NOVEL NEXT Chapter 9: Chapter 9: My Master is Amazing, Right?
"How is it, Nami? Feeling better now?"
"AHH!! AHHH!!!"
Five minutes later, Luffy's voice rang out, but the only response he got was Nami's terrified screams.
Vir was drenched in sweat, but he didn't have time to wipe it off. His hands moved mechanically, the pickaxe striking Nami's body repeatedly.
Nami's feverish, flushed face began to return to normal—no, not normal. It quickly turned pale.
Her ear-piercing screams, which sounded horrifying to others, were music to Vir's ears.
[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have gained 200 negative points.]
[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have gained 100 negative points.]
[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have gained 20 negative points.]
Though the points dropped quickly, even down to 20, Vir was already swimming in a sea of gains. He was thrilled.
To Nami, these five minutes had been nothing short of a nightmare.
All she could see was the pickaxe swinging down toward her, again and again.
Even though her strength was slowly returning, it felt like her soul had already left her body.
Finally, her vision went black, and she passed out.
Vir, who had been swinging the pickaxe nonstop for five minutes, finally stopped.
With an exhausted sigh, he dropped onto the ground, his arms feeling sore and numb.
That had taken a lot out of him.
An ordinary person swinging a pickaxe non-stop for forty-nine strikes would be nearly dead, and Vir was no exception.
But looking at the system notifications, he was quite satisfied.
[Ding! Congratulations, host, for successfully curing Nami and acquiring the skill: Financial Management LV-Max!]
Financial management?
Useless.
But at least he had farmed a ton of negative points—more than enough to last him for a while.
"Nami! Nami, are you okay?! Say something!"
Luffy grabbed Nami's face and repeatedly patted her cheeks with a loud *pom, pom, pom*, trying to wake her up.
Sanji's face darkened. With a loud bang, Luffy was kicked out the door.
"Are you trying to slap Nami-san to death?! Once she wakes up, I'm reporting this crime to her!"
Sanji shouted, then turned to Nami with a worried look.
"Vir, what's going on? What happened to Nami-san? Why did she pass out again?"
Sanji looked at Vir anxiously.
They had all seen Nami's condition improving with their own eyes.
But just when they thought she was going to make a full recovery, she lost consciousness again.
This was hard to accept.
Could it be... that it still wasn't enough?
Damn it! If only I had taken better care of Nami-san and prevented her from getting bitten, none of this would have happened!
Sanji clenched his fists in self-blame.
Vir, finally catching his breath, answered calmly.
"She just got scared too much. Give her a few minutes, and she'll be fine."
He spoke while taking deep breaths.
Hearing this, Sanji's eyes lit up.
So she just fainted from fear?
That's a relief.
Nami-san is safe. Thank goodness.
Doctor Kureha glanced at Vir with newfound respect.
This kid…
He's got real skills.
She no longer found him as annoying as before.
That brutal-looking treatment method actually contained an incredible amount of skill and effort.
At first glance, it seemed like Vir was just blindly smashing away, not even looking as he swung.
But that was impossible.
It only meant one thing—his skill level was absurdly high.
He must have performed this kind of treatment countless times before.
He must have mastered a specific strength and technique, allowing him to strike without causing harm.
A hardworking, highly skilled doctor.
That was exactly the kind of doctor Kureha admired.
Her opinion of Vir had completely changed.
Maybe… this guy isn't so bad after all.
She hated arrogant people who boasted about their medical skills but were all talk.
Earlier, Vir had triggered every one of her pet peeves, so it was no wonder she had lashed out at him.
She glanced over at Chopper, who was staring at Vir with eyes full of admiration.
His gaze burned with longing.
Kureha found this surprising.
Chopper had always been afraid of humans. He had suffered too much pain from both reindeer and people alike.
Yet now, he was looking at a man he had just met with such trust and admiration.
This child had been through so much.
If that guy treats him well, maybe following him wouldn't be such a bad thing…
Chopper noticed her gaze and looked up at her.
With a proud expression, he declared, "Doctorina! My master is amazing, isn't he?!"
Kureha chuckled.
Chopper tilted his head in confusion.
"Amazing, absolutely amazing…"
She sighed with a hint of emotion.
Just as Chopper was about to respond, Nami finally woke up.
The first thing she saw was Sanji's concerned face.
But then—
Her eyes shot wide open!
With a *whoosh*, she shot upright!
Her eyes darted around in panic.
Then suddenly—
She froze.
Her gaze locked onto Vir, who was still sitting on the ground catching his breath.
And beside him—the pickaxe.
Her eyes started trembling violently!
Her face twisted with horror.
Her entire body began to shake uncontrollably!
[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have gained 80 negative points.]
Oh? Another profit.
Earning another 80 points put Vir in an even better mood.
Looking at Nami sitting on the sofa, he casually asked, "Do you still feel unwell anywhere?"
As he spoke, he stood up and took a step forward.
That was the final straw for Nami.
"NO! STAY AWAY FROM ME!!!"
Screaming, she threw herself onto Sanji, wrapping her arms around his neck and clinging to him for dear life.
Sanji was left completely dazed by this sudden turn of events.
This…
Happiness came so suddenly!
His face bloomed with a lovestruck smile.
His eyes turned into heart shapes.
He even gave Vir a thumbs-up as a sign of gratitude.
Such a polite guy.
"Nami! You're awake!"
Luffy finally emerged from the snowpile outside.
Seeing Nami up and about, he was overjoyed.
"Nami! That guy saved you! He cured you in just five minutes! He's incredible!"
Luffy, oblivious as ever, even found Vir pretty interesting.
After all, what kind of doctor treats people like that?
Nami froze.
She turned to Vir, who was smiling at her.
A doctor?
He saved me?
For real?
Wasn't he trying to kill me?
How did he suddenly become my savior?
She looked completely baffled.
"That's right, Nami-san. This guy really did save you." Sanji confirmed.
So it really was him?
Nami started to believe it. Sanji would never lie to her.
But the terrifying memories of those five minutes still haunted her.
She couldn't shake the fear that Vir would suddenly raise that pickaxe again.
"Alright, time to settle the medical bill. That'll be 50 million Berries."
Vir said it so casually.
Afraid of me?
No worries—I have plenty of ways to change that!
I know this little cat burglar inside out.
As expected, the moment she heard those words, Nami exploded.
"What?! 50 million Berries?! Are you robbing us?! It's just a fever! How can you charge so much?! This is a scam!"
Nami glared at Vir, her face filled with fury.
There was no way their crew had that much money right now.
And even if they did, she absolutely would not pay it!
This was way beyond the normal cost of medical treatment!
But Vir, hearing her outburst, remained completely unfazed.
"I got you up and running in just five minutes. Do you think my medicine is cheap?"
Vir said this with a calm expression.
Nami was stunned for a moment.
Huh? That… actually kind of makes sense.
Getting someone fully recovered so quickly… maybe it would be expensive…
But…
What medicine?!
Didn't you just whack me over the head with a pickaxe?!
That counts as medicine?!
As if he could see the disbelief on Nami's face, Vir spoke again.
"That pickaxe is a family heirloom. It's about to break, and each use reduces its lifespan. Charging 50 million per use is perfectly reasonable."
After hearing this, Nami was completely speechless.
But they really didn't have fifty million…
"Handsome~ could you maybe…"
"Sure! It's free!"
Before Nami could even finish her sentence, Vir cut in decisively.
Was she about to ask for a discount?
Forget that—I'll just make it free!
That should win her over, right?
Heh heh!
For a moment, Nami couldn't even process what had just happened.
This was the first time in her life she had been out-haggled.
She hadn't even finished bargaining, and he had already made it free?
Wait, seriously? Just like that?
Is this guy loaded or something?
I, Nami, love generous men!
After a brief moment of disbelief, Nami quickly seized the opportunity.
She was genuinely afraid this guy might change his mind.
"Really?! Thank you so much! You're so kind and generous! Meeting you is our lucky day!"
After she finished speaking, she even pulled the other two guys along to properly thank Vir.
Watching Nami's reaction, Vir finally nodded to himself in satisfaction.
Alright.
Now she's not scared anymore.
The biggest obstacle to joining the Straw Hats was gone.
The chances had increased significantly!