One Piece: Don't Worry, I'm a Doctor-Chapter 159: Now Standing Before You Is: Combatant Merry!

Position Swap.

Simple. Clear. Straightforward.

Just like the name suggests.

But this ability... it's not as ordinary as it sounds.

First off, Merry is no longer bound to the ship.

She can go anywhere now.

Before, she was limited to the vessel itself.

She couldn't leave the ship.

But now, the ship is inside her.

So...

Merry can go wherever she wants~

Even more crucial, Merry can choose to manifest—or not.

No one can see her.

No one can sense her.

Except those who possess the ability to hear the Voice of All Things.

She can be a perfect invisible scout.

Captain Teemo on duty!

That's one of her new traits.

And if this position swap is combined with Merry...

It's absolutely a powerhouse ability.

No doubt, a god-tier life-saving move.

If you realize you can't win a fight, just have Merry retreat.

Buy a bit of time, then swap places with Merry—who's far away.

Instant safety.

And you don't even have to worry about Merry getting hurt.

No one can touch her.

But this wasn't just for running away.

It could be devastating in combat too.

Just imagine Whitebeard charging up a punch—

He thinks you've got nowhere to dodge.

Then BAM, you're behind him the next second, landing a Thunder Bagua to his back.

Against powerful opponents, you still have to be cautious with space-type techniques.

They'll catch you slipping the moment they find an opening.

Everyone has Observation Haki—it's not just for show.

But with this kind of position swap? They'll never see it coming.

Because they can't sense Merry at all.

That's seriously overpowered.

Vir's swap technique is definitely going to leave them wide-eyed.

And now Merry doesn't have to stay cramped in his medkit anymore.

"Vir~ I feel~ like I've gotten way faster~"

Merry spoke softly.

Vir blinked.

Faster?

She can feel that?

"Try it out and see." Vir said right away.

Merry nodded and turned her gaze toward the vast sea behind them.

Then, she slowly floated into the air...

And then—

She was gone.

Just straight-up vanished.

Marco, who already had his mouth open, found it stretching even wider.

What kind of speed was that?!

WHAT KIND OF SPEED WAS THAT?!

Faster than him?!

Aren't ship spirits usually slow and sluggish?

Why is this one not only eating ships, but also flying like lightning?!

Indeed, Merry's speed now matched Vir's full-speed movement.

She's really fast.

In less than five seconds—

She'd already exited the range of Vir's Observation Haki.

And this is the enhanced version, bolstered by his strengthened spirit!

At full power, it covers hundreds of kilometers!

This speed...

Definitely impressive.

In a battle, Merry can reach Vir's designated location almost instantly.

Then activate the position swap.

They can even communicate telepathically.

The enemy wouldn't notice a thing.

Extremely practical.

Even though she's out of Observation Haki range, Vir can still track her position mentally at all times.

When she stopped and started returning—

Vir immediately activated his position swap.

Marco's vision blurred—Vir disappeared—

In his place stood the tiny figure that had just zipped away.

Marco's already-massive jaw hit the deck.

He could swallow a whole pig in one bite at this point.

He was utterly stunned.

Vir disappears. She appears.

What did that mean?

Position swap!?

What kind of busted skill is this, man!?

Too many damn abilities!

Too damn strong!

Before Marco could even blink, Vir was back on the ship again.

Marco was at a loss for words.

At this point, Marco decided to just stop reacting.

If he kept being amazed, he'd probably die of shock one day.

When Vir returned, Merry happily fluttered up to him, waving her arms excitedly.

"Vir~ I was flying sooo fast~ First time off the ship~ It was amazing~ And we can swap places too~ I can help you fight in the future~"

Vir chuckled and patted her head.

"Yeah, you're officially a combatant now! Just like Sanji and Zoro!"

That made Merry even happier.

She rang with laughter like a bell, giggling nonstop.

Vir couldn't help smiling at her silliness.

He remembered how, in the original story, Merry had waited alone in that cold, dark sea.

That memory made his chest tighten.

But now...

She can fly freely. She can fight alongside them.

After laughing for a while, Merry floated down and perched on Vir's shoulder.

She was so light that Vir couldn't feel her at all.

Or rather, she probably didn't have any weight to begin with.

"Aren't you gonna let that sister come up yet~ Vir~?"

Merry looked toward the sea, a bit worried.

"Let her drink a bit more. She's not full yet." Vir said casually.

Merry didn't press further, just sat quietly on his shoulder, her tiny hand gripping his collar.

Every now and then, she'd sway happily, turning her head this way and that—adorably curious.

Vir glanced at the little creature on his shoulder and sighed internally.

Well, this was getting crowded.

The top of his head was Chopper's spot.

Now his right shoulder belonged to Merry.

Only the left shoulder remained—who knew if someone else would claim it later?

Three was the limit, though.

Any more, and they'd have to fight for space.

This trip's been crazy fruitful.

He didn't just get a divine weapon—Savage Chainsaw—

He also got Teacher Kaido's signature move.

And now he's unlocked a combo skill with Merry.

Plus, he still had 900,000 points in savings, too.

Damn. Any one of those could've made him smile in his sleep.

And the last one just made him feel safe.

Having cash in your pocket gives you real backbone.

Go anywhere, fear nothing.

Next on the agenda—no change.

First, take Yamato back to Sabaody Archipelago.

She could stick with him—or if he was busy, she could follow Marco.

When the Summit War breaks out, she can also board Whitebeard's ship with Marco.

She definitely can't be by Vir's side then.

Because by then, he'll be changing his face to pull off some big moves.

Someone like her—who charges headfirst into battle—belongs with Whitebeard's crew.

And the goal of this trip to Sabaody is...

Rayleigh!

That's right.

Old Ray.

Vir had already locked in his top priority target.

And why go to him?

Of course—for his incredible Conqueror's Haki.

What does Vir need most right now?

Obviously Conqueror's Haki!

He's got Advanced Armament, sure, but without Conqueror's, it's just not satisfying.

That's the top priority now—find someone with Conqueror's Haki.

Even if that doesn't work out, Rayleigh's other skills are worth their weight in gold.

Of course...

That excludes drinking, gambling, selling himself off, coating ships, swimming, or training disciples.

Everything else, though—super valuable.