"Hmph. Ridiculous. You have no inkling of that man’s strength!"

Jinbe snorted, completely dismissing Hody’s claims. To him, Hody was just a shark inside an aquarium, a fool who used drugs to boost his strength and understood nothing of true monsters.

Jinbe had witnessed that man’s power firsthand at Marineford and Whole Cake Island. His extreme speed, overwhelming strength, and status as one of the world’s only dual Devil Fruit users made him a freak of nature. His dominance was enough to drive anyone to despair.

He had defeated Golden Lion, heavily wounded Whitebeard, joined the hunt for Redfield, soloed Byrnndi World, and fought the hunger-crazed Big Mom to a standstill... This string of staggering achievements had long ago cemented his place among the tiny handful of people at the absolute peak of the world.

In Jinbe’s estimation, if that man so desired, he could destroy the entirety of Fish-Man Island single-handedly.

"That’s because you don’t know the power I possess now! Jahahaha!"

Hody Jones laughed arrogantly, a thick, murderous aura radiating from him, equally dismissive of Jinbe’s warnings. In his mind, the power granted by the Energy Steroids (E.S.) was enough to sweep aside all opposition. And if it wasn’t enough, he’d just eat more.

"Kill them! New Fish-Man Pirates!!!" Hody commanded, losing his patience.

"KILL—!"

"TAKE THEM DOWN!"

In the next instant, a roar like a mountain collapsing shook the plaza. The deafening sound echoed across the entire island.

"Waah! A hundred thousand people?! How are we supposed to fight that? This is crazy!" Chopper cried out, jumping up with tears streaming down his face.

"Nothing good ever happens when I’m involved with you guys!" Pappag clung to Chopper, weeping just as hard.

While the Straw Hats voiced their various opinions, not one of them suggested retreating.

Step. Step. Step.

Luffy pushed past the bickering Zoro and Sanji, walking toward the battlefield one step at a time.

"A 400-million berry head is mine!"

"He’s mine!"

"I won’t let you have him!"

Seeing Luffy walking toward them alone and defenseless, the pirates of the New Fish-Man crew ignored the resisting Neptune soldiers and swarmed toward him, eager to claim the massive bounty on his head.

"Jahahaha! Kill him!" Hody laughed triumphantly.

Vroom—

Suddenly, Luffy looked up. An invisible force erupted from him, sweeping across the entire plaza. The air hummed with a soft vibration, like a passing gust of wind. For a split second, the world seemed to lose its color, turning to shades of black and white.

In that moment, Hody Jones felt a sudden pang of terror in his heart, as if he were being stared down by a colossal Ancient Sea King. His body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Thump. Thump. Thump...

A moment later, countless people began to fall like dominoes. Their eyes rolled back as they lost consciousness. Tens of thousands collapsed instantly. As far as the eye could see, the ground was littered with fallen Fish-Men.

"What... what happened?" a Fish-man screamed in terror.

Hody’s mouth hung open, cold sweat pouring down his face. He stared at the scene in disbelief.

"He didn’t even do anything... and so many of us were taken out!"

"Hey! Wake up!"

"Damn it... more than a third of us were finished in a second!"

"F-fifty thousand men... gone in an instant... what the hell did that guy do?!"

The remaining members of the New Fish-Man Pirates were paralyzed by shock, their foreheads drenched in sweat. While they were terrified, Jinbe, Neptune, and the Straw Hats were equally surprised.

Jinbe, in particular, was stunned. He hadn’t expected Luffy to hone his Haki to such a degree in just two years.

"Hody, was it? I’m definitely going to kick your ass," Luffy said calmly, his eyes fixed on Hody Jones. "I don’t care where you want to be ’King,’ but for the King of the Pirates... one is enough!"

Under the pressure of the Conqueror’s Haki, Hody Jones was momentarily stunned into silence. Because Luffy had focused the Haki primarily on the fodder and Hody, the elite officers didn’t feel the full weight of it, though they were still shaken by his power.

"Even if fifty thousand are gone, we still have nearly a hundred thousand troops!"

"The Straw Hats have always been the fated enemies of our ambition!"

"And Jinbe is a resident of the worst possible future for Fish-Men, living out Otohime’s deluded dream of friendship with humans!"

Zeo and the other officers quickly recovered, rallying the remaining troops to surround the group.

"That’s right! Who cares about Straw Hat? He’s just a human!"

"Jinbe is a traitor to the Fish-Men! Kill them all!" 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"RAAAH—!"

The morale of the New Fish-Man Pirates surged back. They raised their blades and guns, charging toward the Straw Hats.

"Gear 3: Gomu Gomu no Gigant Pistol!!!"

"Mouton Shot!!!"

"Let’s see if you surrender first or get wiped out first... Three-Sword Style: 108 Pound Phoenix!!!"

"Trenta Fleurs: Clutch!!!"

Facing an army of nearly a hundred thousand, the Straw Hats immediately launched their counterattack. Their growth over the last two years was immense. Against the New Fish-Man Pirates, they moved like a hot knife through butter, decimating the enemy ranks with overwhelming force.

Hody Jones had regained his composure. Seething with rage, he turned his cold gaze toward Princess Shirahoshi. To him, her seventeen-meter-tall frame was nothing more than a giant target.

"Tch. If you think you can protect that giant mermaid in the middle of this plaza, let’s see you try!"

"Shark Arrows!!!"

Hody gathered a sphere of water in his hand and hurled it violently toward Shirahoshi.

Zip—

The high-speed water drop flew through the air like a large-caliber bullet, whistling as it zoomed toward the princess.

Pop.

Suddenly, just as everyone was about to fail to reach her in time, a slight ripple appeared in the air. The water bullet exploded mid-flight with a sharp bang, splashing harmlessly into the wind.

"That’s..."

Jinbe had already gathered water in his own hand to intercept the attack, but before he could act, the strike had been pulverized. Looking at the ripple in the air, his brow furrowed as if he recognized the technique.

"What happened?"

"Why did Captain Hody’s powerful attack just explode?"

"I didn’t see anything! What’s going on?!"

While Jinbe’s side breathed a sigh of relief, they were just as confused as Hody.

Suddenly, a black speck appeared in the sky, slowly descending. It looked like a human silhouette.

"To lay such violent hands on such a beautiful princess... truly unforgivable."

The figure in the sky seemed to fly. Under the gaze of countless onlookers, he descended unhurriedly and came to a stop, standing firmly on thin air.

The moment they saw him, Jinbe, Luffy, and Neptune all widened their eyes, their pupils shrinking in shock.

"Aeridar-sama!"

Shirahoshi covered her mouth, her large eyes welling up with tears as she looked at the man in the sky.

"Hey there, Shirahoshi. Long time no see. You’ve certainly grown up!" Aeridar tilted his head, a flash of genuine admiration in his eyes. He had to admit, the adult Shirahoshi was breathtakingly beautiful and pure. Even compared to Hancock, she didn’t lose an inch; she might even have a slight edge.

"Who are you?! How dare you interfere with my plans!"

Though surprised that the man could fly, Hody Jones was consumed by fury and shouted his challenge.

"Hmm?"

Aeridar raised an eyebrow and turned his head, casting a single glance at Hody Jones.

"Ugh...!"

The moment Hody’s eyes met Aeridar’s, it felt as though an invisible hand had clamped around his throat. He couldn’t squeeze out a single word. He broke into a cold sweat, his entire body trembling uncontrollably.

I’m... I’m going to die... I’m really going to die...

Cold, bloody, terrifying... what kind of eyes were those? Hody Jones had never imagined that he would see his own "death" reflected in the eyes of a human. It was a moment of utter, crushing despair.