One Piece: The Cryo Doctor on the Straw Hat Ship

"Damn it! Don't leave me!"

Luffy quickly stretched out his rubber arm and precisely hooked it onto the drone's support, making it flutter in the air like a flag.

Not long after, several drones landed smoothly on the snow-covered summit.

The Straw Hat crew jumped off the drone, shaking off the snowflakes.

The wind howled at the summit of the snow-capped mountain, even more biting and piercing than at the foot of the mountain.

Ahead, a dilapidated castle stood amidst the wind and snow.

The castle was surrounded by a fierce snowstorm.

Hundreds of ordinary people are struggling to move huge stones and heavy timber.

They were dressed in thin, tattered clothes, and many of them were even barefoot in the icy, biting snow, leaving deep and shallow bruises and frostbite marks with every step.

Just as the Straw Hat crew reached the summit and surveyed the dilapidated castle and desolate scene before them, a guard clad in heavy cotton armor and wielding a spear suddenly emerged from behind the castle walls and shouted sharply:

"This is the forbidden area of ​​the royal palace!"

Who are you people?!

"The people who are here to take you in!"

Before V finished speaking, pale smoke billowed out from his body, condensing into several thick chains in mid-air, which whistled through the air and lashed out at the guard who had shouted the question.

boom!

Under the immense force of the chains, the guard didn't even have time to react before being whipped sideways and crashed into a corner of the wall, his screams drowned out by the wind and snow.

The unusual commotion quickly attracted the attention of more guards.

The guards who had been watching over the people working quickly surrounded them, their spears and muskets all aimed at the group in straw hats.

"Enemy attack—!!"

"They're pirates!!!"

"shot--!"

V didn't even glance at them, only waving to his companions: "Sanji, Nami, Usopp, these grunts are yours to handle."

"Luffy, Zoro, let's charge in and finish this quickly!"

"oh--!"

Everyone responded in unison, without the slightest hesitation.

The next moment—

Sanji charged forward first, leaving a trail of afterimages in the snow.

"A bunch of bullies who prey on the weak... Don't spoil the ladies' mood!"

He leaped into the air, his legs transforming into a blurry whip-like shadow.

"Banquet & Catering Special - Kickboxing Package!"

Bang bang bang bang—!

Before the guards at the front could even see what was happening, they were kicked in the chest in succession and sent flying backward like kites with broken strings, knocking over a group of people behind them.

Usopp had already found a hiding spot, and his hands quickly transformed into Burst Mode, loading one special ammunition after another.

"Ultimate Kill - Firepower Star Barrage!"

Rumble—!

Specially designed small shells traced crimson trajectories in the air, falling directly into the group of guards without needing to be aimed.

In an instant, explosions erupted one after another, and the violent impact knocked the guards to pieces, leaving them lying on the ground, unable to get up.

Nami remained standing still, only slightly raising her arm, her gaze sweeping over the few who had slipped through the net at lightning speed.

The next second, several drones hovering beside her hummed and took off, their cameras locking onto the entire scene.

"We can't destroy too much. If it really dies, it'll be useless to V."

"Since that's the case..."

"Micro-compact munitions, aim, fire!"

Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh...

Two combat drones, trailing long jet streams of air, sped across the battlefield, heading directly at several guards who had not been affected by Sanji and Usopp's attacks.

Tiny, specially made bullets were ejected from the muzzle.

"Ughhhhh!!"

Amidst the smoke and screams, more than ten people convulsed and collapsed to the ground, their bodies emitting wisps of smoke.

"What...what is this!?"

Chopper, who was hiding with Vivi, stared in shock, his eyes wide with disbelief at everything before him.

He thought Luffy, who was a Devil Fruit user like himself, was already unusual enough.

But looking at it now...

The entire Straw Hat Pirates are monsters!

At that moment, a strange flutter rose in Chopper's heart:

"If I were with them, maybe I wouldn't be treated like a monster..."

at the same time.

Just as Sanji and his crew were dealing with the castle's outer guards and liberating the people of Drum Island...

The sudden riot and deafening explosions, like beacon fires lit on an icy plain, instantly alarmed the tyrant deep within the fortress.

The heavy castle gates were violently smashed open from the inside with a loud crash, and a bloated figure with a greedy face emerged, surrounded by a group of guards.

King Wapol of the Iron Bucket Kingdom!

He had a huge jaw and a mouthful of iron teeth, and wore magnificent but ill-fitting royal robes. At this moment, his mouth was stuffed with food, and he was roaring incoherently:

"Shut up! Who dares to make a racket outside my castle?!"

"You've disturbed my afternoon tea! I'm going to eat you all!"

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty... Something terrible has happened! Pirates have invaded!"

Just then, an archer wearing a color-blocked coat suddenly ran in from outside.

This person was none other than Jess, the captain of the Iron Bucket Kingdom's guard, who was one of Vapol's right-hand men, just like Cromarimon.

Despite his usual arrogance as a sharpshooter, he now appeared dejected.

"Pirates!?"

Upon hearing this, Wapol trembled and instinctively tried to back away, preparing to pick up his bucket and run away.

Anyway, this wasn't the first time for him.

However, he soon stopped in his tracks.

Wapol thought to himself, "No, that powerful group of pirates before was just an isolated case."

"Where did all these powerful beings come from in the first half of the Grand Line?"

"They're probably just a few petty thieves who don't know their place."

Thinking of this, Wapol's panic quickly faded, replaced by his previous ferocity.

"A few petty thieves have scared you like this? You're such a coward!"

"I'd like to see who has the audacity to wreak havoc in my country!"

"Let's go take a look!"

As he spoke, Wapol was about to step over Jess and walk forward.

However, at that moment...

boom!!!

The heavy palace gates suddenly shattered, raising a cloud of dust.

The biting wind, carrying snowflakes, poured in through the breach, causing the lights inside the hall to flicker.

Wapol, who was about to take a step, was startled and quickly shouted:

"Who is it?! Who dares to vandalize my palace?!"

Amidst the smoke, the outlines of several figures began to emerge from the swirling snow mist and dust.

Immediately afterwards, a lighthearted, teasing voice, clearly piercing through the cold wind and the clamor, rang out:

"Didn't you just say you were coming to find us?"

"No need for that now!"

Footsteps pounded on the broken pieces of the threshold, unhurried and deliberate.

"Because we've come to find you!"

The moment the words fell, the billowing smoke and dust were suddenly swept away by an invisible force.

V, Luffy, and Zoro's figures are fully revealed.

"Is this guy the king of this country?" Zoro looked Wapol up and down, then his face fell. "He's really... even more pathetic than I imagined."

"What did you say?!" Wapol, upon hearing Soron's assessment, trembled with rage, his round, barrel-like face turning a deep purplish-red. "How dare you be so disrespectful to me, the King! Guards! Guards! Take them away—!"

Luffy roared, "Is it you, you bastard, who treats everyone like slaves, making them work for you?!"

I'm going to beat you to a pulp!

As he spoke, Luffy assumed the posture of using Gear Third.

Fortunately, V suddenly reached out and stopped him at that moment:

"Wait a minute, Luffy!"

"Shooting someone down... that's just talk, there's no need to actually do it."