Did Marco and the others know nothing?
They knew everything!
No one could hold out forever.
It was only a matter of time.
Now was the perfect moment to add some pressure—massive pressure was the key.
That guy Vir was just plain evil.
Practically unbeatable.
Screaming was one thing, but the real fear was that you'd scream in the wrong way.
Honestly?
No one saw things more clearly than Marco.
He really understood Vir.
Even Vir couldn't help but shoot him an approving glance.
Catching that glance, Marco's brain kicked into high gear again.
Confirmed.
This is exactly what his bro wants!
In that case...
Let's make the effect even more intense!
With that thought, Marco reached into his pocket and pulled something out...
Meanwhile, surrounded by the crowd, Shiki was barely holding it together.
The bizarre physical sensations and overwhelming psychological pressure were making this decades-old veteran miserable.
The only silver lining was that the knife stabbed into him wasn't completely unbearable.
He could still endure it.
Though he desperately wanted to scream, his iron will kept him holding on.
"Come on! Keep it up, old man! I went through this treatment back in the day and didn't even blink! Don't embarrass yourself now!" Rayleigh cheered.
Shiki seriously wanted to kick him to death.
Too bad he didn't have his legs.
Just when Shiki thought this was the peak of the torture...
Just when he assumed this was why everyone had bet on him screaming...
*Schlick!*
The blade was slowly pulled out—only for another to plunge straight into his kidney, stabbing clean through!
Shiki's face twisted in horror.
OH SHIT!
NOT THE KIDNEY!
His panic was visibly escalating.
But it didn't matter.
Vir immediately activated the vibration mode again.
The overwhelming stimulation instantly skyrocketed!
Who said he'd only stab him once?
Just one stab? That's not enough!
The purpose of the Vibro-Blade was to vibrate—to break apart part of Shiki's body and transfer it to his legs.
But simply transferring parts around wasn't the best method.
So, Vir had a new plan—to break down the fat.
Yep.
He would vibrate the fat into raw, regenerative material, then repurpose it to rebuild Shiki's legs.
Not only would it regrow his legs, but it'd also help him lose some weight in the process.
And if he was going to break down fat, targeting just one spot wouldn't cut it.
He'd have to stab everywhere.
If Shiki knew about this inhumane treatment process, he'd have definitely chosen to come back another day.
The timing just wasn't right!
If he'd known, he would've come alone.
But too bad.
It was all too late!
As the intense sensation from his kidney surged into his brain, Shiki's face wasn't just red anymore—it was swelling up like a balloon!
Vir was genuinely worried he might pop from the strain.
Absolutely ridiculous.
Shiki was barely holding on.
He could not take it anymore.
This sensation...
It was too much to handle!
His chest? He could endure that.
But his kidney? How the hell was he supposed to endure that?!
IMPOSSIBLE!
He was about to break!
Just as he was about to give up—thinking, "Screw it, none of these guys know me well anyway. Who cares if I scream?"—
"Yeah? What's up, Marco?"
A horrifyingly familiar voice suddenly blasted into his ear.
No, actually, it was Marco holding a Den Den Mushi right up to his ear.
The pineapple-headed bastard was grinning like a madman, holding two snails in his hands:
One projection Den Den Mushi.
One regular communication Den Den Mushi.
Both aimed directly at Shiki.
And that voice?
Whitebeard.
The instant Shiki heard it, his hands—which had been about to let go—suddenly clamped his mouth shut, as if they had a mind of their own.
Hands: "We are NOT embarrassing ourselves today! HOLD IT IN!"
Shiki's mental state took a critical hit.
'YOU GODDAMN PINEAPPLE-HEADED SON OF A—'
'Since when were you this sadistic?!'
'This is too far!'
'Watching wasn't enough for you?'
'You had to invite your whole damn family?!'
'HAVE YOU NO DECENCY?!'
"Pops! Just letting you know—Shiki's here, and he's already started Vir's treatment!"
Shiki: 'OH, THANK YOU SO MUCH.'
As Marco spoke, Whitebeard—watching the projected feed—could not keep his smirk down.
"Good, good, good!"
He said it three times, lips trembling from suppressed laughter.
His plan to introduce Shiki to Vir had partly been to share the rain he'd once endured.
And now, seeing Shiki's state...
Oh, it was pouring.
A heavy downpour, at that.
His bro had turned into a puffed-up lion.
That swollen face—if not for the rudder embedded in his skull, you'd mistake it for an ass.
"Shiki, how's the doctor I recommended? Pretty skilled, huh?"
"GURARARARA!"
Whitebeard finally burst into laughter.
Couldn't hold it in.
No way.
He remembered this exact feeling from back then.
He knew exactly how much Shiki was suffering right now.
But still...
"Jozu! Call everyone over! Drop whatever you're doing! Come greet Shiki! He's an old rival, after all!"
Shiki wanted to murder him.
'So it wasn't just Marco who was rotten.'
'You were the damn source all along!'
'You old bastard!'
'Did I ever wrong you this badly?!'
'Watching wasn't enough—you had to broadcast it?!'
'I'LL KILL YOUR WHOLE CREW!'
'And asking if the doctor was good?'
'ISN'T IT OBVIOUS?!'
'SCREW YOU AND YOUR QUESTIONS!'
Shiki was broken.
Shattered even.
He saw it now—
There wasn't a single decent person in the Whitebeard Pirates!
And then—
*TWIST*
Vir suddenly rotated the Vibro-Blade, trying to hit more spots.
That tiny movement was all it took.
Shiki's mind blanked.
His kidney felt like it was—
OH GOD.
His scalp went numb.
Pupils violently shaking.
What kind of treatment was this?
This was beyond over-the-top!
His teeth ground together, the sound audible even through his clamped jaw.
"Yo, Shiki-san! What's wrong? Eat something bad? Covering your mouth so you don't stink up the place?"
"What's with this weird treatment? The knife went right through! Vir's methods are as brutal as ever!"
"His eyes are about to pop! Is it really that bad? Last time Pops got a drill through his skull and he wasn't this red!"
"This color, this pose—I've seen it on Pops before! Red Lion! He's matching Redbeard now!"
Jozu announced like he'd discovered the One Piece.
But the next second—BOOM!—he was launched by a fist.
Whitebeard shook his hand, still unsatisfied.
With Marco gone, he had to deal with this brat himself...
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