One Piece : Kaido Brother

Baltigo.

This island spans only a dozen square kilometers, surrounded by desolate waters teeming with vicious Sea Kings.

Its unique geographical conditions make it a veritable isolated island in the Grandline.

At this moment, deep within a solitary mountain towering over this desolate white land...

There lies a spacious, smooth-floored hall, polished corridors and countless dwellings of varying sizes—none of which appear to have been carved by human hands.

Inside the vast hall, instead of conference tables, rows of narrow beds are arranged.

Shanks, the captain of red-haired pirates, along with the Revolutionary Army's leader Dragon and Chief of Staff Sabo, are inspecting the condition of the unconscious figures lying on the beds.

"Iva, how is Luffy?" Sabo couldn't help but ask Ivankov, who was examining Luffy body.

The Queen of Kamabakka, Ivankov, sighed heavily, his expression grave.

Tracing the pockmarked scars on Luffy body, he said slowly.

"Luffy has been poisoned again—by something truly terrifying."

"Poisoned? How does it compare to Magellan?" Shanks frowned, watching Luffy who had been unconscious for days without any sign of waking up.

"I fear this poison is even more dreadful than Magellan. While Magellan poisons primarily affect the mind and body, this one targets only the flesh—its corrosive properties are extreme. Even though Luffy developed strong resistance to poison after surviving Magellan poison, he can't withstand this."

Ivankov shook his head again.

Dragon remained stern, his face betraying no trace of worry, as if perpetually locked in solemn authority.

"Is there any way to cure him?" he asked, voice steady.

Ivankov nodded. "Yes—several, in fact. For instance, Law Devil Fruit ability could permanently resolve Luffy condition. But doing so would endanger Law life. The kid barely survived this ordeal himself."

"Alternatively, Marco could heal Luffy. But you know his condition. The injuries he sustained in Wano far exceeded his regenerative limits. Even Marco hasn't fully recovered yet—forcing treatment would kill him."

As Ivankov explained, the expressions of those present grew increasingly grim.

Koala noticed Sabo clenching his fists, teeth gritted, tears welling in his eyes.

She hurried to his side, embracing him gently and patted his head.

"Don't cry, Sabo. Luffy won't die."

Yet her comfort only made the tears Sabo had been holding back spill freely, soaking Koala shirt.

Shanks sighed. "Any other options?"

"There's one more healing ability I've heard of. The user of this Devil Fruit can siphon recovery energy from others to heal the injured. No matter how severe the damage, with enough borrowed vitality, they can be cured!"

Hearing this, Shanks' expression finally softened a bit.

He forced a smile and said "The owner of the healing ability is the princess of the Tontatta Tribe in Dressrosa, Mansherry. She also knows Luffy and the others, so this makes things easier. We can either send someone to Dressrosa to bring Princess Mansherry here or send Luffy there."

Shanks felt relieved upon receiving this answer.

As for the others, he didn't concern himself much.

For instance, Kid had lost both legs, but he was otherwise unharmed.

However, ever since his return, he had been in a daze, as if he had gone mad.

Additionally, there was Jinbei who had also suffered severe injuries.

He had been hit squarely by Caesar several times that day, causing his chest bones to cave in.

Even with Jinbei formidable recovery ability, he couldn't fully heal immediately.

Then there were Law and Marco, recuperating alone in other places.

Without exception, all of them—both mentally and physically—had suffered extremely severe trauma.

Especially Law and Kid.

This time, they had become lone survivors of their crew.

Their long-time companions, brothers-in-arms, had all perished in the battle at Wano Country.

For young men like Law and Kid, this blow was far too heavy.

Even among Luffy's crew, they had lost a comrade—the Soul King, Brook.

When Shanks appeared at the foot of the mountain, Sanji, Nami and the others, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately surrounded him, asking about Luffy's condition.

It wasn't that they didn't want to go up—they simply didn't dare.

They had already lost Brook and couldn't bear the thought of losing Luffy, their pillar of strength.

Everyone was terrified.

Shanks sighed inwardly as he looked over each of them one by one.

Sanji, whose golden hair had turned gray and whose face was now lined with wrinkles.

Chopper, his abdomen wrapped in bandages still seeping with blood.

Nico Robin, severely burned all over but incredibly resilient, awake and still insisting on caring for the others.

Zoro, who had lost an arm, his withered body now restored to normal, gripping the only sword he have 'Enma', his expression distant, lost in thought.

Franky, who had modified himself into a vehicle.

Among Luffy's crew, the only two unscathed were Usopp and Nami.

Add to that the unconscious Luffy and Jinbei.

The outcome was truly devastating—almost everyone had suffered tremendous losses.

Still, compared to Law and Kid, they were much better off.

Shaking off these thoughts, Shanks smiled and said.

"Don't worry too much. Although Luffy condition is serious and he's still unconscious, there's a chance for recovery—including all of your injuries."

"Really? That's great! Luffy's going to be okay, that's wonderful! Waaah!" Chopper was the first to burst into tears.

Over the past few days, he had been worried sick about Luffy.

Back in the Flower Capital, if not for Chopper's desperate intervention, King blade would have pierced straight through Luffy heart.

If his heart had been pierced, no Drum of Liberation could have made it beat again.

Luffy, the fake rubber man and true Sun God, would have met his end.

Nami eyes also brimmed with tears. "Then what's the method of healing him?"

"Princess Mansherry of Dressrosa—I assume you all know her. Her ability can heal injuries. Do you want to go to Dressrosa, or stay here? I can arrange for Princess Mansherry to be brought to you."

"Let's go to Dressrosa!" Sanji, his face weathered with age, suddenly spoke up.

Seeing everyone's eyes on him, Sanji sighed.

"Let's stay away from the chaos of the New World for a while. I think we all need some time to calm down. This time... we've lost too much."

As he finished speaking, Sanji eyes reddened and he turned away.

Yet his gaze fell upon the dazed Zoro with his empty left sleeve and the motionless Franky who had become a mere vehicle.

The weight of grief grew heavier in his heart.

His trembling hands fumbled for a cigarette, which he placed between his lips, but after searching for a long time, he couldn't find a lighter.

This trivial matter caused the pain Sanji had suppressed for days to erupt completely.

His eyes burned crimson like a wild beast as flames engulfed his body.

He charged into a forest of stone pillars, destroying everything in his path while tears streamed down his face.

"SANJI!" Nami cried out in alarm, but her legs gave way and she collapsed to her knees, sobbing.

Shanks silently watched all this without a word.

Perhaps this outcome was a necessary lesson and a chance for growth.

He had always felt that Luffy journey had been too smooth.

Thinking back to Captain Roger's days, throughout his voyage, powerful and reliable comrades had constantly been lost along the way, leaving forever for various reasons.

'Luffy, only after this will you truly understand the harsh reality of this world beyond your naive adventures. Freedom may be your pursuit, but cruelty will always be this world's prevailing melody!'

'Let this sorrow sink deep into your heart—it will make you stronger!'

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