BlackStar_BH:
Just so you know, I've finally defeated the cursed writer's block that slowed me down during this arc, and the arc is already fully completed on Patreon and Ko-fi.
I've already started writing the next arc, and the chapters are coming out at a record speed! We're also incredibly close to a huge milestone… only 18 chapters left before this novel reaches Chapter 1000!
Can you believe it? 1000 chapters… That's insane.
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Chapter's Events:
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"What in the…??!!! That's the promised ship…!"
"NOAH!!!!" King Neptune's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets the moment he saw the Promised Ship rising from the depths, as if it were about to fall upon the island.
"Why is it moving?! Who could possibly be capable of this?!" The princes were left speechless, completely baffled.
"This is bad… very bad indeed…!!!" exclaimed King Neptune.
"Is something the matter, Father?! Clearly, this is an unforeseen development, but still…" Prince Fukaboshi paused for a moment before continuing, "There's no reason to overreact—"
"That ship is simply an ancient relic!! It bears little significance in this day and—"
King Neptune shouted, cutting him off, his eyes bloodshot with intensity: "You do not understand!!! Nothing can be allowed to happen to that ship!!!"
"It must not be moved under any circumstances!! Not until the appointed day arrives!!!"
It seemed that the ship had begun to move at an inopportune moment, for the promised day of its awakening had not yet come.
— — — — — — — — — — — —
Far beneath the sea, a ghost ship sailed several miles away from Fishman Island.
Inside, Vander Decken was enjoying his sake and laughing hysterically.
"Bahohohoho! Looks like Neptune's going to wet himself!"
Vander Decken laughed maniacally as he gazed at the last scene of the chapter.
Earlier, he had still been feeling the sting on his cheek from the kick Hody received from Luffy, and then burst into laughter again.
"Come on then! Let's see how you'll stop the power of the great Vander Decken!"
"Too bad I didn't eat that Devil Fruit myself and foolishly gave it to the Art Store!"
"If I had eaten it, I would've hurled that ship at you just like in the manga!"
"Would you really have done that?"
At that moment, the Flying Dutchman shook violently; several enormous octopus tentacles had gripped it tightly.
That sound sent chills running down Vander Decken's spine, for he immediately recognized the voice.
...
Rob was sitting atop Surume's head, unaffected by the crushing pressure of being 10,000 meters underwater.
He didn't even need to breathe; he could remain underwater for over an hour without issue.
That was the result of his strength; his powerful lungs could hold as much air as he wished.
Tracking this filthy man had been easy; even without a Devil Fruit, allowing a madman like Vander Decken to roam nearby was not the sort of mistake Rob would ever make.
"Surume, destroy that ghost ship."
Upon Rob's order, Surume smiled and tore the ship apart like a rotting wooden toy.
For Vander Decken, the world went dark.
The last thing he felt before losing consciousness completely was being grabbed by the Kraken.
"Good job, Surume. Let's throw this little villain in jail. Starting today, he'll read manga with some lonely companions. Once he's rehabilitated, he'll be released."
Of course, Rob wasn't insane enough to kill anyone he disliked.
The crimes Vander Decken had committed, and planned to commit, were enough to earn him imprisonment, but not execution.
…
At that moment, the Fishman readers were sweating profusely; their reactions were identical to King Neptune's in the manga.
"If that ship falls on the island, everyone will die for sure!"
"Who would've thought Vander Decken was this insane!?"
"He must be captured and thrown into prison before he commits such a horrific act!!"
"That vile bastard! He wants to kill everyone! To commit such a racial massacre!
"That sinner doesn't deserve prison — he should burn in hell forever!"
"Don't worry, Luffy will definitely stop this catastrophe."
Men, women, and children trembled just imagining what would happen if such a colossal ship crashed onto the island.
The horrific fate awaiting the islanders in the manga was truly terrifying.
…
Fisher Tiger clenched his teeth as he saw the final scene of the chapter.
"To think the real threat wasn't Hody Jones's rebellion, but that lunatic Vander Decken!"
Tiger slammed the table loudly.
"I doubt he'll escape for long. Rob-sama will catch him for sure. His fate is the central prison, without a doubt."
Jimbei, too, was shocked by the recent developments, but he hadn't forgotten that Rob had gone out to capture the fugitive Vander Decken.
"Nyuu~ This manga is amazing! Through it, we can discover every person who might bring harm and get rid of them before they even act!"
Hatchan cheered, and Aladdin and the others agreed enthusiastically.
Many of the young Fishmen who had first seen their manga counterparts among Arlong's crew had now grown up.
Alongside Hatchan were Kuroobi, Chew, Take, Pisaro, Kaneshiro, and others — all personally guided by Tiger and Jimbei after they had promised Bell-mère that the future would not unfold as depicted in the manga, no matter what.
That was precisely why Arlong was constantly torn between his new beliefs and his old personality.
But in the end, when he saw this scene, a fellow Fishman trying to destroy his own kind, he realized his old self had been wrong all along.
He might not have been exactly like Vander Decken, but there was little difference between them when it came to committing evil.
'To be compared to that scum… that's my fault.'
Arlong clenched his fist tightly and glared coldly at Hody.
"Hody, you should learn from your counterpart's mistakes."
His tone was icy as he said it.
Seeing this scene, both Tiger and Jinbei smiled quietly.
…
After that, the battle scenes between Luffy, using Armament Haki, and Hody, using Fishman Karate, left the readers stunned.
It looked as though Luffy was outright bullying Hody Jones, who was supposed to be incredibly strong.
In Ohara, Mihawk asked a simple question:
"Hody Jones can't even put up a fight. Just how powerful has Luffy become?"
"Considering he's mastered all three forms of Haki, his strength must now be at the level of a Vice Admiral.
A 400 million bounty doesn't reflect his true power anymore," said Issho, giving Luffy a Marine-based strength ranking.
"Fufufu~ He might be even stronger," Doflamingo chuckled, excited to see Luffy face his counterpart in a true life-and-death battle.
He knew that day was inevitable, after all, he was well aware that his counterpart was a complete villain…
The clash between him and Luffy was now closer than ever.
…
"This ship… Noah… I think I know why it was built, and who was responsible for it."
At that moment, Vegapunk spoke up — he had been pondering deeply about the past for several minutes.
Unfortunately, he didn't know much, as the World Government had always forbidden delving into history.
But who was he? There was no way the World Government could keep such a curious mind from uncovering the truth of his own world.
"Especially when that history is filled with progress and prosperity," Vegapunk muttered to himself.
"Really? Can you tell us?" Clover asked eagerly.
Even in his grand library, he had no records about the Promised Ship of the Fishmen.
In fact, this was the first time he had ever seen or even heard of it, through the manga itself.
Yes, that's right — even a great archaeologist who studied Poneglyphs like him didn't know everything.
"All I'll say is this: even with the technology of today, such a ship could never be built," said Vegapunk before falling silent and turning the page to the next chapter.
"What? Are you saying that people in the past were more advanced than we are? Even with you being centuries ahead of your time!?"
Clover wasn't the only one shocked; everyone present was stunned by Vegapunk's words.
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 965: Shirahoshi's Sacrifice and the Awakening of a King!
Chapter 966: Fisher Tiger's Speech.
Chapter 967: I know you didn't do it, but I hate you.
Chapter 968: A Ship From the Past That Must Remain for the Future.
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