldn't get hurt, and the kind of fruit Vic had could save lives in a critical moment!
"Alright! Snap out of it, how much longer are you going to walk your bird around? Don't you have an exhibitionist streak, do you?"
Just as Smoker was lost in thought and giving up, a familiar voice pulled him back to reality. He sat up abruptly, only to realize that he had regained control of his body.
Then he discovered something amazing: all the wounds Doflamingo had inflicted on his body had disappeared. If it weren't for the fair and fresh skin around the wounds, he would have really thought that the scene of being beaten up by Doflamingo was an illusion!
However, this immediately raised questions: Would this fake Vic be so kind as to heal his injuries? And healed them so thoroughly? This doesn't make sense!
Vic wasn't trying to make fun of Smoker. Before, when Smoker and Tashigi had their bodies swapped by Law, Smoker had very generously opened Tashigi's shirt, exposing both hemispheres to the outside, giving everyone a good look, without even worrying about getting cold.
Tashigi complained several times, but he continued to give benefits to others as he pleased. Perhaps Smoker really did unleash his inner quirks after changing bodies. Anyway, it was a rare opportunity, and Vic had witnessed it all!
"Oh my god! Do you really have a penchant for walking your bird? How come I never noticed before? Smoker! You're so slutty!"
Seeing Smoker sit up, examine himself, and then stare blankly again, Aokiji began to doubt his old friend's tastes. Nevertheless, he tossed the clothes he had taken from the G5 soldier onto Smoker. Smoker liked to walk around but didn't care about looking at them; he only liked young women.
Smoker was jolted awake by the clothes hitting him, and feeling a little embarrassed, he quickly got dressed. However, his eyes never left Vic, but he found that Vic was still the same serious Vic, with no trace of the eerie smile on his face. Smoker thought that he might have been too badly injured and that his mind had been affected.
" Vic! Did you just smile at me?"
Smoker was still somewhat uncertain as he asked Vic. He was afraid if he didn't understand the situation, and he was also concerned about Vic's ability to control his body.
Doflamingo had used similar techniques against his subordinates before, but the feeling was different; he could clearly see his subordinates' struggles and conversations.
However, his own experience was completely different. He couldn't speak at all and had no power to resist. His strength was far greater than that of his subordinates. From this, he could see the difference in their abilities, which was like heaven and earth!
"You laughed! Isn't that right?"
Vic grinned, revealing that same eerie smile again as he looked at Smoker. Smoker jumped in fright, instantly retreating behind Aokiji, then peered out at Vic warily.
Vic's smile was truly frightening. With Vic's mastery of the Life Return technique, what expression couldn't he make? If he wanted to, he could instantly transform into the mastermind behind the scenes!