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"He?" Ain stared blankly at Law's retreating back. She remembered him. Could he really save him? Could it really be reversed?
"You?" Everyone looked at Law as he stepped forward.
"Is that you?" Zephyr's tiger eyes glared at Law, a terrifying aura washing over them. The blades of grass all flattened to the ground, and the overwhelming pressure caused everyone to swallow nervously in fear. Though not Armament Haki, an Admiral's aura was not something a rookie could endure.
"Why him?" Drake was puzzled. "Didn't that bastard stick with me the whole time? When did he shoot another recruit? Is he trying to stick up for someone else? Idiot!" Stepping forward now is just asking for death. Drake mocked Law, awaiting his tragic moment.
"Was it him?" The recruits glared angrily at Law. Although they weren't the ones injured, the idea that someone in their ranks would shoot a comrade made them wonder if they might be next. They would never accept such a comrade.
"Did you fire the shot?" Zephyr's tiger eyes fixed on Law. The terrifying aura continued to surge. A senior recruit not far from Law's side collapsed to his knees, unable to withstand the pressure. But Law remained as unmoving as stone. Aura wasn't an attack; it couldn't be materialized. It was more a suppression of spirit, and Law feared none of it!
"To withstand this old man's aura, that's impressive. But shooting a comrade is an unforgivable crime. Do you have anything more to say?" Zephyr looked at Law in shock, but his coldness didn't lessen; such a mistake, even a crime, would never be pardoned.
"Why is he helping me?" Ain stared blankly at Law's back. She took a difficult, but firm step forward: "It wasn't him, it was..."
Law spoke: "I can save him!" Law pointed to the severely wounded, unconscious recruit, his voice firm. The bullet was very close to the heart; even the most skilled surgeon wouldn't dare operate, especially without a proper operating table. But these issues were no problem for Law, who possessed the Op-Op Fruit.
"Huh?"
"He's crazy, is he a doctor?" Everyone stared at Law in astonishment. While one shouldn't judge a book by its cover, and age couldn't determine a person's strength — a youth could possess top-tier abilities like a Logia-type and become powerful — there were no shortcuts to becoming a doctor. It required sufficient experience and training. A thirteen-year-old exceptional doctor had never existed.
"Impossible! Any incision would unavoidably hit the heart. Even a slight deviation would..." the chief physician roared. He was certain no one could treat such an injury.
"Are you certain?" Zephyr stared at Law, his tone serious.
"Certain."
"Alright, I'll trust you this once. But if you lack the skill and are only trying to show off, this old man will show no mercy." Zephyr stepped aside, clearing a path.
"Admiral Zephyr, how can you agree to him? Such an injury..." the chief physician bellowed.
"Isn't there no other way? Since there's no choice, why not gamble?" Zephyr pulled the chief physician aside. "As long as there's a glimmer of hope, this old man cannot stand by and watch a student die."
"But..."
"Silence."
Law approached the wounded recruit on the stretcher, who was near death from excessive blood loss.
"Step back a bit," Law told the surrounding doctors.
"..." The doctors stared at Law in astonishment. Could he perform the surgery alone? Everyone watched Law, filled with doubt, or rather, no one believed him.
"ROOM!" Law opened his right hand, and a circular space instantly expanded, covering several meters around him, enclosing himself and the injured person on the stretcher. Then, grasping a surgical knife, a faint laser condensed on the blade—the special ability of the Op-Op Fruit in use.
"Swish!"
The surgical knife simply sliced through. The chief physician couldn't stop him in time. He stared at Law in fury; how could surgery be so careless and hasty? To operate without even examining the injury—he was now certain that this kid knew nothing about surgery.
"Whoosh!"
The injured person's body was instantly separated into several sections!
"Ah?" Everyone watched in horror. Was he dismembered? Even Zephyr couldn't help but twitch his brow, glaring furiously at Law.
"You bastard, what in the worl—"
Reaching out, Law gently removed the bullet from between the severed sections of the body.
"..."
Zephyr's voice still echoed in the air. Seeing the bullet in Law's hand, he seemed to have his throat squeezed, and his voice cut off abruptly. Everyone stared at Law, mouths agape and stunned. Use dismemberment to remove a bullet? Was he an idiot? Wouldn't he still be dead? And desecrating the body? Everyone glared at Law in anger.
"Nonsense! Absolute nonsense!" the chief physician stared at Law furiously. "The prerequisite for removing a bullet is to ensure the patient's safety. If it's just about removing the bullet, anyone can do it. To treat a human life as if it were..."
The severed sections of the body rapidly rejoined, leaving no wounds and no bleeding.
"..."
"Treating the gunshot wound and stopping the bleeding, you can handle these minor details, can't you?" Law said to the stunned chief physician.
"This!?" The chief physician blankly examined the recruit; he had indeed recovered.
Zephyr, bewildered for a moment, suddenly snapped back to reality. He blinked, confirmed the recruit was fine, and couldn't help but laugh as he clapped Law on the shoulder: "Good boy, well done."
"The bullet is out, he's saved!" The chief physician, with other doctors, quickly provided further treatment. A few minutes later, although the recruit hadn't regained consciousness, he was out of critical danger.
"He's actually a doctor, and an ability user! He can treat the wounded like this, it's unbelievable!" The recruit instructors looked at Law in shock, their eyes automatically filled with respect. No matter how strong a person was, they couldn't guarantee they wouldn't get injured or sick. In the Grand Line, having a highly skilled doctor meant a double guarantee for life. Doctors were respected by every crew.
"Thank you for saving my student."
"Since I possess this ability, it's my duty," Law said with a slight smile, taking no credit, and walked towards the edge of the area.
"This kid." Zephyr's lips curved into a smile as he watched Law's retreating back, his eyes full of amusement. Sengoku truly sent me an extraordinary young man.
...
"Bastard." Drake watched the scene, seeing Law respected by everyone, valued and acknowledged by Admiral Zephyr. His fury soared: "He only achieved all this because of the Op-Op Fruit. This glory belongs to the Op-Op Fruit, which doesn't even belong to him. Dammit!" His malice intensified.
"Thank you, thank you!" Ain looked at Law with gratitude. "Thank you. If it weren't for me, I really don't know..." She was now crying tears of joy.
"I believe you didn't intentionally harm your comrade." Law ruffled Ain's small head.
This sudden incident was easily resolved by Law, temporarily drawing to a close. Law thus became the center of attention, with everyone looking at him with respect. Afterwards, Ain also voluntarily confessed her mistake to Zephyr. With no casualties, she received no punishment, and since she hadn't caused her comrade's death, her guilt naturally lessened considerably. All these factors made Ain even more grateful to Law.
All the injured were treated. The recruits slowly regained some strength. The atmosphere grew tense, as the officers recording the scores had now tallied their results. It was time to announce the scores. All the recruits felt their palms grow sweaty.
"This batch's scores, huh?" Zephyr took the score sheet. Even if Trafalgar Law's score was zero, it couldn't erase his contributions. He no longer cared about Law's score. Even if it was zero, his courage to take responsibility for a comrade and his spirit of dedication made Zephyr value him.