Chocolick Island is a typical summer island.
But unlike Sandy Island, where Alabasta Kingdom is located, Chocolick Island is an island covered by tropical rainforest. The town of Shirayama on the island is vast, almost comparable to Alabasta.
The Beagle slowly docked at Sano Port, the largest port in Shirayama Town.
Victor and his crew changed into cool summer clothes and disembarked onto the pier.
They were just about to ask a local about the mysterious doctor Crocus had mentioned when suddenly, a commotion erupted on the dock.
Someone shouted, "The miracle doctor is out!!!"
It was like throwing a large stone into a hot oil pan; the crowd immediately exploded. First, a 'boom,' the noise instantly increased by several tens of decibels, then the crowd surged towards a small hut by the dock.
Victor and the three girls exchanged glances, unable to believe that things would go so smoothly. They hadn't even found their footing yet, and they'd already found the legendary doctor?
"Anyway, let's go see first. The three of you go back to the ship and wait for me."
Victor was afraid the crowd would be too dense, so he had Perona and the others return to the Beagle first. He then put on his fedora and sunglasses, bought a cold soda from a roadside stall, and leisurely walked with the crowd towards the small wooden hut.
The small wooden hut was built on a high slope by the dock. The construction was quite rough, and a large sign hung on the wooden door, which read: Consultation Hours - Saturdays & Sundays, 9:00 AM ~ 12:00 PM.
Victor pulled out his pocket watch and checked it; it was exactly nine o'clock.
The crowd stopped themselves about 5 meters from the small wooden hut's door, all looking at the wooden door with eager anticipation.
Creak—!
The wooden hut's door opened from the inside, and a young man in a tank top and trousers, wearing a hat with the word ENGU written on it, stood at the doorway and shouted:
"Line up! You're only allowed in when I call you! Anyone who doesn't follow the rules will be kicked out and blacklisted! Do you all understand!?"
People quickly and spontaneously formed a line, saying with smiles: "Don't worry, young Peguin, we all know the rules."
The young man called Peguin nodded: "Everyone, please wait a moment, the doctor is preparing things." With that, he turned and went back inside the hut, closing the door.
Victor, mixed in the crowd, tilted his head.
Peguin?
Such a familiar name...
Victor, somewhat suspicious, joined the queue and found an excuse to strike up a conversation with an old man with a bandaged head in front of him:
"Elder, your injury isn't light, but don't worry, the doctor will surely find a way."
The old man chuckled: "Yes, yes, the doctor's medical skills are superb. Although he always wears a cloak and you can't see his face, he's especially kind, and his medical skills are excellent. He said my injury will be completely healed after one more treatment. By the way, young man, what illness do you have?"
"Me? Tuberculosis."
The old man chuckled reassuringly: "Oh, so it's tuberculosis, don't worry, it's nothing... Tuberculosis!?"
The old man screamed in surprise. Instantly, the entire queue scattered.
Victor straightened his clothes, bowed slightly to the people who were frantically pulling out and putting on masks in the distance, and then walked with a smile to the wooden hut's door.
Not long after, the small wooden hut's door opened. Peguin stepped out, just about to say something, but found that the long line in front of the door had disappeared, and only a blond young man in a fedora was smiling and waving at him.
"Ah, it's quite leisurely today... Alright, please come in." Peguin gestured for Victor to enter. After Victor stepped inside, Peguin closed the door and stood guard outside.
Victor walked into the somewhat dim small wooden hut. The hut was divided into an outer room and an inner room. The outer room was filled with various boxes and bottles, and a faint mist hung in the air. Victor sniffed and found it was a disinfectant made from St. John's wort.
"Excuse me, I'm coming in."
He lifted the curtain and casually walked into the inner room. By the window was a pot for brewing medicine, which contained the disinfectant primarily made from St. John's wort. The rest of the room was cluttered with a large number of books, which upon closer inspection were all medical texts. In the very center of the inner room was a long table, and behind the long table sat a burly figure draped in a large cloak.
Victor narrowed his eyes slightly, and said with a strange tone: "Doctor?"
The cloaked figure gestured for Victor to sit across the table. After Victor was seated, the cloaked figure asked in an unusually deep voice:
"What's bothering you?"
The playful look in Victor's eyes grew stronger: "I've been having a low fever recently, sweating profusely and feeling weak, often coughing up blood, and my chest feels tight and painful."
The cloaked figure tilted his head, and after a moment, said: "Your symptoms don't sound good. Have you consulted other doctors?"
Victor leaned back comfortably in his chair, saying casually: "Yes. The doctor in my hometown said I was beyond saving, which is why I came to Chocolick Island, looking for the legendary mysterious doctor who can cure any illness. Please, doctor, I'm counting entirely on you!"
The cloaked figure was silent for a while again, then nodded: "Don't worry, I will cure you. You go out first, I'll be right..."
"Ah, please wait a moment, doctor, I have a question I'd like to ask you." Victor raised his hand and waved it.
"Ah? Oh, please speak."
Victor asked with a smile: "I want to ask, doctor, aren't you really hot? Mink Tribe members are usually very sensitive to heat, aren't they?"
The cloaked figure froze, then stood up in a panic: "You, what are you saying! What Mink Tribe, I, I don't understand!"
"Bepo, calm down, this bastard is clearly messing with you." A slightly childish voice came from behind the cloaked figure.
Victor tilted his head, exaggeratingly saying: "Doctor, your nurse is too fierce, she's not helping the patient's physical and mental recovery at all!"
A slender figure slowly walked out from behind the cloaked figure.
This was a young man about 1.8 meters tall, looking even younger than Victor. He wore a tank top, had intricate heart patterns tattooed on his shoulders, and his eyes were cold with severe dark circles around them. Even in this stuffy room, he wore a spotted furry hat on his head.
He looked at Victor and said in a gloomy tone: "You're not sick at all, are you? If you're here to cause trouble, you've picked the wrong target. Get lost if you don't want to be 'dismembered'!"
Victor had his feet propped on the table, his chair rocking as he leaned back. He looked at the young man in the spotted furry hat and said with a smile:
"Sorry, just a little joke. But the legendary mysterious doctor of Chocolick Island isn't you two, it's someone else, right?"
The spotted hat lifted his right hand, and a constantly rotating white vortex appeared in the center of his downward-facing palm.
He said unpleasantly: "I'll give you 3 seconds... 3... 2..."
"Are you from North Blue?" Victor suddenly asked.
The spotted hat froze, and the vortex in his hand disappeared: "What did you just say?"
"I asked, are you from North Blue?" Victor asked with a smile.
The spotted hat asked in astonishment: "How did you know..."
Victor pointed at the spotted hat and said with a smile: "This hat is a work by Master Gaultier from Swallow Island in North Blue. She only sells her works on Swallow Island itself, and generally only North Blue people like this design style. The one you're wearing is her latest work from January this year."
The spotted hat was silent for a moment, then blurted out: "...You, a grown man, paying attention to such details, aren't you effeminate?"
Victor somewhat indignantly slapped the table and shouted: "If you had a sister who chased trends and constantly nagged you about these things, you'd be familiar with them too!!"
"Sister..." The spotted hat seemed lost in thought, then he looked at Victor and asked unhappily: "What exactly are you here for? If you're here for treatment, state your condition honestly. If you're looking for that legendary doctor, then please go to Shirayama Town to inquire about information. If you really find information, I'm willing to pay a high price for it. If you're here to cause trouble..."
The spotted hat's palm once again revealed the constantly rotating white vortex: "Then I'll play with you!"
Victor's face was full of smiles, but a long blue-patterned sword slowly emerged in his hand.
"Oh? Then guess, what exactly am I here for?"
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