Chapter 19, make your appearance, little darling!
The Black Cat Pirates, separated by several nautical miles, have not yet noticed anything amiss here.
Ten Ghost Eye reconnaissance drones, controlled by Pakistan, swept silently across the sea like a swarm of ghosts.
Their optical camouflage coating is almost completely transparent in sunlight, with only occasional faint spots of reflected light indicating their presence.
Almost simultaneously, high-definition images and thermal imaging data transmitted back by the drone flooded into V's brain-computer interface like a waterfall.
"Wuhu~ The clarity is much higher than I expected?"
"Luckily, I have a Level 5 brain."
It was the puppet that made them, and it was also the puppet that broke them.
Although Bucky was completely controlled through special means, the puppet program could never replace the complexities of the human heart.
Therefore, V still needs to personally take charge of the battle.
The drones that appeared to fly out of Bucky's body were actually all controlled by V.
"V, what are you doing!?"
"You're cheating!"
Seeing V pull off some inexplicable stunt again, Luffy and Zoro's expressions changed drastically.
It's in a man's nature to be competitive, but a gamble he's destined to lose will only make him feel like a fool.
The two immediately protested.
But V seemed not to hear him and scratched his ear.
"Cheating? What cheating?"
He smiled slightly and looked at Nami.
"Referee, you be the judge!"
"What about my business?"
Nami paused, then coughed lightly twice:
"After arbitration by the referee panel, it was determined that player V's operation was normal, and the match continues."
Are you kidding me?
The 13 million bill is still in V's hands.
Although defaulting on debts is Nami's innate talent, it's rendered useless under V's powerful threat.
"Corrupt referee! Corrupt referee!"
Luffy and Zoro protested angrily.
All he got in return was a defiant smile from V.
at the same time.
The Black Cat Pirates' ships were also accelerating their approach.
Just as V had guessed, these cunning villains, who had been suppressing their anger for three years, finally could no longer endure it at the last moment before they were about to be released.
He remained unmoved even as two gleaming ships passed in front of him.
Are they even considered pirates then?!
"My men!"
The cat-men, Buzz and Sam, stood on either side of the bow.
Compared to the ruthless Kuro and the lazy Zango, the cat-man brothers, who are the third in command, are more to the liking of the Black Cat Pirates.
"See those two ships up ahead?!"
Buji spread his fur-covered arms, his sharp claws scrambling in the air, making a hissing sound as they cut through the wind.
"Although Captain Crowe has given orders that no one is allowed to make any rash moves before the official operation begins."
But today is an exception!
Sam licked his lips, a cruel glint in his eyes:
"Anyway, tomorrow is the day the 'plan' begins, so let's have a little fun early... Captain Crowe shouldn't blame us, right?"
"Awooo—!!!"
The pirates on deck erupted in excited roars.
The bloodlust that had been suppressed for three years was completely ignited at this moment.
They raised their swords and pointed their guns at the two seemingly ordinary ships in the distance.
Full speed ahead!
"Rob all their treasure! Kill all the men! Kill all the women..."
Boom—!!!
Before Sam could finish speaking, a sudden explosion rang out from the starboard side of the ship!
Wood chips and flames shot into the sky, and the violent shaking caused the entire ship to tilt sharply.
"What's going on!?"
"Enemy attack!?"
The cat-men staggered to their feet, looking in shock and anger toward the direction of the explosion.
But apart from the churning waves, there was nothing on the sea.
"There it is!"
A sharp-eyed pirate suddenly pointed to the sky.
Two streamlined black drones, about the size of falcons, were hovering fifty meters off the ship's side, with traces of smoke from their small cannons still visible beneath their fuselages.
"What is that thing!?"
Buzhi's pupils suddenly contracted.
He had never seen such a bizarrely shaped "weapon" before.
But his pirate instincts made him roar immediately:
"Fire! Shoot them down!"
Bang bang bang—!
Bullets rained down on the drone.
However, the two "Armor-Piercing Bee" combat drones simply flipped over lightly, dodging the barrage with unconventional maneuverability, and then opened fire again.
Whoosh—!
Two more miniature explosive shells accurately hit the middle of the ship's hull.
Boom! Boom!
Explosions occurred one after another, and thick black smoke billowed into the air.
Damn it!
Sam leaped up, his sharp cat claws tearing at one of the drones.
But just as he was about to hit the target—
call out!
The drone suddenly accelerated, almost brushing past his scalp, then made a sharp turn, its cannon barrel repositioned.
"careful!"
Buzz suddenly pounced on Sam.
The bomb grazed their backs and exploded, the scorching blast sending them flying.
"Cough cough..."
Sam scrambled to his feet, and his expression finally changed as he looked at the wailing pirates and the burning flames on the deck.
"Retreat! Retreat first!"
The inexplicable attack completely disrupted their plans.
On the other side.
V's prosthetic eye rapidly circulated blue light, and on the brain-computer interface, high-definition images and thermal data transmitted in real time by the "Ghost Eye" reconnaissance drone were constantly being updated.
Luffy and his two companions were also dumbfounded.
They were still living in the era of cold weapons, and had never seen such high-tech things before!
Luffy's eyes lit up with envy, and he drooled with envy.
"VVV, is this the prosthetic body you were talking about!?"
"I definitely can't have one too!"
Luffy, who was initially quite reluctant to have a knife cut into his body, immediately changed his attitude after seeing how cool the drone was.
V shook his head regretfully.
"Sorry, Luffy."
"This prosthetic is too complex to operate; your brain is basically no longer compatible with this type of prosthetic."
Don't assume that as long as your brain-computer interface is high enough, you can install prosthetic bodies at will.
Brain-computer interface is only an auxiliary tool.
The one who truly controls and uses the prosthetic body is the cyborg himself.
As a prosthetics doctor, one of his responsibilities is to select the right prosthetic body for the right target.
Even a reckless guy like Luffy, after being equipped with the Split Wings, wouldn't necessarily become a cybernetic psychopath due to insufficient brain capacity.
However, operational errors that result in blowing up one's own people will likely occur from time to time.
"Eh—why is this happening!" Luffy puffed up his cheeks in disappointment, his rubber face looking like a balloon.
Zoro, who had already obtained the most suitable prosthetic body for himself, did not have much of a reaction.
He simply stared at the Black Cat Pirates in the distance and sighed.
"Sigh... I'll be a dog if I bet with V again!!!"
Even pirates who had escaped into the ship's cabin could not escape the thermal imaging capabilities of reconnaissance drones.
They fell to the ground one after another under the armor-piercing bullets carried by the armor-piercing bees.
"What happened?"
Inside the cabin, Zango, still asleep, was awakened by the noise outside.
But before he could even get up to inspect it...
Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!
Four armor-piercing bullets instantly tore through layers of walls, accompanied by sharp whistles and flying wood chips, and suddenly shot into Zangogang's half-supported body.
A series of dull, penetrating sounds rang out.
Before Zango could even see where the attack came from, he was in excruciating pain in his limbs.
His right arm, left arm, right leg, and left leg were all hit precisely by the miniature explosives almost simultaneously!
"ah--!!!"
A piercing scream erupted from inside the cabin.
Zango was slammed against the wall by the impact, then slid down and collapsed in a pool of blood.
He was overwhelmed by excruciating pain and dizziness.
Before his consciousness completely plunged into darkness, Zango could only see the faint outline of a black drone flickering outside the breach in the bulkhead.
"Why...why..."
Filled with endless confusion and resentment, the vice-captain of the Black Cat Pirates—Jango, with a bounty of 9 million Berries—completely fainted.
End of this chapter...