"Captain Hody!"

"What’s wrong, Captain?!"

While Hody Jones was still paralyzed by the vivid sensation of his own "death," the elite officers of the New Fish-Man Pirates finally noticed something was wrong with their leader and began shouting in alarm.

Huff... huff... huff...

As if jolted by their voices, Hody’s entire body shuddered. He snapped out of the trance, gasping for air as large beads of sweat pitter-pattered onto the ground, quickly forming a dark puddle beneath him.

"Tch. Is that all the strength you have?"

Suspended in mid-air, Aeridar let a look of pure disdain curl his lip.

To think someone who could barely withstand a single glance from him dared to speak of becoming the King of the Pirates. It was the height of absurdity, a candle trying to rival the sun. For such a creature to claim he would ambush and rip out Aeridar’s throat was nothing more than the ignorance of a "shark in an aquarium" that knew nothing of the vastness of the seas.

"You... who... exactly are you?" Hody managed to wheeze out, struggling for breath.

"Captain Hody, this man is Aeridar! Lord of the Neutral Zone, Captain of the Chris Pirates, and one of the Seven Warlords, Golden Ring Aeridar!" Zeo recognized him instantly, snapping into a defensive stance with a look of grim gravity.

"Kyakya! I don’t know how he intercepted Captain Hody’s Yabusame, but to reduce the Captain to this state with just a glance... this man truly is the ’Monster among Monsters,’ just like the legends say!" Daruma hopped nervously on the rocks, unable to sit still.

"Looking at you, it seems you’ve taken some forbidden drug that overdraws your life force." Aeridar glanced at Hody’s white hair with contempt. "What a waste. Even with drugs, you’re still trash. Your Fish-Man Karate is a hundred thousand miles behind Jinbe’s."

"It’s the Warlord!"

"The Lord of the Neutral Zone, recognized by both the Yonko and the World Government!"

"He killed the legendary Flying Pirate Golden Lion and crippled Whitebeard during the Paramount War... how can we possibly win against a guy like that?!"

The rank-and-file pirates of the New Fish-Man crew looked up at Aeridar, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

"This guy..."

In the middle of the battlefield, Luffy gritted his teeth so hard they nearly cracked.

He could never forget the two crushing defeats he suffered at Marineford and Ruskaina Island. That overwhelming power had once pushed him to the brink of despair, an experience far more bitter than even his defeat at the hands of Admiral Aokiji Kuzan.

"Luffy!" Zoro and Sanji frowned, sensing their captain’s intense focus.

"Don’t move recklessly. That man... is a monster!" Luffy said, his eyes locked on the sky, his voice heavy with solemnity.

"A monster, huh..."

Zoro and Sanji’s expressions shifted. Though they had seen the man briefly at Water 7 and Sabaody Archipelago, they had never witnessed his true power. However, knowing their captain’s character, if Luffy said it, there was no doubt, the man was a freak of nature.

"I fought him once at Marine Headquarters, and he nearly killed me with a single move. Then, while training with Rayleigh, I saw him again. I went all out until I was exhausted, and I couldn’t even leave a scratch on him!" Luffy said in a low, gravelly voice. "Part of it was my own lack of mastery, but that overwhelming power... I can never forget it!"

Hiss...

Zoro and Sanji drew sharp breaths, staring up at the figure in the sky with shock. They had just seen a glimpse of Luffy’s improved strength through his Conqueror’s Haki, yet for Luffy to speak this way meant the gap was terrifyingly vast.

"Aeridar-dono, my sincerest apologies. The incident on Fish-Man Island has negatively impacted your guild’s trade," Jinbe called out from below, his voice deep and resonant.

"I know. That’s why I’m here to settle it," Aeridar replied coldly, sparing Jinbe a brief glance.

Jinbe’s expression soured. "Aeridar-dono, this is an internal matter for Fish-Man Island. Please, let me handle it."

"Don’t make me laugh. The Straw Hats aren’t Fish-Men; why are they involved?" Aeridar slowly drifted down to stand before Jinbe. "Someone moved against my people. I have to give my subordinates an explanation, otherwise, how can I lead them?"

At that, Jinbe nearly lost his composure. A stampede of "internal screams" flooded his mind.

What a load of crap!

Sure, merchant ships were seized and personnel were taken hostage. It was a problem, but it wasn’t the kind of world-shaking event that required a legendary figure to descend personally. This was like a random pirate from a Yonko’s fleet getting bullied on an island, only for the Yonko themselves to show up instead of sending a subordinate.

In Jinbe’s eyes, this wasn’t about "seeking an explanation" or "flexing muscles"—this was purely because Aeridar was bored!

"Damn you!"

Seeing Aeridar and Jinbe chatting as if he didn’t exist, Hody Jones flew into a rage. The excessive doses of Energy Steroids had already made him cold-blooded, violent, and incredibly irritable.

"Don’t think some hypnosis trick will scare me!"

"You’re just a lowly human! Don’t look down on me, you bastard!"

With bloodshot eyes, Hody stomped the ground, the impact creating a massive crater as he launched himself forward like a cannonball.

"Hmm?"

Both Aeridar and Jinbe turned their heads at the same time toward the incoming threat.

Whoosh—

"Hody! Your opponent is me!"

Suddenly, a red blur trailing steam flashed past. A foot slammed squarely into Hody’s stomach.

BOOM!

A shockwave of air blasted outward. Hody’s abdomen caved in, and he was sent flying backward, smashing violently into the rock wall. Dust and debris filled the air as he was buried in a newly formed crater.

Rumble...

"Straw Hat...!!!"

Hody Jones spat blood, bracing himself against the rocks to stand up. Debris slid off his body as he glared death at the steaming Luffy.

"I’m the one taking you down, Hody!" Luffy, in Gear 2, stood with pink-tinted skin and rising steam, his gaze unwavering.

Hody wiped the blood from his mouth, his voice chilling. "Fine. I’ll kill you first, and then I’ll kill that other bastard!"

Pop~ CRASH!

Abruptly, a dark shadow appeared in front of Hody Jones as if by teleportation. A hand clamped onto his face, slamming him back into the rock wall with bone-shattering force.

The impact buried Hody deep into the cliffside, leaving most of his body covered in rubble.

"Who are you going to kill, you piece of trash?"

Looking at the eye-rolling Hody, Aeridar whispered the question softly. He turned around to face Luffy, a grin spreading across his face. "Straw Hat, who gave you permission to steal my prey?"

"Golden Ring Aeridar!!!"

Luffy’s expression turned grim, every muscle in his body tensing for combat.