239 Chapter 237: Using Munch-Munch Fruit To Eliminate The Petrification Effect! 

At this moment, Hancock suddenly halted Rifan.

"Are you still hesitating, Hancock?"

"No. I simply want to inquire about your plan to help Marigold rid herself of the curse," she said.

"So that's the case, so you'd like to see the diagnosis and treatment method first?"

"Indeed! I assume you don't mind," Hancock replied.

"It's only natural. Patients often want to understand the treatment method beforehand. If that's the case, I'll demonstrate my abilities first."

Rifan smiled and turned to Nojiko, who was standing beside him.

"Nojiko, our patient seems a bit concerned about my diagnosis and treatment methods. Would you mind cooperating with me a bit?"

Upon hearing this, Nojiko naturally smiled and nodded.

"I'm your nurse Captain Rifan. Convincing patients is part of my job. What do you need me to do?"

"Miss Marigold's affliction is a curse, so I need to place the curse on you first before I can begin treatment."

"I see, I understand. But, Captain Rifan, I believe I've already been cursed by you."

"Already under my curse?"

"That's correct, and it's a curse that not even you can cure."

"That's intriguing, Nojiko. What do you mean?"

"'Love,'" Nojiko said, placing her index finger on her lips and revealing a captivating smile. "Captain Rifan, there may be no stronger curse than 'love' in this world."

Upon hearing these words, Rifan's face remained impassive, but his heartbeat suddenly quickened.

"Nojiko, you certainly have a way with words~"

"My heart was unintentionally swayed~"

Rifan placed his hand over his chest and sighed.

At this moment, Rifan was once again delighted to have Nojiko as a crew member. However, Hancock had veins bulging on her forehead.

"That's enough, I don't want to witness your flirting here. Rifan, if you intend to demonstrate the treatment method, do it promptly."

"If you can't, let this Empress ship return to the sea and release us!"

Hancock clenched her fists, and her voice raised to a menacing pitch as she berated Rifan and Nojiko. 

The room's utensils even trembled from the intensity.

It was no wonder, Hancock was quite displeased to encounter Smoothie and Rifan. Now, she had to confront the exposure of Marigold's 'mark'. Hancock even had a vague feeling that Rifan might know about her and Sandersonia also having it.

After all, when they were on the deck, the elite pirates of the Nine Snake Pirates had mentioned that their three sisters were cursed. If Rifan was not oblivious, he should have deduced something from this information.

What Hancock didn't know was that, even without considering what the elite members of the Kuja Pirates were saying, Rifan had his own knowledge about Hancock and Sandersonia.

"I apologize, it seems I inadvertently fell in love. But before demonstrating my ability, I need to place a curse on Nojiko."

"Hancock, to ensure your trust in my power, please use your devil fruit ability to petrify Nojiko first. Petrifying a part of her body will suffice. Once I eliminate the petrification effect on that part, you will surely trust my abilities."

Rifan turned to Hancock and proposed, "You want me to petrify this woman?"

"Rifan, are you serious?" Hancock frowned, her eyes locked onto Rifan's.

At this point, Hancock didn't mind petrifying Nojiko. She was only concerned that Rifan might become agitated afterward, using it as an excuse.

"Petrifying Nojiko's body is a minor matter, Hancock. If you wish to expedite this matter," Rifan suggested, "let's proceed straightforwardly."

Rifan waved his hand confidently. With Nojiko's Haki now at a higher level, even with her lower physical prowess compared to Hancock's, Rifan believed that as long as Nojiko remained conscious and her entire body wasn't petrified, she could remove Hancock's petrification curse using her own Haki. It was similar to how Law in the original story was able to remove the devil fruit curse with Haki's influence and recover on his own after being transformed into a woman. 

And Rifan is also confident in the power of the Munch-Munch Fruit after awakening. Having witnessed the fruit's ability to separate the damage of concepts, Rifan had immense confidence in its power.

"Very well, this is your choice, Rifan."

After contemplating for a moment, Hancock finally nodded and approached Nojiko on her long, slender legs. Raising her right leg, she gently lifted her calf beyond her high skirt with her toes and performed a subtle 'Perfume Femur.' As her petrification ability took effect, a small area of Nojiko's ankle became petrified.

"It's your turn, Rifan," Hancock said, leaving space for Rifan.

Rifan wasted no time. After Nojiko extended her calf, he used the Munch-Munch Fruit to open his mouth and directed it at Nojiko.

After a few seconds, when Rifan released Nojiko, Hancock immediately inspected Nojiko's calf.

"The petrification is gone!?" Marigold rubbed her eyes, as if unable to believe her eyes. However, upon finishing, she looked at Nojiko again and realized that what she had seen was indeed true—the petrification curse on Nojiko had been completely removed! 

"How is this possible? My petrification ability should only be able to be dispelled by myself!" Hancock exclaimed.

"Rifan, what method did you use?" she asked, still in shock.

Although the petrification effect caused by 'Perfume Femur' wasn't as thorough as that of 'Mero Mero Mellow,' it typically didn't disappear within a short period of time. Hancock's surprise was justified.

Rifan's lips curled up slightly, and he expelled a piranha-shaped bubble with concealed pink energy from his mouth.

"Nojiko, thank you," Rifan first thanked Nojiko and then turned his attention back to Hancock. "Hancock, as the possessor of the Sweet Fruit ability, you should be able to sense the ability inside this bubble. Indeed, it's the curse you cast on her that I separated from Nojiko's body."

The three sisters gathered around after these words. Even the curious Sandersonia reached out and grabbed the piranha bubble Rifan had expelled. She then crushed it violently.

In an instant, the Sweet Fruit's ability within the piranha bubble burst, and Sandersonia's palm immediately turned to stone.

"This... This is my sister's petrification!?" Marigold's mouth opened wide in astonishment, her large eyes fixed on Sandersonia's petrified palm.

Hancock also frowned and reached out to touch Sandersonia's palm. On the side, Rifan observed this scene with great interest.

"The Munch-Munch Fruit absorbs the Devil Fruit abilities of others and can use them in reverse," Rifan contemplated. "This is intriguing; it opens up more ways to combat enemies in the future. No wonder it's rated as a TO-level fruit by the copy space. It can't teleport like the Paw-Paw Fruit, but it can absorb other abilities and utilize their powers."

While Rifan contemplated the pros and cons of the Munch-Munch Fruit and the Paw-Paw Fruit, Hancock finally grasped what had happened. The petrified energy within Sandersonia had indeed come from her. Without this ability, it would have been impossible to relieve Sandersonia's petrification.

After disabling Sandersonia's petrification effect, Hancock took a step back, signifying her agreement with Rifan's treatment for Marigold. Rifan wasted no time and stepped in front of Marigold.

"Marigold, I don't know the exact details of the curse on you. Is it confined to a specific area lurking behind your back, or does it affect your entire body? So I will swallow you whole, but don't be alarmed. I can still spit you out."

As Rifan spoke, he pointed to his own mouth, reassuring Marigold.

"Don't worry, I'm ready. You can do it anytime," Marigold said and deliberately curled up her body, making it easier for Rifan to swallow her.

Rifan nodded and opened his mouth wide, swallowing Marigold's large body. Hancock and Sandersonia watched nervously as Marigold disappeared into Rifan's mouth. Although they knew Rifan was removing the curse, they were still anxious, fearing that Marigold might be harmed.

Fortunately, Rifan didn't keep Marigold in his stomach for too long. He used the power of the Munch-Munch Fruit to locate the curse on her body and quickly separated it. Rifan had held Marigold in his stomach for a few extra seconds to remove excess fat from her body.

After this process, Rifan opened his mouth again, first spitting out a huge piranha bubble, followed by a young woman with a delicate face, a slender figure, visible abdominal muscles, and other toned features. Sandersonia and Hancock stared at the woman in disbelief, their hearts trembling with a hint of confusion.