In Fishman Island, a catastrophic battle was unfolding. The clash between the New Fishman Pirates against the joint forces of the Straw Hat Pirates and the Ryugu Royal Family had reached a critical climax, and the entire island seemed to be holding its breath.
Overhead, the giant ship Noah was plummeting toward the island. If the massive vessel struck, it would completely annihilate Fishman Island, crushing every living soul beneath it. The colossal shadow of Noah loomed larger with each passing moment, making the surrounding water feel suffocatingly heavy.
This disaster had been set in motion by Vander Decken IX, who had used his powers to hurl the giant ship directly at Shirahoshi. However, after falling into a desperate disadvantage against Luffy, Hordy Jones decided to ensure the complete destruction of Fishman Island instead—driven by malice now that even his own kind had begun to despise him.
The 100,000-strong forces of the New Fishman Pirates, comprised largely of enslaved troops, were nothing more than a minor obstacle to the Straw Hat crew. Luffy, wielding immense power, had been utterly overpowering Hordy throughout their confrontation.
Desperate to escape his disadvantage, Hordy had abandoned the battlefield below and fled to the Noah. There, he had already impaled Vander Decken. With Decken knocked unconscious, the giant ship was left entirely out of control, hurtling toward Fishman Island like an unstoppable cataclysm.
Below, the citizens—protected only by the giant bubble surrounding the island—stared upward in sheer terror. Children wept, adults clenched their fists in helpless agony, and countless Fishmen turned pale as the descending titan slowly but relentlessly swallowed the light above.
Meanwhile, Luffy fought desperately to stop Hordy.
They clashed deep within the sea. This was Hordy's natural domain; underwater, his movements were swift and lethal. Luffy, on the other hand, was heavily restricted, the sea itself actively suppressing his strength due to his Devil Fruit curse.
Yet, Luffy refused to back down.
His body was battered and blood flowed continuously from his wounds, drifting into the ocean in crimson streams. Every movement felt heavier than the last, but his eyes remained locked on his target. The thunderous shockwaves of their battle echoed through the deep as Noah continued its relentless descent.
Time was running out.
Suddenly, mid-clash, both Hordy and Luffy froze.
At the exact same instant, they felt a monstrous presence rapidly approaching. The pressure in the water subtly shifted, and the deep-sea currents warped under the sheer weight of whatever was coming.
Both fighters turned toward the source.
Out of the darkness, a ship emerged.
The hull was a deep brown, but its sail was pitch-black, blending seamlessly with the abyss of the ocean. At first glance, it looked almost invisible against the seascape. But painted across that black sail were two vivid, sky-blue eyes—unsettling and sharp, as if they were silently judging everything in existence. As the fabric rippled with the current, the eyes seemed to come alive.
Sitting casually on the deck was a white-haired young man.
Hordy frowned, his face contorting with contempt. "Hmph. Another filthy human," he sneered. His voice rippled through the water, reaching the deck of the approaching vessel.
Luffy, however, took one look at the visitor, and his exhausted face instantly lit up. Forgetting the blood and the agonizing pain wracking his body, he grinned widely and shouted, "Hey! Gojo, you made it!"
The shout echoed through the sea.
Hearing the name, Hordy stiffened. He looked closer at the white-haired youth, and his pupils dilated as a memory overlapped with the figure before him.
His expression turned dead serious. "...The God Slayer, Gojo Satoru."
That title alone carried a terrifying weight. Gojo was the man who had executed a Celestial Dragon—a singular event that had shattered the world's status quo. Even though he had dropped entirely off the grid for the past two years, never appearing in the news, his infamy had never faded. The story of his defiance had spread to every sea and every nation.
Beyond his terrifying reputation, Gojo had also acquired another, softer rumor—being called the most handsome man alive. Countless fans followed his legend, and the stories surrounding his power and appearance had only grown more exaggerated over time.
Slowly, Gojo stood up. His expression was perfectly serene as his piercing blue eyes locked onto the Fishman.
"How dare a piece of filth like you," Gojo said, his voice entirely indifferent, "call me filthy?"
The moment the words left his lips—crackle.
Violent arcs of black lightning exploded around him, fracturing the water like shattering glass. The ocean itself trembled. Gojo was releasing his Conqueror's Haki.
Among the dancing dark currents, one exceptionally thick bolt of black lightning shot forward at an impossible speed, crossing the distance instantly.
Hordy froze mid-water. His pupils contracted as an invisible, cataclysmic pressure crashed directly onto his shoulders, turning the surrounding water deathly still.
Luffy felt it too. The Conqueror's Haki radiating from Gojo was staggering, but Luffy realized something else almost immediately: Gojo wasn't unleashing a wild, indiscriminate burst. This was an immaculately controlled application of Haki—a hyper-focused pressure directed entirely at a single target.
Hordy.
The black lightning struck Hordy dead-on. His muscles locked, his expression paralyzed. It felt as though invisible, colossal hands were crushing the air out of his lungs. His breathing turned ragged.
Without a single wasted motion, Gojo reached down and gripped the hilt of the sword resting beside his chair.
As he unsheathed it, a deep red aura enveloped the blade. The surrounding space vibrated violently, sending ripples through the ocean despite no physical force touching it. Yet, strangely, not a single drop of water actually touched Gojo or his blade.
It was as if the ocean itself was being forcefully rejected.
Holding the sword loosely, Gojo delivered a single, calm swing.
'Red Sword Slash,' he thought.
It was a devastating combination of Limitless Reversal: Red and his own swordsmanship. The moment the slash was unleashed, the ocean exploded. A crimson arc of energy tore through the sea. To say it was fast would be an understatement; it crossed the distance instantaneously.
Hordy's eyes widened in horror. Before his paralyzed body could even register the threat, the red slash passed directly through him.
For a fraction of a second, there was silence.
Then, a massive fissure gouged the deck of the giant ship Noah behind him, the colossal wooden vessel groaning as a deep, devastating cut tore across its surface.
And Hordy—was cleanly severed in half.
There was absolutely no resistance. The single strike ended the conflict instantly.
Hordy's divided body collapsed onto the nearly vertical deck of the falling Noah before slowly drifting away, suspended listlessly in the deep ocean currents. As consciousness faded from his eyes, one final, bitter thought crossed his mind.
So this is the terrifying strength of a powerful human... If I had that kind of power, I would have wiped out humanity myself.
Even in the face of death, his hatred remained unyielding. There was no remorse. No regret. Not for his bigotry, nor for his attempt to genocide his own island. He died exactly as he lived.
Gojo calmly sheathed his sword. The faint red aura dissipated, leaving only a quiet stillness in its wake. Without sparing the dying Fishman a single glance, he guided his ship forward.
Unlike any other vessel in Fishman Island, Gojo's ship lacked a coating bubble. He simply didn't need one.
With his perfected control over Limitless, Gojo had enveloped the entire ship in an infinitesimally thin layer of infinity. To an outside observer, the ship appeared completely submerged, its black sail catching the underwater currents as the hull sliced through the sea. In reality, the vessel never touched a single drop of water.
The ocean approached, only to stop at an invisible boundary. No matter how violent the pressure or the currents became, the barrier remained absolute.
The ship moved silently, propelled entirely by Gojo's will. No wind, no oars, no external mechanics required.
As for oxygen, Gojo had solved that problem long ago. Through precise manipulation of his limitless barrier, he selectively filtered the environment. Water, temperature and toxic gases were rejected; only the oxygen molecules dissolved in the water were permitted to pass through.
Because of this, Gojo breathed as effortlessly as if he were standing beneath an open sky. To look at him, one would think he was merely sailing on a calm, sunny day—as though the ocean itself had accepted that it was entirely incapable of touching him.
----
Want to get daily updates and read 20+ chapters? Then join my Patreon!
Patreon Link: https://[email protected]/Hkj822
Join Discord Link: https://discord.gg/c4m4BxQq