The Trio's Side
Yamato and Marco were trembling uncontrollably.
Both of them had their hands clamped tightly over their mouths, looking as if they were determined to suffocate themselves.
But if they didn't do this—
They couldn't hold it in.
They absolutely couldn't hold it in!
This was freakin hilarious!
It took them a good while before they finally calmed down.
Slowly, they lowered their hands and turned their attention back to the scene.
However, the stiff expressions on their faces made it clear they were still struggling to contain themselves.
"Did you see her face?! Her eyes were about to pop out!"
Suddenly, Rayleigh, with a completely deadpan expression, tossed out a casual joke.
The moment those words left his mouth, Yamato and Marco's minds instantly replayed the image of Jina's eyes nearly bulging out of her skull.
Their restraint, which had lasted until now, shattered instantly.
"PFFT—BAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHA—!!"
"She almost jumped in! She was about to stop Vir! She must've thought it was an assassination or something!"
Rayleigh casually added another remark.
"Dammit! Hahaha! You bastard, stop talking! I'm gonna die laughing! Hahaha!"
Marco was wheezing, his face turning visibly red at an alarming rate.
There was no holding back now.
Yamato wasn't any better.
If she weren't worried about being rude, she would've started slamming the table by now.
Because this was impossible to endure!
As her body shook with laughter, the melons in front of her jiggled along.
Meanwhile, Elder Nyon stood there in complete shock.
The moment she saw that blade plunge in—
Her brain short-circuited.
'Did I come here to learn this?'
'Is this supposed to be a medical procedure?'
'Did I walk into the wrong place?!'
But as she watched the other two laughing uncontrollably, nearly suffocating from sheer amusement, she grew even more confused.
Leaving the old woman aside—
Jina, hearing the endless mocking laughter from the sidelines, felt her face burn with embarrassment.
What are they laughing at?
What's so damn funny?
Was... was her reaction just now really that weird?
Wasn't it totally normal?
Who wouldn't be shocked in a situation like this?
Thinking this, she tried to find someone—anyone—who had reacted the way she did.
But alas—Elder Nyon was sitting behind her.
Her gaze swept across the room.
Everyone else looked completely unfazed.
Aside from those two idiots who were practically dying of laughter, no one batted an eye.
Luffy and Bonney were sitting together, arguing over who ate more breakfast.
When Robin noticed Jina's stare, she simply smiled back politely—her expression as calm as still water.
Jina gritted her teeth in frustration.
What's wrong with these people?!
Wait—there was that little tanuki earlier!
Her eyes darted toward Vir and quickly spotted the tiny figure beside him.
The small creature was scribbling something in a notebook with an intensely serious expression.
Not a trace of surprise—only pure academic focus.
What the heck is going on here?!
These people are acting like they've seen nukes go off before breakfast!
Meanwhile, Shiki stared at Vir, whose eyes gleamed with excitement.
For some reason, he felt... uneasy.
'This guy... Is he about to pull some crazy shit again?'
'Also... What's the deal with this knife in my chest anyway? What's it supposed to do?'
Just as Shiki was lost in thought—
A strange, tingling sensation spread from his chest.
Then, with a mere thought from Vir—
The blade embedded in Shiki's chest began vibrating violently.
Unlike Whitebeard's quake powers, which shattered everything—
This vibration was all about speed.
You know what speed means?
Tens of thousands of pulses per second!
Shiki's eyes shot wide open.
His hands flew up to cover his mouth on pure reflex.
If he had been even a second slower, he would've screamed right then and there!
The bizarre sensation surging from his chest made his scalp tingle.
It wasn't pain.
It wasn't discomfort.
In fact... it felt good?
No—
Not just good—
It was mind-blowingly, earth-shatteringly, overwhelmingly PLEASURABLE!
What the hell is this?!
What kind of knife is this?!
A Pleasure Knife™!?
You stick it in and...?!
This feeling...
This feeling was impossible to endure!
As a veteran of the old era, Shiki had seen it all.
The injuries he'd suffered probably outnumbered the meals Vir had eaten in his life.
If this were mere pain, he wouldn't even blink.
But this?
This was a vibrating blade—one that made your flesh tremble to the point of—!
At this intensity, shouldn't it be agonizing?!
So why did it feel like even that part was about to—?!
Shiki's pupils trembled violently.
He desperately wanted to curse.
But he couldn't!
The moment he opened his mouth—
It was over.
If he let out that kind of sound...
Would he even have the face to live anymore?!
That would literally be giving these bastards a front-row seat to the most humiliating moment of his life!
'ABSOLUTELY NOT!'
'I'd rather DIE! I'd rather JUMP OFF THE SHIP right now than make a single sound!'
'I SWEAR IT!'
Meanwhile, Jina, seeing Shiki's face suddenly turn beet red, frowned in confusion.
What's going on?
Why does he look like he's suffering all of a sudden?
Is this part of the treatment?
He's clearly struggling to endure something!
Just how unbearable must it be for even her invincible father to make that face?!
Her heart ached at the sight.
Then—
"Hang in there! You can do it!"
Jina suddenly cheered from beside Vir.
Hearing this, Vir nearly burst out laughing.
Oh, this is too good! So familiar!
With her cheering him on like this, once Shiki finally cracked and let out a scream—it was going to be a jackpot!
Sure enough—
The moment Jina's voice reached him, Shiki's expression twisted even further.
And from the back—
Marco's eyes lit up with recognition.
He wanted to shout: "I KNOW THIS! I'VE SEEN THIS BEFORE!"
That's right.
Whitebeard had looked exactly like this back then—face red, barely holding on.
Instantly analyzing the situation, Marco grabbed Yamato and Rayleigh and rushed over.
"HANG IN THERE, SHIKI! IF YOU SCREAM NOW, I'LL LOSE ALL RESPECT FOR YOU!" Marco yelled.
Rayleigh and Yamato immediately caught on.
"COME ON, OLD-TIMER! DON'T EMBARRASS US VETERANS IN FRONT OF EVERYONE!"
"YEAH! IF YOU MAKE SOME WEIRD NOISE NOW, YOU'LL NEVER LIVE IT DOWN!"
With each taunt—
Shiki felt his sanity crumbling.
'Oh no!'
'I'm in too deep now!'