Chapter 14 Promotion to Tier 2 Cybernetic Doctor
At V's meaningful words, Bucky's expression instantly became extremely complex—surprise, shame, and panic intertwined, and his comical clown face almost distorted.
His eyes widened, and his voice trembled sharply with emotion:
"What...what do you mean!?"
V leaned slightly closer to Bucky, his smile deepening.
"You should know what I mean, right?"
"I know all about your love-hate relationship with Shanks."
Bucky froze, then after a moment gritted his teeth and growled:
"You bastard... what do you want?!"
V straightened up, his gaze sweeping over the unconscious Nami beside him, then glancing at Kabaji and Mochi groaning in the ruins, before finally settling on Buggy's face:
"It's very simple."
"I'm very interested in your Devil Fruit ability, and I need your cooperation in conducting an experiment."
"This experiment may make you stronger, and it's not impossible for you to defeat Shanks and surpass the Pirate King Roger in the future."
"Of course, the more likely scenario is that it will kill you outright!"
"Now...make your decision?"
"Should I just fall here, or risk everything and take one more gamble?"
"Defeat Shanks? Surpass Captain Roger?"
Bucky looked at V with disdain, as if he had heard something out of the blue.
"Are you kidding me?"
"I've seen countless arrogant brats like you who don't know their place!"
"Oh? Is that so?"
V's voice suddenly turned cold.
He raised his right hand, fingers spread, palm facing Bucky.
The next second, the skin on my palm cracked open, and a slender silver probe slowly extended out, its tip gleaming with a faint blue light.
"Let me put it another way: if you cooperate, the process will be faster and less painful. If you refuse..."
A tiny arc of electricity crackled across the tip of the probe.
"I don't mind using some forceful methods."
"After all, I have plenty of patience and time!"
A blinding blue-white arc of electricity suddenly erupted from the probe in V's palm, striking Bucky precisely in the neck.
"Whoa—!"
"You little brat—!"
Bucky convulsed violently, his red nose twisted and deformed in the electric current, and his eyes rolled back.
In less than three seconds, his head lolled to the side and he completely lost consciousness.
"Luffy, Zoro, find me some sturdy ropes and thick cloth, the more the better." V put away the probe, turned around and ordered, "This guy's ability is troublesome, we need to wrap him up tightly, so that his hands and feet don't have a chance to 'split' and escape."
"Got it!" Luffy swung his rubber arm, which stretched out and wrapped around half of the sail rope in the distance. "Will this work?"
Zoro frowned as he surveyed the surrounding ruins, using his scabbard to pry open the broken planks and pull out a few severed cables and a piece of oil-stained canvas: "We'll have to make do with this."
"But V... what exactly do you want to do to him with that 'experiment' you just mentioned?"
V took the rope and, while skillfully binding Bucky's arms behind his back, casually replied:
"Scientific research benefits the public."
"If everything goes well, you will be very fortunate in the future."
He smiled mysteriously: "Perhaps I can help you gain Devil Fruit abilities without any side effects!"
"What?" Luffy and Zoro were both startled.
The former suffered greatly from the side effects of Devil Fruits, while the latter was deeply attracted by the power of Devil Fruits.
The world's greatest swordsman can do without a Devil Fruit ability.
But if there is a shortcut to achieve one's ambitions more quickly, naturally no one would refuse it.
V moved with lightning speed, first wrapping Buggy from head to toe in a canvas like a mummy, leaving only his nostrils open to breathe, then reinforcing it with layers of rope, finally tying a knot, and casually tossing it next to the stone slab where Nami was lying.
After doing all this, V stood up and slowly scanned the surrounding ruins with his gaze.
Amidst the charred ruins, faint groans could be heard.
The Buggy Pirates members who survived the explosion but were seriously injured and unconscious were lying scattered among the rubble, unattended.
A cold yet pleased smile gradually appeared on V's lips.
"Luffy, Zoro, keep looking for survivors." His voice was calm, but it carried a chilling excitement. "Bring all the pirates who are still alive here."
"Okay!" The two nodded excitedly, seemingly already immersed in the promise V had made.
In the following period, V entered a highly efficient and grueling "work mode".
Whenever Luffy or Zoro drags an unconscious pirate over, V crouches down and places one hand on the pirate's chest.
[Ding! A critically injured patient has been detected who has fallen into a coma. Should we contain them?]
"yes."
Swish—the figure vanished and was taken into the control room.
Under the cold lights of cyberspace, V transforms into the most efficient surgeon and butcher.
The robotic arm swung, the medicine was injected, the wound was sutured, and the vital signs stabilized—the system notification sounded as expected, indicating the acquisition of experience points.
The notification sounds were like a pleasant concerto, and V's smile deepened as his hands moved faster and faster.
Pirates were sent in batches, only to be sent out as spare parts and trade points.
Although the scraps of these Buggy Pirates are all at the lowest energy level of Tier 1, even if they were brought back to life, they wouldn't gain much experience points.
But as the saying goes, little by little, much will add up.
As the sun sets, its orange-red afterglow spills across the desolate town of Orange.
A day passed in the blink of an eye.
When the last remaining outcast pirate disappeared from V's palm, the entire Orange Town fell into complete silence.
There were no more groans amidst the ruins, only the evening breeze carrying the smell of burning as it swept across the empty streets.
Inside the control room.
V straightened up, the blue light in his eyes dimmed slightly, and he let out a long sigh.
Immediately, the corners of his mouth turned up sharply: "It's done."
In the system interface,
[Experience Points +45]
Current experience points: 1024
[Conditions met, level up!]
Congratulations on your promotion to: Tier 2 Prosthetic Doctor
Following the promotion notification, a series of small texts began to pop up in the lower right corner of the system interface:
[Operating Room Permission Upgrade: Tier 2 Surgical Module Unlocked]
[New Feature: High-end multi-functional operating table (integrating microsurgical arms, laser cutting/welding units, and real-time 3D biological tissue imaging)]
[Number of wards expanded: increased to 3]
[Upgraded Licensing for Prosthetic Body Shops]
[Unlocked: Purchase license for Tier 2 cybernetic bodies, materials, and weapons]
V looked at the redesigned interface and the smile on his lips became even more pronounced.
"Finally promoted!"
He suppressed the excitement surging within him, and with a slight thought, immediately opened the [Cyborg Shop].
After the interface was redesigned, a prominent "2nd-order prosthetic body" label appeared in the category bar.
V quickly swiped through the various newly added enhancement modules and weapon components, finally settling on the nervous system category—
[Deep Diver-Type II Cerebral Cortical Array]
[Level: 2]
[Structure: A mesh array composed of several micron-sized flexible electrode pads, implanted close to the surface of the cerebral cortex and accessed through micropores in the skull to achieve a direct physical connection with the central nervous system.]
[Features: Neural response latency reduced to 0.5ms (compared to 3ms for a first-order neural patch), prosthetic support capacity increased to 3 third-order components or 1 fourth-order component.]
Price: 600 Trading Points
"I've chosen you!"
A blue light flashed in V's eyes, and he confirmed the redemption without hesitation.
End of this chapter...