"So fast! I couldn’t see him at all!"

"Captain Hody!"

"Both of them are too fast... they really are monsters!"

The New Fish-Man Pirates were horrified. The speed of the exchange was so high it looked like teleportation.

"I told you, I’m the one who’s beating this guy!" Luffy said, staring Aeridar down without a hint of fear.

"Interesting!" Aeridar chuckled lowly, looking at Luffy with genuine curiosity. "Heh heh heh... you’re as bold as ever!"

"Why should I have to run and hide every time I meet an Admiral or a top-tier pirate? That part of my life ended two years ago!"

The white steam around Luffy grew denser as he roared at Aeridar, "I don’t care if you’re the Lord of the Neutral Zone, a Marine Admiral, or a Yonko! If I don’t knock all of you into the dirt, I’ll never be the King of the Pirates!!!"

"Luffy, stop!!!"

Suddenly, Jinbe stepped between the two, shouting, "Calm down! I don’t know how much you learned from Rayleigh-san, but now is absolutely not the time to challenge this man!"

He paused, his expression deeply serious. "To put it bluntly, you are not his match. In fact... even Rayleigh-san might not be his match!"

"Rayleigh isn’t his match? Jinbe..." Luffy’s brow twitched in surprise.

Rumble...

The sound of shifting stone cut through the tension. Hody Jones, his face covered in blood, struggled back to his feet.

"He’s tough! That guy!"

Luffy was genuinely surprised. Hody had taken a direct kick from him and a heavy slam from Aeridar, yet he could still stand. Luffy knew how much power he had put into that kick, and having faced Aeridar before, he knew the man’s strength was terrifying. To survive both strikes spoke of a physical resilience that was truly remarkable.

"Bastards!"

Hody glared at the group, his blood-red eyes filled with primal fury. He let out a raspy, beast-like snarl.

"Die! Sea Drum!!!"

POW—

Hody punched the air in front of him. The sheer force compressed the moisture in the air, sending a powerful shockwave forward.

"Compressing moisture in the air to create an impact? Interesting technique!" Aeridar’s eyes lit up. He raised a palm and slapped the air in front of him.

BOOM!

The two shockwaves collided, creating a sound like a thunderclap. A violent gust of damp wind surged outward.

"Wow, you’ve still got that much power? I guess that forbidden drug isn’t totally useless!" Aeridar looked genuinely surprised. He and Luffy had both landed direct hits. While Aeridar hadn’t used his full strength, it wasn’t something an ordinary person could survive, let alone stay standing and counter-attack. Hody’s physical body had been reinforced to an absurd degree.

"Nani?!" Hody was shocked. His full-power strike had been neutralized so easily?

"Shark Arrows!"

This time, Jinbe gathered water droplets and flicked them forward with a snap.

Whoosh— Bang! Crash!

The water spheres, traveling like high-velocity rounds, slammed into Hody, throwing him back into the wall once again.

Jinbe lowered his hand and remained in front of Luffy, speaking sternly to Aeridar. "Aeridar-dono, this man is a traitor to Fish-Man Island. Please, leave him to me. I promise to recover your merchants and give the Chris Pirates a full explanation!"

"Jinbe, you should remember your current position," Aeridar said, tilting his head with a grin. "Moreover, you know exactly who Straw Hat’s father is. During the battle for the Kingdom of Bivins, my conflict with the Revolutionary Army was hardly small."

Jinbe remained silent, his face pale. Even deep beneath the sea, he was well aware of the war that had shocked the world six months ago. The Chris Pirates had swept through everything, with the Revolutionary Army and the Church of the Night being crushed.

In the battle of the Red River Wasteland, the Revolutionary Army suffered a near-total defeat. Jinbe had also heard whispers during his time with the Big Mom Pirates that something even more significant had happened behind the scenes, leading the World Government and the Chris Pirates to hunt the Revolutionaries with relentless fury. The grudge between them was deep.

"It’s not like it’s a secret," Aeridar said, shaking his head in annoyance. "After the defeat at Red River Wasteland, the Revolutionaries teamed up with Black Arm Zephyr and his Neo Marines to raid my research base. They actually managed to bribe one of my scientists, made a mess of my base, and stole quite a few of my SS Serums!"

"So tell me, as the son of Dragon, do you think I’ll just let him go?"

Aeridar leaned in close, staring directly into Jinbe’s eyes.

Jinbe’s expression grew grimmer. The Revolutionary Army had joined forces with a former Admiral to attack the Chris Pirates’ core facility? No wonder the World Government had put a 1-billion berry bounty on Zephyr, and no wonder the Chris Pirates were hunting them like mortal enemies.

Truthfully, Jinbe did not want to start a war with this man on Fish-Man Island. The consequences would be catastrophic. The only way to potentially kill Aeridar would be to break the island’s coating and drown him, but the Straw Hats would also perish in the process.

Furthermore, the pressure of the deep sea would crush the island’s infrastructure. If the Candy Factory was destroyed, Fish-Man Island would lose its protection from Big Mom, a woman who had destroyed entire nations over missing sweets.

Just then, the sky suddenly went dark. It was as if a massive object had blocked out the sunlight reaching the seafloor. Everyone looked up in unison.

It was a ship the size of an island, half the size of Fish-Man Island itself. It was covered in moss and connected to massive chains, appearing ancient beyond measure. It was drifting directly toward the island on a collision course.

"That... that’s Noah from the Fish-Man District!"

"Why is Noah above us?!"

"It’s heading straight for the plaza! It’s going to pop the island’s bubble!"

"If the bubble bursts, Fish-Man Island is finished! We’ll all be crushed!"

Panic erupted. Even Jinbe and the Straw Hats were horrified.

"Hey, hey, hey... are you kidding me? If a ship that big hits us, the whole island will shatter!" Aeridar’s brow furrowed. "Who the hell is moving that thing?"

"No... Noah shouldn’t have any power!" Jinbe said, sweat beading on his forehead.

Suddenly, Aeridar realized something. ’Wait... Vander Decken! It’s Vander Decken IX! Besides me, he’s the only one here whose Mark-Mark Fruit ability could move a ship that massive!’