Chapter 14: A new ship Doctor

In Kaya's room, she cried while leaning into Ace's arms. Ace gently stroked her golden hair, constantly comforting her. Meanwhile, Merry, another butler in the villa, who had been drugged by Kuro earlier, had woken up and was now repeatedly thanking Ace and Nami.

Kuro, Buchi, and Sam had been dealt with by Ace and thrown into the sea. As for Jango, Ace spared his life as agreed. Such a minor adversary wasn't worth Ace breaking his promise in front of Nami and Kaya.

"Thank you so much. Khaladore... no, Kuro turned out to be a vicious pirate who killed the master and his wife. If it weren't for you, the young lady would have been poisoned by him," Merry expressed his gratitude profusely.

"Thank you, Ace," Kaya said, her mood easing as she stepped back, her pretty face slightly blushing.

"You are my destined ship's doctor. How could I let Kuro hurt you?" Ace responded, smiling and gently touching Kaya's long golden hair again.

"Why?!" Merry suddenly exclaimed, confused by Ace's words. Did this young man intend to take the young lady to sea?

Kaya, too, was taken aback. "I want to explore the outside world, but my body is so weak. It's difficult for me to even take a walk, let alone sail. And I can't be called a doctor; I've just read some medical books. But if you get injured, you can come back here, and I'll try my best to study medicine and treat you," she said slowly.

"You don't have to worry about that. Since I said you are my destined ship's doctor, I have a way to solve these problems," Ace reassured her, gently pressing his hands on her shoulders. "I have one question for you, Kaya."

"What is it?" Kaya looked up, her eyes meeting Ace's serious gaze, her face reddening.

"Are you willing to be my ship's doctor?"

Kaya blushed deeply but nodded.

Ace laughed heartily. Nami, standing nearby, rolled her eyes. This guy really knew how to charm girls. But Kaya's frail condition still left her curious.

"You take a good rest. When it gets dark, I'll solve the problem you mentioned," Ace said confidently to Kaya.

"Okay," Kaya replied, looking at Ace's confident smile, pursing her lips, and nodding obediently.

As they left Kaya's room, Merry nervously addressed Ace, "Mr. Ace, do you really have a way to solve Miss's physical problem? Life on the sea is really tough."

"Don't worry, you'll see soon enough. By the way, Mr. Merry, could you prepare rooms for Nami and me?" Ace replied with a polite smile.

"Of course, no problem," Merry responded quickly.

Later, as dawn broke, Kaya, Ace, and Nami, now more rested, had breakfast together and walked to the beach.

"It's beautiful, isn't it, Kaya?" Ace asked, pointing at the sea, watching Kaya's hair flutter in the breeze.

"Yes, it's beautiful," Kaya replied, longing evident in her eyes. She had always been too weak and sickly to venture far, let alone sail the seas.

"Well, it's time to make good on my promise. I have superpowers, and you are my destined ship's doctor, Kaya," Ace said, extending his palm as a mysterious wave emanated from him.

"The Realm of Understanding is given!" Ace's voice rang out as mysterious fluctuations enveloped Kaya. This ability, awakened by Ace just before setting sail, allowed him to elevate someone's understanding to a heaven-defying level within the realm's duration.

This power had been a pleasant surprise. Ace had pushed Luffy to his limits, aiming to maximize his Conqueror's Haki, and in doing so, gained this unique ability which was inspired from Nika. This realm could elevate the chosen individual's abilities to an extraordinary level, even if only temporarily.

Kaya's previously frail body was now infused with this heaven-defying understanding. Her limited medical knowledge would also be vastly enhanced, making her capable of serving as the ship's doctor. Ace's new-found ability had opened up new possibilities for his crew selection.

"You don't have to worry anymore, Kaya. With this, you'll be able to sail the seas with us," Ace reassured her. Kaya, astonished and grateful, nodded, feeling a newfound strength and determination.

"Kaya, quickly recall the medical books you have read," Ace urged, watching as Kaya stared blankly at the mysterious fluctuations enveloping her.

The realm of understanding, which combined 'Nika' imagination powers with his heaven-defying comprehension, required the recipient's mind to activate it.

"Oh, oh!" Kaya exclaimed, quickly recalling the medical books she had read. To her astonishment, the once-obscure medical texts now seemed as simple as childhood games. A vast amount of medical knowledge seemed to appear out of thin air, engraving itself in her brain.

Finally, an invisible wave gradually spread out. At this moment, Ace's Observation Haki detected a white fruit with intricate patterns being carried along the waves, and his eyes lit up.

"The Paramecia-healing fruit was attracted by Kaya's amazing understanding!" a thought echoed in Ace's mind.

"It's really happening," Ace marveled. When he came to the beach, he had hoped Kaya's heaven-defying understanding could attract a Devil Fruit, just like how he attracted his Mera-mera Fruit.

Seeing Ace take the healing fruit into his hand, Nami's eyes widened. "A Devil Fruit?! This is worth at least 100 million beli!" she exclaimed internally, struggling with the thought of how such a fruit could buy her village back from Arlong. Yet, she watched quietly as Ace handed the fruit to Kaya.

"Eat it, Kaya. This is the perfect Devil Fruit for you. After eating the healing fruit of Paramecia, your frailty will be solved," Ace smiled, offering the fruit.

"Evil, Devil Fruit?! It's called the sea's secret treasure and is worth at least 100 million?!" Merry exclaimed.

Ace glanced at Merry and explained, "This healing fruit must be worth more than a billion. It can heal any disease and improve all physical problems of the user."

Hearing this, Nami's eyes almost popped out. Ten billion beli?! She was stunned by the value. After taking a few deep breaths, Nami thought about Kaya's frail condition. Despite the fruit's enormous value, she realized it was crucial for Kaya. Smiling freely, Nami accepted the situation.

"This is so precious," Kaya said hesitantly, overwhelmed by the fruit's value.

"This was meant to be yours, just as you were destined to be my ship's doctor," Ace reassured her with a warm smile.

"Okay!" Kaya, filled with emotion, ate the healing fruit at Ace's urging. She grimaced, covering her mouth as her face turned pale.

"Miss!" Merry cried out, anxious.

"I'm fine, it just tastes awful..." Kaya reassured him, stopping his approach. She then looked at her hands, now exuding a warm yellow light, in disbelief.

"Is this... the healing fruit?" Kaya murmured. In the yellow light, her body began to recover rapidly, her physical fitness soon reaching that of an ordinary person. With the blessing of the realm of understanding, the improvement continued.

"My body!" Kaya exclaimed, jumping and waving her hands, feeling an unprecedented sense of comfort and strength.

"Isn't it the perfect Devil Fruit for you, Kaya? From now on, you can follow us and sail freely on the sea," Ace said, smiling at the excited Kaya.

Kaya jumped into his arms, "Thank you, thank you, Ace..."

Merry, moved to tears, took out a handkerchief to wipe her eyes. "Welcome to the crew, my destined ship's doctor," Ace said warmly, stroking Kaya's long golden hair.

"Yes!" Kaya responded, her face blooming with a happy smile from the bottom of her heart.

In the following days, Kaya, who had a good relationship with everyone in the village, went from house to house saying her goodbyes. Meanwhile, Merry was working diligently on completing her dream ship from childhood, the Going Merry. The thought of Miss Kaya sailing the seas on his dream ship invigorated Merry, making her feel her shipbuilding skills had grown significantly stronger. What Merry didn't know was that Ace was using the field of understanding on her. Given that Merry's natural shipbuilding talent was only average, Ace hoped to ensure that the Going Merry, a ship dear to his heart, would be built more perfectly.

During these days, Ace found himself constantly pestered by Nami. "Hey, Captain, I'm your first crew member, so you can't play favorites. Find me a Devil Fruit so I can become stronger and help you," Nami said, hugging Ace's arm and batting her eyelashes, her eyes gleaming with the symbol of money.

Ace chuckled, "Do you want a Devil Fruit to become stronger, or do you just want to sell it for money?"

"What! You don't trust your first crew member at all!" Nami shouted indignantly.

Nearby, Kaya laughed softly, feeling satisfaction on her pretty face. She had always been frail and confined to her room, never having friends her own age. Now, with her health restored and new friends by her side, she felt immense gratitude towards Ace. Kaya quietly admired Ace's profile, smiling to herself.

Ace, wanting to avoid further pestering from Nami, placed his hand on her face, squishing her cheeks playfully. "I've prepared a Devil Fruit for you, but the one best suited for you is on the Grand Line. When the time comes, I'll take you to get it."

Nami pulled away, pouting. "On the Grand Line? You have no sincerity at all."

Ace leaned in and whispered in her ear, "That Devil Fruit is more precious than Kaya's healing fruit. It's a super powerful Devil Fruit worth at least 3 billion beli."

Nami froze, her mind reeling from the amount. "Three billion beli?!"

"Do you think I'd lie to you?" Ace asked, chuckling. Nami thought back, realizing that everything Ace had said so far had come true, even the seemingly impossible feat of restoring Kaya's health.

"3 billion beli Devil Fruit, and you're giving it to me?" Nami asked, her heart racing.

"Of course, you're my navigator, Nami," Ace said, ruffling her short orange hair.

"That's great, Nami," Kaya added with a chuckle.

"But is that Devil Fruit really on the Grand Line?" Nami asked, still confused.

"Yes, and in the meantime, you need some fighting skills. Come with me," Ace said, deliberately not mentioning Arlong's crew. He took Nami's hand and led her outside, with Kaya following closely behind, smiling sweetly as she trailed them.

Just then, a long-nosed man shouted loudly at the village entrance, "Pirates! Pirates are coming!"

The village erupted in chaos. "Usopp! You liar, if you joke again, I'll beat you!" the villagers yelled upon realizing it was another false alarm.

Usopp laughed it off and ran, but a hand suddenly grabbed his collar, pulling him back.

"Hey, you must be Usopp," Ace said, smiling.

"You, you are...?!" Usopp stammered.

"My name is Ace, and I am a pirate," Ace introduced himself, but his smile looked terrifying to Usopp.

"Pirates?! Everyone, run!" Usopp shouted towards the village, trembling.

The villagers, thinking it was another lie, ignored him, making Usopp look desperate.

"Don't worry, I'm not here to steal anything. This is Kaya, my ship's doctor, and this is Nami, my navigator," Ace said, appreciating Usopp's bravery despite his fear.

"Kaya?! You're a pirate?! But your health..." Usopp looked at Kaya in disbelief.

"Yes, my body was cured by Ace," Kaya said, chuckling.

Ace then asked Usopp, "Your dad is Yasopp, right?"

"You know my dad?!" Usopp asked excitedly.

"I don't, but my brother Luffy once met him and his crew," Ace replied, smiling.

"So, are you looking for me?" Usopp asked, slightly less fearful upon hearing the connection to his father.

"Yes, make a weather stick for me. By the way, this is also to repay your father for taking care of Luffy," Ace said, waving his hand to envelop Usopp in the realm of understanding.

Under Nami's surprised eyes, Usopp created a weather rod much more powerful than the one in the original story. "My sniper Talent...," Usopp muttered, looking at his hands in disbelief.

"Monkey.D. Luffy, the person my father took care of? Ace's younger brother," Usopp repeated to himself, processing Ace's words.