But the moment he moved, his body gave out, and he collapsed onto the floor.
Dragging himself forward inch by inch, ignoring the searing pain of his reopened wounds, Bepo kept crawling toward the infirmary door.
He feared that if he were even a second too late, Law would fall into Golden Lion's hands.
"Damn it...!!"
"Law!!"
Blood gushed from his wounds as Bepo lost consciousness again.
When he next opened his eyes, a creature that looked like a raccoon appeared in front of him.
"R-raccoon?!"
"I'm a reindeer, you idiot!!"
Chopper snapped, jumping onto the bed and pointing his hoof at Bepo.
Just as he was about to keep scolding, he saw Bepo struggling to sit up, lowering his head apologetically.
"Sorry, doctor reindeer... Did you save me?"
Hearing the word doctor. Chopper's ears twitched. He shyly swayed his body and smiled sheepishly.
"You think just flattering me will make me forgive you?!"
"Idiot!"
Bepo was stunned. All he could hear was the word idiot echoing in his ears. Instinctively, he lowered his head even further, looking completely dejected.
"S-sorry, doctor reindeer, I..."
Just as he was about to continue, Chopper, still squirming shyly, interrupted him: "Idiot! You think just flattering me and calling me by my correct species will make me forgive you?!"
"S-sorry, doctor reindeer, I—"
"Idiot! You think just flattering me will make me forgive you?!"
"S-sorry, doctor reindeer, I—"
And so… the two entered an infinite loop, one continuously apologizing, the other stubbornly rejecting forgiveness in a tsundere manner.
The mouth of the two assistant doctors standing nearby twitches continuously.
"Why do I feel like these two have bigger mental issues than physical ones...?"
"Is this really how normal people act?"
"No matter how absurd, there should be a limit!"
"Both of you, calm down!"
"Calm down!!"
Each assistant covered one of their mouths, finally putting an end to the bizarre infinite loop.
Bepo, now calmer, remembered Law's situation and struggled to get up again, only to be forcibly held down by the two assistant doctors.
"Your injuries are too severe. Even with the natural resilience of the Mink tribe, you'll need at least a week before you can move properly."
"As a doctor, I can't just sit back and watch a patient recklessly ignore their own condition."
Chopper shook his head, his expression unusually serious. He then explained: "We're at sea right now."
"Even if you leave this infirmary, there's nowhere for you to go."
"The captain once said, no matter what happens, we must do whatever it takes to stay alive."
"Only by staying alive can there be hope."
Bepo froze, then stopped struggling. He simply sat there, staring blankly at Chopper.
Back on the floating island, when they were attacked, and he separated from Shachi and Penguin, those two had said the same thing.
Stay alive.
Only then would there be a chance to reunite.
Seeing that Bepo had finally calmed down, Chopper let out a sigh of relief.
For a doctor, an uncooperative patient was sometimes a bigger problem than the disease itself.
"That man named Law... Is he very important to you?"
"He's my comrade, my nakama!"
Bepo lowered his head, his voice filled with sorrow.
"A few days ago, we were attacked. All of us... got separated."
"But right now, I can't do anything!"
Chopper opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.
As he hesitated… The door to the infirmary was pushed open again.
A young man with a well-proportioned physique, strikingly handsome features, and dressed in a marine Vice-Admiral's uniform stepped inside.
Hiss!
What an imposing young Marinel!
The two assistant doctors couldn't help but mentally give their captain a thumbs-up.
Before, they had only felt that their captain didn't quite fit in with them but couldn't pinpoint why.
Seeing Gawain in that marine uniform, the two suddenly realized he was legit!
A righteous aura overwhelmed them!
With that face and that uniform, Gawain didn't even need any other proof to disguise himself as a marine. Just standing there was enough. If real marines didn't look like him, then that was their problem.
Ignoring their astonished expressions, Gawain spoke directly to Bepo: "The only thing you can do for your companions right now is to take care of your own body."
However, his next words made Bepo's heart skip a beat: "I see the pirate emblem on your clothes. So, you're part of a pirate crew?"
Bepo instinctively turned to look at Gawain, and the moment he did, his breathing stopped.
That proper demeanor, that upright posture, that handsome face… how could he not be a marine?
No, if he wasn't a Marine, then something was wrong with the Marines.
"L-let me explain!"
"We were forced into it!"
In his panic, Bepo spilled everything he knew: "It was that bastard Golden Lion! He threatened our lives, forcing Law to treat the old wound on his head."
"We were taken hostage and had no choice but to board his ship."
"I see..."
Gawain sighed, inwardly confirming his suspicions, but on the surface, he feigned shock: "The legendary Shiki the Golden Lion?!"
"If this is true, then this is a serious matter! I must immediately report to Marine Headquarters to launch a campaign against him!"
His words fell just as Kuro arrived, catching him mid-sentence.
Kuro rolled his eyes subtly, unable to stop himself from internally roasting Gawain.
Same act, same routine; this guy was born to play as a marine.
No, the real loss was that the Marines never recruited him.
"Lieutenant Commander Locke!"
"Sir!"
"Notify Marine Headquarters immediately. This matter requires urgent action."
"Understood!"
Kuro, having just arrived, was now being roped into this performance. He responded halfheartedly, playing along while internally mocking Gawain's theatrics.
At least it wasn't another failed campaign against the Black Cat Pirates. As long as he didn't end up having to beg for reinforcements from nearby Branch Bases again, it was fine. The memory of getting outplayed in Raven Harbor still haunted him.
After Kuro left, Gawain turned his gaze back to Bepo, looking thoughtful.
Things had played out just as he expected.
Law had indeed treated Golden Lion's wounds, but from what Bepo described, their relationship was likely one of coercion.
"Cough!"
"Since you were forced into it, your actions are understandable. Once the Marines take care of Golden Lion, I can put in a good word for you."
Gawain coughed lightly, easing the intensity of his gaze on Bepo.
Of course, he had no intention of killing Bepo. But since he was playing the role of a marine, he had no reason to just let a pirate go free, either.
More importantly, Gawain had his eyes on Law; there was no way he was letting Bepo leave.
"That guy might still have a chance to be saved."
Bepo's ears perked up.
"Really?!"
"Of course. Once you're healed, stay on this ship and work to atone for his sake."
"But what about Law and Penguin and the others...?"
Bepo still worried about his crewmates. Seeing this, Gawain patted his shoulder and said:
"With the vastness of the ocean, where would you even begin to search for Golden Lion?"
"And even if you did find him, do you really think you could take him on?"
"You should've heard the rumors by now."
"The existence of the Pluton blueprint in Water 7 has sent the world into a frenzy."
"With Golden Lion's personality, there's no way he'd miss out on that."
Bepo nodded vigorously.
"Yeah! Law mentioned before, Golden Lion's next target is Water 7!"
"So he's definitely heading there."
Gawain smirked.
"And our destination is also Water 7. That gives you the greatest chance to reunite with your crewmates."
"I understand now."
Bepo looked at Gawain, stars shining in his eyes.
"Vice-Admiral, you're different from other marines... You're a good man!"
Gawain chuckled.
"Just focus on getting better first."
A few days later, Bepo had finally regained enough strength to move around.
As a Mink, his vitality far surpassed that of humans; injuries that would've been fatal for others healed completely in less than half a month.
Remembering Gawain's words, he went to report to Nami, ready to work off his debt to save his crewmates.
But just as he raised his paw to knock on the navigator's office door, a blonde figure came flying out, slamming straight into the wall.
"Next time, I'll kill you myself!"
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