Chapter 258: Jinbe vs. Hody Jones!
At the same time, the massive communication corridor connecting Ryugu Palace to the outside world slowly opened with a deafening mechanical rumble.
A gigantic waterway large enough for enormous sea beasts to pass through was revealed.
The faint glow of the deep sea from the opposite side illuminated Hody Jones' blood-red eyes.
"Heh… those useless human trash we fired in as 'projectiles' actually managed to open the passage?"
He licked his sharp teeth as the twisted grin on his face widened further.
Contempt.
Cruelty.
Triumphant madness.
All of it mixed together into one terrifying expression.
Raising his trident high into the air, Hody roared loudly:
"Do you see it?! Even fate stands on our side! The gates of invasion have already opened for us!"
"Now is the time to rewrite history! Charge, warriors of the New Fish-Man Pirates!"
"Show those fools drunk on false peace what true power looks like!"
"We are the true fish-men who inherited Arlong's will!!"
"OOOOOOOH—!!!"
"Crush Ryugu Palace!!"
"Fish-men supremacy!!"
Frenzied cheers and hate-filled roars erupted among the pirates, forming a chilling wave of sound.
Driven by Energy Steroids and extremist ideology, the fish-men's eyes glowed crimson as they wildly brandished their weapons.
Their morale surged to its peak.
"Hahahaha!! Advance—!!"
Accompanied by Hody's manic laughter, the colossal manta ray beneath him let out a low, oppressive roar.
Its giant tail fin suddenly swung forward.
BOOOOM!!!
Massive undersea currents exploded outward as the mountain-like sea beast charged violently through the opened passage toward the unguarded heart of Ryugu Palace.
Inside the banquet hall of Ryugu Palace…
The once lively banquet chamber had transformed into a battlefield on the verge of eruption.
The palace lights reflected off the tense faces and sharpened spears of the Ryugu guards—
As well as the intruders who had just stormed inside.
"Hahahaha! How utterly disgusting, King Neptune!!"
Hody Jones swaggered into the hall arrogantly.
His crimson eyes swept over the luxurious feast still covering the tables before settling upon Neptune's grim face atop the throne.
A mocking grin spread across his face.
"For years, humans have hunted our people like fish, dragged them away as slaves, and sold them on auction blocks!"
"And yet you—our 'noble' king—actually welcome humans as honored guests and throw banquets for them?!"
He spread his arms wide as his voice sharpened with rage.
"Neptune! You're not only a disgrace to the royal family…"
"You're a complete traitor to the entire fish-man race!!"
"Hody—!"
A deep voice interrupted the accusation.
Jinbe stepped forward.
Looking at the younger fish-man who had been entirely consumed by hatred, pain filled his eyes.
"Wake up! Don't let obsession and lies blind you any longer! There are evil humans, yes—but not all humans are evil!"
"The hatred you cling to is dragging both yourself and your followers into an abyss with no return!"
"Blind obsession? Heh… hahahaha!"
Hody burst into harsh, hysterical laughter as though hearing the world's greatest joke.
Pointing directly at Jinbe, his bloodshot eyes nearly overflowed with madness.
"How did Fisher Tiger die?! He died because of human betrayal and persecution!"
"And Queen Otohime? Wasn't she murdered by a human pirate's bullet?!"
"And Arlong… he was defeated and imprisoned by the Straw Hat Pirates themselves!"
His voice became increasingly vicious.
"And you, Jinbe?!"
"As Arlong's former comrade… as the so-called 'Knight of the Sea'…"
"You wag your tail and serve under the enemy instead!"
He practically spat out the final accusation through clenched teeth.
"So who's really blind?!"
"Who's the true traitor to the suffering and will of the fish-man race?!"
Before his words had even fully faded—
An overwhelming wave of killing intent and accumulated hatred exploded from Hody like a deep-sea storm.
Without another word, he launched forward.
The floor beneath him shattered as he transformed into a blur of blue.
His trident tore through the air toward Jinbe's throat.
"Pointless."
Faced with the hatred-filled strike, Jinbe merely sighed quietly.
He didn't even move his feet.
Lowering his stance, he drew his right fist back as streams of water silently gathered and compressed around his knuckles.
"Fish-Man Karate…"
"Five Thousand Brick Fist."
He threw a simple punch.
BOOM—!!!
A compressed shockwave exploded forward first and struck Hody squarely in the chest.
Hody's violent charge froze instantly.
Then—
Like a man struck head-on by a giant invisible hammer—
He flew backward as a blur, smashing directly through a gigantic coral pillar thick enough to require several people to wrap around it.
Dust exploded everywhere.
"Ghk…! Cough—!"
Hody crawled out from the rubble, vomiting blood.
A visible dent had formed in his chest.
Yet when he looked at Jinbe—who hadn't moved an inch—a twisted smile still appeared on his face.
"Incredible… as expected of a former Warlord of the Sea."
"Jinbe… you really are monstrously strong."
Slowly straightening himself, Hody reached into his coat and pulled out a handful of red-and-white pills radiating a sinister glow.
Without hesitation—
He shoved the entire handful into his mouth and swallowed them whole.
"GUOOOOOOAAAHHHHH—!!!"
An inhuman scream exploded from his throat.
His eyes instantly became consumed by violent blood-red madness.
His muscles swelled grotesquely, veins bulging like snakes beneath his skin.
Even more horrifying—
Crimson mist began leaking uncontrollably from his pores, surrounding him with a bloody and frenzied aura.
"T-That's… Energy Steroids?!"
The Minister of the Right cried out in horror.
"Ten years ago, the treasure box Tamatebako was robbed and all the Energy Steroids disappeared…"
"So it was you all along, Hody Jones?!"
"Hody! Have you lost your mind?!"
Jinbe's face darkened heavily.
"Those drugs trade lifespan for temporary power! Taking that many is suicide!"
"Heh… hehehehe…"
Hody's voice had become hoarse and monstrous.
Wiping blood from his mouth, he stared at Jinbe with blood-red eyes.
"As long as I can fulfill my ambition… as long as I can wash away this humiliation…"
"I don't give a damn about my lifespan!!"
He stomped heavily.
The floor exploded beneath his feet.
"Today… no one will stop me!!!"
Looking at the nearly monstrous Hody before him, Jinbe slowly assumed the stance of Fish-Man Karate.
His eyes sharpened like blades.
"Even so… Hody…"
"Even if I have to beat some sense into you…"
"I'll stop you here."
Even after forcibly increasing his strength with Energy Steroids—
Hody's artificial power still couldn't shake the overwhelming mastery of Jinbe, whose Fish-Man Karate had been refined through countless battles.
The air inside the hall froze from the pressure of the impending clash.
Meanwhile, after witnessing their captain get blown away with a single punch, the fish-man pirates froze in fear.
They exchanged nervous glances and subconsciously stepped backward.
"What are you idiots standing around for?!"
Hody's crazed roar exploded from the rubble.
"Move!! Seize Ryugu Palace! Kill the traitors and the humans!!"
The command acted like a death sentence.
Stimulated by the Energy Steroids, the pirates' retreating fear instantly transformed into violent bloodlust.
"OOOOOOH—!!"
"KILL THEM!!"
Dozens of berserk fish-man pirates charged toward Luffy and the others while roaring wildly.
"Tch."
Luffy didn't even bother looking up.
He remained seated calmly atop a raised coral platform, straw hat lowered slightly.
Beside him, Uta sat quietly while gently massaging his temples with slender pale fingers.
Her purple eyes remained lowered, as though the deafening battle cries around them were merely background noise.
"Zoro."
Luffy spoke lazily.
"Okay."
A simple response echoed.
A tall figure wearing a dark green coat silently stepped forward like an immovable wall between the charging fish-men and Luffy.
—SHING!
His thumb lightly pushed against the guard of Sandai Kitetsu.
A short section of the dark-purple blade emerged.
And in that instant—
BZZZT—!!
Black-and-red lightning erupted violently through the air without warning.
An overwhelming, tyrannical pressure exploded outward from Zoro like a waking beast.
Dark crimson waves of Haki burst from him visibly.
The air itself trembled violently beneath the pressure.
The charging fish-men suddenly felt their minds go blank.
Their momentum stopped instantly.
A cold smile appeared at the corner of Zoro's mouth.
Absolute confidence.
Absolute contempt.
"Against trash like you…"
His low voice echoed clearly amid the storm of Haki.
"I'll use the back of the blade."
He fully drew Sandai Kitetsu.
The blade spun once in his hand before the dull backside pointed toward the enemy horde.
"How many survive…"
"…depends on your luck."
SLASH—!!!
The instant the back of the blade cut through the air—
Compressed Haki and sword force merged into a crescent-shaped dark-red shockwave that blasted outward in a massive fan-shaped arc.
BOOOOOOM—!!!
An unimaginable wave of force exploded outward like a tsunami.
A terrifying chill born from pure instinct gripped every fish-man's heart.
Their blood nearly froze.
Then—
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
Every fish-man pirate caught within the shockwave was blasted airborne without resistance.
Blood sprayed from their mouths.
Weapons flew from their hands.
Their screams echoed through the palace as they were launched far beyond Ryugu Palace, crashing down into Fish-Man Island below or plunging into the distant deep sea.
Click.
Zoro sheathed his sword smoothly.
His clothes hadn't even shifted.
As though he had merely brushed away invisible dust, he calmly returned to Luffy's side, crossed his arms, and closed his eyes again.
The hall fell completely silent.
Aside from the distant battle between Hody and Jinbe—
No one dared speak.
The palace guards…
The ministers…
Everyone stood frozen.
Their mouths hung open unconsciously as they stared at the devastated area that had just been cleared instantly.
Then they looked toward the green-haired swordsman who appeared as though he had done absolutely nothing.
Finally…
Their gazes slowly returned toward the straw-hatted young man still receiving a relaxed massage without even adjusting the angle of his hat.
A bone-deep chill rose from within them—
Mixed with awe they could not comprehend.
"So this is…"
"…the crew of an Emperor of the Sea?"
Someone muttered unconsciously.
And it perfectly voiced the thoughts of everyone present.
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