"Is something the matter, Lord Sanders?"
Kuma asked, a bit uneasy.
His massive frame paired with a gentle expression made him look rather comical.
Sanders stared at him for a moment, dazed.
Could he now make even a former Warlord of the Sea nervous with just a glance?
"Would you like me to take a look at your daughter's illness?"
Sanders asked.
Now that Vegapunk had agreed to join his crew in the future, it was time to carry out the second reason he'd come here.
Kuma was stunned.
Was the Thunder God a doctor too?
He turned to look at Vegapunk.
"He's not a doctor,"
Vegapunk replied grumpily.
"But with all those Devil Fruit powers he has, who knows if one of them can cure diseases?"
Sanders' abilities were simply too unfair.
If Vegapunk had them, too, all his research would be effortless.
In just a brief moment, he had already imagined several research plans based on having multiple Devil Fruit powers himself.
"Alright, thank you."
Kuma nodded seriously.
He knew the World Government already knew he had come here to treat his daughter.
There was a good chance a fleet was already on the way.
Kuma was growing increasingly anxious.
"If I can cure her, then join my crew,"
Sanders stated his condition.
He didn't do things without compensation.
Kuma was momentarily stunned, then quickly replied:
"No problem!"
"As long as you can heal Bonney, I'll give anything."
His tone was firm, without the slightest hesitation.
He had already said before:
even if Vegapunk were a devil, he would still strike a deal to cure Bonney.
It was the same with Sanders.
Sanders nodded and slowly approached Bonney.
She was currently lying on Sentomaru's big belly, using it as a cushion.
Her breathing was calm, but her eyebrows were furrowed, clearly not having a pleasant dream.
"Couldn't help it—couldn't find a place to put her on short notice."
Kuma scratched his head awkwardly and looked apologetically at Vegapunk.
Vegapunk smiled indifferently.
Sentomaru had a sturdy build—letting a child nap on him wasn't a big deal.
Sanders extended his right hand, the power of the Healing Fruit gathering in his palm...
He placed his hand on Bonney's forehead.
In an instant, green light enveloped her.
"What kind of power is this?"
Vegapunk approached Sanders with curiosity.
"The ability of the Healing Fruit,"
Sanders replied.
Then, a moment later, he added:
"Awakened-level Healing Fruit ability."
"Incredible!"
Vegapunk exclaimed, sticking out his tongue in amazement.
"Not only do you possess multiple Devil Fruit powers, but you've also awakened them?"
"What if you awakened two Zoan-type Fruits?"
"How far can an awakened Healing Fruit go?"
"Regrowing limbs?"
Sanders didn't respond— he was fully focused on healing Bonney using the power of the Healing Fruit.
In that instant, the blue crystalline scales on Bonney's face began to flake off.
Before long, the crystalline patches were completely gone, and her face had returned to normal.
"Thank goodness, it worked!"
Kuma clenched his fists and cried out, trying to keep his voice down.
This was the first time he had seen anyone remove the crystalline scales from Bonney's face.
Previously, the only method was cutting them off with a scalpel— something Kuma had never been able to bring himself to do.
But unlike the joyful Kuma,
Sanders furrowed his brow.
"Dr. Vegapunk, could you run a test?"
He wasn't sure if the treatment had fully worked.
His intuition told him Bonney should be healthy now, but he needed confirmation.
Kuma immediately picked Bonney up and headed to the instrument room they had used earlier.
Vegapunk began operating the machines with practiced ease.
Two minutes later, the results were in.
"Bonney's body has completely returned to its condition before the disease developed,"
Vegapunk said, frowning as he looked at the report.
"So… she's cured?"
Kuma was overwhelmed with emotion, tears welling in his eyes.
But the next moment, Vegapunk's words hit him like a bucket of cold water.
"No… she's not cured."
"N-Not cured?!"
"But Doctor, didn't you just say she returned to her original state?"
Kuma asked urgently.
"Yes, that's true," Vegapunk explained.
"But Bonney will still relapse in the future."
"Sanders only restored everything to how it was before—he didn't truly cure the root of the illness."
Vegapunk explained to Kuma.
Then he looked at Sanders.
"The awakened ability of the Healing Fruit is restoration, right?"
"That's right."
Sanders nodded.
"Then it makes sense..."
Vegapunk said in realization.
"Bonney's illness is congenital."
"In other words, her 'original' state includes having this illness."
"It just hadn't manifested yet."
"So restoring her to her 'original' condition just brings her back to the pre-onset state."
Vegapunk explained to both Sanders and Kuma.
"Still, this state is good enough for her to live a normal life."
"She can even run around in the sun without fearing it anymore."
"In the future, she'll just need periodic treatments from Sanders."
He added, his voice carrying a hint of regret.
Probably because he realized he couldn't clone Kuma soldiers anymore—a pity.
But since the World Government already knew about this, having the little girl treated by Sanders was still a good outcome.
After spending time with Sanders a few years ago, Vegapunk knew that he wasn't truly a bad person, even if he now carried the highest bounty among all pirates.
If not for the Celestial Dragon incident, Sanders would likely still be a just Marine to this day.
"This kind of powerful ability—there must be a price, right?"
Now that Bonney was safe for the time being, Kuma had calmed down.
Though it wasn't a full cure, at least she wouldn't die before turning ten.
That alone made it excellent news— far better than the hopelessness they previously faced.
"Before awakening, it cost lifespan to use,"
"But now, it just makes me feel weak for a while."
Sanders said frankly.
He didn't want to use false claims like "it costs lifespan" just to appear noble— there was no point in lying.
Healing Bonney would leave him feeling weak for a short time, about the same as when he removed Hancock's back mark.
"Although I can't completely cure it,"
"I can stop the disease from progressing further."
"The price would be that she grows up very slowly."
"That way, I wouldn't need to keep healing her periodically."
"I'm not saying this to avoid the effort—just giving you a choice."
Sanders continued.
Vegapunk looked at Sanders deeply— he had likely guessed the rough method behind Sanders' ability.
Growing very slowly—slow enough that it's essentially a cure in disguise.
How is that any different from immortality?
In fact, it might not even take that long— perhaps in just a few decades, a specific cure for this illness might be discovered.
For someone suffering from a terminal disease...
Sanders' abilities were nothing short of a miraculous remedy.
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