Chapter 276: A Hug Ten Years Late! The Princess's Transformation and the Flooding of Ryugu Palace
A moment later, Victor extended his finger, pointing toward the broad plaza of Ryugu Palace below.
There, the tall, elderly King was looking up at the sky, watching like a statue frozen in shock.
"Go see your father."
"To protect you, he has been waiting for you in this deep-sea palace for ten long years."
Hearing the word "father," Shirahoshi's large, watery eyes filled with tears once again.
But this time, there was a hint of determination in her gaze.
She nodded heavily.
She reached out with her giant hands and wiped the tear stains from her cheeks with great effort.
Shirahoshi took a deep breath of the fresh deep-sea air, and then she swayed her magnificent and graceful pink fishtail.
This time, summoning the courage that had just sprouted deep within her heart, she used her own strength to carve a beautiful arc through the seawater, slowly swimming toward the plaza below.
Victor descended slowly, following unhurriedly behind and to the side of Shirahoshi.
At this moment, the Ryugu Palace plaza was deathly silent.
King Neptune stared blankly at the beautiful, familiar, and massive figure in the sky that was drawing closer and closer.
His weathered old eyes were filled with unbelievable shock.
Even when the golden trident representing royal authority fell heavily onto the hard stone floor with a "clang," he was completely oblivious.
The elderly father trembled all over, terrified that this was just a fragile, illusory dream.
He feared that if he blinked even slightly, his daughter, who had been imprisoned in the Hard-Shell Tower, would disappear again.
It wasn't until Shirahoshi's massive body passed through the currents and truly landed in front of him...
"Father..."
Looking at the white-haired Neptune before her, whose face was already covered in tears, the grievances and longing in Shirahoshi's heart completely erupted.
She finally couldn't hold back anymore; while crying loudly, she lunged forward without hesitation and tightly pulled her elderly father into her arms.
"Shirahoshi... my dear daughter!"
Neptune cried out, tears streaming down his face.
However, since Shirahoshi's size had grown so much over the past ten years, the intensity of this tender hug suddenly became a bit excessive.
Her massive body completely enveloped King Neptune.
Shirahoshi nearly smothered the strong Fishman King to the point of his eyes rolling back, leaving him to wave his hands desperately from within his daughter's embrace.
Ten years of fear, ten years of darkness, and ten years of separation.
In this moment, it all turned into a flood of tears, pouring out onto the wide plaza.
The Neptune Army soldiers standing by in formation saw their delicate Princess safely exit that cage-like Hard-Shell Tower.
They were all moved to tears, unhesitatingly dropping their tridents and shields to cheer loudly in the plaza.
This deeply touching scene caused even Zoro, who had just been complaining about the banquet being interrupted, to fall completely silent.
With one hand on his sword hilt, he leaned against a coral pillar, arms crossed, quietly watching the reunited father and daughter; the cold, hard corners of his mouth softened slightly.
The rest of the Straw Hat Pirates, whether it was Nami or Robin, also wore gentle smiles.
They watched the scene quietly, sharing in this miracle and emotion belonging to the deep sea.
However, the tender and tearful atmosphere of the reunion did not last long.
As her emotions gradually stabilized, Shirahoshi withdrew from her father's embrace.
Wiping her tears, her gaze inadvertently drifted past King Neptune's shoulder, and she suddenly noticed the unusual figures in the plaza.
Besides the guards she had been used to since childhood, there were actually unfamiliar human faces like Zoro, Nami, and Robin standing there!
Furthermore, on the ground not far away...
That blond human, tied up like a rice dumpling with heavy iron chains, was also looking this way with a face full of confusion.
"Eek!"
Faced with the direct stares of so many strangers, Shirahoshi's cowardly instincts were instantly reignited.
She let out a short cry of surprise, her massive body like a startled little rabbit in the forest, instinctively wanting to find cover.
In the next second, under the stunned and blank stares of everyone present.
Princess Shirahoshi, who was as massive as a small mountain and stood over a dozen meters tall...
Actually "whooshed" with incredibly agile movements and hid behind Victor, who had just landed.
She tried her best to curl up her massive body, using two giant fingers to carefully and gently pinch the hem of Victor's black coat.
She tilted her massive head, using Victor's body as a shield to reveal one watery, timid eye, shyly peeking at the Straw Hat crew opposite her.
The scene was filled with an indescribable sense of absurdity.
Victor's originally tall and upright stature appeared utterly "tiny" in front of Shirahoshi's gargantuan size.
Yet, it was this seemingly thin figure that had now become the most solid "safe harbor" for the giant mermaid princess.
Watching this absurd scene, black lines instantly appeared on Nami's forehead, and the muscles at the corners of her mouth began to twitch uncontrollably.
She pointed unceremoniously at Shirahoshi in mid-air and shouted:
"Hey! I say, Princess, do you have some kind of misunderstanding about your own size?!"
"Being that big and hiding behind someone as small as him, you're completely exposed, okay?!"
"He can't even block a single strand of hair!"
After finishing her rant at Shirahoshi, Nami turned her target toward Victor, shouting crossly:
"And you, you guy!"
"You were only gone for a little while; what kind of love potion did you give the Princess?!"
"Why is she so clingy toward you?!"
Hearing Nami's rapid-fire, sharp criticism, Robin, standing to the side, could no longer contain herself.
She covered her red lips with her fair hands and laughed so hard her shoulders trembled, her eyes full of amusement.
And right in the middle of this noisy, comedic moment, another anomaly occurred.
Sanji, who was tied up tightly like a dumpling by the iron chains, finally focused his gaze on the massive figure behind Victor after fully waking up.
When he clearly saw Shirahoshi's flawless face—a face so beautiful it could topple kingdoms and was enough to drive any man mad...
The perverted chef's brain instantly suffered a catastrophic crash.
"This..."
"Is this the legendary beautiful Mermaid Princess..."
Within a tenth of a second, two giant red hearts exploded from Sanji's eyes, nearly popping out of their sockets.
"BANG!!!"
A dull thud that made one's scalp tingle rang out.
The hemostatic cotton in Sanji's nostrils was instantly blown away, and two streams of crimson nosebleed sprayed out like an out-of-control high-pressure water pump, carrying peerless kinetic energy.
This powerful reactionary force sent the bound Sanji shooting straight up toward the high Glass Dome of Ryugu Palace like a launched firecracker with a "whoosh."
"This is the happiest moment of my life—!!!"
Accompanied by a shrill cry of ultimate bliss, Sanji hit the ceiling hard and then fell back down in a free fall.
Just as everyone was left with black lines on their foreheads by Sanji's shocking behavior...
King Neptune also composed his emotions and walked forward with a face full of gratitude, preparing to officially thank Victor.
"RUMBLE——!!!"
In the next second, a terrifying, deafening explosion suddenly erupted from the direction of the main gate of Ryugu Palace!
A violent shockwave swept in along with the seawater, causing the ground of the entire plaza to shake violently.
"Wooo—wooo—wooo—!"
An urgent, highest-level alarm sounded throughout the magnificent deep-sea imperial palace the moment the explosion subsided.
Everyone's expression changed drastically in that instant.Chapter 277: The Foodie Unleashed! The Captain Sealed by Seawater and the World-Famous Prey
From the direction of the main gate of Ryugu Palace, a terrifying, earth-shaking explosion suddenly rang out.
Just as everyone in the plaza was thrown into shock and confusion by the sudden roar...
...the previously heavily guarded "Royal Kitchen" in the rear of Ryugu Palace was also significantly affected.
The violent tremors from the explosion spread through the foundation, causing the high-piled mountain of roasted meat in the kitchen to collapse instantly, leaving the surrounding kitchenware in a mess.
"Clatter—"
Accompanied by the sound of debris being pushed aside...
...a figure with a belly rounded like a large ball, still clutching two massive bone-in meat ribs in his hands, wobbled out from the greasy ruins.
Luffy desperately stuffed a piece of tender, juicy meat into his mouth while shouting with a face full of annoyance:
"Who is it?!"
"Who's making all this noise while someone's eating!"
"This is just so rude!"
He walked out through the wide corridor outside the kitchen in a huff, wanting to settle the score with the culprit who disturbed his meal.
However, as soon as Luffy turned a corner, he bumped head-on into a group of murderous invaders.
Leading them was the leader who had just used brute force to destroy the massive bubble defense outside Ryugu Palace and led the army of the New Fish-Man Pirates to charge in.
Hody Jones.
Hody immediately spotted a human appearing in the corridor ahead.
His eyes, which had become bloodshot and violent due to an overdose of "Energy Steroids," widened instantly.
The arrogance in his bones and his hatred for humans left him with no hesitation.
"Why is there an annoying human here?!
"Die, you inferior race!"
Hody roared, his thick arms suddenly exerting force as he swung the sharp trident in his hand.
Accompanied by a violent surge of water forcibly pulled along, he ruthlessly thrust it toward Luffy's head.
Facing this aggressive, fatal strike...
...Luffy just stood there, blinking his clear eyes.
He didn't even activate his pitch-black Armament Haki, and his left hand was still tightly gripping that large bone-in meat rib.
Just as the trident was about to hit him, Luffy simply tilted his head casually, easily dodging the sharp attack by a hair's breadth.
Then, his right hand naturally formed a fist and swung forward lightly, as if shooing away a bothersome fly.
"Bam!"
A dull thud of flesh hitting flesh echoed in the corridor.
Hody Jones, who had been incredibly arrogant just a moment ago and considered himself the savior of the Fishman race, felt an irresistible and terrifying monstrous force hit his chest.
His entire body was sent flying backward instantly like a heavy cannonball!
"Boom! Boom!"
With two loud crashes, Hody's strong body smashed through two thick coral walls behind him, falling miserably onto the ground amidst rubble and dust.
Luffy stood in place, swallowing the chewed-up roast meat in his mouth and tilting his head slightly.
He looked at Hody in the distant ruins, who was covered in blood and struggling to get up, and asked with a bewildered face:
"Old man, who are you?"
Hody, who had been knocked to the ground, widened his eyes in utter disbelief.
He was the supreme leader of the New Fish-Man Pirates; he had taken so many Energy Steroids that his strength had long surpassed that of ordinary people.
Yet now, he had been casually sent flying by a random nobody with a simple punch!
To him, this was an indelible humiliation!
Hody wiped the blood from his forehead and pointed at Luffy in a fit of rage, roaring frantically at his subordinates behind him:
"What are you all standing there for?!"
"Get him! Kill him! Mince him into meat sauce!"
Hearing their leader's command, dozens of Fishman officers, also with bloodshot eyes, let out beast-like roars.
They brandished swords and hammers, rushing toward the lone Luffy like a tide.
Facing this pack of wolf-like enemies, Luffy remained calm and composed.
He chewed on his meat rib while weaving through the frenzied Fishmen as if taking a stroll in a garden.
"Too slow."
Luffy punched and kicked at will; every seemingly ordinary strike carried a heart-stopping force.
Accompanied by a series of screams, these ferocious Fishman officers were all easily knocked into the air like bowling pins, crashing heavily against the walls and losing consciousness.
Just as Luffy clapped his hands and prepared to step forward to finish off the leader, Hody...
...a roar of rushing water suddenly came from the outskirts.
It turned out that because Hody had violently destroyed the bubble shield around Ryugu Palace earlier, the gap was growing larger and larger.
At this moment, a massive amount of cold, heavy deep-sea water poured into the corridors of Ryugu Palace like a burst dam.
The cold seawater rushed in, instantly covering Luffy's knees and quickly rising to submerge his waist.
"Ah..."
As a Devil Fruit user, once in contact with such a large amount of seawater, the curse of the sea took effect immediately.
Luffy's strength vanished without a trace, like a balloon being suddenly punctured.
Luffy's legs gave way, and he knelt powerless in the cold water with a splash.
But he still stubbornly pressed the Straw Hat on his head with one hand, looked up at Hody, who had just regained his footing nearby, and asked that question again with a weak but persistent voice:
"I said..."
"Old man... you bastard, who the hell are you?"
Hody had originally felt lingering fear toward the terrifying strength Luffy had just displayed.
But now, seeing this human who was clearly weak and on the ground yet still completely ignored his identity...
...Hody's twisted pride took this as a massive insult to the supreme leader of the Fishman race.
He gripped his trident again and strode over to Luffy.
Looking at Luffy, who had lost his ability to resist due to the seawater, Hody let out a mocking sneer from above:
"Hmph! As expected, a superficial and disgusting inferior human!
"Weren't you very arrogant just now?"
"Once submerged in the seawater that we Fishman depend on for survival..."
"...you ability users can only crawl on the ground as miserably as a dead dog!"
Just as a cruel murderous intent flashed in Hody's eyes and he raised his trident high, preparing to step forward and finish off this human...
...the gaze of one of the Fishman officers who had rushed in with him was fixed firmly on the Straw Hat on Luffy's head.
That subordinate seemed to recall a terrifying scene; he trembled all over and pointed at Luffy in the water, shouting:
"Ho... Hody-boss! W-wait a minute!"
"I recognize him! That iconic Straw Hat!"
"He's Luffy!"
"The one from the Worst Generation who caused an uproar in the Marineford War two years ago—Straw Hat Luffy!!!"
As the seawater continued to pour in, the cold water had completely covered Luffy's chest.
The curse of the sea had caused him to completely lose his last bit of resistance.
He powerlessly blew a few bubbles in the water, his eyes gradually becoming glazed, yet he still declared his unwavering dream with that weak voice:
"Ah..."
"I am Monkey D. Luffy..."
"The man who will become the Pirate King..."
"Glug glug..."
After saying this, Luffy's eyes rolled back, and he completely fainted in the water that had submerged his body.
Hearing the famous name "Straw Hat Luffy," Hody's movement of raising the trident suddenly stopped mid-air.
He lowered his head and stared fixedly at the young human who had completely passed out in the water.
His brain, severely eroded by the Energy Steroids and already somewhat out of control, was instantly filled with an unprecedented arrogance and ambition after a brief moment of shock.
The corners of Hody's mouth, filled with sharp teeth, curled up frantically, reaching all the way to his ears.
He immediately realized that heaven had sent him a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
If he only succeeded in executing King Neptune here today...
...in the eyes of the outside world, it would at most be considered an internal coup on Fish-Man Island, and wouldn't cause much of a stir.
But!
If he could publicly execute a representative of the "Worst Generation" here—someone who even the World Government and Marineford had headaches over!
This would definitely be like a heavy bomb, causing a massive sensation throughout the world!
This would be the perfect stepping stone to demonstrate Hody Jones's terrifying power to all of humanity...
...and to prove that the Fishman race is the supreme race in this world!
Hody took a step forward, reached out his thick hand, and grabbed Luffy's collar, roughly lifting the unconscious rubber man.
He turned around, facing all the members of the New Fish-Man Pirates who were in a state of frenzy, and let out an extremely arrogant and mad laugh:
"Hahahaha! So it's him!
"Truly, you can search far and wide only to find it by chance!
"The so-called Worst Generation pirate is nothing more than this in the face of seawater!"
Hody held the unconscious Luffy high with one hand, as if displaying a rare trophy, and roared loudly to all his compatriots:
"Straw Hat Luffy!!
"Since you were willing to throw away your life to save your brother who was about to be executed in the Marineford War two years ago..."
"...then today, you shall take his place and taste what it's like to be executed!"
"I will do it in front of all Fish-Man Island! No! The entire world!!"
"I will publicly execute you in front of the whole world!"
"I will use your head, a head of the Worst Generation, as the bloody prelude to a full-scale war against hypocritical humanity by our noble Fishman race!"
"Cheer for me! Cheer for Hody Jones!"
"Long live the Fishmen!"
Hearing Hody's inflammatory and violent fanatic declaration...
...the Fishman pirates around him, whose eyes were blinded by hatred, immediately felt as if they had been given a shot of adrenaline.
They frantically raised their blood-stained weapons and let out a series of deafening, fanatical cheers:
"Oh!!! Boss Hody is wise!"
"Public execution! Long live the Fishmen!"
"Let all of humanity tremble beneath our feetChapter 278: Arrogant Bargaining Chips! The Speechless Crew and the God Who Parted the Sea
The main plaza of Ryugu Palace.
Following the earth-shattering explosion from just a moment ago.
The outer passage of Ryugu Palace, which had been perfectly protected within a deep-sea bubble, was completely destroyed.
Massive amounts of ice-cold seawater, now devoid of any obstruction, poured in like a violent waterfall, stirring up surging waves across the wide plaza.
Amidst this chaotic torrent of water.
Hody Jones, riding a massive, hideous sea beast and leading a large group of heavily armed New Fish-Man Pirates with murder in their eyes, formally stormed into the main plaza of Ryugu Palace.
In Hody's thick, powerful hand, he held a human who had passed out, dangling like a helpless chick.
Hody drove his sea beast to the center of the plaza and held the unconscious Luffy high, as if displaying a rare trophy.
He pointed his sharp trident directly at Luffy's unresponsive head and, facing King Neptune and the Straw Hat crew opposite him, let out an arrogant, overbearing laugh:
"Hahaha! Open your eyes and see clearly, everyone!"
"This is the so-called 'Worst Generation' that you humans brag about as if they were divine!"
"In the face of this absolute deep-sea power, this great pirate with a bounty of one billion isn't even fit to carry my shoes!"
Hody took a deep breath and loudly announced his long-planned, grand scheme to everyone in the plaza.
Not only did he intend to completely overthrow the weak and incompetent rule of Ryugu Palace here and wipe out the Neptune family.
But he also planned to publicly execute this Straw Hat Luffy in his hand before the entire world.
He would use this head, which would shock the world, as the beginning of the Fishman race's formal rule over humans and their launch of a full-scale, bloody revenge against them.
Hody felt inwardly smug.
He had expected his thunderous actions and bloody declaration to plunge the Straw Hat crew opposite him into deep despair.
He even thought some might be unable to bear the blow and burst into tears, or kneel in the water and beg for mercy.
However, when he stopped his speech and looked closely ahead, he realized the vibe on the other side was completely wrong.
Zoro, soaking in waist-deep seawater, covered his face with one hand, his face full of black lines, and let out a long, helpless sigh:
"That hopeless idiot..."
"He must have eaten too much and, with a muddled brain, accidentally fell into the water."
Nami, standing to the side, was so angry that smoke was coming out of her ears, and she stomped her feet, disregarding her image.
She pointed at the unconscious Luffy in Hody's hand and roared:
"We were outside, fully prepared to face the enemy, and you actually delivered yourself to their doorstep!"
The entire Straw Hat crew completely disregarded Hody, who was holding a hostage and exuding murderous intent.
They were all busy complaining about their Captain's single-celled, off-the-wall behavior.
This attitude of being completely ignored made Hody, whose self-esteem had just inflated to its peak, feel immense humiliation once again.
This feeling of humiliation was even more painful for him than Luffy's light punch from earlier.
Hody, consumed by shame and anger, gritted his teeth, his eyes nearly spitting fire.
He swore that he would make this bunch of ignorant humans, who were clowning around even when death was imminent, pay the most painful price.
Just as he was about to order an attack, his crimson gaze crossed over the Straw Hat crew and suddenly locked onto the massive pink figure hiding behind Victor.
Hody recognized who it was at a glance.
Princess Shirahoshi, who hadn't stepped a single step out of Hard-Shell Tower for ten whole years!
He was stunned at first, then burst into laughter even more crazy and unscrupulous than before:
"Hahaha! Today is truly a lucky day for my New Fish-Man Pirates!"
"Even that cowardly princess, who hid in Hard-Shell Tower, has run out on her own!"
"That waste Vander Decken, who only knows how to throw things, couldn't do it for ten whole years, but today I will complete it for him!"
"Wipe out the entire royal family!"
Hearing Hody's malicious laughter and undisguised murderous intent, Shirahoshi trembled all over in fear.
Her massive body shrank back further behind Victor's "petite" figure, her two huge fingers tightly clutching the hem of Victor's black coat.
Tears of fear began to well up in her eyes again, and she murmured with a trembling voice:
"Lord Victor... he is so scary..."
Hody looked at the human in black standing in front of Shirahoshi and sneered mockingly:
"What, you reckless human, are you still trying to protect the princess?"
"It is absolutely ridiculous!"
At this moment, more seawater surged in from outside the destroyed passage, like a bursting river.
The water level in the plaza had risen above everyone's chests in a short time and was still rising as the seawater poured in.
Hody knew well the fatal weakness of Devil Fruit users, and he also knew that ordinary humans could not fight at all in the water.
Here, this plaza submerged by seawater, was their absolute home turf as Fishmen!
To ensure nothing went wrong, Hody grabbed a handful of red "ES drug" and roughly shoved them all into his mouth, chewing and swallowing them.
As the life-draining effects of the drug took hold rapidly.
Hody's muscles instantly bulged exaggeratedly as if inflated, and veins writhed like little snakes under his skin,
His eyes turned completely blood-red, exuding a beast-like, violent aura.
Hody waved his large hand, and hundreds of Fishman warriors who had also taken the drug, along with massive deep-sea beasts, surrounded the Straw Hat crew and the royal army from all sides.
With the advantage of the seawater, they held the absolute upper hand in terms of terrain.
"Humans!"
"In the water, you can't even unleash half of your usual strength!"
"Take them all down and tear them to pieces!"
Facing this desperate situation of being besieged on all sides, Zoro snorted coldly and slowly drew the famous sword from his waist.
Nami also gripped the thundercloud "Futo" at her waist tightly, and the Straw Hat Pirates' eyes sharpened as they stood ready for battle.
Victor, watching Hody rushing arrogantly towards him and the seawater surging in like a tsunami, remained as calm and composed as ever.
He did not draw any weapon but simply raised his hands slowly, gently clasping them together in front of his chest, just as Robin did when using her abilities.
In his right eye, those concentric light purple ripples began to rotate faster, emitting a pressure that made one's soul tremble.
The next second, a terrifying repulsive force that made the entire Ryugu Palace tremble violently erupted from him as the center!
"Shinra Tensei!"
The low shout echoed across the plaza.
In the eyes of Hody Jones and all the Fishmen, who were filled with horror and desperation.
The surging, millions-of-tons-heavy seawater seemed to encounter an insurmountable wall of god in an instant.
This terrifying repulsive force, which defied the laws of nature, forcibly split the massive body of water in two!
The water flow was violently pushed aside, emitting a deafening roar.
The vast plaza, originally submerged by seawater, was instantly cleared by this invisible force, forming a huge, circular, water-free zone.
The surrounding seawater rose like a wall of water, as if blocked by transparent glass, while the ground in the center remained completely dry.
Victor stood quietly on the dry ground, like a god who had parted the sea.
He looked at Hody opposite him, who had been pushed back by the repulsive force and was now stunned, and smilingly spat out a sentence:
"Your home turf that you were so proud of is gone."
The rising tone carried a coldness devoid of any warmth:
"Now,"
"Have you decided how you want to die?"
"Small fry?"Chapter 279: Get Out of the Way! Jinbe! The Mad Escape and the Wings of Susanoo
Hody Jones, who had been arrogantly shouting only a second ago, found himself facing a power that in no way belonged to a mortal.
His bloodshot pupils suddenly contracted violently.
Deep within his brain, severely eroded and controlled by the Energy Steroids, a rare surge of primal trembling and fear welled up from the very depths of his biological instincts.
Hody realized in despair that in front of this man, the so-called deep-sea power he had just been so proud of was as laughable as an infant waving a wooden stick.
But arrogance and hatred had long since twisted him.
In order to survive, and even more to fulfill his twisted ambition of publicly executing the "Worst Generation" before the whole world and thereby declaring Fishman rule over humanity,
Hody made the most insane move in his desperate situation.
With trembling hands, he pulled out all the "Energy Steroids" he was carrying.
Without even looking, he shoved them all into his mouth and swallowed in one go a lethal dose that would instantly kill an ordinary person.
As the overdose of steroids entered his stomach, the terrifying effects took hold instantly.
Hody's muscles deformed amidst the sound of bones grinding, and his body size swelled again without restraint.
His bulging eyes even began to ooze blood because they could not withstand the pressure.
"Damn human! Don't get too carried away!"
Hody let out a bestial roar that did not sound human.
Using the surging power gained by overdrawing his life, he swung his thick arms and slammed them into the receding seawater beneath him.
"BOOM!!!"
The violent power injected into the water instantly triggered an unprecedentedly massive "water explosion" in the plaza.
The towering water columns and the sky-filling white spray, mixed with collapsed rubble and coral reefs, instantly formed a massive barrier that completely obscured everyone's vision.
Taking advantage of this brief visual blind spot, Hody grabbed the unconscious Luffy and roared frantically at his equally terrified subordinates behind him:
"Stop them for me! Even if you have to die, stop them!"
Afterwards, he turned around without hesitation and mounted the startled sea beast.
Following the backflowing current retreating out of Ryugu Palace, Hody, like a stray dog, fled the magnificent deep-sea palace frantically without looking back.
"Splash—"
The moment the water spray shattered and fell in mid-air, Victor had already pierced through the heavy mist and locked onto the aura of Hody, who was fleeing for his life.
His gaze remained fixed on the distant sea, but he left one sentence in a low voice for the swordsman behind him:
"Zoro, the small fry here are left to you."
Zoro stepped forward, his sharp, single eye flashing with a cold edge, and a bloodthirsty smile slowly curled at the corners of his mouth:
"Yeah, red-eyed bastard. Leave it to us, don't worry."
Zoro flourished his sword, his eyes locked on the members of the New Fish-Man Pirates who were preparing to pounce.
"You hurry up and bring back that idiot Captain who is always making people worry."
As soon as he finished speaking, the ground beneath Victor's feet emitted a dull explosion, and the hard coral slabs cracked inch by inch.
His figure instantly transformed into a streak of black lightning tearing through the air, heading straight in the direction Hody had fled.
Deep within Victor's profound eyes, an unprecedented fire of rage was surging.
As the cool deep-sea current brushed against his cheeks, at this moment, an image from back in Loguetown in the East Blue involuntarily flashed through Victor's mind.
That was the first time Luffy had faced a true life-and-death crisis, held down tightly by Buggy the Clown on the execution platform where the Pirate King had once been executed, with a cold blade raised high, nearly being beheaded on the spot.
At that time, when Victor intervened, he had silently made a vow in his heart:
He would absolutely never let his Captain be placed in such a helpless, precarious situation by anyone.
And today, this arrogant Fishman actually dared to try and threaten them using Luffy's life.
Just as Victor was about to rush out of the bubble perimeter of Ryugu Palace like a black meteor,
"Splash!"
A sturdy blue figure suddenly leaped high from the seawater to the side, carrying a force as steady as a mountain, and with a "bang," forcefully blocked Victor's path.
The person wore a traditional kimono, was shod in wooden clogs, and his brows exuded an air of chivalry.
It was none other than the former Seven Warlords of the Sea—Knight of the Sea Jinbe.
Jinbe spread his broad arms, his expression extremely anxious as he stopped the murderous Victor:
"Brother Victor, please stop for a moment!"
"You absolutely cannot kill him directly in the palace or in front of the public!"
Facing Victor's cold gaze, Jinbe painfully and quickly explained his concerns.
He knew well that Hody was guilty of heinous crimes, but if the Straw Hat crew, as humans, killed this Fishman leader right here or in the plaza,
then in the eyes of the one hundred thousand civilians on Fish-Man Island who had long been blinded by hatred, humans would be firmly established as "invaders and oppressors."
By then, the peace efforts that the late Queen Otohime had traded her life for, and which countless people had painstakingly maintained for years, would all go down the drain.
The rift between Fishmen and humans would never be bridged again.
"So, please be patient!" Jinbe urged earnestly. "We must let Hody take Luffy away."
"Let him be completely exposed in front of those one hundred thousand civilians at Gyoncorde Plaza for his cruel, ruthless true colors and his attempt to destroy Fish-Man Island!"
"Then, you Straw Hat crew can make a shining entrance as the 'heroes' who saved this country and defeat him in front of everyone."
"Only in this way can we truly sever that long-standing chain of hatred on Fish-Man Island."
After hearing Jinbe's "hero script" filled with visions of peace,
Victor's momentum, which was rushing forward like thunder, did not weaken in the slightest.
His heterochromatic eyes stared coldly at Jinbe blocking his path, his tone extremely icy:
"I don't care about those bullshit chains!"
"Get out of the way, Jinbe!"
Accompanied by Victor's angry shout.
"BOOM!!!"
A tangible, scarlet and purple intertwined Chakra surged from within Victor's body, instantly evaporating the surrounding seawater into a large expanse of white mist.
In the blink of an eye, a massive Susanoo, resembling an ancient demon god, rose from the ground in the seawater, completely enveloping Victor's figure within it.
The massive scarlet skeleton condensed and formed in an instant, followed immediately by countless complex Chakra meridians rapidly clinging to it.
Within a single breath, solid, thick Tengu armor covered the giant's entire body, emitting a chilling metallic luster and supreme pressure.
That was not all.
"Hum!"
Behind the fully-formed Susanoo, a pair of massive Chakra wings that blotted out the sky suddenly unfurled.
That pair of giant wings flapped forcefully in the deep sea.
The violent kinetic energy instantly whipped up terrifying sea currents and whirlpools that tore everything apart in the water.
Utilizing this immense thrust, Victor ignored Jinbe's obstruction entirely and domineeringly vaulted right over his head.
His massive form transformed into a red meteor traveling against the current in the deep sea, continuing to pursue Hody in the direction of his escape without mercy.
Jinbe hovered in the churning seawater, letting the turbulence stirred up by the Susanoo whip against his clothes.
He blankly felt the terrifying pressure that had just brushed past him, watching the gradually receding back of the demon god with complex eyes.
He finally understood how pale and powerless his well-laid, far-sighted plan was in front of this man.
In this man's eyes, what did the survival of a race or the great cause of peace, or the chains of hatred to be severed, matter?
All of that combined did not compare to his Captain.
Jinbe closed his eyes and sighed helplessly and long:
"What a... domineering and completely unreasonable man."Chapter 280: Two Years of Transformation! A Magnificent Clearing and a Restricted Shura
On the vast square of the Ryugu Palace's main hall.
Although the culprit, Hody Jones, had fled like a stray dog amidst the chaos, the several hundred elite officers of the New Fish-Man Pirates he left behind did not collapse because of it.
These fanatics, thoroughly brainwashed by extreme racism, still fought to the death without retreating, their eyes filled only with endless hatred for humans.
At this time, because the vacuum zone Victor had previously created lost the power sustaining it...
The surrounding cold, heavy seawater was surging back and sweeping in at an even faster speed.
The water level rose continuously, quickly submerging everyone up to their thighs.
Looking at the Straw Hat crew waiting in battle formation before them, the Fishman officers reached into their pockets and pulled out large handfuls of red 'energy steroids' (ES).
Without even looking, they stuffed them into their mouths and swallowed them in large gulps.
Accompanied by bursts of hair-raising screams of pain, the terrifying effects of the drug—which overdraws one's life—took hold instantly.
The bodies of these Fishmen expanded violently amidst the explosive cracking of bones, their muscles bulging unnaturally in knots, and their veins popping out.
Their eyes completely lost the light of reason, becoming as crimson and violent as those of wild beasts.
"Boss Hody will surely overthrow this weak country and lead us to rule over all humanity!"
"Before that, we will tear you low-life creatures into ten thousand pieces and use your blood to sacrifice to the glory of the Fishmen!"
Hundreds of drug-crazed, rampaging Fishman elites brandished rusted weapons and roared in unison, "Kill all humans!"
Like a pack of crazed wolves, they charged frantically toward King Neptune and the Straw Hat Pirates.
King Neptune was greatly alarmed as he watched his fellow tribesmen, whose strength had increased geometrically after taking the drug and who possessed an absolute natural advantage in the water.
He immediately brandished his golden trident and loudly ordered the Neptune Army soldiers to step forward, raising their sturdy shields to form a defensive line.
The old king feared that these few humans of the Straw Hat crew would suffer in a water battle and wanted to protect them behind him.
However, there was no need for the Neptune Army to intervene; the members of the Straw Hat crew had already spread out their formation with tacit understanding.
Facing the tide of violent enemies, not only did they not retreat or show fear, but the expressions on their faces became incredibly relaxed.
A confident and excited smile slowly appeared on everyone's lips.
This was the perfect time to test the results of their two years of hellish training!
"Too slow."
Zoro snorted coldly and tied his green bandana onto his head.
His phantom-like figure instantly traversed through the churning seawater.
The three famous swords carved brilliant cold flashes in the water, and between the glints of the blades, a terrifying whirlwind soared into the sky.
"Three Sword Style: Black Rope Dragon Twister!"
The sharp sword intent transformed into a pitch-black tornado that reached the sky, instantly sweeping large numbers of Fishman elites along with the seawater into the storm of blade energy, instantly shredding their combat capability.
In mid-air, Sanji's legs stepped continuously against the air, executing the 'Moonwalk' from the Marine Six Styles to remain steadily suspended in the air.
His long right leg ignited with raging flames from high-speed friction.
"Diable Jambe: Flambage Shot!"
Sanji delivered a series of heavy strikes carrying scorching flames in mid-air, precisely kicking the chins of the enemies attempting to leap out of the water to attack.
Accompanied by the dull sound of shattering bones, these Fishmen screamed as they were kicked back into the cold water.
"Let you taste the power of science and weather!"
Nami stood on a high coral reef, nimbly brandishing her newly upgraded magic clima-tact.
She easily summoned clusters of pitch-black thunderclouds, with brilliant lightning brewing within the cloud layers.
"Thunderbolt Tempo!" A thick bolt of lightning struck down, and with the boost from the seawater's excellent conductivity, the range of the lightning strike was instantly magnified.
It directly electrocuted a large group of Fishmen at the front until they were charred black and floating on the water's surface, foaming at the mouth.
As a Devil Fruit user, Robin could not touch the seawater.
But she was well-prepared; from the seawater beneath her, a giant arm capable of lifting even the thousand sunny burst out of the water.
The surface of this arm was covered with a layer of pitch-black, hard Armament Haki, perfectly isolating it from the effects of the seawater.
Robin stood gracefully atop her own giant black hand, her hands crossed over her chest.
"Gigantesco Mano: Spank!"
At her call, two more giant palms materialized in mid-air.
These giant hands, carrying destructive power like swatting flies, sent those Fishman elites who tried to approach flying in groups, crashing them against the palace walls.
On the other side, Franky brought his arms together and fired a dazzling high-temperature laser beam from his palms, triggering a series of violent chain explosions within the enemy ranks.
Usopp also stood on Robin's giant hand.
With his slingshot fully drawn, he precisely fired 'Pop Green' seeds, and the instantly growing piranha plants and vines tightly entangled the enemies.
Chopper and Brook had no way to go down and fight, so they could only stay on Robin's giant hand, taking on the role of the cheerleading squad.
The Straw Hat crew's attacks intertwined on the battlefield into a magnificent and terrifying web of firepower.
Just as the Straw Hat crew was clearing the battlefield like harvesting wheat, a stout blue figure also returned to the square; it was Knight of the Sea Jinbe.
Looking at these compatriots who were blinded by hatred and whose bodies were completely ruined by the potent drug, a flash of deep heartache and helplessness crossed Jinbe's eyes.
But he knew that now was not the time for soft-heartedness.
Jinbe took a deep breath and assumed an authentic Fishman Karate starting stance, his entire aura becoming as steady as a deep abyss.
"Fishman Karate Secret Technique: Buraikan!"
Jinbe suddenly threw a punch.
He perfectly utilized the massive amount of seawater surging back, injecting his power into the current to unleash a suffocatingly powerful water shockwave.
This shockwave was like a violent water dragon, instantly clearing a large area of dense enemies directly in front of him.
With the Straw Hat crew's artistically magnificent cooperation and the addition of Jinbe's overwhelming strength...
The hundreds of New Fish-Man Pirate elites, who had originally seemed aggressive and had swallowed the energy steroids prepared to go on a killing spree...
Didn't even manage to touch the hem of anyone's clothing from the Straw Hat crew before being completely and decisively defeated in just a short moment.
They completely lost their ability to fight and could only groan helplessly on the water's surface.
This battle ended so quickly—so quickly that King Neptune and the Neptune Army soldiers had only just managed to set up their defensive formation when the enemies before them had already been wiped out.
The soldiers of the Neptune Army held their weapons, staring dumbfounded at the members of the Straw Hat Pirates, who looked as if they had only performed a warm-up exercise, and collectively gasped in shock.
King Neptune's eyes widened in shock, and the trident in his hand trembled slightly.
Until this moment, this ruler of the deep sea finally had an incredibly clear understanding of the strength of these rising stars known as the 'Worst Generation.'
These young people with distinct personalities each possessed monster-like, terrifying strength!
On the water's surface, Zoro emerged and stepped onto the giant hand using the hand-stairs Robin generated for him.
He casually gave the cold-emanating wado ichimonji a beautiful flourish in his hand before lightly resting it on his broad shoulder.
His sharp, single eye surveyed the wailing enemies around him, finally landing on Jinbe, who had just retracted his punch.
Zoro asked with a hint of doubt:
"Hey, you Fishman, where's that red-eyed bastard Victor? He's not back yet?"
Hearing Zoro's inquiry, Jinbe let out a long, helpless sigh and shook his head, a bitter smile on his face:
"In order to chase that Hody who took your Captain, he activated that terrifying Red Giant Form that looked like a god descending to earth and charged straight out."
"But calculating the time... with his strength, he should be back soon."
Just as Jinbe's words fell...
With a slight'swish' of tearing air...
Victor's figure appeared out of thin air in front of everyone.
Seeing him empty-handed, not only Zoro and Nami, but everyone present cast searching gazes toward him.
Facing everyone's questioning gazes, Victor raised his hand somewhat irritably and pinched the bridge of his nose, a rare flash of annoyance in his eyes.
He shook his head at everyone, his voice carrying a bit of frustration:
"He got away."
"He got away?!" Usopp's mouth dropped open in surprise. "Even you couldn't catch that guy?"
Victor sighed and explained frankly:
"Once I leave the air zone of Ryugu Palace, I simply cannot breathe freely or fight for long in the high-pressure water of the ten-thousand-meter deep sea."
He paused, recalling the pursuit just now, his eyes turning slightly cold:
"Furthermore, that guy Hody took a massive amount of energy steroids, and his swimming speed in the water is ridiculously fast."
"And as a local Fishman, he knows the terrain of this deep sea like the back of his hand."
"He took Luffy through several complex trenches in the undersea canyons, using the deep-sea currents as cover, and soon disappeared from sight."
Hearing this result, everyone's mood became somewhat heavy.
After all, as a Devil Fruit user, Luffy's situation was definitely dire if he fell into the hands of Fishmen and was taken into the deep sea.
King Neptune stepped forward. Looking at the disgruntled Victor and the worried Straw Hat crew, he spoke in a solemn tone to comfort them:
"Everyone, please do not blame yourselves too much. Crimson Lotus, you have been a great help to this old man and Shirahoshi."
"Lord Luffy has also shown us kindness. Regarding his rescue, this old man and the entire Neptune Army will certainly not stand idly by."
"We... will surely put forth the strength of the entire nation to help!"
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