Taro only let go of Hody after finishing all this, his tone cold and grim.
"Does a piece of trash like you even deserve to insult Queen Otohime?"
He snorted coldly, "I've said it before: the prerequisite for ambition is having the strength to back it up. As for you lot, give it a rest!"
As he spoke, he suddenly raised a foot and sent Hody flying with a kick.
"Boom, boom, rumble!"
Hody's body shot out like a cannonball, shattering several giant boulders in succession before finally coming to a stop.
The scene of Taro effortlessly sending the officers of the New Fish-Man Pirates flying and beating Hody to the point where he had no power to fight back deeply shocked everyone.
However, aside from the Ryugu Royal Family, the ordinary Fishmen didn't feel much gratitude toward Taro; instead, they felt panic and fear.
Taro sighed. Today's situation was vastly different from the events two years later in the original story.
The strength and numbers of the New Fish-Man Pirates were far inferior to what they would be in two years, making them appear as a "vulnerable group" in the eyes of the residents.
Hody Jones hadn't captured the Royal Family for a public execution like in the original story, nor had he ruthlessly slaughtered his fellow Fishmen.
Furthermore, Taro was a Marine, whereas Luffy was a pirate.
The Marines were affiliated with the World Government!
This difference in identity made the Fishmen's level of trust in Taro even lower!
"Residents of Fish-Man Island, I actually don't care how you view me!"
Taro thought for a moment and spoke loudly.
His voice, bolstered by his Internal Skill, carried far.
"I only do what I believe is right. Whether you understand or not doesn't matter."
"Unless you can defeat me, you will have to follow my rules!"
Neptune's expression changed drastically.
"Taro, you..."
Taro chuckled and shook his head.
"It's hard to be a good person and even harder to be a hero. My identity as a Marine has already tied my hands; it's simply too exhausting!"
"I cannot be the hero of Fish-Man Island. Right now, I only want to solve problems in my own way!"
Then, his voice grew even louder, "I'll be staying on Fish-Man Island for a while. Anyone who isn't satisfied can come find me anytime!"
"If you don't come, then just live your lives peacefully!"
Taro's words caused the Fishmen's already limited goodwill toward him to vanish completely.
However, out of fear of Taro's strength, no one dared to make a move for a while.
"Chidori Impact!"
With a shout, Fish-Man Island's top swordsman, Hyouzou, swung his sword toward Taro.
Taro didn't care at all. Only when the opponent rushed in front of him did he draw his blade with a backhand.
"Gravity Command!"
"Hum"
Cyan-white Internal Energy surged out, weaving and winding around his wrist as it rapidly transformed. The cyan-white energy faded slightly, turning somewhat purplish.
Immense gravity suddenly erupted, causing Hyouzou's speed to abruptly stall. His entire body was suppressed, pinned against the ground.
Taro took the opportunity to unsheathe his blade, coated it in Armament Haki, and delivered a slash.
"Clang, clang, clang"
After a single flash of the blade, all the swords held in the blue-ringed octopus swordsman's tentacles were severed.
At the same time, Taro took a heavy step with his right foot, stomping a hole straight into the ground. The rock fragments from the hole shot toward the underground like cannonballs.
"Aaaah!"
With a miserable scream, the figure of the black-and-white striped Fishman, Zeo, slowly emerged beneath Taro's feet.
Less than a second later,
"Aaaah!"
Another scream echoed from underground.
The rocks sent flying by Taro's stomp had hit the Fishman Daruma, who was attempting to launch an attack from below.
"Boom"
A muffled sound followed immediately, as if an explosion had occurred, and the ground trembled.
"Taro, stop!"
Jinbe roared, leaping high and throwing a punch at Taro.
As for the Blue Fatty, Taro really didn't want to clash with him. With a flash of his body, he dodged the attack and retreated a distance.
"Jinbe, haven't you noticed their abnormality?"
Taro returned his sword to its sheath, his brow furrowing slightly.
Everyone had been shocked by how easily Taro had defeated the three Fishman officers. Hearing Taro say this, they looked closer.
Neptune's eyes instantly widened in shock and anger.
"Hyouzou! You... you all actually took energy steroids!"
Indeed, these three Fishmen had taken the steroids. And they hadn't just taken one pill at a time; Taro had demonstrated strength far beyond theirs, making them deeply wary, so each of them had swallowed a large handful.
Now, their hair and beards were all white, and their eyes were filled with nothing but violent rage.
Although they had been defeated by Taro, their bodies were still twitching instinctively.
"To gain temporary power, you're willing to sacrifice your lives!"
Taro recalled the Alabasta Kingdom Army guards who had drunk the "mighty water." That stuff would cause a person to die directly once the effects wore off.
But at least those guards had sacrificed their lives for a righteous goal.
Taro looked toward the remaining Fishman pirate officers.
"Once the drug's effect passes, their bodies will be so fragile that a gust of wind could knock them over! I advise you best not to eat that stuff!"
The few Fishman officers hesitated with handfuls of energy steroids, only to hear Taro speak again.
"No matter which world it is, doing drugs is wrong!"
"Besides, even if you take the drugs, you still won't be able to beat me!"
While Taro was earnestly trying to persuade those Fishmen, the swordsman Hyouzou staggered to his feet. With a drunken expression, he waved his tentacles and crawled toward Taro, muttering,
"Kill the 'ink dragon'... I want to be the Dragon-Slaying Swordsman!"
"Crack!"
He tripped over Zeo, who was lying on the ground with his head buried, and fell. A bone in his waist snapped instantly with a crisp sound.
Taro's mouth twitched. "See that? That's what happens when you drink fake liquor and do drugs!"
The expressions of the remaining Fishman officers tightened, and with a cry, they threw away the energy steroids in their hands.
Just then, a white figure hugged the ground and rushed toward Taro at an incredible speed, breaking the sound barrier with a piercing whistle.
It was Hody Jones!
Taro's Observation Haki had just detected Hody's movement, and as soon as he turned around, Hody had already opened his huge mouth and bitten down on Taro's shoulder.
The protective Internal Energy fluctuated for a moment and was instantly pierced by Hody's sharp teeth.
Damn, I was careless!
"Ugh"
Taro groaned, and Internal Energy surged out frantically, protecting his body once more and preventing Hody's teeth from advancing any further. Simultaneously, he coated his right arm in Armament Haki.
"Second Gear!"
"Fire Fist!"
Being bitten on the shoulder due to a moment of carelessness made Taro both ashamed and angry.
Damn it, to think that after all this time, I'd let a bird peck my eye!
Cyan-white Internal Energy solidified on his right arm, rising with scorching heat as Taro swung a punch with all his might.
"Argh, cough!"
Hody was struck in the abdomen and coughed up a large amount of blood, which splattered across half of Taro's body.
Immense power erupted. Hody's set of massive Great White Shark teeth remained in Taro's shoulder, but his body was sent flying.
The scorching Internal Energy spread from his abdomen, making his whole body look like a steamed dish, emitting clouds of steam!
After knocking Hody away with one blow, Taro reached out, plucked the set of teeth, and tossed them aside. He tapped his fingers a few times, using Internal Energy to block the blood flow to the wound, instantly stopping the bleeding.
"Lord Taro, you're injured!"
Shirahoshi swam over with a sob!
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