69novels Chapter 212 It's not Flevance who's sick, it's the world!
Chapter 212 It's not Flevance who's sick, it's the world!
Chapter 212 It's not Flevance who's sick, it's the world! (Two chapters combined)
Hmm————
The man lying on the bed had his eyelids fluttering, and the Den Den Mushi on the bedside table was humming a naval song.
Vision is blurred.
Carlos's blank expression lasted for several minutes.
"It's so noisy, who is it?"
"Oh, you're awake, North Sea Navy Lieutenant Carlos."
Den Den Mushi?
Carlos reached out to grab the microphone, but hissed in pain as the hand aggravated his wound.
"Excuse me, I'm still recovering from my injury. May I ask who you are?"
"If you need the Navy's help, I will help you contact other colleagues in the branch."
Den Den Mushi: "I am Rear Admiral Borsalino of the Navy Headquarters."
Major General of headquarters!?
Carlos looked surprised and, disregarding his injured body, hurriedly got out of bed, stood up, and bowed.
"Yes, Major General!"
"Lieutenant Carlos sends his greetings!"
"No need for formalities, I'm not that kind of stubborn person."
After a moment's thought, Borsalino slowly began to speak, having considered how to begin the conversation.
"I heard about what happened last night. You dared to charge at the great pirate Bazel. You really have some nerve."
"Lieutenant Carlos,"
"Yes, you said!" Ignoring the bleeding wound, Carlos straightened his back again.
"Would you like to come to the Grand Line? I happen to be lacking a righteous marine who dares to draw his sword against all evil."
Carlos gaped, his face filled with disbelief.
"But, Major General, why have you heard of my name on the Grand Line? I'm just an ordinary lieutenant."
"A man who dares to charge at Bazel, regardless of his strength, deserves praise for his courage."
The Den Den Mushi took out nail clippers from its shell and began trimming its tentacles.
"I admire your courage, Lieutenant-san~"
"Yes, I feel very honored to sail with you! But there's the issue of the transfer order—"
"That's not something you need to worry about. Since you've agreed, I'll immediately have the Warring States General transfer you to my side."
"One last question —"
The Den Den Mushi put down the nail clippers and stared intently at Carlos.
"Lieutenant Carlos, if you see your superiors bullying civilians in the future, what would you do?"
Are superiors bullying ordinary people?
Without the slightest hesitation, Carlos declared sternly, "Even my superiors cannot bully civilians!"
"Our navy is the world government's righteous force, used to protect civilians!"
"I will absolutely not allow any behavior that would tarnish justice, not even from my superiors! I will definitely lodge a protest with headquarters!"
"Oh my god~~~ That's quite a bit of courage. I'm starting to like you more and more."
The Den Den Mushi revealed a playful smile.
"Take good care of your injuries, Lieutenant Carlos. I will personally come to the North Sea to pick you up with the transfer order."
"Yes, Major General!"
Snap—
After the Den Den Mushi hung up, Carlos lay back down.
Cold sweat streamed down his forehead.
After the adrenaline rush subsides, the tearing pain of the body engulfs the soul.
"Wow, that man is really strong. He defeated me with just one finger pistol?"
"However, that way of exerting force~"
Recalling his battle with the great pirate Bazel last night, Carlos felt something was off.
The opponent's attack clearly had the power to kill him, but deliberately missed at the last moment.
Moreover, he made sure he saw it clearly before attacking.
"This is weird, but never mind. I guess this is a blessing in disguise."
"I finally got a spot to study at headquarters!!"
Just as Carlos was excited about his promising future, in his office at Trafalgar Hospital.
Bazel sat down with a steaming cup of strong tea in his hand.
"Phew~ The tea from Beihai seems pretty good."
Just then, the door was suddenly pushed open from the outside.
"I understand. The surgery can be scheduled for 10 a.m. I will do my best."
The young doctor who walked in was taken aback when he saw Bazel, but then calmly dismissed the nurse.
"I'll leave today's ward rounds to you; I need to organize my surgical plan."
"Good doctor."
Bang—Click—
The door was locked from the inside, and the young doctor sat in his seat.
"Is the great pirate of the Grand Line planning to seek medical treatment from me?"
"It seems you've heard about what happened last night. What's your name?"
Bazel forced a smile and began to radiate kindness and sincerity that came without expecting anything in return.
"Trafalgar D. Wattaire Lauren, attending physician and director of Trafalgar Hospital."
"Dr. Lauren, I've come to invite you to join us."
Bazel got straight to the point as soon as he opened his mouth.
"Invited me?" Lauren looked completely bewildered. "My reputation shouldn't have reached the Grand Line yet, right?"
"Don't belittle yourself. If I hadn't heard of you, why would I have come all the way from the New World to Beihai?"
After blowing away the floating leaves from his teacup and taking a sip, Bazel finally spoke with a smile.
"We in the Beast Pirates are in dire need of a professional doctor. If you could join us, it would be a great thing for the entire Beast Pirates crew."
Lauren could see the man's sincere smile reflected in her pupils, but she still found it unbelievable.
He had heard about the great pirates arriving in Flevans early this morning, and assumed they had their eyes on the amber and lead here.
I never expected that the other party's target would be me?
"But don't you find it absurd? A big shot from the Grand Line comes to this small place to invite me to join. If you were in that situation, would you agree?"
"I can."
Seeing the man nod shamelessly, Lauren was instantly speechless.
What could he say when the other party was so shameless?
"This city,"
Setting down his teacup, Bazel walked to the window and pushed it open.
"Like a fairy tale, pure white and full of life and vitality, but Lauren."
"Do you know about lead poisoning, or lead poisoning?"
Amber lead—poison?!
Lauren's expression suddenly turned serious: "Why did you say it was poison—wait! If it's poison, then everything makes sense!"
Don't bother.
Bazel gazed at the white town, gently interrupting the young doctor's thoughts.
"Once the toxins of lead enter the body, they cannot be eliminated, at least not now."
"After this toxin enters the human body, a small portion will be excreted, but most of it will accumulate in the body, causing symptoms such as dizziness, fatigue, and abdominal pain."
"If the lead content in the body exceeds 50 grams, it is extremely likely to be fatal."
Lauren's expression changed slightly upon hearing this.
"And this city is already terminally ill."
Bazel looked at the miners on the street, carrying pickaxes and with patches of white spots on their skin, and a hint of mockery flashed in his eyes.
"Eighty years ago, experts from governments around the world came here to explore the geology. While confirming the huge profits that platinum and lead could generate, they also discovered the toxicity of lead."
"But for Pelé's sake, they chose to conceal the truth."
"The result was the development of platinum lead disease."
"You naive folks thought this was an infectious disease, well, you can't say that's entirely wrong."
"The poison of Pele has infected the souls of all of you in Flevans."
"Even if you ran out of the hospital now and told those miners that platinum and lead are toxic, do you think they would believe you?"
Turning around, Bazel leaned against the window frame.
His gaze toward Lauren was full of mockery.
"Now you should be able to guess why I invited you, Dr. Lauren."
"Your medical skills may be able to cure treatable physical ailments, but you cannot cure diseases of the soul."
"Even if one day you become a panacea and cure platinum lead poisoning, I'll swear on my life."
"Those miners will definitely become even more unscrupulous, because you have become a panacea, and they will be able to mine platinum and lead with even greater impunity."
Lauren's mouth shut again after she had only managed to utter one syllable.
I still want to try my best.
He swallowed those words back into his stomach.
He knew the man wasn't lying.
Having lived in this place for so many years, he knew all too well the obsession and madness of the platinum and lead workers.
"There's nothing you can do, Lauren."
Walking up to the young doctor, Bazel said earnestly, "If you dare to jump out and reveal the truth, you're cutting off the World Government's financial lifeline, and cutting off the financial lifeline of those platinum and lead workers."
"You and your girlfriend will definitely be killed by the agents, even if the world government doesn't intend to interfere."
"One day, you too will be blamed by irrational platinum-lead patients. They will resent and blame you for being an incompetent doctor."
"Neighboring countries will worry that infectious diseases will spread to them, and then they will launch a just siege against you, Flevans."
"After slaughtering everyone in this country, they will steal the remaining platinum and lead and make a fortune. Afterwards, they will be praised by other nobles in the North Sea for doing the right thing."
"That's just human nature, doctor."
Lauren silently got up and walked to the window to look out.
Everything he could see was what he loved.
He vowed to marry the love of his life in this fairytale city.
He vowed to become the best doctor.
But today—
A sense of powerlessness welled up inside him.
He was, after all, just a human being, not a panacea that could cure all diseases.
"That's insane! They'd choose to hide the truth for a few Pele points!"
A bitter laugh echoed in the room.
Bazel and Lauren stood side by side, their soft, low voices sounding just like the whispers of the devil.
"It's not Frivans who's sick, it's the world, Doctor."
"If the world government could reveal the truth, so many people wouldn't die in ignorance."
"If the World Government could send doctors and scientists to study Amber Lead Disease, this kingdom could develop even better."
"The reason I invited you to join me is because I have seen the festering wounds of the world, and I want to use my own strength to heal it."
"Pirates?"
Oh----
A sigh filled with helplessness and bitterness escaped from Bazel's lips.
"No matter how many people we beasts have killed, most of them were also fellow pirates."
"The Celestial Dragons, who are nominally descendants of the creator god, have killed far more people than we have."
"In the triennial rabbit race, all life on the island will be turned into prey for their amusement."
"You, living in the North Blue, may not know how many families have been torn apart by the Celestial Dragons, but as I traveled the Grand Line, I saw far too many things I shouldn't have seen."
"I saw a Celestial Dragon capture a man's wife because she was beautiful, and then take her back to Mary Geoise to torture her."
O
"Then I rushed into the Holy Land, Mary Geoise, for my friend."
"I saw monsters that could survive even when they were missing limbs, or even when they were left with only their heads and hearts."
"These eyes have witnessed too many tragedies, Lauren."
Lauren's bloodshot eyes instinctively turned to look at the man.
Bazel's sorrowful expression was reflected in his pupils.
"Are you a human being begged to kill someone who's biting your trouser leg?"
Lauren was stunned.
"Were you begged with your lipless gums to kill all the Celestial Dragons in the world?"
"That's enough!"
He clenched his fists and gasped for breath.
As a doctor, Lauren should be rational, but at this moment, the scene described by Bazel involuntarily appeared in her mind.
"I have no reason to lie to you. If it's true, it's true. I can't fabricate a scene that would terrify even the most monstrous demons in hell."
After a brief pause, Bazel knew that the man beside him had reached a certain breaking point.
Being a doctor is a very contradictory profession.
They must ensure that they are "ruthless" so that they do not empathize with the patients' joys and sorrows of life and death.
But they are also the most sentimental people.
It is precisely because they understand the sorrow of life and death so well that they know they, as doctors, cannot empathize with it.
If every doctor puts themselves in the shoes of others' sorrow, how can they keep their hands steady when holding the scalpel?
They cannot allow their emotions to cause a surgery to fail.
"Think it over carefully, doctor."
Bazel patted Lauren on the shoulder a few times.
"Will you join us in healing this terminally ill world, or stay here and try to save a group of incurable lunatics?"
"I will stay here for one day, and after that day, regardless of whether you contact me or not, I will leave immediately."
Lauren,
With one foot out of the office, Bazel first nodded to the orange-haired woman standing at the door as a greeting.
Then he turned his face to the side.
"I hope you can make the right choice. The reason you feel confused right now is..."
"It's because you know I'm not lying, and you know that everything I said is true."
"Everything I'm about to say will overturn your understanding of the world."
"I look forward to you joining us."
"Chaos, let's go."
Suddenly, a huge mouth opened in the darkness and swallowed Bazel whole, then disappeared.
"Lauren————"
The young woman with orange hair held a medical record board, her gaze towards her lover filled with worry.
"The notorious pirate Bazel, surrender! Don't think you can do whatever you want just because this is a hospital!"
"Lieutenant, wait a minute, Lieutenant! You can't get out of bed yet!"
Carlos arrived quickly in his wheelchair, his gaze sweeping over the room and its interior.
"Strange, didn't the nurse say there were strange people around? Where are they?"
Lauren composed herself, turned around, and forced a smile.
"There was no strange person. I was just talking to the head nurse about treatment methods for lead poisoning."
"is that so----"
As Lauren watched the marines push the naval lieutenant back to the ward, she could no longer hold on.
He stumbled and fell into a chair.
boom--!
The door was closed again.
"I'm fine, Ella."
Lauren embraced her lover, took off her glasses, and buried her face in his orange hair.
"You heard everything, right?"
Ella gently hugged the man's head.
"Yes, all of them."
"—What should I do, Ella?"
"I could tell that the man wasn't lying. The reason why lead poisoning is incurable is probably because it's not an infectious disease, but a toxin."
"I have no way to stop Flevance from stopping the lead and amber business, not to mention what the World Government will do to me."
"The king will surely arrest me on the grounds of sowing discord in the kingdom, and may even label me a quack doctor."
"You'll be implicated too, but the truth is—"
Seemingly sensing the man's inner turmoil, Ella adjusted her position and held her lover's head in her arms.
"It's alright, Lauren, I'll be with you wherever you go."
"You can do whatever you want; I trust your judgment."
"You are a very kind person and a qualified doctor, so~"
"Go for it, as long as you don't regret it."
regret----
Lauren, head bowed, was conflicted, but suddenly, a resolute look flashed across her mind.
"I'm going to do the right thing, Ella!"
"I want to expose the case of lead poisoning! The truth should not be buried; everyone has the right to know the truth!"
"I can't cure lead poisoning, but at least, at least let me cure their greed!"
"Life possesses a weight far exceeding all gold and silver treasures; I believe they will awaken upon hearing the truth."
'
Evening, Frivonis Park –
The roughly assembled wooden frame was illuminated by a cluster of lights.
Workers who were just getting off work at the mine or tourists who came to visit all stopped in their tracks.
They pointed and gestured at the man on the wooden frame.
"Oh, it's Dr. Lauren! Doctor, what are you doing there?"
"That's right, doctor, I was just about to go see you to get some painkillers!"
'
As the crowd gathered below the wooden frame grew larger and larger, Lauren stood up, took a few deep breaths, and opened her eyes.
"Everyone!!"
"I'm going to tell you the truth here!"
"I cannot cure lead poisoning! Because it's not an infectious disease at all, it's lead poisoning!!"
These words caused an uproar among the crowd.
But before they could refute him, the young doctor, who had picked up the megaphone, continued to explain the truth he had arrived at through his analysis.
This includes things that the World Government is hiding.
"—Everyone has the right to know the truth. I know I'll die if I say this, but!"
"I absolutely cannot let the truth be buried under a conspiracy!!"
The audience fell silent. Lauren sensed something was wrong, stopped her speech, and looked down.
Besides shock, the gazes that met the eye were filled with helplessness and disillusionment.
"Dr. Lauren,"
Suddenly, the middle-aged man closest to the wooden frame sighed.
"We don't care about those things, as long as Perlite can bring us Baileys, that's enough."
"Ten years. If we can work for ten years, we'll get more pewter than our family can ever spend in a lifetime."
"Me too," another person said helplessly. "My lover is sick and needs a lot of Pele, so I have no choice but to take this path."
"What you're saying isn't the truth, doctor; it's the last bullet that kills life. Sigh!"
"At least, at least before we still held onto the illusion of a bright future, but now—"
Lauren is the master.
"Shh—don't talk nonsense here, you quack!"
The empty bottle flew into the air and hit Lauren squarely on the forehead.
The man stumbled and fell, blood blurring his vision.
"That's right, that's right! His medical skills are terrible, yet he dares to call lead poisoning a poison! Bah! A quack!!"
"This guy is definitely trying to scare us away so he can have Amber Lead all to himself!!"
"That's right, everyone! Don't go to Trafalgar Hospital anymore, the doctors there are all quacks!!"
"you----"
Lauren stared in disbelief at the workers throwing things at her.
Many of the faces were familiar, but at that moment they felt completely foreign.
"That's reality, Lauren."
Bazel's voice suddenly rang out from the empty darkness.
"You think the truth is more important, but they think Pele is more important than anything else."
"Look at those people who spoke at the beginning. They are rational and good people, no doubt about it, but they had no choice but to go down this path."
"On one side of the scale is lead poisoning, and on the other is a family member suffering from the disease. If you were in that situation, what would you choose?"
Lauren remained silent.
"As for the rest of the people, those fools can only see what's under their feet instead of the future; their souls have long been killed by enormous profits."
"All that's left is a shell that will never stop before death arrives."
"Why is this happening—I didn't lie, I didn't lie!!"
Lauren's outburst of anger was met with even more curses, and some workers even used pickaxes to dismantle the wooden platform.
An arm stretched out from the void, and the chaotic phantom vanished like a bubble.
Bazel grabbed Lauren and jumped onto the roof of a nearby house.
"This is human nature, this is the reality you want to see."
"Come with me, Lauren."
"Use your scalpel to heal this sick world."
"It's not Flevance who's sick, it's the world!"
"Trafalgar... Doctor!!"