(The time was dragging on a bit.)
The E.S. drug, as Lin Xuan knew, had a primary effect of dramatically boosting physical abilities in an extremely short time, with a time limit. The strength increase could stack up.
Moreover, the drug's effect had a threshold for transformation. After consuming a certain amount, it would trigger a massive mutation, granting immense combat power in an instant.
This thing was similar to how, in the original story when Luffy and the others fought Moria, Moonlight Moria stuffed shadows into people to boost their strength. The only difference was that Moria's ability had no side effects, while the E.S. drug did.
The side effect of this stuff was that it consumed lifespan proportional to the power gained!
After taking the E.S. drug, the side effects wouldn't show up right away. But after a while, the user would suddenly age decades, losing not only the gained power but even their normal bodily functions!
In the original plot, the New Fish-Man Pirates, including Captain Hody and all the officers, plus Fish-Man Island's strongest swordsman, the armored fish Hyouzou, and the underlings like the sea urchin, all took this drug.
In the end, except for the sea monster, all the users aged dramatically. When Hody tried to bend some bars, he broke his wrist, and one of the officers, the squid, twisted his back just walking. Everyone looked decades older.
As for the inventor of this vicious drug, it was still unknown for now. Neptune described it as a "national treasure" passed down from previous generations, and Hody admitted that ten years ago, while still in Neptune's army, he stole the E.S. drugs and deserted to carry out his "revenge."
So, ruling out anyone deliberately giving it to Hody, from start to finish, it was all Hody's own plan.
At this moment, seeing his years-long conspiracy on the verge of success, only to have someone suddenly show up and ruin it, Hody couldn't care less about the side effects. He frantically swallowed the drugs, ready to overpower and crush Lin Xuan!
Soon, his body rapidly swelled up, and even his hair turned white, making him look utterly ferocious.
But even seeing Hody's strength skyrocket after taking the drugs, Lin Xuan had no interest in continuing the fight with him.
The power gap was too wide; he couldn't muster any enthusiasm for battle.
However, Hody Jones clearly wasn't going to let him off just like that—otherwise, wouldn't all those drugs be wasted?
So, Lin Xuan figured he might as well find an opponent for him.
Just then, Lin Xuan thought of a great idea, and a smirk tugged at his lips. "Hmm, if I let Fisher Tiger handle Hody Jones, that could be pretty interesting!"
Though he didn't have Fisher Tiger's DNA on hand, this was Fish-Man Island—finding Fisher Tiger's DNA would be a piece of cake!
With that in mind, Lin Xuan turned his gaze to the bound Neptune and asked, "Hey, you over there, the big guy—where's Fisher Tiger's grave?"
Neptune was stunned.
Big guy? Was he talking to him?
But he wasn't fat at all; he was just taller than most!
Still, seeing Lin Xuan looking right at him, it was clear he was addressing him.
Neptune had already more or less recognized Lin Xuan's identity. As the king of Fish-Man Island, he'd been keeping tabs on events at sea and naturally knew about the Ninja Alliance's exploits.
This filled him with excitement, as if he'd glimpsed hope for saving Fish-Man Island.
So, even though he didn't know why Lin Xuan was suddenly asking about Fisher Tiger's grave, Neptune quickly replied, "It's in the southern cemetery district of Fish-Man Island!"
The air grew tense and prickly.
At that moment, Hody Jones let out a furious roar, his eyes bloodshot as he charged straight at Lin Xuan, the red steel fork in his hand shattering the air.
Yet, when the fork came down, it hit nothing.
Hody Jones's savage expression froze, and everyone present was stunned, because Lin Xuan's figure had vanished into thin air in midair.
"It really is him!" Neptune thought excitedly.
Hody Jones, driven into a frenzied rage by the massive dose of E.S. drugs, scanned the surroundings with blood-red eyes, searching for Lin Xuan.
"Where are you? Come out!" Hody Jones bellowed.
Just as Hody Jones failed to spot Lin Xuan and was about to lose control completely from the drug's effects, a figure appeared in midair—it was the vanished Lin Xuan.
But this time, there was another figure beside him.
"Huh? You think grabbing some helper will let you beat me? My strength right now is insane—watch me..."
Hody Jones shouted loudly, but his taunt cut off abruptly. His eyes widened, his face twisting in disbelief and shock.
It wasn't just him; every fish-man in the square froze. Their gazes locked onto the figure beside Lin Xuan—a tall, sturdy fish-man with red skin, wearing a floral green shirt and a headband. The entire square fell silent.
Finally, someone below broke the quiet: "Is that... Fisher Tiger?"
As the exclamation spread, most of the people reacted, their faces filling with shock.
Wasn't Fisher Tiger dead? Why was he here?
At that moment, Fisher Tiger's eyes cleared after a brief daze, and he quickly grasped his current situation.
Because of that, his gaze toward Lin Xuan held a touch of awe.
He had absorbed the information in his mind and understood what was happening now.
Looking at the familiar surroundings of Fish-Man Island, Fisher Tiger's heart trembled. As someone who had been dead for so long, he was actually back in this world!
While Fisher Tiger was lost in deep emotion, Hody Jones erupted in angry shouts.
"Damn it, you're a fake Fisher Tiger! The real Fisher Tiger died long ago—he couldn't possibly be here!" Hody Jones roared.
Fisher Tiger's appearance seemed to provoke him further, pushing him deeper into madness.
Soon, Hody Jones bellowed ferociously and charged at Fisher Tiger with a twisted expression.
"Go, take down this drugged-up punk!"
Fisher Tiger heard Lin Xuan's voice in his ear. He turned sharply toward Hody Jones, his expression shifting slightly. "You've taken a huge dose of those vicious drugs?"
In that instant, his eyes flashed with pity and disgust!
At the same time, he took in the full situation, his face growing even colder. What audacity—planning to publicly execute King Neptune and take over Fish-Man Island?!
"Hmph!"
Fisher Tiger snorted coldly. As Hody Jones rushed in, he didn't hesitate and struck back.
In an instant, the two clashed, locked in a fierce battle.
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T/N:
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