Chapter 38 This is just the beginning~
"Finally... it's over."
The combat drone traced two elegant arcs in the air and flew precisely back to Nami.
The mechanical structure reassembled and transformed, quickly returning to its original form of a pair of bright silver prosthetic arms.
Nami slowly lowered her arm, her gaze sweeping over everything before her.
The sea breeze swept through the broken walls and ruins, stirring up fine dust and bringing with it the familiar salty scent of distant waves.
She took a deep breath, and the huge rock that had been weighing on her chest for years seemed to be completely shattered at that moment, turning into wisps of smoke and dissipating.
"Nami!"
Just then, a shout filled with anxiety and worry suddenly came from the perimeter of the ruins.
"Nojiko? Ken!?"
"Why are you here?"
Nami looked over upon hearing the sound.
Through the gap in the wall of the Evil Dragon Empire, a large group of figures could be seen rushing in menacingly.
They were dressed in simple village clothes and carried a jumble of tools.
The people in charge were Nami's older sister, Nojiko, and Ken, the sheriff of Cocoyasi Village.
They were clearly drawn here by the earth-shattering noise and the sounds of battle.
However, when they got closer and saw the scene inside the garden, everyone suddenly stopped in their tracks, their faces instantly filled with extreme shock and bewilderment.
"What...what happened?"
"I'll leave the explanation to you, Nami."
"This is a good opportunity for you to say goodbye to your family."
V walked toward the unconscious Ah Long, a faint smile on his face.
Then he said to Zoro and the others, "Zoro, the rest is up to you."
"You all know the rules."
"If all goes well, we won't have to be afraid of the sea anymore!"
Hey~
Zoro hoisted Ashura onto his shoulder, his blood-red eyes sweeping over the remaining fishman officers.
Don't worry.
V bent down and placed his hands directly on Ah Long's charred body.
The next instant, the two figures disappeared from everyone's sight.
"Brother A-Long!"
Upon seeing this, Xiao Ba immediately shouted loudly.
Clang!
The sharp blade suddenly flashed past their line of sight.
Zoro and Sanji were seen standing on either side of each other, one holding a knife in both hands, the other silently lighting a cigarette.
"Stop shouting," Zoro chuckled. "Your fishman brother..."
"It'll be turned into sashimi soon!"
"What did you say?!" The fishman officers' expressions changed instantly.
What awaits them is a purgatory even more terrifying than the abyss.
...
...
"Damn humans!!!"
"I'm going to kill you all!!!"
The operating room was cold and sterile.
Strapped to the operating chair, Ah Long suddenly stood up and let out a scream filled with terror.
However, the next second...
"You woke up pretty quickly."
"As expected of a fish-man whose base stats are more than ten times that of a human."
A calm, unwavering voice came through, as if stating some professional academic issue.
"Who are you..."
Upon hearing the sound, Ah Long quickly turned his head and immediately saw a strange man with bright blue eyes standing beside him.
A flicker of reminiscence crossed Ah Long's eyes, but his anger intensified immediately.
"You're the human who was with Nami!!!"
"Damn it!"
Ah Long's voice abruptly stopped.
Just then, the robotic arms suddenly extended from the side of the operating chair and injected four anesthetics into his limbs.
"Congratulations, you got it right." V continued to smile, "but there's no prize."
He walked up to Ah Long and their eyes met.
At the same time, the anesthetic from CyberTech also began to take effect.
Ah Long instantly lost control of his body, but his brain remained clear, and his eyes and mouth could still function normally.
"W-What are you going to do!?"
Ah Long's pupils contracted sharply in shock.
This situation caused some unpleasant memories to uncontrollably surface in his mind.
That was a rumor he heard when he was still with the Sun Pirates and was escorting rescued slaves with his older brother Tiger.
It is said that in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, some Celestial Dragons possess a special kind of wailing, enjoying the painful cries of other beings and taking pleasure in torturing slaves.
Although it was just a few vague words, the "Celestial Dragons' Game"—treating life as a plaything and suffering as entertainment—was now superimposed on the blue-eyed man in front of him with unparalleled clarity.
V tilted his head slightly, his cold, mechanical prosthetic eye calmly sweeping over Alon, blue light swirling around it as if scanning the internal structure of an object.
Are you scared?
V's lips curled into a very faint, unsmiling smile.
"That's really interesting."
"The mighty overlord of the East Sea, Ah Long, is actually afraid of a mere human like me?"
"Damn it..." Ah Long gritted his teeth, forcibly controlling his teeth from chattering, "What the hell do you want!?"
What are you doing?
V reached out, his cold, prosthetic hand gently stroking Aron's neck.
This is also the location of the fish-man's gill organs.
V smiled faintly, with a chilling indifference in his eyes:
"From your expression, I think you've already... guessed it."
His right arm, covered in a dark blue pattern, slowly rose to eye level, and a dark blue holographic projection interface floated above his palm.
Above are various complex biological structural diagrams, densely packed citation indicators, and a constantly rotating 3D model labeled "Fishman/Sawtooth Shark Subspecies".
Ah Long's eyes darted around frantically, trying to see what was projected.
But when he saw that the model was being broken down and marked with virtual cutting lines, showing every organ, every muscle, and every bone connection point, a chill deeper than death instantly gripped his heart.
"You...you want to dissect me!?"
Ah Long's voice was hoarse as he tried to sound angry, but he couldn't help but tremble slightly.
"Dissection?" V tilted his head slightly, the data stream in his blue prosthetic eye flashing rapidly. "That word is too crude."
"I just want to… 'understand' and 'use' you."
His voice was soft, but his attitude was extremely serious.
"Fish-men are born with ten times the strength of humans, the ability to breathe underwater, and some species even possess unique biological characteristics."
"For example, your saw-tooth nose is not only a weapon, but it is also connected to special olfactory glands and resonant cavities, which can be used for long-distance underwater communication and positioning, right?"
"This is so interesting! It's absolutely hilarious!!!"
V suddenly grinned, bursting into an almost maniacal laugh:
"The value of merfolk seems to be even higher than I imagined!"
"With your bodies, I can acquire a complete set of underwater survival and combat cybernetic bodies!"
"It's so wonderful that you could come to the East China Sea!"
Ah Long's pupils suddenly contracted.
Just then, another operating chair suddenly rose up from next to Ah Long.
Above the chair, bound tightly was the fishman, Ah San, who had first provoked the Straw Hat crew.
Thanks to V's superb medical skills, his injuries have healed, but he remains in a state of anesthesia and coma.
"An Indian!?"
Ah Long, who could call out the names of every fellow countryman, widened his eyes.
He then saw V change into surgical scrubs and put on a mask, revealing only a pair of bright blue prosthetic eyes, and holding two sharp scalpels in his hands.
"You...you mustn't go near him!"
"Come at me if you dare!"
At this moment, anticipating what was about to happen, Ah Long's eyes were as if they were stained with blood, turning a deep crimson.
No matter how much he shouted, he couldn't stop V from moving closer to the fishman, A-San.
The sharp scalpel gently touched the Indian man's skin, easily cutting through the thick, scaly skin.
"Don't rush, this is just the beginning!"
V's voice was calm and even, but a cold mockery flashed in his blue eyes.
"As a racist, haven't you always believed that 'the strong can dominate the weak'?"
He leaned slightly forward, and the scalpel continued to penetrate deeper.
"No, no!!!!"
As he watched his compatriots being dismembered and dismantled, Ah Long let out a painful wail.
But V remained calm as always, a mad scientist's smile on his face, and said indifferently:
"now..."
"Isn't it your will that I, the stronger one, should dictate the value of you merfolk?!"
"You should be happy right now, Ah Long~"
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