Chapter 167: You're Finished! Dr. Kureha Is Petty!
Terror.
Ralph had never experienced such terror before.
When he regained consciousness again, the first thing he felt was that the grogginess in his head had vanished.
Though his body remained weak, at least his mind was clear.
This was a sign that his condition was improving.
But the next second, his pupils abruptly contracted.
In his line of sight, a wrinkled face was looking down at his youthful body.
An old woman with a face full of creases wore a strange smile.
And even more terrifying, that equally wrinkled but exceptionally steady hand was holding a gleaming surgical knife.
The tip of the blade was pressed against the shirt on his chest.
The fabric was effortlessly sliced open, the cold blade moving from his chest down to his abdomen, and then continuing further down—
"!!!"
Every hair on Ralph's body stood on end.
Without any time to think, his body's instinctive reaction was faster than his mind.
Armament Haki instantly covered his entire body as he abruptly raised his hand and pushed!
"Huh?"
Dr. Kureha let out a surprised sound.
She clearly hadn't expected this patient, who had been unconscious for most of the day, to suddenly erupt with such force, and with speed and strength far beyond expectations.
But this Witch Doctor, who had lived for 139 years, reacted with a speed unbefitting an elderly person.
With a light hop backward, she twirled the surgical knife between her fingers and smoothly tucked it into her sleeve.
The entire process flowed seamlessly, and she even had time to tidy the hair ruffled by Ralph's palm wind.
"You little brat," Dr. Kureha narrowed her eyes, "To someone who saved your life, you actually repay kindness with hostility?"
Ralph had already sat up, his shirt sliced open from the collar all the way down to his abdomen, revealing his sturdy chest and abdominal muscles.
If he hadn't recognized at the last moment that the person before him was Dr. Kureha, Chopper's mentor and the highly skilled Witch Doctor, his earlier strike wouldn't have been a "push," but a "hand blade" aimed directly at her.
"If you're treating me, treat me," Ralph gritted his teeth, "Why are you cutting my clothes?"
Dr. Kureha raised an eyebrow, "To examine you. You were sleeping like a dead pig, so cutting them open is faster than taking them off. I've already checked the upper half, just the lower half left.
You woke up at such an inconvenient time."
Still checking the lower half?!
Ralph's face flushed bright red.
Half from embarrassment, half from anger.
"You, you still say you're not a pervert?!"
His voice rose an octave, "I just had a fever, why would I need a full-body examination?!"
"Are you a doctor?"
Dr. Kureha crossed her arms, chin slightly raised, giving the impression of looking down on him even though they were at eye level, "You dare question my treatment methods?"
"I know a bit about medicine too!"
"Then you're just a half-baked amateur."
Dr. Kureha scoffed, "Don't spout nonsense in front of me."
Ralph opened his mouth but found himself at a loss for words.
In terms of medical skill, he truly couldn't compare to this perverted Witch Doctor who had lived for at least a hundred years.
His intermediate medical skills, exchanged from the system, probably didn't even count as beginner-level in front of Dr. Kureha.
"I've seen plenty of brats like you who learn a bit of medicine and think they're something special."
Dr. Kureha turned and walked toward the door, waving her hand dismissively without looking back, "You're not old, but you have plenty of wild thoughts. What haven't I seen in my life? Would I be interested in a little boy like you?"
With that, she slammed the door shut with a "bang."
The room fell silent.
Ralph looked down at his shirt, sliced in half, then touched his forehead.
His fever had indeed subsided. Though he still had a slight temperature, it was far better than the near-death feeling from before.
"Um..."
A timid voice came from the doorway.
Ralph looked up to see a furry head peeking through the crack in the door.
A pink hat, a little blue nose, and big round eyes.
Chopper.
The future ship's doctor, currently still a timid and kind little reindeer... person.
"You're done for!"
Chopper whispered, as if sharing a world-shattering secret.
"Doctor Dorei holds grudges!"
No sooner had he spoken than—
"Chopper!!"
Dr. Kureha's voice echoed from the hallway.
Immediately, an arm reached in from outside the door, accurately grabbing Chopper by the scruff of his neck and lifting him out.
"Ahhh! Doctor Dorei, I'm sorry! I won't speak out of turn again—"
The voice faded into the distance.
Sitting on the bed, Ralph didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
He pulled back the blanket and examined his body.
Aside from weakness and a low fever, he seemed to be fine.
Just then, the sound of Dr. Kureha and Chopper's conversation drifted in from the hallway.
They seemed to have returned to the next room and were preparing medicine.
Ralph's heart stirred. He closed his eyes and focused his Observation Haki perception on his hearing.
The voices became clear.
"...So, Doctor Dorei, what exactly is wrong with that person?"
Chopper's voice.
"Jurassic Flu."
Dr. Kureha's voice was calm, as if she were talking about a "common cold."
"A disease caused by an extinct ancient virus. I've only seen records of it in ancient texts, never encountered an actual case."
"J-Jurassic?"
"Mhm. This virus is usually preserved on certain Ancient Islands. Those who fall ill are mostly the young of ancient creatures—dinosaurs, pterosaurs, things like that."
"If the young are too weak, they die directly from the illness."
"But if they can pull through, they recover naturally."
"Simply put, it's a natural selection mechanism—survival of the fittest."
Chopper gasped sharply.
"Th-then, how could a human..."
"That's the strange part."
Dr. Kureha paused. Ralph could hear the rhythmic thumping of a pestle grinding medicine.
"There are only three recorded cases of humans contracting Jurassic Flu in history, all from an exploration team."
"Two of them were highly capable explorers. They went to an Ancient Island and recovered without treatment after returning. The third case... was a noble who tagged along for fun."
"His constitution was terribly weak, and he died right there on the Ancient Island."
"So... that Ralph must have been to an Ancient Island, but..."
"Even though he clearly possesses great strength, his body was as weak as a youngling before recovery. It's truly bizarre!"
Dr. Kureha's voice carried a hint of investigative curiosity.
"So what interests me even more is his body."
"His body?"
"When I examined him earlier, I found that his muscles, bones, internal organs... their development is extremely uneven. That formidable strength doesn't seem like natural growth, nor does it appear to be the result of later training. It's more like... he was suddenly enhanced at some point in time."
The sound of the pestle stopped.
Dr. Kureha's voice was hushed, but Ralph's Observation Haki still caught it.
"In the scientific community, there are always a group of madmen obsessed with human modification, turning people into monsters, creating living soldiers. This kid... might very well be the product of some laboratory."
Upon hearing this, Chopper... froze completely, deer and all!
Beside him, Ralph's expression stiffened.
Another fresh backstory had just surfaced!
He... had become a laboratory product?