One Piece: The Cryo Doctor on the Straw Hat Ship

Everyone's spirits were lifted.

“Well…” Iceberg took a deep breath, looked at Franky beside him, and the CP9 members who stood quietly not far away, their eyes empty but their postures orderly. Finally, his gaze fell on V and the Straw Hat crew.

"Let's unveil it."

Franky grinned, revealing his gleaming teeth. He took a few steps forward, grabbed a corner of the waterproof cloth with his large hand, and looked at Luffy and V.

Luffy couldn't hold back any longer, and his rubber arm stretched out in a flash, grabbing the other corner.

Usopp, Nami, Zoro, Sanji, Chopper, and others also stepped forward and each grabbed the edge of the waterproof cloth.

"Three, two, one—"

With Franky's rough shouts, everyone exerted their strength at the same time!

Whoosh—!

The huge tarpaulin receded like the tide.

The morning light poured down without reservation, illuminating the ship bathed in its radiance.

For a moment, the entire dock fell into a brief silence.

Immediately, gasps of shock filled the air.

"This...this is the Going Merry?" Usopp's mouth dropped open, his jaw almost falling to the ground.

Chopper jumped right onto Zoro's head, his little hooves gripping Zoro's hair tightly, his eyes wide open: "Wow, that's amazing!"

Even the usually composed Robin crossed his arms and slightly raised his eyebrows.

What came into view was still the familiar Merry, a ship that carried countless memories for them.

The adorable ram's head statue at the bow is still there, with a gentle smile and lively eyes.

The overall lines of the ship retain their original fluidity and elegance, a silhouette that Mr. Merry poured his love and dreams into.

But everything is different now.

The wooden parts of the hull still retain their warm color and texture, but in key areas—the keel, ribs, the part of the hull below the waterline, and many structural joints—they have been perfectly wrapped or replaced with a matte silver-gray metal.

This combination of metal and wood is not a rigid splicing, but rather an organic, seemingly natural fusion and transition, with the wood grain even extending to the metal surface, forming a strange yet harmonious pattern.

The originally somewhat flimsy sail and mast system has been completely rebuilt.

The three main masts are thicker and more upright, made of neither wood nor metal, presenting a dark composite material texture, with extremely fine, circuit board-like dark blue patterns flowing on the surface.

The gantry structure is ingenious and robust, and the rigging system is several times more complex. It is no longer a simple rope, but a semi-transparent, self-adjusting, flexible synthetic cable that gleams like pearls in the sunlight.

The deck had been repaved and was as smooth as a mirror. In the central area were several dark, circular metal plates with intricate markings, which appeared to be some kind of interface or control center.

The ship's sides are fitted with retractable, streamlined metal protective plates, and neatly arranged launch ports or interfaces of unknown purpose are faintly visible on the inside of the plates.

The stern section has undergone the most significant changes. The previously relatively simple structure has now become more layered, with several additional platforms and compartments, and sharper lines, clearly integrating new propulsion or functional modules.

Most striking are the six pairs, totaling twelve, round crystal devices of varying sizes, resembling jewels, symmetrically inlaid on both sides of the hull near the waterline.

They were swaying slightly with the Merry, and faint blue energy flowed within them, like the breath of a sleeping behemoth.

Chapter 177 Countercurrent

"Super—!!!"

Franky suddenly raised his arms high in his signature pose, and his booming voice broke the silence.

“What do you think!? This is the brand new Going Merry that I, Iceberg, and… uh, those guys,” he pointed to Lucci and the others, “built together!!!”

His voice was filled with unparalleled pride.

The Merry was quietly moored there, its size not much larger, yet it exuded a restrained yet majestic aura.

It retains the original intimacy and soul, while being endowed with a sense of technology and power that transcends the times, like a classic knight wearing futuristic armor.

Iceberg stepped forward and gently stroked the brand-new hull of the Merry, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

"Mr. V, as per your request, we have retained all of the core structure of the Merry, but have strengthened and integrated the functions of other structures to the maximum extent."

Iceberg took a deep breath, turned to face the crowd, his eyes gleaming with pride and awe as a shipwright.

"Based on Frankie's vision and the technology provided by Mr. V, we treated the hull of the Merry as a complete biological body and carried out a complete 'cybernetic modification'."

“Simply put…” Franky grinned, leaping onto the deck of the Going Merry with a swift motion, the metal deck beneath his feet making a steady “thump” sound, “The Going Merry now feels like a living thing with its own ‘nervous system,’ ‘circulatory system,’ ‘musculoskeletal system,’ and ‘sensory system’!”

"Oh right, and most importantly!" He slapped his forehead, making a sharp metallic sound, "'Flying and Diving' function!"

He pointed to several special compartments with openable and closable covers at the stern and bottom of the ship:

"Here! Here! And here! A 'floating wind tunnel array' based on air-shell technology and improved jet-shell technology has been installed. Combined with the lightweight and reinforced structure of the hull, as long as the energy supply is sufficient, it can achieve low-altitude hovering and gliding for a long time!"

"As for 'going underground'... that is, underwater navigation capability! The hull's sealing and pressure resistance structure have all been rebuilt, and with silent propulsion, it can dive to a considerable depth. The observation window is here!"

He spoke fluently and enthusiastically, his eyes sparkling with excitement at every design detail.

The Straw Hat crew had already surrounded them, touching and looking at everything, their exclamations and praises filling the air.

Luffy jumped onto the ram's head at the bow of the ship, hugged the ram's horns, and laughed loudly: "So cool! Merry! You've become even stronger!"

The ram's head statue's eyes seemed to curve slightly, as if in response.

V walked over to Iceberg and Franky, looked at his excited companions, and smiled, "You've worked hard. It seems the results are even better than expected."

Iceberg shook his head and said with emotion, "It is your ideas and technology that have opened up a whole new perspective. In these twenty-odd days, I have learned more than in the past twenty years."

Franky nodded vigorously, the blue nose of his plane bobbing: "That's right! Super—thank you! V, the new body you gave me has inspired countless designs I never dared to imagine before! This is real shipbuilding!"

Just then, Nami suddenly remembered something, turned to look at V, her eyes sparkling: "V, you said before that Laboon's modification plan is complete? Does that mean... we can start preparing to modify him?"

V looked towards the waterway exit, a smile playing on his lips:

"Of course. Although Labs's modifications cannot be carried out here, all preparations are complete."

"All that's left is to start construction."

"However, Labu is too large, and its modification will have to wait until Alabasta's supplies arrive."

Thanks to V's display of power comparable to that of a Marine Admiral, the World Government finally refrained from any further underhanded tactics against him this time.

Just a week ago, the agreed-upon supplies and 18 Devil Fruits had all arrived in the Kingdom of Alabasta.

Now it's time to begin the transformation plan for Labs.

……

……

In the following days, because the supplies for Alabasta had not yet arrived, Laboon's modification plan had to be postponed, and the Straw Hat Pirates once again enjoyed a rare period of leisure.

Perfect timing, the brand-new Merry has not yet officially set sail.

Based on the principle that they had nothing better to do, at V's suggestion, the Straw Hat crew took a leisurely trip that deviated from their usual route.

The Straw Hat crew cruised around Water Seven aboard the Going Merry.

Don't say, I don't know either.

The brand-new Merry is quietly moored in the waterway of Dock One, its warm wood sheen and matte metal texture gleaming in the sunlight, like a work of art that transcends the boundaries of time.

The Straw Hat crew, unable to contain their urge to test sail, officially began their "leisure cruise" in the waters surrounding Water Seven.

Believe it or not, I don't know if it's because the protagonist's halo is still there.

This impromptu trip brought the Straw Hat crew an unexpected surprise.

……

……

The brand-new Merry sailed on the vast ocean, its hull so smooth that one could hardly feel the waves.

The remodeled hull gleams with a warm, woody sheen and a cool, matte metallic texture under the sunlight, while the ram's head sculpture at the bow seems to be smiling as it gazes at the calm sea ahead.

Nami stood on the deck, closing her eyes and feeling the direction of the sea breeze.

Enhanced by the Cloud Fruit, her perception of airflow became more acute than ever before.

At this moment, she could even "see" the pressure distribution pattern formed by the wind on the surface of the sail, and those data flooded into her consciousness like an instinct.

"Adjust the wind direction to port by three degrees and tighten the mainsail by five degrees," she said softly.

The next moment, without any human intervention, the system, recognizing Nami's command, automatically adjusted and completed the operation almost instantly upon receiving the order.

The speed of the Merry quietly increased by half a knot, and the sound of the ship cutting through the water became even softer.

"Looks like everyone's gotten used to the new ship." V leaned against the railing at the stern, smiling as he glanced at his busy crew on the deck.

Luffy is stretching out his arm, trying to catch the flying fish that leaps up from the side of the ship;

Chopper ran around on the deck, inspecting the newly installed equipment.

Robin sat under the awning, holding a history book he had bought from Water Seven, occasionally glancing up at the distant horizon.

Everything was so peaceful.

until--

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept in.

That wasn't a natural sea breeze.

The wind came without warning, in a strange direction—blowing vertically upwards from the sea, whipping up fine mist from the seawater, and then suddenly turning at high altitudes, forming chaotic eddies.

The Merry swayed slightly, but the modified stabilization system immediately activated, and the crystal devices on both sides of the hull, which glowed with a faint blue light, lit up, offsetting most of the turbulence.

"Hmm?" V suddenly looked up, his eyes behind his glasses narrowing slightly.

Almost simultaneously, Nami also suddenly opened her eyes and looked up at the sky: "Something's wrong."

"What's wrong?" Sanji lit a cigarette and followed her gaze.

The sky remained azure, with white clouds drifting lazily by, and the sunlight was so bright it was almost blinding.

But a certain inexplicable sense of unease was quietly permeating the air.

The eerie gale suddenly intensified.

The sea was no longer calm. Countless fine water droplets were peeled off the surface by an invisible force, swirling upwards against gravity and refracting a mesmerizing brilliance in the sunlight.