Chapter 50: The Female Ship Doctor

Everything was on the right track; Luo Di turned his head to look at the crowd.

His original crew members stood on both sides of the deck, while in the middle stood the pirates from Luo Ge Zhen. They had previously belonged to other pirate crews, but after Luo Di's "performance" on the execution platform and the display of his formidable strength, they decided to follow his guidance, killing their way from Luo Ge Zhen all the way to the coast to arrive here.

Star Platinum stood by Luo Di's side, its pupils slightly constricted as it constantly observed. After confirming there were no issues, Luo Di spoke: "I keep my word. Since you have boarded my ship, you are now people of the Blood Calamity Pirates. I will protect you. Later, Chief Captain Xiao En will inform you of the rules on the ship; I will never forgive those who do not follow the rules."

The pirates knelt on one knee one after another, looking high-spirited: "We are willing to offer our lives for Captain Luo Di!"

A Nuo ran over to report: "Captain Luo Di, this woman is named Kamen, she is a chef from the East Blue, and these two sorry-looking fellows are her younger brothers Leo and He Xi. I dragged them onto our ship."

Luo Di glanced at Kamen, knowing that this woman was the very one who had competed in cooking skills against Sanji in Luo Ge Zhen. He nodded and smiled: "Not bad, A Nuo. Others just loot treasures, but you even kidnapped a wife."

"Hahahaha..." Cheerful laughter erupted on the ship.

Kamen and her two brothers looked depressed, but they couldn't directly refute Luo Di's words.

A Nuo shook his head and said: "That's not it, Captain. This woman isn't my wife; I plan to teach them well."

Luo Di nodded: "Mm, they can join your chef team from now on. There are more and more people now; it is too tiring for you alone."

A Nuo showed a smug smile toward Kamen: "See? I told you Captain Luo Di is easy to talk to. Hehe, thank you for your concern, Captain Luo Di, I, A Nuo, am not tired at all."

There were over a dozen women in this new batch, some wearing nurse uniforms, others in sexy pirate attire. Luo Di stared at them and continued: "The doctors among you, step forward. From now on, you will form a medical team, managed by Lu Xi Ya."

Lu Xi Ya smiled and nodded. Now, including the new batch, the total number of people had reached over five hundred; it was indeed too busy for her to handle alone.

"Alright, now those who need to rest, go rest; those who need treatment, go get treated. A Nuo, take them to prepare some food. Everyone, rest for now; there are even greater challenges ahead on the Grand Line."

Luo Di finished assigning everything. Lu Xi Ya took the medical team to the infirmary, and the wounded lined up for treatment. A Nuo took Kamen, Leo, and He Xi to the kitchen to clatter about preparing meals. Xiao En observed the surrounding situation, while Gai Ou was responsible for steering; the Fish-Man's innate wrist strength made this position rightfully his.

After Lu Xi Ya finished familiarizing the medical team, Luo Di walked in.

"Is the situation alright?" Luo Di asked.

Lu Xi Ya nodded and said softly: "Mm, everyone's injuries are not too serious; basically, simple bandaging is enough."

"That's good. When you're done later, come to the captain's quarters; I'll be waiting for you there," Luo Di said.

"Okay."

Luo Di returned to the captain's quarters and closed the door. Suddenly, a wave of dizziness hit his brain. He gasped for air and lay on the bed, his blood surging within him. An intense headache struck, causing double images to appear before his eyes.

He had just eaten the fruit and, without being proficient with it, had fought a life-and-death battle with Navy officers for a long time, even releasing Conqueror's Haki. Then, he had diverted energy to control Star Platinum to fight Tina, causing a massive drain on his own physical strength. Now, his steps were already unsteady, though he hadn't shown it in front of the crew.

From the inherited memories, he learned that the Mythical Zoan Vampire he had eaten was different from the vampires he knew in his past life; it did not fear sunlight and could maintain eternal youth by absorbing blood.

There was a Blood Pool inside his body; the fresh blood stored within was the "energy" he could use for combat. It would be consumed when using blood-based techniques. If the Blood Pool was exhausted, he would be unable to use his abilities temporarily and could only rest to recover or absorb blood to replenish it.

Luo Di was very satisfied with this fruit. His control over Star Platinum was basically proficient; his biggest shortcoming was his physical fitness. Although it had been constantly improving with the blessing of the Immortal Meridian Ripple, he was essentially still in the category of an ordinary person. To fight against those natural freaks, he needed to rely more on his brain in coordination with Star Platinum.

Now with the fruit's enhancement, his blood and flesh would also undergo a qualitative change. In the future, he could develop more skills and techniques, and the path ahead was even broader.

The restless blood gradually calmed down. The Immortal Meridian Ripple and blood energy within his body slowly nourished his body, sweeping away the fatigue after the battle. Following this came a deep hunger and sleepiness.

Knock, knock.

A knocking sound rang out.

"Come in," Luo Di said.

The door pushed open gently. Lu Xi Ya walked in wearing white high heels. Seeing Luo Di lying down, she quickened her pace to the bedside and said worriedly: "Captain, are you injured?"

"Small problem. Close the door first," Luo Di said softly.

"Okay." Lu Xi Ya turned to close the door and walked back to Luo Di, asking with concern: "Captain, where are you injured? I'll help you treat it."

Luo Di shook his head and smiled: "Just a bit tired. Do you know how to massage?"

Lu Xi Ya's beautiful eyes blinked. She sat on the edge of the bed, placed her slender fingers on Luo Di's temples, and kneaded gently, saying softly: "I saw you fighting the Navy officers through the telescope. Are you really not injured?"

"Ah, small problem," Luo Di said. "Mere Colonel and Vice Admiral, if I couldn't even beat them, there would be no need to go to the Grand Line."

"Hehehe, what a strong and confident captain," Lu Xi Ya said, smiling as she massaged Luo Di. Her fingers pressed against Luo Di's skin. Luo Di felt the warmth beside his temples, and a sense of relief surged into his heart.

Soon, Luo Di closed his eyes and fell asleep.

After falling asleep, he subconsciously rested his hand on Lu Xi Ya's leg, which was covered in ultra-thin sheer stockings. Lu Xi Ya's beautiful eyes froze instantly. Her leg trembled slightly, then stopped in place. She didn't move it away, nor did she wake Luo Di up.

After all, he was the captain who had protected so many of their crew members and had also helped her hometown wipe out the royal family that had enslaved commoners for generations. She knew very well how difficult life was for ordinary people without strength in this era. If she hadn't boarded Luo Di's ship, those royal nobles would have lost patience sooner or later and used extreme measures against her.

She didn't dare to think about what would have happened after that.

Luo Di let out a light snore. Lu Xi Ya brushed aside the hair on his forehead. After massaging his head for a while, she grabbed the arm Luo Di still had resting on her long leg and began to knead it gently.

"Just as Ka Li Na said, he really is a lecherous captain," Lu Xi Ya said with a soft laugh.

It started drizzling outside the window. Lu Xi Ya felt a sense of peace in her heart; at this moment, it was as if she had forgotten the passage of time.

"Luo Di, you're inside, right? Hurry up and come eat."

At this moment, Ka Li Na's voice rang out, and she pushed the door open and ran in directly.

Lu Xi Ya:...

Ka Li Na: (●—●)

The atmosphere fell into an awkward silence.