CHAPTER 342: CHAPTER 342: FLAME-FLAME DEVIL!

Normally calm and composed, Sabo was now uncharacteristically furious.

The others around him remained silent.

This kind of situation...

Even if they wanted to comfort him, there was simply no angle to approach it from.

Koala watched Sabo’s bloodshot eyes, her heart hanging in suspense.

Her face was etched with deep concern.

Sigh...

All they could do was hope that guy could really bring someone back to life. Otherwise, Sabo would completely lose his sanity.

No one could predict what reckless things he might do.

But...

Koala glanced at Vir, who had just run his blade through Ace’s chest.

No matter how she thought about it, she couldn’t figure out how he could possibly revive someone who was already long gone...

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On Vir’s side, after piercing Ace with a single strike, he didn’t continue thrusting repeatedly as before.

Instead, he slowly dragged the blade downward, from Ace’s chest to his stomach.

The vibration frequency was noticeably faster than before.

This method allowed him to complete the procedure more quickly.

Faster speed meant the blade’s durability would decrease at a much slower rate.

A very user-friendly approach.

The downside? The amount of negative energy points gained would be halved.

Because the process was too fast, the "satisfaction" factor was low.

The patient wouldn’t endure much suffering.

But for Ace right now, that hardly mattered.

His soul wasn’t even in his body—how could he provide negative energy points?

In just over ten seconds, the Vibro-Blade’s work was done.

Its durability had only dropped by 5 points.

For reconstructing an entire head and neck, that was an incredibly low cost.

Fresh flesh and blood began to gradually emerge from Ace’s still-warm body.

At the same time, his frame visibly withered away at a rapid pace.

Now, all that was left was to wait.

Once enough flesh had regenerated, it would be like molding clay—

All Vir had to do was shape Ace a new head.

Once attached to the body, the internal structures would regenerate on their own.

And the shape would naturally restore itself to Ace’s original appearance.

Molding it manually was just to speed up the process.

An interesting note: while collecting Ace’s soul earlier, there was also a strange cloud of gas that got sucked in along with it.

That gas had just separated from Ace’s body—but before it could escape, the insane suction force had yanked it right back in.

Along with Ace, it had been pulled into the tool’s interior.

If Vir had to guess,

That was probably...

That gas was likely the devil inside the Flame-Flame Fruit.

Or rather, the devil that had resided within Ace.

Because Ace had died, the Flame-Flame devil needed to find a new fruit to inhabit.

But unfortunately for it...

It hadn’t escaped in time.

Almost made it, though...

As the flesh continued to regenerate, Vir retrieved his professional tools from his medical kit—

A putty knife.

And a putty board.

That was all he needed.

No point in overcomplicating things.

He scooped up chunks of flesh with the putty knife, placed them on the board.

Then carried them over to where Ace’s head should be.

Layer by layer, he filled in the gaps with the flesh.

Once done, he used the flat edge of the knife to sculpt the mass into the rough shape of a human head.

Watching this scene, Sengoku’s face was filled with utter confusion.

What the hell was this guy doing?

Was he trying to restore Ace’s original appearance?

To make his death look dignified or something?

But was that something a doctor should be doing?

That kind of work was usually for professionals.

Why was a doctor like him getting involved in this mess?

Sengoku couldn’t make sense of it.

Most of the Marines wore similarly puzzled frowns.

But only those who had witnessed Vir’s miraculous medical skills firsthand—

Like the Whitebeard pirates and Douglas Bullet’s group—

Understood what he was doing.

Even so, they were just as baffled.

Bullet, who had personally experienced Vir’s treatment, knew that this technique could only restore missing body parts—

Nothing more.

The man was already dead.

What was the point of reconstructing him?

Was he seriously playing mortician now?

Wasn’t this kid’s skill set a bit too broad?

What couldn’t he do?

Having known Vir for less than a day, Bullet was already marveling at the man’s versatility.

The only ones whose thoughts differed from the rest were Whitebeard and Marco.

They knew Vir better than anyone else present.

This guy...

Once he took action, once he made a move, he was absolutely certain he could heal the person.

He wasn’t one to do business at a loss.

That blade of his—he treasured it deeply.

If all he wanted was to restore Ace’s appearance, he wouldn’t have revealed himself at this moment.

Which meant...

There was an extremely high chance Ace could be brought back to life.

Realizing this, Marco could only hope Vir would work faster.

But Whitebeard was already thinking ahead—

Planning their next move after Ace’s revival.

He looked around.

At the sea of people surrounding them.

At the worried eyes locked on Vir.

Whitebeard sighed deeply in his heart.

So be it.

If these old bones of his could protect the young ones—protect that reckless brat—then it was worth it.

He was getting old.

It was time to make way for the new generation.

He’d held the title of Emperor for far too long.

But Marco and the others... they weren’t ready yet.

They couldn’t shoulder the weight of a Yonko’s flag.

At that thought,

Whitebeard’s eyes returned to the figure busily working on Ace.

Fine.

Fine, fine!

Maybe it was time to let this kid take the reins.

They owed him too much already.

If it was him, his sons probably wouldn’t object too strongly.

With that old lion watching his back.

And now that unpredictable wildcard Bullet sticking around—

If he sat on that throne,

He’d hold it steady.

Just a few years—

That was all he’d need to make his position unshakable.

Hell, he might even become the next Pirate King, following in Roger’ footsteps.

Too bad I won’t live to see it...

In that brief span of time,

Whitebeard had steeled his resolve.

All he needed now was for his beloved son to rise again—

And he would turn Marineford upside down!

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