Musk felt like he was trapped in a nightmare.
A grotesque, absurd nightmare.
He stared into his Captain's wide, earnest eyes.
There wasn't a trace of jest in them.
Only pure, hopeless seriousness.
"N... Nurse?"
Musk's voice trembled, on the verge of tears.
He looked down at himself.
One-meter-sixty tall.
A slightly paunchy belly.
Leg hair that couldn't even rival a woman's.
Make him wear a nurse's uniform?
The image was too "beautiful"—he didn't dare picture it!
"Captain..."
"You're joking, right?"
"That has to be it, right?"
Clinging to his last shred of hope, Musk searched Ace's face for even the faintest hint of a smirk.
But...
Reality was cruel.
Ace tilted his head, looking utterly puzzled.
"What's wrong?"
"What's bad about being a nurse?"
"Now that we've got an even better doctor, isn't it only logical that you, as the deputy, become the nurse?"
Perfect logic!
Flawless!
Ace even considered himself a genius at assigning positions!
Pfft—
The surrounding pirates finally cracked.
Faces red, veins bulging, they tried to hold it in.
Some had already turned away, shoulders shaking wildly.
Too tragic.
Simply too tragic.
After working diligently for so long, a powerhouse dropped from the sky and—boom—he was demoted from chief physician to a tea-serving male nurse.
Who could he complain to?
Musk's vision went black.
He nearly fainted on the spot.
He finally understood.
In this world that values strength, weakness is the original sin!
Ignoring his ship's heartbroken doctor, Ace turned expectantly.
Eyes blazing, he stared at the figure in blue.
"So, what do you say, pal?"
"Sure, our ship's a bit shabby now,"
"but I swear, sailing with us will be fun!"
"We're going to conquer these seas!"
"We need a partner with miraculous medical skills like yours!"
Ace stretched out his hand.
Palm up.
It was the standard pirate invitation gesture.
It signified trust and the promise to watch each other's backs.
The deck fell silent in an instant.
Everyone held their breath.
Even Musk, still wailing inside, couldn't help pricking up his ears.
Though he felt sour about it, he had to admit—
That earlier display—purple mist subduing monsters, green light bringing the dead back to life—was nothing short of divine!
With a doctor like that aboard, injuries and illness would be child's play!
It was like having an extra life!
Who wouldn't want a teammate like that?
The Divine Physician sighed softly.
He didn't take Ace's hand.
Instead, he unhurriedly straightened his robe.
The movement was elegant and unhurried, carrying an air of refinement completely at odds with these rough pirates.
"Sorry."
Two simple words.
Like cold water poured into a sizzling wok.
Ace's smile froze.
The surrounding pirates stared in shock.
Rejected?
Actually rejected?
This was the invitation of the famed "Fire Fist" Ace!
The captain of the future world-renowned Spade Pirates!
The man who had even turned down an offer to become a Shichibukai!
"W... why?"
Ace asked, unwilling to give up.
He wasn't the type to pester, but he really wanted to know the reason.
Was it because the ship was too shabby?
Or they didn't look strong enough?
The Divine Physician lifted his gaze slightly.
His deep eyes were fixed on the boundless sea in the distance.
The sea breeze fluttered his robe, making him look like an immortal about to ride the wind away.
"It's not that I'm unwilling,"
"but I carry a duty—I cannot linger."
Duty?
The word made Ace pause.
On these seas, everyone has a dream.
Some seek the ultimate treasure, the One Piece.
Some want to be the world's greatest swordsman.
But "duty" sounded far heavier.
"There is something I must find."
The Divine Physician's voice turned faint, as though crossing the barriers of time, carrying an ancient, weathered cadence.
"My family has practiced medicine for generations."
"Our line devotes entire lives to gathering herbs for an ancient prescription."
"It is the last wish left by our ancestors,"
"and the destiny I must fulfill."
Ace was awed by the mystique.
Instinctively, he lowered his voice.
"What prescription?"
"Needs searching for generations?"
What earth-shattering miracle drug could it be?
The Divine Physician withdrew his gaze.
He glanced at the curious Ace, then swept his eyes over the pirates straining to listen.
The corners of his mouth lifted, forming a half-smile.
Slowly, he uttered four words:
"Eternal life."
Boom!
Those two words detonated like a bomb inside everyone's minds!
Eternal life?!
You've got to be kidding!
Something found only in myths—could it really exist?
Gulp.
Someone swallowed audibly.
On the silent deck, it rang out clearly.
Greed, shock, and disbelief mingled in their eyes.
No one can resist the lure of immortality.
Not even pirates.
Not even those who claim to laugh at death.
If you can keep living, who wants to die?
"Y... you're joking, right?"
Musk stammered.
"How could a drug like that exist?"
"Isn't that something only gods can do?"
The Divine Physician chuckled softly.
He didn't argue.
He simply took out the purple glass bottle again and gently shook it.
In the sunlight, the liquid inside refracted a dreamy halo.
"All mortals must die; that is nature's iron law."
"But aren't doctors meant to break that very law?"
"If we can snatch people from the clutches of the Shinigami, why can't life be extended forever?"
"So-called eternal life is merely developing life's potential to the extreme."
The words "eternal life" held a magic power.
Even these blood-soaked pirates began to breathe cautiously.
Ace's mouth hung open.
His orange cowboy hat nearly slipped off.
"R... really?"
"Has anyone actually done it?"
The Divine Physician didn't answer right away.
He ran his slender fingers over the ancient patterns on his medicine chest.
His gaze turned distant, as though peering through the river of time.
"It happened over two thousand years ago."
"Our family once produced a peerless genius."
"He served a sovereign who united the realm—a First Emperor unmatched in history."
Hearing the majestic title "First Emperor," the pirates—though unclear on the details—listened even harder.
The Divine Physician's voice dropped, magnetic, like he was recounting a buried epic.
"That emperor possessed everything—power, land, wealth."
"Yet he could not conquer death."
"So he gathered alchemists from across the land, devoting the nation's strength to obtain an elixir of immortality."
At this point, a mocking curve appeared on the Divine Physician's lips.
Was he ridiculing the emperor's wishful thinking? Or the caprice of fate?
"My ancestor was the chief alchemist."
"He exhausted his heart, crossed distant seas, and even tested poisons on himself."
"Finally, on a storm-lashed night, that cauldron of pills succeeded."
Gulp.
Musk swallowed hard.
His eyes nearly popped out.
"It... it worked?"
"They really refined it?"
The Divine Physician inclined his head.
"Yes, it was refined."
"When the pills emerged, a strange fragrance filled the air; every herb bowed low."
"Even a single whiff could banish chronic illness and prolong life."