Above the clear sky, white clouds drifted lazily.
Above the sparkling sea, the three-masted sailboat with a bull's head figurehead was less than two kilometers from Lulucca Island. The island's outline was visible on the horizon, and the music playing on the sailboat's deck stopped.
"Hey, you up in the crow's nest! Our ship's about to dock! Aren't you coming down?"
On the deck, a blond man wearing a green robe, a white cowboy hat, and tattoos on his face, looked up and shouted toward the crow's nest where Sephiroth was.
Hearing this, Sephiroth stood up and leaned over the edge of the crow's nest. "Ah! When did you discover me?" he asked with interest.
"When you suddenly appeared in the crow's nest, I already knew you were there... I don't know why you suddenly boarded our Rumbar Pirates' ship? I am the captain of this ship, known as 'Pattern' Yoki."
"Rumbar Pirates...?" Sephiroth whispered, his gaze sweeping across the deck.
He spotted a tall, thin man in a black suit, an afro, and sunglasses among the crowd... Brook!
"Speaking of which, I'm very curious. Your music is excellent. Wouldn't it be better to form a music group? Why go out to sea and be pirates...?"
Yoki scratched his head and laughed heartily. "Hahaha! Well, it can't be helped! I offended a noble back in my country and was wanted for arrest. So, not wanting to be a prisoner, I formed a pirate group with my brothers and went out to sea for adventure!"
Sephiroth used his Observation Haki to determine the man wasn't lying.
He smiled and asked, "The Grand Line is known as the pirates' graveyard, where countless pirates are buried at the bottom of the sea. Why do you want to enter it?"
"Needless to say, we want to sail around the world and conquer the Grand Line, of course!" Yoki spread his arms, looking pleased.
"Is that so? It's just that I don't think you'll live to complete the journey..." Sephiroth said mockingly.
"Oh!? Are you trying to take my life?"
"No! As a professional doctor, I can tell you responsibly... You are infected with a virus and are about to die..."
"Hmm!? Infected with a virus...!? How is that possible... Huh!? I have been feeling a bit of a sore throat and a slight fever these past two days..."
Hearing this, Yoki's face showed disbelief at first, then he scratched his head and his tone became uncertain.
"Hey! Captain, why didn't you tell me you were feeling unwell!"
A middle-aged man in a white coat, a white hat, and a full beard pushed through the crowd and walked up to Yoki.
"Hahaha! Well!
I thought my physical condition seemed pretty good, and I thought it was just a common cold and fever, so I didn't ask you for a diagnosis..."
"Nonsense! As the ship's doctor, my duty is to ensure your health and help you treat injuries and illnesses..."
The bearded doctor scolded while conducting a physical examination on Yoki and diagnosing his condition.
"How could this be...?
What kind of illness is this... I've never seen it before!"
The bearded doctor looked at the scattered purple spots on Yoki's exposed back, his brows furrowed as he fell into deep thought.
Sephiroth flipped down from the crow's nest, landed lightly on the deck, and walked up to Yoki.
He only needed to glance at the purple color on the other person's skin to instantly diagnose the illness, and he said with sudden realization:
"Oh! So it's Kosola Tree Fever!"
"What is Kosola Tree Fever?" The bearded doctor asked with a puzzled look.
"This is an infectious disease caused by the Kosola Tree, mainly transmitted through contact, from trees to people, and then from person to person... Your Captain should have touched infected trees, which is why he contracted Kosola Tree Fever. If this infectious disease is not effectively treated, the mortality rate is as high as eighty percent..."
"I see, when we were on the previous island, we did enter a dense forest..." Yoki nodded with sudden understanding.
"Hey, hey, hey! I also feel like my body has been a bit off these past two days..."
"It's over! I think I'm infected too..."
...
"Ah! I also have purple spots on my body..."
Hearing Sephiroth's words, the members of the Rumbar Pirates quickly checked their bodies.
In the end, a total of thirteen people confirmed that they had contracted Kosola Tree Fever.
Thump!
Before everyone could react, the bearded doctor actually knelt directly towards Sephiroth, heavily knocking his head on the deck, and said in an extremely sincere tone:
"Mr., since you know about this illness... Then, do you know how to treat it? I am ashamed to say, I have no idea how to treat this infectious disease... This concerns the lives of the Captain and everyone, please, I beg you, tell me the method of treatment!"
"Hey! You guy..."
Seeing this scene, Sephiroth couldn't help but hold his forehead, and for a moment, he didn't know what to say.
However...
The next moment.
Thump! Thump! Thump!...
The members of the Rumbar Pirates, one by one, all knelt down.
Yoki supported himself on the deck with his hands, lowered his head, and shouted loudly:
"Although doing this is very abrupt, but... Please save us! I am willing to give all the treasures on the ship as your reward."
"Hmm!?... A reward?"
Sephiroth lightly rubbed his chin and whispered:
"Money and stuff... Actually, I'm not short of it!
It's just that I want to extract his blood..."
As he spoke, he extended his right hand and pointed at Brook, who was also kneeling on the deck.
"You want my blood...?"
Brook couldn't help but look surprised. He didn't understand why this silver-haired young man, whom he'd never met, would want his blood.
"So, what do you say? Will you make a deal with me?" Sephiroth asked, smiling.
"No problem! As long as you can cure my friends, you can drain me dry. But, Mister... I'd like to ask you a question. What do you want with my blood?"
"I heard you're a Yomi-Yomi Fruit ability user, right?"
"That's right! It's said it can bring people back to life after death, but while alive, it's not very useful..."
"Heh! That's not necessarily true!"
Perhaps your ability development isn't sufficient?
"I want to try to extract the special power contained within your blood..." Sephiroth chuckled.
The Yomi-Yomi Fruit's power allows a person to return from the underworld after death. As long as the soul re-enters the body, they can be resurrected.
However...
This is just its main ability. The associated powers related to controlling souls might not have been developed by Brook, perhaps due to limitations in his understanding.
Sephiroth is very interested in the power of the Yomi-Yomi Fruit. He wants to use Lineage Factor Technology to borrow the power of the Yomi-Yomi Fruit to suppress the will of the soul, in order to complete the awakening drug he has been researching, which erases the will within the Vampire Fruit...