One Piece: The Cryo Doctor on the Straw Hat Ship

Upon hearing this, Lucci's eyes remained unmoved. He simply turned around silently and walked with precise, mechanical steps toward the temporary dock where the Merry was moored.

He checked the sails and adjusted the pulleys with deft movements, each step as standard as a textbook, yet there was a lifeless stiffness to it.

In just a few minutes, the angle and tension of the sail were adjusted to the theoretically optimal state.

Upon seeing this, the iceberg's eyes widened in astonishment.

This job is not difficult for any skilled boatman.

Even after learning Lucci's identity, seeing him still so attentively follow his orders, Iceberg had only one thought in his mind:

"It's simply...unbelievable."

V smiled and said, "Don't worry, Mr. Iceberg. They have not only retained their previous shipbuilding experience, but also stored a lot of additional technology and data in their minds. You can completely trust them in some of the calculations and designs."

"By the way, how's the refitting plan for the Merry progressing?"

When professional issues were mentioned, Bing Shan's expression immediately became serious, but a clear sense of difficulty and frustration appeared between his brows.

He turned and pointed to the pile of blueprints on the design table, which had been repeatedly revised and densely covered with drawings, and sighed.

"To be honest, Mr. V, progress... is not going well."

"The basic design of the Merry has many problems. Without a major overhaul, my shipbuilding experience alone may not be enough to support the refit of the Merry."

"Moreover, the special materials and weapon systems you provided are not the type of things I am good at."

"I see~" V frowned upon hearing this.

Fortunately, the iceberg immediately said the next second:

"But Mr. V need not worry."

"In fact, I was just about to go and discuss this matter with the Straw Hat crew."

"If it's possible, I'd like to introduce you to someone—my junior apprentice, Franky."

Iceberg gently placed the charcoal pencil in his hand on the edge of the drawing, his expression serious.

"Frankie... he's my junior apprentice. We both apprenticed under Mr. Tom, the greatest shipbuilder in Water Seven."

When the name "Tom" was mentioned, Iceberg's tone involuntarily carried a deep respect, and his eyes revealed a trace of reminiscence.

"Mr. Tom is the legendary shipwright who built the Sea Train 'Smoking Tom' and the man who once built the 'Oro Jackson' for the Pirate King Gol D. Roger."

"Frankie and I both learned the essence of shipbuilding from Mr. Tom, but we went down different paths."

Iceberg paused for a moment, seemingly considering how to describe the current situation of his "junior brother".

"If my shipbuilding style is 'adhering to tradition and striving for excellence,' then Frankie's is 'breaking the rules and being imaginative.'"

"He never limits himself to existing hull structures, material combinations, or power systems. He always likes to try all sorts of unbelievable designs—some ideas seem absurd, but they often have unexpected effects when realized."

"But it is precisely because of this style that his current situation is somewhat complicated."

Iceberg's expression became somewhat subtle, even carrying a hint of helplessness.

"Franky now runs a place called 'Franky House'... uh... 'Shipbreaker House'."

"Nominally, he was dismantling abandoned ships, but in reality, he and his underlings relied more on 'raising funds' to make a living."

“They would ‘borrow’ valuable parts or items from ships that docked in port and resell them. Of course, this behavior was considered…theft in Water Seven.”

“So Franky’s reputation in Water Seven… isn’t very good,” Iceberg frankly admitted. “The City Hall’s files contain enough complaints about him and the Franky family to fill an entire cabinet.”

"But there is one thing I can assure you all—"

Iceberg's tone suddenly turned serious, and his gaze swept over the Straw Hat crew:

"Frankie's shipbuilding skills are absolutely world-class."

After speaking, Iceberg looked at V, waiting for his reaction.

He had expected V to show hesitation after hearing about Franky's exploits.

However, what he saw was... a meaningful curve slowly forming at the corner of V's mouth.

It was as if he had been looking forward to recommending Frankie all along.

"it is good!"

V's voice was clear and firm, without the slightest hesitation.

"Then we'll leave everything to Mr. Iceberg's arrangements."

Chapter 173 Ascending to Heaven and Diving into Earth

A moment later.

Iceberg traversed the intricate waterways of Water Seven's backstreets and arrived before a wild and unconventional building that stood out from its surroundings.

Looking at the unconventional and eclectic architectural style before him, Iceberg couldn't help but feel a sense of familiar nostalgia.

"Come to think of it... this seems to be my first time visiting Franky's House, right?" Iceberg thought to himself, then gathered his thoughts and stepped inside.

The interior of the building was even more cluttered than the exterior, with dismantled ship parts, various tools, and some metal objects of dubious purpose piled up everywhere.

Several henchmen dressed in flashy clothes and with different hairstyles were huddled together, making a ruckus. When they saw Iceberg enter, they were stunned for a moment, then recognized the mayor of Water City and were immediately at a loss for what to do.

“Mayor Ice...Iceberg Mayor?!” one of them stammered.

"I'm looking for Franky," Iceberg said succinctly, his gaze sweeping across the interior.

Soon, a series of heavy footsteps, accompanied by the sound of metal scraping, came from the inner room.

A blue-haired man with an unusually tall and muscular build, wearing only a pair of briefs that revealed large areas of modified, metallic-looking skin, and whose shoulders and arms were covered with clearly homemade mechanical armor plates, emerged from behind a pile of parts and tools.

He had a lollipop dangling from his mouth, and upon seeing the iceberg, his previously lazy expression instantly furrowed, and his blue pompadour seemed to tremble.

“Iceberg? What a rare guest.” Franky’s voice was gruff, carrying undisguised surprise and a hint of wariness. “What brings a busy man like you to the den of a ‘outlaw’ like me?”

"Could it be that the city hall received another complaint and sent you to arrest them personally? Super—what a disappointment!"

Iceberg didn't care about the barb in his tone. Instead, seeing his junior brother's familiar appearance, a very faint sense of relaxation, which even he himself might not have noticed, flashed in his eyes.

He walked to a relatively clean workbench and gestured for Franky to come over.

"It's important, very important." Iceberg's voice was lowered to a level only the two of them could hear, his expression more serious than ever before. "It concerns the World Government and CP9..."

"What!?"

The mockery and cynicism on Franky's face receded like a tide, and his brain felt as if it had been struck by lightning.

He looked at the iceberg in astonishment, and seeing the serious look in his eyes, after a long while, he waved his hand, signaling the few curious underlings to leave.

"Come with me."

Franky turned around and led Iceberg toward the backyard of Franky's house.

……

……

After half an hour.

"What did you say!?"

A sharp scream suddenly came from the backyard of the Franky House, attracting curious glances from a group of underlings.

However, given Franky's previous orders, they dared not enter the backyard casually.

at the same time.

The backyard was more spacious than the front yard, but also more cluttered.

Several old ships, dismantled down to their skeletons, lay askew to one side, with engines, gears, and drive shafts of various models scattered on the ground, and the air filled with the smell of engine oil and the aftertaste of metal cutting.

Frankie sat next to a half-welded metal chair, his brow furrowed deeply.

"You mean... CP9 has been lurking around you for seven years!?"

"Damn bastards! Looks like they haven't given up on what Mr. Tom left behind..."

"Shh!"

Before Franky could finish speaking, Iceberg quickly stopped him.

Franky realized something and swallowed back what he hadn't finished saying.

His chest heaved violently a few times. He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down, but the sharpness and vigilance in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.

"However..." Franky stroked his chin, his blue pompadour bobbing slightly with the movement, his gaze scrutinizing Iceberg, "Are those Straw Hat Pirates you mentioned really reliable?"

"If I remember correctly, aren't they the World Government's lackeys, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea?"

"The Seven Warlords of the Sea and CP9 are, in the end, forces under the World Government, aren't they?"

"What if they fight amongst themselves and then betray you? Or... is this all a charade to gain your trust?"

Iceberg's expression was equally serious; he understood Franky's concerns.

“At first, I had the same concerns,” he said slowly, his voice low and clear, “but their actions and the attitude they displayed made me feel that things were not so simple.”

“Furthermore,” Iceberg continued, “if they really were sent by the World Government to put on a show for the Pluton blueprints, then CP9, which has been lurking around me for seven years, should have succeeded long ago. Why go through all this trouble and put on such a flawed act?”

"Lucci and the others' reactions, especially the arrogance and provocation of Gabra and others after they gained their new abilities, didn't seem like they were rehearsed beforehand."

"More importantly..."

Iceberg paused, then looked at Franky:

"They really have some incredible materials and technology that I can't even understand."

"According to Mr. V, he wants to transform their ships into something that can go anywhere, whether it's flying or diving, and I can see that..."

“If we can fully utilize the technology they possess, these things are not impossible.”

"But I can't accomplish this by myself alone... That's why I came here."

As soon as Iceberg finished speaking, a dazzling light immediately shone in Franky's eyes.

His modified fingers unconsciously began to spin, and the blue airplane nose almost stood up like an antenna.

"Go to heaven and earth? Be omnipotent?" He repeated these words, his voice trembling slightly with excitement. "Super—what an interesting concept!"

He suddenly stood up, his metal body colliding with the parts on the ground with a clanging sound.