Chapter 253: Conspiracies, Dreams, and a Banquet!
Deep within the dark alleys of Fish-Man District, the seawater carried the stench of rust and decay.
A ghost ship whose hull had nearly rotted apart swayed slowly like a dying beast before sinking into the muddy seabed. Low whispers seeped from between its warped planks.
Creeeak—
The cabin door slowly opened.
Four long limbs stepped out from the shadows.
Vander Decken IX dragged his damp coat behind him, his green trousers glowing faintly in the darkness.
"Hody Jones… what the hell do you want with me?!"
Opposite him stood a massive figure blocking nearly the entire path.
Gray-blue shark skin stretched over bulging muscles. A scarf hung around his neck, while beneath the brim of his trident-shaped hat, his pupils had narrowed into pale slits overflowing with fanaticism.
Hody Jones grinned, exposing rows of sharp teeth.
"Long time no see, Decken!!"
He stepped forward, causing the ground beneath them to tremble slightly.
"I came because I need to borrow your power!!"
"Huh?!"
Vander Decken froze momentarily, his arms curling instinctively.
"That Emperor of the Sea…"
Hody's voice suddenly rose sharply, echoing throughout the alleyway.
"Straw Hat Luffy—the so-called 'savior' worshipped by the fools of Fish-Man Island—has arrived here!!"
He spread his arms wide as though embracing the entire rotten district.
"I need your ability to break through Ryugu Palace's defenses!!"
"I'll personally execute that Emperor in front of everyone!!"
A low laugh rumbled from his throat before gradually turning hysterical.
"I'll make those idiots on Fish-Man Island open their eyes and finally understand…"
"Humans have always been nothing more than an inferior species crawling beneath our feet!!"
Vander Decken remained silent for a while.
"Tch… Hody Jones, you've completely lost your mind."
He spat into the filthy water beneath them.
"That's one of the strongest humans alive… and besides, he's the benefactor of this island—"
"SHUT UP—!!!"
The roar exploded through the alleyway like a burst of compressed seawater.
Blood vessels spread through Hody's eyes while veins bulged violently around his neck.
"Fish-Men do not need a human savior!!"
"The weak ideals left behind by that senile fool Neptune and that idiot Otohime should've been purged long ago!!"
He stepped forward until he was nearly face-to-face with Vander Decken, every word dripping with murderous hatred.
"Fish-Men are born with ten times the strength of humans!"
"Fish-Men are the true rulers of the sea!!"
"Once I crush Straw Hat Luffy, the New Fish-Man Pirates will conquer the oceans!!"
"I'll become the Pirate King!!"
"I'll trample the Holy Land Mariejois beneath my feet and turn every human into slaves!!"
The alley fell into dead silence.
Vander Decken stared quietly into Hody's crazed eyes.
After a long moment, he slowly turned away.
"Sorry."
His four legs carried him back toward the ghost ship, his voice as cold as the deep sea itself.
"I'm not interested in risking my life in a deal like that."
His footsteps dragged wet echoes across the ground.
Just as he was about to touch the rusted hull of the ship—
"What if…"
Hody Jones' voice drifted from behind him.
It wasn't loud.
Yet it pierced the ear like poison.
"What if I could make Princess Shirahoshi… fall in love with you?"
Vander Decken instantly froze.
Slowly—
He turned back around.
In the dim light, Hody Jones' lips curled upward into a grin filled with mockery, temptation, and absolute control.
The wind in the alleyway seemed to stop.
Only silence rippled slowly across the filthy water between them.
Meanwhile, over the sparkling waters of Mermaid Cove, an entirely different scene unfolded.
Mermaids of every color surfaced gracefully from the crystal-clear sea.
The scales of their tails shimmered beneath the sunlight while tiny shells and coral ornaments decorated their flowing hair.
Their smiles were brighter than the ocean breeze itself.
"Sanji-sama! Over here—!!"
They waved enthusiastically toward the blond cook standing on the shore, their voices ringing out like splashing waves.
"WAAAH!! THIS REALLY IS THE ENTRANCE TO HEAVEN—!!!"
Sanji's eyes had already transformed into pulsing hearts.
Without the slightest hesitation, he tore off his black jacket and dove straight into the sparkling blue waters.
The instant water splashed around him, it almost looked as though divine light had descended from the heavens behind him.
"Beautiful ladies… I'm coming!!!"
SPLASH—!!
His face instantly buried itself into unimaginable softness.
'This feeling… is this real? No… it's even softer…'
'Like sinking into sweet-smelling clouds… freshly made caramel milk? Fluffy whipped cream beneath warm sunlight?'
'Incredible… my heart feels like it's floating… my soul's melting away…'
"I've decided…"
Sanji suddenly burst upward from the water, his face glowing with the greatest happiness of his life.
His nostrils flared dramatically as he looked completely intoxicated.
"—I'M GOING TO LIVE HERE FOREVER!!!"
"Sanji-san is so funny~!"
The mermaids burst into laughter, their tails lightly splashing the water and scattering glittering droplets everywhere.
They were always like this—welcoming every visitor with their natural warmth.
"No wonder they call this place a man's dream island…"
Usopp lay face-down near the shore with stars practically shining from his eyes.
"This isn't an island anymore… it's a dream! A dream nobody wants to wake up from!!"
"But wait a second…"
Brook rested his skeletal fingers against his jaw, his empty eye sockets somehow filled with confusion and deep jealousy.
"Isn't Sanji-san a Devil Fruit user? How is he still so energetic after diving into seawater?"
"Who knows?"
Usopp clicked his tongue bitterly.
"Maybe his love for mermaids is powerful enough to temporarily override the curse of the sea itself…"
He stared at Sanji surrounded by laughter and affection in the water before looking down at himself.
A wave of sorrow surged through him.
Heaven was right in front of him—
Yet he could only watch from the shore.
What a cruel reality!
"Damn it… this is all Luffy's fault!!"
Usopp tilted his head toward the sky while tears streamed down his face like waterfalls.
"If it weren't for him… maybe I could've…"
Meanwhile, deep inside Ryugu Palace—
The banquet hall sparkled brilliantly beneath the deep sea.
Soft blue light filtered down through the massive crystal dome overhead, blending beautifully with the glowing pearls embedded throughout the hall.
The massive coral dining table looked like a work of art itself.
Upon it sat delicacies rarely seen anywhere else in the world:
Gigantic clams white as jade.
Oysters as large as fists.
Entire deep-sea beast legs sizzling atop special seaweed charcoal grills, releasing an intoxicating aroma.
There was even Fish-Man Island's famous amber-colored liquor served inside crystal glasses, bubbles rising slowly like floating stars.
The Straw Hats' eyes had already locked firmly onto the feast.
The sound of everyone swallowing echoed repeatedly throughout the hall.
Greedy green glints practically burst from their eyes like starving wolves preparing to pounce.
"Um… are we really allowed to start eating?"
Yamato tried to suppress her excitement while glancing back and forth between the carefree Luffy and the dignified King Neptune.
Her voice carried cautious anticipation.
"YEAH—! Don't hold back! Just treat it like your own ship!"
Luffy shouted through a mouth already overflowing with food.
Before he even finished speaking, his arm stretched across the table and wrapped around an entire roasted deep-sea fish before he swallowed it whole in a single bite.
His face radiated pure satisfaction.
On the other side of the hall, Zoro had already picked up a half-human-sized barrel with one hand and began chugging directly from it.
Amber liquor flowed down his jaw and across his muscular chest, but he paid it no attention.
"Good booze!"
The Ryugu Palace guards standing nearby stared in stunned disbelief, their serving trays trembling slightly.
"They really… don't stand on ceremony at all."
The Right Minister stroked his beard while muttering softly to himself, sounding both shocked and helpless.
Seeing this, Jinbe smiled warmly before turning toward King Neptune.
"Your Majesty, please forgive them. Luffy-boy has always been like this."
"There's absolutely no disrespect toward Ryugu Palace intended."
He looked toward Luffy, who had completely immersed himself in devouring food, with the expression of an older brother exasperated by someone he deeply cared about.
"GWAHAHAHAHA! It's fine, it's fine!"
King Neptune's booming laughter echoed through the hall, his massive body shaking slightly.
"They are the heroes who protected Fish-Man Island—the honored guests of Ryugu Palace itself!"
"A banquet should always be lively!"
His gaze eventually settled upon Luffy, who was currently trying to shove an entire slab of meat into his mouth.
Within Neptune's eyes flickered a complicated mixture of emotions.
Curiosity.
Emotion.
And deep disbelief.
"I truly never imagined…"
"That the man who shook the entire world and rose to the summit as one of the Emperors of the Sea… the legendary Monkey D. Luffy…"
He paused briefly as if searching for the perfect word.
In the end, all he could do was laugh softly.
"…would personally be this… unique."
"Seeing it with my own eyes far surpasses any rumor."
Within the grand banquet hall, the aroma of food, the noise of celebration, and the tranquil glow of the deep sea all intertwined together—
Creating a lively and heartwarming scene unique only to this hidden paradise beneath the ocean.