One Piece: SSS-Rank Haki at Age Seventeen

"That's not true——!!!"

A voice rang out like a pure ray of sunlight piercing through the deep sea.

It still carried the soft, sweet tone unique to merfolk—

But now, hidden within that softness was an unprecedented clarity and unwavering strength, trembling slightly with emotion.

"Mother… Mother wasn't assassinated by humans at all!"

The sudden declaration exploded like thunder in everyone's ears.

For a moment, every single person froze in place as though struck by paralysis.

Their eyes widened in shock and confusion as they all turned toward the source of the voice.

Princess Shirahoshi's flowing pink hair drifted lightly with her agitation. Tears shimmered within her ocean-blue eyes, yet they shone with a brilliance that allowed no doubt.

"Oh?"

Luffy tilted his head lazily at first, but the moment Shirahoshi spoke, a flicker of interest appeared in his eyes, and the corners of his lips curled upward.

So… you're finally going to reveal the truth, Shirahoshi?

Luffy had never been particularly obsessed with settling old grudges or uncovering past conspiracies. He cared more about the people and events right in front of him.

Even though he knew some of the truth, he had never intended to expose it himself.

To him, the past and present were entirely separate matters.

But now, seeing Shirahoshi—the girl who always cried and hid herself away—step forward on her own to confront the deepest pain and accusations of all…

Luffy couldn't help but smile.

Watching his friends grow stronger always made him genuinely happy.

"The person who killed my mother…"

Shirahoshi's voice trembled slightly, but every word rang out clearly.

She slowly raised a slender finger and pointed directly at the bloodied figure lying amidst the rubble.

"—was you, Hody Jones!"

"…?!"

Time itself seemed to freeze once more.

Not just Neptune and Jinbe—even every guard and attendant within Ryugu Palace stared in stunned disbelief.

For more than ten years, the belief that Queen Otohime had been murdered by "a human pirate's bullet" had been etched deeply into everyone's hearts like a scar.

It had become one of the roots of hatred between Fish-Men and humans.

And now, that foundation had been shaken—

By the Queen's own daughter.

"Ah… hahaha! Princess Shirahoshi…"

After a brief moment of shock, Hody Jones burst into hoarse, frenzied laughter.

Struggling upright with the final strength granted by the Energy Steroids and his own madness, he staggered out from the rubble.

Blood continuously dripped from his torn flesh, blooming crimson across the floor.

"You really do have quite the imagination. Evidence? What evidence do you have for such a ridiculous accusation?"

"And if you supposedly 'knew' the truth all along… then why did you stay silent for ten whole years while everyone blamed humans?"

"Megalo can testify for me!"

Shirahoshi stepped forward anxiously, her massive tail swaying restlessly.

"He… he saw it with his own eyes back then!"

"That pet shark of yours?"

Hody sneered, spreading his mangled, bloodied hand mockingly.

"He's your pet, naturally he'd speak in your favor. And with just his word, you expect everyone to overturn a conclusion that's lasted over a decade?"

"Princess, you're far too naive. Far too easily manipulated."

Dealing with a sheltered princess unfamiliar with the world was easy for him.

As long as he denied the existence of hard evidence and questioned the witness's credibility, he could muddy the truth beyond recognition.

"Oh? Really?"

A lazy voice suddenly interrupted.

At some point, Luffy had casually started picking at his ear, his expression relaxed as though discussing dinner plans.

Lowering his hand, he looked calmly at Hody.

"Everyone standing here… is on our side."

He pointed toward Shirahoshi, then swept his gaze across Neptune, Jinbe, and the Ryugu Palace guards.

"So instead of believing Shirahoshi…"

"We're supposed to believe you? The guy who stormed the palace with pirates while screaming about murder and destruction?"

As he spoke, Luffy slowly rose to his feet.

With that simple movement, an invisible pressure began spreading through the hall.

Looking at Hody—the Fish-Man who kept dragging himself back up again and again through the power of the Energy Steroids despite being crushed repeatedly by Jinbe—Luffy's eyes narrowed with growing impatience.

Thinking about it carefully, the events on Fish-Man Island differed slightly from both his past and future adventures.

The whole "getting knocked down only to stand back up repeatedly" routine that normally belonged to the protagonist…

Had somehow all been transferred onto Hody Jones instead.

Watching him bounce back over and over like an unkillable cockroach was starting to get annoying.

"So…"

Luffy's voice became quiet.

The next instant, his figure vanished from Hody's sight like a phantom.

"—this ends here."

A cold chuckle sounded directly above Hody's head.

Hody's face changed drastically.

An overwhelming sense of danger sent waves of agony through every wound in his body.

He jerked his head upward—

Only to see a massive hand coated in Armament Haki descending upon him faster than he could react.

The steel-like fingers spread wide and clamped down brutally over his entire head.

The terrifying grip instantly crushed against his skull, causing his vision to go black as all sound and thought vanished.

Then—

BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!

Luffy seized Hody by the head and, without any flourish or technique, slammed him straight into the ground with pure overwhelming force.

The impact point erupted like a meteor strike.

The coral stone flooring within several hundred meters shattered, buckled upward, and collapsed entirely into an enormous crater.

A deafening explosion roared through Ryugu Palace as visible shockwaves blasted outward in every direction, carrying endless dust and debris with them.

The entire palace trembled violently.

As the dust slowly settled, the scene at the center of the crater became visible.

Luffy remained crouched with one knee bent.

His right hand still gripped Hody Jones by the skull, lifting the Fish-Man's limp body from the crater like a broken doll.

Hody's limbs dangled lifelessly.

Countless bones throughout his body had clearly shattered, and blood soaked through his ruined clothing before dripping steadily downward.

He had completely lost consciousness.

Or perhaps his life itself was already fading away.

"It's over."

Luffy's voice remained completely calm.

Crimson-black bolts of Conqueror's Haki crackled along his arm like living lightning before surging through Hody's broken body.

Then Luffy's arm tensed violently as he swung.

"FWOOOOOSH—!!!"

Hody Jones shot away like a blurred projectile at supersonic speed, flying straight out of Ryugu Palace and into the endless deep sea.

In the blink of an eye, he disappeared from sight entirely, leaving only a fading white trail behind.

"Okay."

Luffy dusted off his hands casually, as though cleaning away dirt that wasn't even there.

If Hody somehow survived that…

Then he probably wasn't a Fish-Man anymore, but some kind of immortal monster.

…

Meanwhile, Neptune, Jinbe, and the others had no time to care whether Hody was dead or alive.

Their minds were completely occupied by Shirahoshi's revelation.

"Shirahoshi… W-What you just said… was it really true?!"

Neptune leaned forward slightly, his enormous body trembling.

His weathered eyes contained disbelief, shock… and a faint hope he scarcely dared believe in.

"Father… Jinbe…"

Looking at the solemn anticipation on their faces, Shirahoshi nodded firmly.

"Yes… everything I said is true."

"Princess…"

Jinbe drew in a deep breath, trying to calm the storm raging inside him, though his voice still sounded rough with emotion.

"This matter is of immense importance… Why did you hide it for ten years before finally speaking now?"

This revelation overturned one of the deepest pains and convictions carried by countless Fish-Men.

Queen Otohime had been killed by one of their own?

That truth was even more tragic than blaming humanity.

"Because… before Mother died…"

Shirahoshi lowered her head.

Her long eyelashes trembled gently as she quickly wiped away tears gathering at the corners of her eyes.

She couldn't cry.

She had to be strong.

If she cried too much, Lord Luffy might dislike her.

Forcing herself to remain steady, she continued softly:

"Mother told me… not to hate the killer."

She looked toward the place where Queen Otohime's portrait had once hung.

"Mother always taught me—and everyone else—that true strength isn't the power of revenge…"

"It's the courage to move forward without being chained by hatred… the courage to forgive."

"That's why I kept this secret all these years. I didn't tell anyone."

"This…"

Jinbe and Neptune exchanged stunned looks.

Within each other's eyes, they saw shock, realization… and a heavy sense of long-delayed relief.

Even in her final moments, Queen Otohime had remained true to her ideals.

She had even protected the one who murdered her to prevent the cycle of hatred from continuing.

Neptune slowly clenched and loosened his massive fist.

A light unlike anything before gradually appeared in his eyes.

"Perhaps… now is finally the time for Fish-Man Island to return justice to humanity."

"This may be the perfect opportunity to break through the hatred dividing us and heal the rift between our races."

Ever since his beloved wife collapsed on the eve of her petition for coexistence with humanity, Neptune had carried her unfinished dream forward alone.

Yet deep inside, hadn't he also suffered endlessly from the belief that "humans killed the Queen"?

True forgiveness and reconciliation had never been easy.

But now—

The truth had finally emerged.

The killer was not human.

The hatred had come from within.

And among humanity, there were also people like Luffy—

A man who had repeatedly saved Fish-Man Island from disaster.

For the first time, hope shone clearly upon them like sunlight piercing through 10,000 meters of deep sea darkness.

Perhaps Fish-Men and humans truly did have a future where they could coexist in peace.

At that thought, Jinbe unconsciously looked toward Luffy.

Luffy was currently sitting cross-legged on the floor without a shred of dignity, laughing loudly as Shirahoshi enthusiastically described all sorts of stories about Megalo.

Watching his captain's pure and carefree smile, Jinbe's expression softened immensely.

Walking over, he spoke with a rare teasing tone.

"Luffy… how about it? Interested in becoming Fish-Man Island's true hero? One remembered by everyone?"

He didn't just mean a savior through strength—

But a symbolic bridge capable of connecting the trust between two races.

"Huh? No way!"

Luffy answered instantly, shaking his head furiously without even a second of hesitation.

"Eh?! Why not?!"

Neptune and the nearby guards listening eagerly were all stunned.

This was the kind of glory that would be remembered throughout history!

Luffy stopped teasing Shirahoshi and turned around, hands on his hips as he loudly declared:

"Because if you become a hero…"

"Then during the victory feast—"

"You have to share the best meat with everyone else!"

Wrinkling his nose with complete seriousness, he shouted:

"Then what am I supposed to eat?! I'm not making a bad deal like that!"

Everyone: "..."

A strange silence instantly fell over the hall that had just moments ago been drowning in historical revelations and emotional weight.

Neptune opened his mouth, only to realize he had absolutely no response.

The admiration and expectation on the guards' faces froze into speechless confusion.

Within the grand hall, the heaviness of history and Luffy's absurd logic intertwined in the strangest way imaginable.

But regardless—

The dark clouds of hatred that had loomed over Fish-Man Island for ten long years had finally begun to part.

And through that narrow opening, a small ray of light quietly shone through.

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