One Piece: The Cryo Doctor on the Straw Hat Ship

V sat down on the sofa opposite the iceberg as instructed, her posture relaxed yet polite.

Iceberg wore a gentle, formulaic smile.

"Mr. Luffy, Mr. V, and everyone else."

"It is our great honor that you have come from afar to seek the expertise of our Carrera company."

"Before we formally discuss the specific requirements, please allow me to introduce you to some of our company's most outstanding shipbuilding personnel, who will be primarily responsible for liaising with you."

“Each of them possesses exceptional skills and is the pride of the Seven Waters shipbuilding industry.”

He clapped his hands lightly.

clap clap!

The crisp sound of clapping echoed in the spacious reception room.

Almost simultaneously, the side door on the other side of the meeting room was silently pushed open, and a group of people wearing Carrera's standard overalls walked in with steady steps, lining up in the center of the room under Barry's leadership.

Leading the group was naturally Barry, the foreman of Dock No. 1, who had just received everyone.

He was tall and strong, with a rugged and resolute face. Standing there with his arms crossed, he exuded a calm and capable aura.

At this moment, he suppressed his previous tension, his expression turned serious, and he nodded slightly to the Straw Hat crew.

“Barry, the foreman of our No. 1 dock, is also one of the company’s most senior shipwrights.”

"He is not only highly skilled and experienced, but also has a thorough understanding of the structure and performance of various ships. He is also one of my most trusted right-hand men."

Then, Iceberg's gaze shifted to Barry's side.

"This is Rob Lucci."

Lu Qi was wearing a standard dark blue overalls with a simple white t-shirt underneath, and he had a lean and upright figure.

He stood there, relaxed, his hands casually in his pockets, his expression calm to the point of indifference.

Only those eyes—eyes like those of a lurking wild beast—occasionally flashed a sharp light when they swept over the Straw Hat crew.

"Although Lucci is young, his talent in shipbuilding is astonishing even to me."

Iceberg's voice was full of praise:

"He is particularly skilled in the structural mechanics analysis and keel design of ships. The hulls that he adjusts can improve their balance and resistance to wind and waves by at least 30%."

"In the past two years, the core keel sections of several large merchant ships and warships undertaken by the company have been completed under the leadership of Lu Qi."

Lucci nodded slightly in response to Iceberg's introduction, his face showing no change in expression.

Iceberg seemed to have long been accustomed to his aloof personality, smiled, and turned to the next person.

"This is Kaku."

Standing next to Lu Qi was a tall, slender man with a long nose.

Before Iceberg could finish speaking, Luffy suddenly jumped up:

"Huh? Usopp!? When did you change your clothes!?"

"Huh? Who's calling me?"

Usopp, who was admiring the ship model with the others, turned around in confusion.

Luffy also looked behind him:

"Hey, Usopp? Why are you dressed the same again!?"

"Idiot! He's not Usopp!"

Snapped!

V suddenly slapped Luffy on the back of the head.

"Didn't you notice that his nose is square, while Usopp's is round?"

"Hey...now that you mention it, it does seem to be true."

iceberg:"…………"

Do you judge people by their noses?

"Excuse me, please continue, Mr. Iceberg." V smiled apologetically.

Iceberg paused briefly, then, pretending nothing had happened, continued:

“Um…Kaku is our company’s best sailing and rigging expert.”

"His understanding of wind power, his control over canvas materials, and his design of rigging systems have reached a level of unparalleled skill."

"With the sail system he adjusted, the ship's speed can be increased by an average of 15 percent, and its turning flexibility can be more than doubled."

"The 'Flying Fish,' which set the fastest sailing record in a race last year, is Kaku's masterpiece."

Kaku took off his hat and bowed politely to the Straw Hat crew, his movements as precise as if he had received rigorous etiquette training.

"It is my honor to serve you all."

His voice was gentle, and despite being quite young, he referred to himself as an old man.

V pushed up his glasses and glanced at the two of them.

"CP9's Lucci and Kaku thought they would take action after such a long delay."

"So it seems they haven't completely pinpointed the location of the blueprints yet, and Robin hasn't appeared as she did in the original story, so there's been no progress so far?"

“And these three—” Iceberg continued, “have only recently joined our Carrera company. Although they haven’t been here long, their shipbuilding skills have impressed me greatly.”

"They are... Gabra, Owl, and Kuga..."

The atmosphere inside the meeting room froze for a moment.

Before Iceberg could speak again, V waved his hand and said, "No need for introductions, I know these three. We're old friends."

His gaze swept calmly over Gabra, the owl, and Cudd, a faint, enigmatic smile playing at the corners of his lips.

"You're right, aren't you, Gabra, Owl, and Waitori? It's been a few days, and you guys... changed jobs?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the air in the reception room seemed to freeze.

Iceberg's smile froze slightly, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

Barry and the other boatmen also glanced at the three men, their eyes filled with confusion.

Jabra, Owl, and Kuchiki tensed up almost imperceptibly for a moment.

Gabra gave an awkward smile:

"This, this guest... are you sure you haven't mistaken me for someone else? This is our first time meeting."

“Chop chop chop!” the owl immediately chimed in, “That’s right, that’s right… We haven’t met in Marineford before, nor have we undergone any cybernetic modifications!”

"Oh dear! The secret's out! Cheers!"

Wei Qu then flicked his long sleeves and dragged out his words in a theatrical tone: "Oh dear, oh dear~ Your words are truly perplexing~ We are diligent shipbuilders, how can you talk about 'old friends'?"

The reactions of Gabra, Owl, and Kuchiki made the atmosphere in the meeting room subtle.

The smile on Iceberg's face gradually faded.

"Mr. V knows them?" Iceberg's voice remained calm.

"Of course!"

V laughed heartily, ignoring the various reactions of Gabra and the others who waved their hands in apology, and said directly:

"These individuals are exclusive agents under the World Government, each possessing unique skills."

"It seems that you, Mr. Iceberg, also have quite a secret that you were able to infiltrate."

The sunlight outside the window was still bright, casting bright spots of light on the terrazzo floor through the floor-to-ceiling windows, but at this moment, the air inside seemed to freeze.

The gentle smile on the iceberg's face vanished completely, replaced by a deep scrutiny.

"A World Government agent?"

The usually calm, icy man finally showed a look of terror on his face.

“Mr. V, this joke is not funny.”

“Oh, really?” V chuckled softly, his gaze sweeping calmly over Jabra, the owl, and Waitori, before slowly moving to Lucci, Kaku, and Kalifa, who had just brought in tea and was now standing by the door. “It’s quite amusing to me.”

He leaned back slightly. "Tell me, what are you all here for?"

“And these people over there,” V said, turning his gaze to them.

"Lucci and Kaku, right? I wonder if those are your real names, and that nice secretary over there?"

"Judging from your aura, I can tell you're not ordinary people. You're probably agents from the World Government, just like Jabra, right?"

"Tell me about your mission. Perhaps, since we're both from the same world government, I might be able to help you!"

Damn it!

Gabra's face instantly darkened.

He didn't expect V to expose their identities so directly, and he didn't expect that the other party would know so much about Lucci and Kaku's existence.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! We've been exposed!" The owl spun frantically in the air, its eyes wide behind its sunglasses. "The secret operation has failed!"

"Shut up!"

Lucci suddenly shouted, then fixed his gaze on V.

He knew that the moment V revealed their identities, they could no longer continue to pretend.

If that's the case...

"Although I don't know why you did this, you have undoubtedly made the wrong decision!"

Before Lu Qi could finish speaking, he had already sprang up like a cheetah!

"shave!"

The wooden floor beneath his feet suddenly shattered, and he transformed into a blurry afterimage, rushing towards V with a fierce killing intent.

"Fingergun - Spotted!"

In mid-air, Lucci's body transformed into a ferocious cheetah, his right hand forming five black and red streaks that tore through the air with his five fingers together.