"Hey, Luffy! I should be the one fighting that Vander Decken, but you stole my chance!" Sanji complained, sounding annoyed.
"It doesn't matter, he was going to fly away anyway," Luffy replied with a cheeky grin. "Actually, I think it's too easy just to knock this guy out right away. So, I took it easy on him. Let's all go up there and beat him as much as we want!"
When did Luffy get this mean? The thought flashed through the minds of his crewmates. Right then, they saw Vander Decken IX crash into the ground, screaming in pain. It was clear Luffy hadn't actually held back for the Fish-Man's sake—he just hadn't knocked him unconscious.
That's perfect! Now everyone gets a turn!
"Don't hit him too hard! Save the final punch for me!" shouted Franky, who was currently busy applying the coating film to the ship.
"Don't worry, Franky, I'll just use the back of my sword," Zoro said with a wicked smile.
"Indeed, it's too kind to kill or stun a scumbag like him right away. He deserves a good lesson," Tashigi agreed, sharing a rare moment of dark humor with Zoro. "I'll also use the dull side of my blade this time".
"I agree! Everyone, remember to hold back a little!" Usopp, Chopper, and Brook all chimed in, eager to join the fun.
At that moment, Vander Decken IX felt the Straw Hats' deep, profound malice. A group of people surrounded him, hitting, kicking, and stabbing him with the backs of their swords. He shrieked as they beat him up, yet he was never able to fight back.
Even Shirahoshi's older brother, Fukaboshi, rushed up and punched Vander Decken a couple of times, finally releasing the anger that had built up over many years.
Click! Being the most cautious, Franky quickly slapped a Seastone handcuff onto Vander Decken IX's wrist. Then, he crumpled the Fish-Man into a ball and hit him, sending him flying like a volleyball.
"Hahaha! This is fun!" Luffy laughed as he caught the human-sized ball.
Usopp was even more organized. He used his special ability to instantly create a simple volleyball net. Then, the Straw Hats automatically split into two teams and began playing 'Vander Decken Volleyball'.
Bepo, Jean Bart, and the other members of the Heart Pirates who were watching couldn't bear to look.
The kind-hearted Princess Shirahoshi also found it hard to watch, but seeing how much fun the Straw Hats were having, she couldn't help but laugh through her tears. Since Vander Decken IX hasn't been killed, everything should be fine, she thought.
Fukaboshi and the Fish-Man soldiers were utterly stunned by the Straw Hats' actions. These guys are truly devils! they thought. Hitting a person around like a volleyball must be much more painful and humiliating than being killed outright. Vander Decken IX couldn't have encountered a worse group of people.
Vander Decken IX was so filled with shame and rage that he actually wanted to commit suicide.
Now, his fury was burning hot, and he didn't care who the other party was. He immediately screamed out:
"Wadatsumi! I'll see you at Sea God's Shrine! Kill them for me!"
His frantic yelling, however, did not stop the Straw Hats, who continued their cheerful volleyball game. A short time later, a huge, angry-looking, humanoid monster appeared.
"Captain Vander Decken, I'm here! Which one should I fight this time…"
The monster, Wadatsumi, froze in terror the moment he saw the Straw Hat Crew. Then, when he saw the little squid, Surume, slowly emerging from the deep corals, Wadatsumi immediately turned around and ran away in a panic.
Vander Decken IX was stunned. "Wadatsumi! What in the world are you running for?!"
Wadatsumi didn't even look back. "Captain, these people are incredible! I'm no match for them!"
However, Wadatsumi didn't get far before Surume's huge tentacles wrapped around him, pinning him tightly to the ground, leaving him completely immobile.
Vander Decken IX was surprised when he saw Surume. He remembered that Kraken belonged to Hody Jones. How did it become a subordinate of the Straw Hats?!
"Huh? Isn't that the monster, the big humanoid guy, who ran away before?" Zoro recalled.
"He's the one I ran into after crossing the underwater volcano. The squid beat him up and chased him off," Tashigi thoughtfully added.
"Hahaha! The little squid did a great job!" Luffy was clearly in a very good mood; playing volleyball was indeed making him happy.
He even began thinking about buying a real volleyball so all the crew could play a proper game together, maybe even hold a tournament. Right now, using a Fish-Man as a ball meant they couldn't use too much force, for fear of killing him. Smash! Vander Decken IX was hit by a hard smash and finally passed out completely.
"Oops, sorry. I used too much strength," Sanji mumbled a fake apology, his face showing zero regret.
"Really useless. Perverted cook, you can't even control your own strength?" Zoro didn't miss the chance to mock Sanji.
"Cut! That's only because my love for Princess Shirahoshi is too deep, and my fury toward Vander Decken keeps getting stronger," Sanji retorted. "I couldn't control my strength because of that! This is a manifestation of love, something you don't understand at all!"
"Heh! You don't have a woman in your heart, so when you draw your sword, you are a force of nature. It's because you're too lustful that you're stuck at the bottom of the Straw Hat crew's strength ranking."
"What did you say, Mosshead? Don't be so full of yourself! No matter how you look at it, I am the third strongest fighter of the Straw Hats! The ship recognizes that, and the whole sea recognizes that!"
"Oh yeah? Someone's bounty isn't that high, but his mouth is big," Zoro taunted.
"Damn it, Green Algae Head! Let's fight right now if you dare! I'll definitely knock you to the ground!"
"Bring it on! You think I'm scared of a lousy cook?"
The two started arguing again. They rolled up their sleeves and began squaring up, but none of the other crewmates bothered to stop them. This pair of 'happy enemies' never managed to actually fight in the end anyway.
Luffy picked up the unconscious Vander Decken IX and tossed him to Fukaboshi.
"Brother Fukaboshi, I'll leave this guy to you," Luffy said. "Like I promised, Shirahoshi can come out here anytime she wants, and she won't be in danger anymore!"
"Thank you so much, Captain Straw Hat!" Fukaboshi's eyes welled up with tears. He was happy that his sister was finally free.
Shirahoshi was also extremely happy. "Thank you, Luffy-sama! Thank you, everyone!" she said.
While Fukaboshi dealt with Vander Decken IX, Jinbe had already surrounded Fish-Man Street with a company of Ryugu Kingdom soldiers. Although it hadn't been confirmed to Princess Shirahoshi that Hody Jones was the real killer of Queen Otohime, the banned drug, Energy Steroids, had definitely been stolen.
Jinbe believed Hody Jones posed a serious threat, so he decided to act quickly. He planned to capture Hody Jones himself.
The Fish-Men in Fish-Man Street started to panic when they saw the soldiers blocking off the area. However, they couldn't help but feel a sense of relief when they saw Jinbe. To everyone, Jinbe was a very loyal and reasonable man; he wouldn't attack anyone without a good reason, so they knew there must be a serious issue this time.
"Boss Jinbe, what's going on?"
"That's right, Boss Jinbe! If someone committed a crime, just tell us, and we'll help you arrest them!"
"Could it be Hody Jones and his group? They've been sneaking around lately, and nobody knows what they're up to!"
Everyone in Fish-Man Street greeted Jinbe, all talking at once.
However, Jinbe caught that last sentence and immediately asked, "Where are Hody Jones and the others right now?!"
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