One Piece: The Cryo Doctor on the Straw Hat Ship

"The World Government has informed me of your situation. Although I don't know what kind of deal those higher-ups made with you to allow pirates to enter this place..."

"But now that you're here, remember this well—this is Impel Down, not a place where you can run wild."

“Prisons have their rules.” Magellan’s voice was deep and authoritative, carrying an undeniable sense of pressure.

"You may only move within designated areas and contact designated prisoners. Any actions outside of this permitted area, or any attempts to cause trouble here..."

“I will take all of this as a provocation against Impel Down and even the World Government. Don’t blame me for being ruthless then.”

Chapter 207 Hormones

“Of course!” V replied with a smile, revealing an innocent and harmless expression.

With only a few days until the public execution, he didn't want to provoke Magellan at this time to avoid unnecessary trouble and wasting too much time.

“You’d better be…” Magellan glanced at them warily, his gaze lingering on V’s calm, smiling face for a moment, as if assessing whether there was any other meaning behind that smile.

In the end, he simply snorted and waved his hand.

"Take them to complete the formalities and go directly to the special reception room at Level 4."

"Remember, monitor the entire process and do not overstep the permitted scope of action."

"Yes, Chief!" A group of prison guards who had been waiting immediately stepped forward and began the handover of the prisoners to the navy on the escort ship.

The clanging of heavy sea stone shackles, the low growls of jailers, the suppressed groans of prisoners, and the brief reports of naval soldiers mingled together, echoing in the gloomy harbor.

On the other side, a deputy warden in a high-ranking uniform with a stern face stepped forward and gestured for V and the others to enter.

“The three of you, please follow me. According to regulations, your activities are limited to a specific area at Level 4, and you must be accompanied by one of our people.”

V nodded, signaling Luffy and Sanji to follow.

This was agreed upon beforehand.

Although his range of activities is restricted, V has the right to extract any prisoners from Levels 1-5.

Once he has his eye on a target, he can simply tell the jailer.

After undergoing rigorous checks and identity verifications, V, Luffy, and Sanji finally arrived at the temporary workspace prepared for them by Magellan, escorted by several prison guards.

The room was located in a relatively isolated area on the edge of the scorching hell (LEVEL 4). The heavy, specially made metal door slowly opened, revealing an interior space that was much more spacious than expected.

The walls were a cold, grayish-white, with several wall lamps embedded in them, emitting a pale white light. A faint smell of disinfectant mixed with metal permeated the air.

In the center of the room, according to the list submitted by V in advance, several precision medical devices with flashing indicator lights, a multi-functional operating table, and several metal trolleys loaded with various "surgical instruments" were neatly arranged.

The cold instruments gleamed under the lights, creating a serious atmosphere befitting the "advanced prosthetic experiment."

"This is your work area for the next few days," the deputy guard, standing at the door, announced in a flat tone. "All equipment has been checked and meets safety regulations."

"If you need to retrieve a prisoner, please apply through the internal communicator, and we will bring the person over."

"During the experiment, our personnel must be on duty outside the door."

"Please note that any unauthorized movement, attempt to contact undesignated prisoners, or attempt to obtain information from inside the prison will be considered a violation, and the consequences will be borne by the violator."

“I understand, we’ve always been very disciplined.” V pushed up his glasses, his gaze calmly sweeping over the room’s furnishings, a perfectly timed polite smile befitting a “collaborative researcher” playing on his lips.

All of this was, of course, a carefully designed "smokescreen."

To date, no one from the world government has witnessed the actual transformation process.

In his previous "transactions" with the World Government, he would first subject the CP agents or specific naval personnel who were to be used as "materials" to deep anesthesia before bringing them into the operational space for modification.

To date, among the World Government officials, only Fleet Admiral Sengoku is aware that V possesses a unique modification space.

However, he was completely unaware of the specific modification process.

The deputy warden nodded, said nothing more, and turned to leave through the door.

“Alright,” V’s professional smile vanished instantly. He walked to a corner of the room and casually pressed a few buttons on the casing of a surveillance device.

Where no one could see, countless nanobots flowed down from his feet and attached themselves to the monitoring insects in the room.

A faint electrical hum flashed by.

V chuckled lightly: "Alright, I've stopped the surveillance footage here and switched it to a virtual view. Now we can speak freely here."

As soon as V finished speaking, Luffy immediately moved closer to V, lowered his voice, and said urgently:

"V, where is Sabo being held? Can I go see him now?"

“Luffy,” Sanji lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and advised in a calm tone, “Don’t be too hasty.”

“Sabo’s memories haven’t returned yet. Even if we meet him, he might not recognize you.”

"If your presence provokes him and causes unnecessary commotion, it will only make the situation more complicated."

He exhaled a smoke ring, his gaze shifting to V, who was installing equipment in the room, and continued:

"The most important thing right now is to get V to complete its 'upgrade' here as soon as possible."

“This prison holds a lot of ‘materials’ that can be used to improve V’s strength.”

"The stronger he is, the more certain our plan will be—not just to rescue Sabo, but also to get everyone else out safely."

"Trust me, Luffy."

After V finished setting up the equipment, he turned around and said, "Don't worry, our plan is foolproof!"

"and……"

"If possible, I want to rescue not only Sabo, but also many other revolutionary soldiers who are imprisoned here."

V's eyes flashed, and the data stream from the prosthetic eye quietly accelerated.

Just now, he silently released a large number of nanobots stored in the control room.

These imperceptible mechanical units, like an invisible tide, seep into the depths of the Propulsion City through ventilation ducts, floor cracks, and even tiny holes in the walls.

Their purpose was precisely to find the legendary place hidden between Level 5 "Extreme Cold Hell" and Level 6 "Infinite Hell"—

5.5 Floors - New Ladyboy Paradise!

"In order to ensure that the public execution proceeds according to the World Government's 'script,' we must not rescue Sabo prematurely—that would alert the World Government and might even lead to the premature execution of the other hostages."

V's prosthetic eye suddenly projected a virtual image, which was a 3D image of Impel Down.

“But those ‘invisible forces’ that have already broken free from Impel Down’s control…” A slight smile appeared on his lips, “such as the Revolutionary Army fighters and transvestites led by Ivankov who are lurking on Level 5.5, which could allow us to make some preparations in advance.”

"Ivankov?" Luffy blinked. "Who's that?"

“A cadre of the Revolutionary Army, the ‘Miracle Man,’ and a user of the Hormone-Hormone Fruit,” V explained briefly, a hint of eagerness flashing in his eyes. “His ability has always been something I’ve been very interested in studying.”

The amazing uses of hormones go far beyond just 'male to female' or 'female to male' transformations.

Unfortunately, Ivankov was a formidable fighter, but his intelligence...

Expecting him to make any significant contributions to a scientifically-oriented fruit ability is far too demanding.

It's okay though...

Because it won't be long before the power of the Hormone Fruit falls into the hands of someone who truly understands it.

Chapter 208 5

Over the next few days, V officially began working.

Every morning, the prison guards of Impel Down escort a group of prisoners to a special room in Level 4.

The heavy metal door opened and closed, bringing in an atmosphere mixed with blood, rust, and despair.

V, dressed in a spotless white lab coat, with a calm and focused expression on his face, like a meticulous scholar, began his "legitimate" "cyborg modification experiment".

The process is standardized and efficient.

After the prisoner is sent to the control room, V will first inject a specially made "Mewtwo" into him through a brain-computer interface.

It activates the prisoner's deepest memories, forcing them to recall key moments from their past, especially those involving crimes: murder, robbery, betrayal, bullying...

Various images surged through the prisoner's mind like a tide, vividly detailed and inescapable.

V will also treat them differently based on the crimes they commit.

For heinous criminals who have committed numerous crimes, used cruel methods, and shown no remorse, V will make them face various forms of torture with a clear mind, and then heal their wounded bodies to gain experience.

Then it is dismantled, and the cold-blooded flesh is replaced with a fervent trading point.

V is relatively lenient with prisoners whose crimes are serious but who still retain a shred of humanity, or who are forced to do evil due to the times and the system.

They simply remove parts of their bodies or organs, or replace them with low-level prosthetics that can sustain their lives.

A small profit.

As for those who were framed by the World Government or the Navy, or who were imprisoned in Impel Down on trumped-up charges, for offending powerful figures, or for possessing secrets they shouldn't have known.

V will leave them in the control room, intending to take them out with him later.

Fortunately, there aren't many people like that in this large prison, and there are plenty of spare seats in V's control room.

Two days have passed in the blink of an eye.

For a full 48 hours, V did not relax for a moment.

He was like a finely tuned machine, either undergoing modifications or preparing for the next one.

Inside the operating room, dozens of fully automated surgical chairs work in concert under brain-computer interface commands. The robotic arms gleam with a cold metallic luster as they perform tissue separation, neural connections, prosthetic implantation, and adjustments at speeds far exceeding human limits.

The low humming and instrument prompts were almost constant, and the air was filled with a faint smell of ozone mixed with disinfectant.

The once empty areas around the rooms in Impel Down are now filled with criminals who have been deeply anesthetized and are in a deep sleep.

They were neatly placed on specially made restraint beds, like special commodities awaiting disposal.

Luffy and Sanji weren't idle either.

The two were responsible for liaising with the prison guards and were constantly receiving prosthetic bodies.

Inside the special workroom, time passed at an almost abnormal speed.

One by one, criminals wearing sea stone shackles, with expressions ranging from numb to ferocious, were escorted in by prison guards and then taken out several hours later.

However, the condition when it was taken out was completely different.