Chapter 16: Bucky Falls into the Trap
Nami's face turned deathly pale.
It's over.
They had completely run out of cards.
Nami's brain almost crashed after being bombarded with so much information in an instant.
For a moment, I didn't know what to say.
Why aren't you saying anything?
Seeing Nami standing there dumbfounded, V's relaxed smile faded, and his tone became calm yet carried an undeniable seriousness:
"You are a smart person."
"You should know that the Arlong Pirates never intended to keep their promise."
"You've always had this as your goal, but you have no other way to achieve it, so you're unwilling to face this fact."
As he spoke, V took a step forward, his voice low but clear.
"Join our pirate crew, and from now on we'll be family."
He turned slightly to the side, his gaze falling on Luffy beside him:
"Our comrade's hometown is being humiliated by other pirates. How can we just sit idly by?"
"You're right, aren't you, Luffy!?"
"Um!"
Luffy carefully put his straw hat back on, looked up at Nami, and slightly pouted his lips:
"Although you're a really annoying woman, and you even threatened me with my precious straw hat..."
"But since V has said so, I'm determined to make you my partner!"
His eyes suddenly brightened, he raised his fist, and laughed like sunlight piercing through dark clouds:
"As for dragons and pirates..."
"I'll knock it away for you!!!"
A brief silence spread under the scorching sun.
Nami stared blankly at the undisguised burning light in Luffy's eyes.
At that moment, she seemed to see the light.
Even though the light exudes a lot of silliness.
"Why should I believe you?"
Having lost her confidence, Nami's voice even trembled.
But she had to admit that at that moment, a faint hope, one that she herself dared not acknowledge, did stir within her.
"So you're planning to refuse?"
V suddenly changed the subject and asked Nami a question.
Nami was taken aback: "Huh? Can I still refuse?"
"certainly!"
V nodded without hesitation, then changed the subject:
"But since you're not planning to join us, let's talk about your treatment costs."
Ding~!
A bill that V had prepared long ago suddenly appeared in his hand.
V reads aloud from the text:
"One tube of nano bone adhesive, 100W BET; one can of regenerative gel, 200W BET; two units of synthetic blood, 300W BET..."
"...Including my surgery fees and equipment usage fees, the total is 13 million Baileys."
Whoosh!
A bill filled with detailed notes about the project was laid out in front of Nami.
A "friendly" smile also appeared on V's face:
"It really took me a lot of effort to save Miss Nami from the brink of death!"
Thank you for your patronage!
"—Huh?"
Nami's eyes widened instantly.
"Wait, wait a minute!"
She quickly raised her hand and looked at V intently.
"Actually, I've long admired your pirate crew!"
"It is my greatest honor to be the navigator of the Green Hat Pirates!"
"As for the medical expenses... since we'll be family from now on, talking about money is too hurtful! Let's just forget about it."
"Hey!? What green hat!? We're the Straw Hat Pirates!!!"
Luffy immediately protested by twisting his body.
"Oh, I'm sorry!"
Nami stuck out her tongue and smiled, then looked away from Zoro's head and at Luffy's straw hat.
"The Straw Hat Pirates! The Straw Hat Pirates!"
"That was a little slip of the tongue on my part~ Private Marseille~!"
"That's more like it." The easily appeased Luffy readily accepted Nami's apology.
Zoro, on the other hand, looked completely speechless.
"Hey? You really intend to let this woman onto the ship?"
"Isn't she clearly being two-faced?"
"Hahaha~ What does it matter?" V laughed and patted Zoro on the shoulder. "Black cat or white cat, as long as it catches mice, it's a good cat."
"At least as a navigator, Nami is absolutely unmatched in the East Blue."
"Is that really true?" Zoro looked at V with skepticism.
But considering that it was V who led Luffy to find her, perhaps this unreliable woman really does have some extraordinary qualities.
"Alright, alright!"
Luffy suddenly clapped his hands, then took a deep breath:
"Let's have a party to celebrate the arrival of our new friend!!!"
"What? It's open again!?"
Zoro, who had already begun to take on the role of the Straw Hat crew's witty comedian, was greatly shocked.
After all, Luffy used this excuse yesterday to eat all the food on the ship that was originally enough to last them a month.
"Alright, you should get used to the captain's style by now."
V continued to comfort Zoro: "Besides, with our crewmates joining us, it would be really inappropriate not to have a banquet."
"but..."
V paused for a moment and then said:
"I may have some other things to attend to, so I'll leave the banquet preparations to you."
"Wuhu~ Leave it to me with confidence!"
Luffy pounded his chest loudly.
Zoro could only sigh and rub his forehead in exasperation: "You spoil Luffy way too much."
But in the end, he accepted Luffy's unpredictable nature.
And so, a hastily arranged banquet was put together.
Meanwhile, V walked alone towards Bucky in the corner.
"Baggi-senpai, you're awake now, so stop pretending to be asleep, okay?"
puff...
A bucket of icy cold water was suddenly poured onto Bucky's face, flowing into his nostrils.
"Cough, cough—!"
Bucky choked awake, his makeup a mess.
"You, you bastard...!"
But the next second, his voice abruptly stopped.
Simply because the peaceful expression that V had shown was no longer present in his presence.
Instead, it was a cold face he had never seen before.
"Baggi-senpai." V's voice was cold and devoid of any emotion.
Through continuous human disassembly experiments, V has long been accustomed to facing the coldness of the human body.
"You should know..."
"It's not that I don't have other means to experiment on you, just like those subordinates of yours who disappeared."
"I just feel you're different."
"Your experiences, your abilities, and your thoughts are all valuable assets, and I don't want them to just disappear in vain."
"This is your last chance, and the last time I'll ask you this question..."
"Baggi-senpai...would you be willing to cooperate with my experiment?"
V's cold voice echoed in Bucky's ears, and his dark blue prosthetic eyes seemed to pierce through his comical makeup and gaze into the depths of his soul.
Bucky shuddered. His body, bound like a mummy, was immobile; all he could do was stare wide-eyed and tremble with fear.
"Cooperate with what... what exactly do you want to do to me!?"
"I told you, I'm very interested in your Devil Fruit ability." V crouched down to be at Buggy's eye level.
"The Chop-Chop Fruit—it can split the body into countless pieces, make one immune to slashing attacks, and freely recombine... What an amazing fruit ability."
"But you are precisely the one who is stifling the potential of this ability."
V's voice suddenly took on a seductive quality:
"Imagine replacing a part of your body with a more powerful weapon, like this..."
Whoosh!
A cold glint suddenly flashed on V's arm, revealing a sharp mantis blade.
"A fist that can release electricity, a retractable sharp blade, or even a small cannon..."
"If such a prosthetic body could be implanted into you, combined with the power of the Split-Split Fruit..."
"I'm afraid even in the New World, there aren't many people who could be your match, are there?"
V lightly sliced the canvas wrapped around Bucky with the mantis blade, producing a faint tearing sound.
"You will no longer be a split-person who can only dodge slashes, but a 'split-god person' who can launch attacks from dozens of directions at the same time."
Bucky's pupils contracted with fear and a hint of greed.
Looking back, he admitted that Shanks was more suitable than himself to inherit the captain's legacy, but Shanks' "retreat" led him to become degenerate...
Now, he has an opportunity in front of him that could allow him to surpass Shanks.
"You...you can do it?" Bucky's voice was hoarse, filled with doubt and unease.
V smiled slightly, knowing that the matter was settled.
"Believe me, no one in this world understands division better than me!"
He reached out and placed his hand on Bucky's shoulder, his prosthetic eye glowing blue:
"It's time to declare war on this boring world, Buggy-senpai!!!"
End of this chapter...