Ten thousand meters below the sea: Fish-Man Island.

A massive warship featuring a black wolf figurehead and flying a Jolly Roger entered the port of Fish-Man Island with bold defiance.

"Captain, is this really the port? Why is it so deserted?"

Gin looked around, bewildered. This wasn’t his first time at Fish-Man Island. Usually, the area was crawling with guards, but today there wasn’t a single Fish-Man sentry in sight. The entire port was empty, not even a merchant ship remained.

"Interesting. It seems something has truly happened here. Otherwise, it would be impossible for the port to be this barren," Aeridar remarked, scanning the harbor with a calm gaze.

Ever since Neptune accepted Aeridar’s proposal to establish trade relations with the Chris Pirates and the Donquixote Pirates, the Ryugu Kingdom had opened its doors to the world.

Trade had been incredibly lucrative. After Aeridar and Doflamingo raked in massive profits, other powerful and well-connected merchant guilds across the globe followed suit, forming fleets to trade with Fish-Man Island. While Aeridar and Doflamingo monopolized the lion’s share, the "scraps" left behind were more than enough to make those guilds a fortune.

The Ryugu Kingdom, on the receiving end of this commerce, had also struck it rich, greatly bolstering its national strength. With dozens of merchant ships passing through the port daily, Neptune, wary of desperate outlaws, had long ago stationed heavy troops to guard the harbor and strictly forbid any fighting.

Yet now, this vast port was devoid of ships and sentries. Clearly, something catastrophic had occurred.

"Gin, take the men and hold the ship. I’m going inside to take a look," Aeridar ordered, turning to Gin on the deck.

"No problem, Captain!" Gin nodded, signaling that everything was under control. He knew his captain’s speed; with Aeridar’s extreme mobility, having the crew follow would only slow him down; they might even become a liability.

Aeridar nodded, then kicked off into the air, flying through the sea-tunnel toward the heart of the island.

After about a minute of flight, Aeridar reached Coral Hill. This was Fish-Man Island’s most prosperous port town and the area where humans most frequently gathered. Now, however, not a single human was in sight, and even Fish-Men were few and far between.

Could it be that the final battle of the Fish-Man Island arc has begun? Aeridar wondered as he soared through the air. He stroked his chin, muttering to himself, "Hmm, I remember the final showdown should be at Gyoncorde Plaza. It’s the largest plaza on the island, more than capable of holding one or two hundred thousand people."

"Let’s head to Gyoncorde Plaza first, then!"

With a sudden burst of speed, Aeridar accelerated. A thunderous boom echoed through the air, accompanied by the appearance of a sonic boom cloud.

"What was that?"

"A cloud?"

"What was that explosion?"

The Fish-Men down in Coral Hill were startled by the massive sonic boom. They looked up, whispering and gesturing in confusion.

Fish-Man Island wasn’t entirely submerged; except for places like the Mermaid Cove and Fish-Man District, most of the island consisted of dry coral land. This allowed Aeridar, a Devil Fruit user, to fly so brazenly through the island’s interior.

...

Gyoncorde Plaza.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Crash! Clang! Bang!

"Kill the rebels!"

"For Fish-Man Island, take down the Neptune Army!"

"Destroy these Fish-Man pirates! Fish-Man Island must never fall into their hands!"

"Long live Captain Hody! Slaughter the Neptune Army!"

The sounds of gunfire, clashing steel, and the screams of a desperate struggle filled the sky. Intense flames rose into the air, and thick black smoke spiraled upward. The pungent scent of blood and brine permeated the atmosphere.

Across the entire plaza, over a hundred thousand people were locked in combat, including tens of thousands of humans.

In the center of the plaza, King Neptune commanded twenty thousand soldiers who were completely surrounded. Their enemies were nearly a hundred thousand Fish-Men, bearing the red tattoos of the New Fish-Man Pirates, and forty thousand humans.

Thanks to their state-of-the-art marine armor and corrosion-resistant light metal weapons, the Neptune Army was managing to hold the line against the overwhelming numbers.

While the foot soldiers slaughtered each other, the high-ranking figures on both sides remained stationary.

Standing before Neptune were the Neptune Brothers, Jinbe, and the Straw Hat Pirates. Beside them stood Princess Shirahoshi, the girl who was secretly the Ancient Weapon, ’Poseidon’.

On the side of the New Fish-Man Pirates, Hody Jones was flanked by his elite officers: Dosun with his massive warhammer, the invisible Zeo, the small but fierce Daruma, Ikaros Much with his eight spears, Hammond in his black top hat and earrings, and the island’s "greatest" swordsman, the octopus Hyouzou.

"You’ve walked right into my trap, Jinbe!"

Hody Jones, whose hair had turned white and whose body had swelled in size, stood on a high platform, shouting down at the surrounded Jinbe. "Don’t get too cocky! I have over a hundred thousand troops. A mere twenty thousand soldiers of the Neptune Army are nothing. Fish-Man Island will be mine!"

"Numbers aren’t everything, Hody! Given what you’ve done, Fish-Man Island can never be left to you!" Jinbe retorted loudly.

"It’s better in my hands! Once I am King, I will change everything. Fish-Men are the supreme race of this world!"

Hody Jones spread his arms, declaring grandly, "Once I am King, this year’s Reverie will be the perfect opportunity. I will spill the blood of every human king in Mariejois, marking the beginning of the legend of the terrifying Undersea Kingdom!"

"I will drag all the humans in the world to the bottom of the sea and make them slaves. Then, no one will ever dare oppose the Fish-Men again. The world of pirates will be the same!"

"Jahahaha! All pirates will bow before the New Fish-Man Pirates!"

"Look at the miserable state of these once-arrogant pirates!" Hody pointed at the shackled humans, then glared at the Straw Hats beside Jinbe, a cruel sneer twisting his face. "This is your future, Straw Hat! Only I am fit to be the true King of the Pirates! Jahahaha!"

"King of the Pirates..."

Beside Jinbe, Luffy suddenly raised his head, his gaze locking onto Hody Jones on the platform.

"You murdered people from the various merchant guilds and detained the traders of the Chris Pirates!" Jinbe shouted in rage. "You have no idea of that man’s power. You are leading Fish-Man Island straight into hell!"

"Don’t forget, the sea is our true battlefield! No one can stop a Fish-Man in the water!" Hody waved his hand dismissively. "Furthermore, at this year’s Reverie, he will be the first one I assassinate!"

Hody laughed manically, brimming with confidence. "Jahahaha! He’ll never expect an attack during the Reverie at Mariejois. I’ll rip his throat out myself!"