On the other side of Shell Town,
The dense forest surrounding Shell Town was eerily quiet, save for the faint rustling of leaves and the distant chirping of birds. But in the middle of a clearing, a group of Marines stood frozen, staring at something so bizarre that it sent shivers down their spines.
Right before them was a massive hole in the ground.
But it wasn't just any hole—it was human-shaped. The deep indentation looked exactly like someone had fallen from the sky and smashed into the earth at full force. The impact had even cracked the ground, leaving a deep impression in the dirt, like a meteor had struck.
And the worst part?
Blood was everywhere.
Dark red stains soaked the shattered earth, splattered across the nearby grass, and even smeared against the broken rocks. It looked as if someone had been completely crushed alive—but…
There was no body.
One of the Marines, a younger recruit with shaking hands, swallowed hard, his voice barely above a whisper.
"This… this hole is shaped like a person. But where's… the body?"
A more experienced Marine, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly, attempted to keep his voice steady. "Maybe some kind of wild animal dragged it away…?"
"Dragged it away!?" The young recruit's face paled even more. "With this much blood!? There would be… there would be pieces left, wouldn't there!?"
The other Marines glanced at each other, uneasy. He had a point.
There were no bones.
No ripped flesh.
Not even a single footprint leading away from the crater.
It was as if… the person had vanished into thin air.
Another Marine—one with shaky hands and wide eyes—stepped back, his breathing uneven. "W-What if… what if it wasn't an animal at all?" He bit his nails, his whole body trembling. "W-What if it was… a ghost?"
The air went still.
No one said anything.
Then—
A different Marine, trying to act tough, scoffed and crossed his arms. "Don't be stupid. There's no such thing as ghosts." But despite his words, his fingers tightened on the hilt of his sword.
The Marine with thick eyebrows and freckles furrowed his brow, looking increasingly uncomfortable. "I don't know, man… this is just too weird. What the hell are we supposed to report to the captain?"
"Maybe we should just say we didn't find anything—"
"Wait… what if they're still alive?" One of the Marines blurted out suddenly, his face pale as he pointed at the bloodstains.
Everyone froze.
The thought had been lingering in the back of their minds, but hearing it spoken aloud sent a cold chill down their spines. If someone really fell from that height and left behind this much blood, then how could there be no body?
If they survived that kind of impact… what kind of monster were they dealing with?
"Yeah, because whatever did this is probably still around here… watching us." One of them teased, mimicking a ghostly moan while wiggling his fingers.
The joke was met with glares.
"Not funny."
"Shut up, idiot!"
"NO—"
Rustle.
The sound was barely noticeable.
But the second a nearby bush twitched, every single Marine lost their minds.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"
They screamed at the top of their lungs, drawing their swords in a panic before immediately deciding that running was the better option.
In a desperate attempt to escape whatever horrifying, unseen force was lurking nearby, they stumbled over each other, kicking up dirt as they vanished into the forest.
The area fell into silence.
Then—
The bush rustled again.
A rabbit hopped out.
It sniffed the air, its ears twitching slightly.
Then, unbothered, it hopped away.
...
For the first time in his life, Nexús was truly at sea.
Sure, he had been to the beach before, but actually floating in the middle of the open ocean was a different experience altogether. The vast blue stretched endlessly in every direction, the gentle rocking of the canoe keeping his body on high alert.
His instincts screamed at him not to move too much, not to tilt the boat, not to look down, because if he fell in…
Yeah. He didn't even want to think about what kind of things could be lurking beneath the surface.
Still, despite the unease crawling up his spine, he had to admit—the sea smelled nice. The salty air filled his lungs, and the way the sunlight reflected off the waves made everything feel calm and alive. It was… natural.
But none of that mattered right now.
He had a plan.
And his first test subject—no, his first patient—was right in front of him.
Nexús subtly turned his head, his gaze landing on Zoro, who was sitting opposite him. The swordsman was resting with his arms crossed, eyes closed, body completely relaxed.
Perfect.
Raising an eyebrow, Nexús called out in a casual tone, "Zoro."
Zoro's eyes snapped open immediately, his dazed expression showing he had been on the edge of sleep. He grunted in response,
"What?"
Nexús, keeping his expression unreadable, leaned slightly forward. "Your wound still bad right?"
Zoro frowned slightly, not understanding why this was even being brought up.
"And?"
Ignoring the flat response, Nexús got up from his seat—carefully, because no way in hell was he falling into the ocean—and moved closer to Zoro.
"I'm going to heal you," he stated, his tone completely serious.
Silence.
For a good two seconds, Zoro just stared at him.
His expression could only be described as: 'What the hell did this guy just say?'
Meanwhile, Luffy, who had been sitting nearby, subtly tilted his head, intrigued.
Zoro's eyes narrowed slightly. "It's already bandaged and treated. I'm fine." He waved a dismissive hand, clearly not taking this seriously.
Nexús, unfazed, held out his hand.
"Trust me."
Zoro stared at him again.
His expression clearly said, 'Do you think I'm a five-year-old who believes in magic?'.For a brief moment, it looked like he was about to tell Nexús to go screw himself—but then he sighed heavily and gave up.
"Fine. Do whatever you want." He shifted slightly, arms still crossed, his face saying 'Let's just get this over with.'
His patience had limits, and if Nexús tried anything funny, he could always cut him down later.
Nexús sat cross-legged in front of Zoro, keeping his expression neutral. The sea breeze carried the scent of salt, but he ignored it. He had one goal—to test his supposed healing ability. Zoro sat with his arms crossed, one eye slightly open, looking half-bored, half-skeptical. Luffy, on the other hand, leaned forward, eyes filled with curiosity.
Nexús pressed his palm over Zoro's wound. Nothing happened. He frowned but didn't panic.
Maybe it needed activation?
He lifted his hand and tried again. Still nothing. He shook his hand, circled over the wound like doctor strange, held his fingers like anime healers, even did a Spiderman pose. Not a damn thing.
Luffy snorted.
"PUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
He burst into laughter, clutching his stomach. Zoro sighed deeply, closing his eyes again, his face practically screaming 'I knew this guy was an idiot.'
Nexús felt humiliation creep up his spine. This was NOT how it was supposed to go.
Frustrated, he bit his lip.
Drip.
A drop of his own blood fell—landing directly on Zoro's wound. The moment it touched—a sudden blue light burst from the wound. The glow was soft but intense, flickering like a pulse of energy.
Luffy's laughter died immediately. Zoro stiffened. The wound—completely gone in seconds.
Dead silence. The waves hitting the canoe were the only sound. Luffy leaned forward so fast the boat tilted slightly. "Whoa..." His eyes were wide with amazement. Zoro didn't speak, just pressed his fingers against the perfectly healed skin. Luffy grinned. "Oi, do that again!"
"Y—"
Nexús suddenly felt a tingling sensation on his lip. His hand flew up—it was healed too. His stomach dropped. Zoro's sharp gaze snapped toward him. "...What the hell was that?" His voice was calm but heavy. Luffy, still excited,with sparkles eyes he leaned closer.
"You've got some crazy power, huh!?not just other people,you also can heal yourself, AMAZING"
Nexús didn't answer. Because he didn't have an answer. Instead, he sat there, thinking.
Zoro was still rubbing his arm, grumbling under his breath when Nexús suddenly lunged forward and bit him till bleeding.
"A—wtf are you doing?!" Zoro jerked back violently, nearly unsheathing his sword out of pure reflex. His usual composure shattered as he stared at Nexús like he had lost his mind.
Luffy? Absolutely no help. He burst into loud, uncontrollable laughter, gripping his stomach as if this was the funniest thing in the world.
Meanwhile, Nexús had already bitten his own finger, drawing a small drop of blood. Without hesitation, he smeared it over the fresh bite wound on Zoro's arm.
Then—it happened.
A faint blue glow flickered to life where his blood touched the wound. Within mere seconds, the bite mark disappeared completely, as if it had never existed in the first place.
The air between them stilled.
Luffy's laughter cut off abruptly. His eyes went wide with pure amazement. "WOAHHH!!" He leaned in, his eyes couldn't stop sparkling like a child seeing magic for the first time. "Are you a Devil Fruit user?!" His excitement made the small canoe rock dangerously.
Zoro, however, looked visibly unsettled. His hand hovered over his arm, fingers tracing the now smooth skin. His usual stoic face cracked just a little, eyebrows furrowing in deep suspicion.
"...There are Devil Fruits like that?" His voice was laced with wary disbelief. "That's… terrifying."
Before Nexús could answer, Zoro suddenly squinted at him, his tone sharpening. "So all those weird hand gestures before—was that some kind of ritual or something?"
His expression remained deadpan. "No." He shut that conversation down immediately.
Zoro narrowed his eyes, clearly not convinced.
Nexús exhaled through his nose, forcing himself to stay calm. "I don't eat any devil fruit,I was born like this," he said, keeping his voice as neutral as possible.
Luffy immediately accepted it without question. "Yosh! That's even cooler!" His grin stretched wide with excitement.
Zoro, however, still didn't look convinced. He stared at Nexús for a long moment before muttering, half-joking, half-serious, "Are you even human?"
That one made Nexús hesitate for just a second.He stared back at Zoro, then simply raised an eyebrow, as if to say: 'Believe what you want.'
Luffy, still hyped, suddenly perked up. "We don't need a doctor anymore! Nexús can just heal everyone!"
Nexús felt like he had just been hit by lightning.
No, no, no, no, no— that was not supposed to happen! If they didn't get a doctor, if they didn't get his lovely Chopper— the Straw Hats were doomed!
His mind raced for a counterargument. If he lied about being a Devil Fruit user, what would happen the moment he fell into the ocean and didn't drown? He'd be exposed. If he denied his abilities entirely, they might still test him. He needed something believable.
Taking a deep breath, he forced his voice to stay calm and serious.
"We still need a doctor," he stated firmly.
Luffy and Zoro both glanced at him.
"My power only works if there's blood. That means it's limited. If someone's too injured to even bleed when I loss too much blood…" He let his words hang in the air, making sure the weight of it sank in.
"They'd just die."
Zoro and Luffy both fell silent.
For the first time, Luffy's grin faltered. His expression shifted into something more thoughtful.Zoro, who had been suspicious of him the whole time, finally nodded.
"That makes sense," he muttered.
Luffy pouted, but finally relented. "Fineee~ But still, that's awesome!" His grin quickly returned as he turned back toward the sea.
Zoro crossed his arms and looked at Nexús. "So, how much blood are we talking?"
Nexús sighed. "It's unpredictable."
Zoro hummed. "Hmph. So you'd basically be bleeding yourself out if you tried healing someone half-dead."
Nexús nodded. "Exactly. That's why we still need a doctor."
Zoro gave him a long stare, then grinned a little. "So you do have common sense."
Nexús speechless just to hear Zoro laughed.
Luffy, already overthinking it, suddenly gasped. "Nexús! That means—if you get really, REALLY hurt, we just need to keep a bottle of your blood!"
Nexús nearly choked.
Zoro slapped Luffy upside the head. "Idiot, do you think blood lasts forever?!"
Luffy rubbed his head, pouting. "Aw, so we can't just… keep some in a jar?"
"No."
"Aw man…"
"No."
Nexús buried his face in his hands, already regretting everything.