One Piece: The Cryo Doctor on the Straw Hat Ship

"This level of fire... can't hurt me!"

The moment he finished speaking, Usopp's figure had already quietly appeared beside him.

"Then let's try this one."

A black bullet formed from the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit appeared in Usopp's hand.

The bullet's surface shimmered with a dark luster, as if it could devour all the light around it.

"Dark Devour - Gravity Collapse Bomb!"

The moment Usopp threw the bullet, a strange gravitational force burst forth from it, swallowing up the surrounding light, air, and even sound.

Barrett's body was involuntarily pulled by the gravitational force, tilting towards the direction of the bullet.

"What...is this?!" Barrett's expression finally changed.

He desperately steadied himself, covering his entire body with Armament Haki in an attempt to resist the gravitational pull.

However, Usopp's attacks went far beyond that.

He raised his hand and waved, and three vine projectiles woven from the [Hana Hana no Mi] ability flew out of his belt, intertwining in mid-air to form a huge vine net that covered Barrett.

The moment the vine net fell, countless vines wrapped around Barrett's body as if they were alive, tightening and binding him firmly in place.

“What a boring trick!” Barrett growled, his muscles bulging as he tried to break free of the vines.

But just then, Usopp's final blow arrived.

Chapter 249 Two Generals

"Don't waste your energy, big guy."

Usopp's voice carried the composure characteristic of a sniper, "Why do you think I've been fighting you for so long?"

"If that's about right... it should start to flare up!"

"Playing tricks!?"

Barrett was about to act when suddenly his body froze—

An indescribable stiffness, like an invisible flow of ice, suddenly surged into his limbs and bones.

"...What the hell!?"

He stared in astonishment, his bloodshot eyes revealing genuine bewilderment for the first time.

He could sense it—

My muscles are losing temperature at an abnormally fast rate.

Starting from the fingertips, the chill spread upwards along the blood vessels and nerves as if it were alive.

Every fiber, every muscle, became sluggish, numb, and stiff under that strange freezing force.

It was as if his body had been instantly filled with liquid lead.

"It seems... you really haven't noticed all this time."

Usopp's voice rang out calmly, with the composure characteristic of a sniper.

He slowly raised his finger and pointed to Barrett's feet.

Barrett stared in astonishment—

He then noticed that, without realizing it, a thin layer of frost had begun to climb and spread from his ankles, like wriggling vines, up his calves, thighs, and torso.

The frost had an eerie pale blue hue!

The surface is covered with fine, mycelium-like patterns that shimmer faintly in the dim light.

and--

They are not dead.

They seem to be breathing.

Each slight expansion and contraction injected more chill into his body.

"What...when is this?!"

Barrett's voice was incredibly hoarse.

He tried to use his Armament Haki to shatter the frost—

But the chill clung to him like a maggot, tightly binding itself to his muscle fibers.

Each delivery actually makes that stiffness spread even faster.

"Just as you were trying to struggle."

Usopp smiled slightly, a sly glint in his eyes:

"Why do you think I would use those fancy bullets to attack you?"

"Is it for aesthetics?"

He shook his head slightly, took a purplish-green pellet from his belt with his left hand, and toyed with it between his fingers:

“From the very first Thunder Armor-Piercing Round, I planted a seed within you.”

"The frost bacteria on your body was donated by our ship's doctor, Dr. Chopper."

He gave it a name—

“'Frozen Dead Line · Frost Fungus'”.

"The effect is simple: freeze the cell activity in the target's body, causing the host to gradually lose control of its body."

"The more the transportation is running, the faster the blood circulation, and the faster the bacteria spread."

Barrett's face darkened completely.

He looked down at the spreading pale blue patterns on his body—the frost had now climbed up to his chest.

He could clearly sense it—

The little finger of my left hand has completely lost sensation.

Next came the left ring finger, middle finger, index finger...

"hateful……!"

Barrett gritted his teeth, trying to fight against the chill through sheer willpower and domineering presence.

But that frozen power seemed to have a life of its own; every time he resisted, it was absorbed, transformed, and utilized.

Instead, it accelerated its spread.

It even gradually made his brain become dull.

"it's useless."

Usopp's voice carried a hint of pity:

"The characteristic of the Frost Fungus is—"

"The more you struggle, the stronger it becomes."

He stepped forward, standing three steps away from Barrett, and looked up at the man who resembled a steel behemoth:

"Barrett, your strength is indeed formidable."

"But your strength is built on your physical body."

"But in front of the doctor—"

"The body is always the weakest line of defense."

He raised his right hand, aiming the cannon at Barrett's heart:

"Give up."

Silence fell over the infinite hell.

Only the azure frost slowly spread across Barrett's body, making a soft "crackling" sound.

Barrett stared intently at Usopp, his crimson eyes swirling with complex and indescribable emotions—

Anger, resentment, astonishment... and a barely perceptible hint of admiration.

a long time--

He suddenly grinned and smiled.

That smile carried a bittersweet sense of relief:

"Hehe...hehehe..."

"Interesting... This is fucking interesting!"

He raised his head, his gaze passing through Usopp and landing on V, who was leaning against the wall in the distance:

"Where did you guys come from... you monsters?"

V pushed up his glasses, a satisfied smile curving his lips:

"Welcome to the new era, Barrett."

You'll find out soon enough.

After saying that, he shifted his gaze from the ravaged battlefield to the darkest cell deep within the Infinite Hell.

Behind the iron bars, the tall, slender figure sat quietly in the shadows, his white hair flowing like a waterfall, his face pale yet still maintaining a dignity and elegance beyond his years.

"And you, senior?"

V's voice echoed in the empty corridor, carrying a hint of solemnity.

"Do you want to fight like Barrett?"

"Oh."

A low, soft laugh echoed from the depths of the cell.

The sound wasn't loud, but it carried a weight and composure born of time, like the tolling of an ancient bell echoing in a spacious hall.