One Piece: The Cryo Doctor on the Straw Hat Ship

boom--!!!

A loud bang suddenly echoed in the minds of Gabra and the other agents.

But this was not a physical explosion; it was a psychological shock!

The five people in Gabra froze on the spot, their eyes instantly losing focus.

Deep within their consciousness, the shell that had "integrated" into their bodies suddenly unfolded, releasing highly compressed emotional turbulence and subconscious interference waves.

This is a mental-based composite technique that Usopp developed by combining the "track editing" of the Track-Track Fruit with the "emotional resonance" of the Heart-String Fruit!

The shells do not contain energy that harms the body, but rather "directed information bombs" that directly affect the mind!

It can most directly and quickly evoke the target's deepest fears and most devastating emotions.

"Ughhhhhh—!"

Jabra clutched his head, and his werewolf form uncontrollably dissipated.

Chaotic images flashed before his eyes: the scenes of being mocked during his childhood training, the repression accumulated during his infiltration, his resentment towards Lucci, his fear of V...

All the suppressed negative emotions erupted like a volcano, intertwining into a frenzied vortex.

“I…I am the strongest…What is Lucci…What is V…Kill…Kill them…”

He roared, but even standing became difficult; his body curled up on the ground, convulsing.

Her long hair, drooping limply, fell to the ground, and her operatic voice turned into intermittent sobs: "Mother... Mother... I'm sorry... I will continue to try..."

The owl circled wildly in the air: "Clatter clatter clatter... Secrets... I've revealed so many secrets... I'm going to die... I'm going to be killed by the agents!"

Although Kaku and Kalifa did not utter a sound, their pained expressions clearly indicated that they were also suffering from severe mental torment.

Five CP9 elites were all driven to mental collapse by a single blow!

"It's done."

Usopp blew away the non-existent smoke from the cannon muzzle, his face bearing his signature exaggerated smile, a mixture of smugness and a hint of "I'm really strong."

He turned to look at V, shrugged casually, and spoke with the nonchalance of having accomplished something insignificant:

"As you requested, the physical body is completely intact."

The reception room was a mess, but only the floor and a few pieces of furniture were in disarray.

Five CP9 agents lay on the ground in various poses.

While Lucci, who was bound by Nami's thunderclouds, had escaped the continuous electric shocks, he was still shocked by the previous severe injuries and the sight of his teammates collapsing in an instant. He knelt on the ground, panting heavily, and was unable to move for a moment.

"Well done." V smiled and nodded, his tone clearly approving.

He took a few steps forward, looking down at the disoriented Gabra, his voice clear and cold.

"What a pity!"

"We finally gained new power, but now we have to go back the way we came."

V grinned mischievously.

However, the truth is... he had planned all of this beforehand.

Of the 98 modders, he only impersonated the nature-based demon emblem on Jabra.

He then made numerous demands on the World Government, citing the difficulty of replicating natural systems.

When the World Government discovered that the person he had chosen for modification was a CP9 agent, they readily accepted V's decision.

Little did they know, V had already prepared for recycling long before the modification even began.

After all, he knew very well that he had plenty of opportunities to retrieve the demon badge from Gabra.

He had thought the opportunity would be on Judiciary Island.

Unexpectedly, they appeared directly in Water Seven, which saved V a lot of trouble.

After all, the Straw Hat crew storming Enies Lobby is not something he wants to see right now.

He was still waiting for Sengoku's letter regarding Impel Down.

In one round, V wins twice!

"Nami, you'll be in charge of communicating the rest of the modification plan with Mayor Iceberg."

V smiled and said, "I'll go take care of these agents."

"No problem~"

Nami smiled slyly, a glint of cunning in her eyes.

She loves haggling and bargaining.

After saying that, V waved his hand dismissively.

The bodies of Jabra, Waitori, Owl, Kaku, Kalifa, and Lucci, who were lying on the ground and kneeling, disappeared instantly and were taken into the control room by V.

……

……

three days later.

Water Seven, the Straw Hat Pirates' temporary base.

Inside the spacious temporary construction shed, light streamed through the gaps in the ceiling, illuminating the wood chips and metal dust that filled the air.

Iceberg stood in front of the main design table, his brow furrowed, his fingertips slowly moving across a complex, unfolded blueprint.

The drawings show the stress fusion points between the Merry's keel and the new "Strongest Alloy Version 16.5" steel plates, along with a diagram illustrating the connection between the Labu bio-skin and special armor.

These unprecedented materials and ideas plunged this top shipwright into deep thought.

"The transition structure here... is still not natural enough."

Iceberg muttered to himself, drawing a rejection line on the drawing with his charcoal pencil, "But if we want to change this place, other places will also need to be adjusted."

"We still don't have enough manpower... I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to modify a ship that will satisfy the Straw Hat crew by myself."

Since the incident three days ago, Iceberg's feelings toward the Straw Hat crew have become extremely complicated.

On the one hand, he was sincerely grateful to them for exposing the World Government agents lurking around him, thus averting a huge crisis that could have affected Water Seven.

On the other hand, the overwhelming strength and unfathomable methods displayed by V and others also sent a chill down the spine of the mayor and king of shipwrights.

Therefore, when V formally proposed the renovation plan for the Merry and Laboon and hoped to leverage Carrera's technical expertise, Iceberg dared not relax for a moment.

He personally took the lead, mobilizing the company's top shipbuilders and resources, and devoted himself to the design of the plan almost day and night.

However, progress was exceptionally difficult. Several versions of the renovation plan were rejected by Iceberg himself, as they could not fully meet his strict, almost obsessive, psychological expectations.

This is not because Iceberg is incompetent; on the contrary, it is precisely because of his superb skills and keen insight that he saw the core of the problem more clearly.

The Going Merry's inherent deficiencies are the biggest challenge facing its refit.

It originated from a simple dream of Merry, the old steward of the Koya family in Xiluobu Village, during his youth. It is the crystallization of his hard work, created by hand with a passion and limited knowledge.

It carries warmth and memories, and thus the ship spirit came into being, but this also means:

The structural design of the Merry contained various errors that only laymen would make.

These mistakes may not have a significant impact on the voyage, but they would certainly not be of interest to a top-tier ship designer like Iceberg.

"I'm afraid it would be difficult for me to complete the modification of this ship by myself."

"but……"

A glint flashed in Iceberg's eyes.

"If Franky were here, he might be able to find a solution."

"That guy... his specialty is designing things outside the rules!"

Chapter 172 Franky

"Mr. Iceberg".

Just as Iceberg was pondering this, the shed door was suddenly pushed open, and V's figure appeared in the doorway, followed silently and in unison by several other figures.

Iceberg raised his head, his gaze first falling on V, then shifting to what was behind him.

When he saw the faces of the people behind V, his pupils suddenly contracted, and his hand holding the charcoal pencil trembled violently, the tip of the pencil drawing an abrupt mark on the drawing.

No wonder he was so surprised.

Because the person appearing behind V at this moment was none other than the World Government agent whose identity had been exposed three days ago and who had subsequently been "dealt with" by V.

Lucci, Kaku, Kalifa, Gabra, Kujira, Owl, and even Bruno, who was not present before, are now standing prominently at the end of the group.

They were still wearing their old clothes, which even had the Carrera logo printed on them, but their demeanor was completely different.

The coldness, vigilance, and repression that were once characteristic of secret agents have completely vanished, replaced by a dull obedience and mindless focus.

A look of fear instantly appeared on Iceberg's face, and his body instinctively leaned back, as if trying to get away from these dangerous people he had once "trusted" but who were actually lurking around him.

“Don’t worry,” V chuckled, breaking the ice between them, “I have successfully transformed them and they have become tools that I can manipulate at will.”

He walked to Iceberg's side, his gaze sweeping over the CP9 members, his tone casual yet carrying an undeniable certainty:

“They are now firmly under my control... but all their expertise and skills have been retained. You just need to give them instructions.”

"Controlled!?" Iceberg blinked in shock, his gaze shifting incredulously between V and Luffy and the others.

This wasn't his first time dealing with the World Government, nor was it his first time witnessing the existence of CP9.

But because of his past experiences, he knew exactly how terrifying CP9 really was.

Now V claims to have completely taken control of them and turned them into "tools"?

This completely overturned his understanding of power and control.

“You can verify it.” V turned slightly to the side, gesturing to Lucci.

Iceberg choked back a sob, struggling to calm the turmoil within him.

He took a deep breath, his gaze complex as he looked at Lucci, who stood behind V with a blank expression. After a moment's hesitation, he spoke with a mixture of probing and lingering tension:

"Lucci, go adjust the sail height of the Merry to minimize the chance of sail damage."