"Ian! Do you still want this job or not?!"
"If you don't, then get the hell out!"
Inside the office, a furious roar echoed.
Ever since returning to the branch, it had already been three days—and at this point, Luo Lan was starting to regret everything.
Seriously, what the hell had he been thinking, setting Ian up with a wife?
And ever since Ian got together with Baby 5, the man had completely changed. Aside from sleeping, he spent ninety percent of his time glued to her side—actually, scratch that. Even while sleeping, the two were practically wrapped around each other.
And now? They were showing up to the office together. Literally stuck to each other. Again.
Luo Lan rubbed his forehead, the headache pounding harder than ever.
This couldn't go on. That brat needed to be dealt with.
"Tomorrow, Smoker will be leading Unit Two of Jun Lin out to sea. You're going with them."
"Yes, Captain!"
"Mm. And Baby 5 stays. She'll be learning under Seras for a while."
"No way!"
"Absolutely not!" they shouted in unison.
BANG!
"I said no, and I mean it! That's final! Get out!!"
Luo Lan slammed his palm down on the desk, the loud thud punctuating his words.
In truth, if Baby 5's Devil Fruit power was properly nurtured under the 157th Branch's training regimen, her potential would be insane.
She already could transform into cold weapons, and even basic firearms. But ultimately... she lacked knowledge.
Her transformations depended entirely on how well she understood the weapon's structure.
Now if she could learn under Seras...
Just imagine—left hand becomes a CIWS gun, right hand launches missiles, and strapped to her back? A full-sized Tsar Bomb.
Who could possibly stop her?
See, knowledge was power. Without it, you'd always be at a disadvantage.
---
Brrrr… Brrrr…
The den-den mushi buzzed to life just moments after Luo Lan slammed the office door behind the two lovebirds.
"This is Luo Lan."
"Cqptain, this is Intelligence. The ship we dispatched to Syrup Village just reported in—the target wants to bring someone else with him."
"Someone else? Who?"
"A 15-year-old boy named Usopp. Our agents looked into his background—his father is named Yasopp, who went out to sea years ago and likely became a pirate. We're fairly certain he's the Red-Haired Emperor's top sniper—"
"No need to guess. He is."
Hissss...
Even through the line, Luo Lan could hear the collective gasp of shock from the other side.
Understandable. This was Four Emperors-level information.
"Captain, should we still—"
"It's fine. Let them bring him along."
"Understood!"
Usopp, huh...
Luo Lan leaned back in his chair after ending the call.
Come to think of it, he'd completely forgotten about that kid during his trip to Syrup Village.
Honestly, Luo Lan never quite understood the character logic in this world. Yasopp abandoned his wife and child to chase the pirate life. While his wife lay sick and dying, that bastard was probably off partying with Shanks and laughing like a maniac.
And yet…
Usopp idolized the man.
Unbelievable. Luo Lan just couldn't wrap his head around it.
Sure, the kid might be useful—but not before a serious attitude adjustment.
Otherwise, he'd be stuck doing grunt work forever.
Still… why did Merry suddenly want to bring him along?
If Luo Lan had to guess, Usopp probably begged him for the chance.
But why?
Could it be because of Kaya…?
At that thought, Luo Lan grabbed his justice cloak and stepped out of the office.
---
157th Branch – Marine Hospital
Though only two stories tall, the hospital covered a large area.
Add in its advanced construction and more than twenty highly-trained doctors from the System, and the place could rival top-tier medical facilities.
A short while later, Luo Lan stepped into one of the patient rooms.
Inside, a doctor was making rounds, casually asking the young girl on the bed some routine questions.
"Kaya, how are you feeling today?"
"Brother Luo Lan!"
"Captain!"
The girl and the doctor both responded as soon as they heard Luo Lan's voice.
"I feel completely fine now!"
"Wait, completely fine?"
Luo Lan was stunned.
It had only been three days—granted, he'd been swamped with reports, overdue paperwork, and intense training, so he hadn't checked in on her much…
But three days to full recovery? That couldn't be right!
"Kaya, don't force yourself. You need to be completely healthy before you're discharged, got it?"
"Brother Luo Lan, I am healthy! Ask Director Orson if you don't believe me!"
Kaya puffed out her cheeks in frustration—looking adorably upset.
Roan turned toward the man in the white coat.
[Orson – Grade A Personnel]
[Loyalty: 100 (Permanently Locked)]
[Specialty: Medicine]
Orson wasn't just a regular doctor—he was the director of the entire marine hospital.
Until Luo Lan could afford S-rank talent, A-rank was the current limit—and in this world, A-rank could already compete with the best.
Put simply, Orson's medical expertise was top-tier—even by the standards of the One Piece world.
Of course, there were freaks above the top, like Vegapunk in the field of science—people in the same class as Seras.
"Captain, Miss Kaya's condition was congenital."
"Congenital?"
"Yes. Most likely due to premature birth."
"So… weak constitution, fatigue, easy to fall ill, that sort of thing?"
Luo Lan raised a brow. He wasn't a doctor, but he'd heard of that before in his past life.
"Exactly. As you say, her condition is caused by a weak innate constitution. Fortunately, there are several ways to treat it."
"The simplest is to give her a Devil Fruit—preferably a Zoan-type. While other types could work, Zoans are best for enhancing the body directly."
"Second, we could use physical training to strengthen her body over time, slowly correcting her innate weakness. But that takes a long time and requires expert supervision—especially given Kaya's previous condition."
"And finally… there's a third method, one that only we in the 157th can offer."
"...Which is?"
"To do absolutely nothing."
...
Wait, what?
He'd explained the first two options seriously—then suddenly do nothing?
"Captain, have you forgotten about what we eat in the mess hall every day?"
...The cafeteria?
Wait a minute...
Ah.
So that's what "do nothing" meant.
Indeed, what Kaya needed most was to enhance her physical constitution. And in the 157th Branch? That was the easiest thing in the world.
Just eat three meals a day at the base cafeteria.
That alone would skyrocket her physical stats.
Before the system bonuses wore off, she could easily hit a combat power level of 200—without lifting a finger.
Yeah, come to think of it…
Doing nothing might just be the best treatment there is.
---
A/N: If you want an early updates, you can visit my Ko-Fi as I update there much early.
Currently at Chapter 78 for free chapters on my Ko-Fi and at Chapter 280 for advance chapters.
https:// ko-fi.com/sami27